Greely, Ontario
Encyclopedia
Greely is a quickly growing rural village in the southern end of Ottawa
Ottawa
Ottawa is the capital of Canada, the second largest city in the Province of Ontario, and the fourth largest city in the country. The city is located on the south bank of the Ottawa River in the eastern portion of Southern Ontario...

, formerly a part of the Township of Osgoode
Osgoode Township, Ontario
Osgoode Township is a former township that is now a part of the city of Ottawa, Ontario, Canada. It encompassed the same area that is currently Osgoode Ward. The township along the Rideau River was established in 1798 and incorporated in 1850. It was an independent township in Carleton County until...

. It has been a part of the City of Ottawa
City of Ottawa
The City of Ottawa is the corporate entity of municipal government in Ottawa, Ontario, Canada. The corporation is responsible for provision of services to the public as well as enforcement of municipal by-laws...

 since amalgamation in 2001. Greely is currently the largest rural village in terms of land area and the third largest in terms of population in the City of Ottawa
City of Ottawa
The City of Ottawa is the corporate entity of municipal government in Ottawa, Ontario, Canada. The corporation is responsible for provision of services to the public as well as enforcement of municipal by-laws...

. In 2005, its population was reported as 7,056, with 2,378 dwellings. Greely's rural atmosphere and its easy access to the City's urban areas have contributed to making it the fastest growing village in Ottawa over the last thirty years. It is encompassed by Bank Street
Bank Street (Ottawa)
Bank Street is the major north-south road in Ottawa, Ontario, Canada. It runs south from Wellington Street in downtown Ottawa, south through the neighbourhoods of Centretown, The Glebe, Old Ottawa South, Alta Vista, Hunt Club, and then through the villages of Blossom Park, Leitrim, South...

 and Mitch Owens roads on the north and east, and on the west by Manotick
Manotick, Ontario
Manotick, Ontario is an exurb in Eastern Ontario on the Rideau River, located on the south edge of Ottawa's urban area. Manotick is located immediately south of the booming suburbs Barrhaven and Riverside South and is about from downtown Ottawa. It has been part of the City of Ottawa since...

. It is in the parliamentary riding federally and provincially of Nepean-Carleton, and is represented on City Council
Ottawa City Council
The Ottawa City Council is the governing body of the City of Ottawa, Ontario, Canada. It is composed of 23 city councillors and the mayor. The mayor is elected at large, while each of the councillors represent wards throughout the city. Council members are elected to four year terms with the...

 by Doug Thompson
Doug Thompson
Doug Thompson is a councillor in the city of Ottawa for the Osgoode Ward. Thompson is also the former mayor of Osgoode Township prior to the amalgamation with the new City of Ottawa, and he is a Councillor with the amalgamated City of Ottawa Council for Osgoode Ward. Prior to being Mayor of...

, being in Osgoode Ward
Osgoode Ward
Osgoode Ward represents the south end of the City of Ottawa and solely made up of residents of the former Osgoode Township. The current city councillor is Doug Thompson....

.

Greely is home to a set of tight-knit and unique communities throughout the village. Most homes sit on ½ acre to 2 acres (8,093.7 m²) lots. Some developers offer condominium-like amenities such as pools, tennis courts, man-made lakes, beaches, and small neighbourhood community centres within their residential communities. The Greely Community Centre hosts meetings and activities for the entire rural town. Every year, they organize a Winter Carnival and a renowned Canada Day
Canada Day
Canada Day , formerly Dominion Day , is the national day of Canada, a federal statutory holiday celebrating the anniversary of the July 1, 1867, enactment of the British North America Act , which united three British colonies into a single country, called Canada, within the British Empire...

 celebration.

Throughout the last eight years Greely has seen a 58.7% increase in the number of dwellings. Greely’s increasingly rapid growth can be attributed to its rural atmosphere and easy access to Ottawa’s urban centre. Furthermore, Greely presently has several large areas of undeveloped land within its boundaries. Greely’s boundaries currently contain enough land for approximately twenty-two years of residential growth based on current development patterns. Assuming that current development patterns continue, Greely could have a population of approximately 9,000 to 10,000 in the next few years.

Although Greely has always been criticized for its lack of a main street, and village centre with shopping and amenities, a new commercial development, Greely Village Centre, located off of Bank Street
Bank Street (Ottawa)
Bank Street is the major north-south road in Ottawa, Ontario, Canada. It runs south from Wellington Street in downtown Ottawa, south through the neighbourhoods of Centretown, The Glebe, Old Ottawa South, Alta Vista, Hunt Club, and then through the villages of Blossom Park, Leitrim, South...

 and Parkway Road hopes to address the problem by creating a place where Greely residents can go to shop, work, and play instead of having to commute 20 minutes into Ottawa. The implementation of the Greely Village Centre would help define Greely’s village core with a clear focus, a distinct identity, and a mixture of commercial, residential and institutional uses.

Churches

  • All Saints Anglican Church
  • Parkway Road Pentecostal Church
  • Our Lady of the Visitation (Not actually in Greely, but on the border. Many Greely residents attend this church, and they hold events in Greely.)

Schools

  • Castor Valley Elementary School
    Castor Valley Elementary School
    Castor Valley Elementary School is a school in Ottawa, Ontario. The grades range from junior kindergarten through eighth grade. The school's property was donated by Norm Fenn in 1890. The school opened as a school in 1991 and had their 10th anniversary in 2001....

  • Greely Elementary School
    Greely Elementary School
    Greely Elementary School was built in Greely, Ontario on Parkway Road, during the early 1970s to replace a local one-room schoolhouse. It is in the Ottawa-Carleton District School Board.-External links:*...

  • St. Mary Elementary School (Not actually in Greely, but on the border. Many Greely children attend this school.)
  • St. Mark Catholic High School (Ottawa)
    St. Mark Catholic High School (Ottawa)
    Opened in 1980, St. Mark Catholic High School is located in Manotick, a neighbourhood in the city of Ottawa. Its enrollment is currently around 900 after losing about 600 students to St. Francis Xavier Catholic High School in 2009 & 2010, after the completion of its construction in 2009. St....

     Rated Best 'High' School in Ottawa.

Library

The Greely branch of the Ottawa Public Library
Ottawa Public Library
The Ottawa Public Library is the library system of Ottawa, Ontario, Canada and is the largest bilingual library in North America...

 was opened in 1976, after receiving approval from Osgoode Township Council, with the local fire department agreeing to let them use their meeting room for the branch. During the 1990s, the Osgoode Township Library Board received a grant from the Ontario
Ontario
Ontario is a province of Canada, located in east-central Canada. It is Canada's most populous province and second largest in total area. It is home to the nation's most populous city, Toronto, and the nation's capital, Ottawa....

government to build a new branch, but the building never came to fruition. In 2009, the community secured funding for a brand new 3500 square feet (325.2 m²) library to be built as an extension to the Greely Community Centre at 1448 Meadow Drive. The new facility opened its doors on March 14, 2011.

External links

The source of this article is wikipedia, the free encyclopedia.  The text of this article is licensed under the GFDL.
 
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