Stittsville, Ontario
Encyclopedia
Stittsville is a suburb
an community in the western part of Ottawa
, Ontario
, Canada
. A part of the National Capital Region
, Stittsville is located immediately to the south-west of Kanata
, and about 31 km (19.3 mi) from downtown Ottawa
.
s, swamp
s, and marsh
lands in the area, which made agriculture and travel nearly impossible. This same surveyor would refer to the area around the village
of Richmond
(10 km south) as having some of the most fertile soils in the entire region. The town itself was born in the 1850s by Jackson Stitt, for whom the town is named; he was also the first postmaster in the area.
The original town site, now known as "Old Stittsville", was located at the present intersection of Carp Road and Hazeldean Road. It was a small crossroads, consisting of a few houses, a small inn, and a general store and post office, which was owned by Jackson Stitt.
The Great Carleton Fire of 1870 devastated the community, destroying nearly everything. The Hartin House and a handful of other buildings were all that was left standing. This was an extremely large fire, encompassing over 250000 acres (1,011.7 km²) from Ottawa
to Smiths Falls
to Carleton Place
.
The regrowth of Stittsville did not occur until the 1870s, when Canadian Pacific built a railway line connecting Ottawa to the booming lumber town of Carleton Place. The new town would be located at the current intersection of Abbott Street and Main Street. A train station, grist mill, grain elevators, and several hotels were just some of the features of this sleepy outpost town. The hamlet of Ashton
(12 km to the west) also attributes its beginning to the railway line. In 1989, the tracks were removed, and CP Rail donated the land to be used as part of the Trans-Canada Trail.
Stittsville was incorporated as a police village
in 1956, and became a full village in 1961. In 1974 it was amalgamated into Goulbourn Township. In 2001 Goulbourn was amalgamated into the City of Ottawa
.
Since the extension of the Queensway
in the 1970s made travel from Ottawa quicker and easier, Stittsville has experienced rapid growth; it transformed from a quiet farming community of under 500 people to a suburb of 20,000, in just over 25 years. Many residents are employed in Ottawa
's high-tech industry or the federal government. Further growth is expected in the near future with the development of neighborhoods such as Jackson Trails and Kanata West to its north, Fernbank to its east and south and West Ridge to its west. In the next 10 to 20 years, Stittsville's population is expected to exceed 30,000.
, also located in Stittsville. Public high school students in this area go to South Carleton High School
in Richmond
. It is home to two indoor hockey rinks, an indoor public pool, a public library, and the Amberwood Golf and Country Club. Stittsville has two weekly local newspapers: The Stittsville News and the EMC.
Stittsville Public School, an elementary school originally located on Stittsville Main Street, has had a series of expansions to accommodate the growth in population. The school opened as a two-room, one-story building, and was eventually expanded to a two-story building with about fourteen classrooms. At the start of the 2005–2006 school year, Stittsville Public School, including staff and students, was moved to a new two-story building with over twenty classrooms and now 13 portables at 40 Granite Ridge Drive.
Stittsville is also the home of the Stittsville Minor Hockey Rams, as well the Stittsville RAMS competitive hockey association.
In 1956, Stittsville men's fast-pitch softball team won the Ontario provincial tournament. To this day, men's fastball teams in Stittsville are known as the "Stittsville 56'ers" in honour of the 1956 provincial victory.
Stittsville residents travel to Kanata and downtown Ottawa via Provincial Highway 417 and Ottawa's OC Transpo
urban transit buses.
Suburb
The word suburb mostly refers to a residential area, either existing as part of a city or as a separate residential community within commuting distance of a city . Some suburbs have a degree of administrative autonomy, and most have lower population density than inner city neighborhoods...
an community in the western part 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...
, 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....
, Canada
Canada
Canada is a North American country consisting of ten provinces and three territories. Located in the northern part of the continent, it extends from the Atlantic Ocean in the east to the Pacific Ocean in the west, and northward into the Arctic Ocean...
. A part of the National Capital Region
National Capital Region (Canada)
The National Capital Region, also referred to as Canada's Capital Region, is an official federal designation for the Canadian capital of Ottawa, Ontario, the neighbouring city of Gatineau, Quebec, and surrounding urban and rural communities....
, Stittsville is located immediately to the south-west of Kanata
Kanata, Ontario
Situated in the Ottawa Valley, Kanata is located about west-southwest of Downtown Ottawa along Highway 417 at a latitude of 45°18' North and a longitude of 75°55' West, with an area of . Its northern end is just to the west of the Ottawa River....
, and about 31 km (19.3 mi) from downtown Ottawa
Downtown Ottawa
Downtown Ottawa is the central area of Ottawa, Ontario, Canada. Like other downtowns it is the commercial and economic centre of the city. It is sometimes referred to as the Central Business District and contains Ottawa's financial district. It is bordered by the Ottawa River to the north, the...
.
History
The first settlers to the area were Irish soldiers, arriving in the 1820s. One of the original surveyors in the Stittsville area referred to it as a "God-forsaken wasteland". This was due to the large number of fenFen
A fen is a type of wetland fed by mineral-rich surface water or groundwater. Fens are characterised by their water chemistry, which is neutral or alkaline, with relatively high dissolved mineral levels but few other plant nutrients...
s, swamp
Swamp
A swamp is a wetland with some flooding of large areas of land by shallow bodies of water. A swamp generally has a large number of hammocks, or dry-land protrusions, covered by aquatic vegetation, or vegetation that tolerates periodical inundation. The two main types of swamp are "true" or swamp...
s, and marsh
Marsh
In geography, a marsh, or morass, is a type of wetland that is subject to frequent or continuous flood. Typically the water is shallow and features grasses, rushes, reeds, typhas, sedges, other herbaceous plants, and moss....
lands in the area, which made agriculture and travel nearly impossible. This same surveyor would refer to the area around the village
Village
A village is a clustered human settlement or community, larger than a hamlet with the population ranging from a few hundred to a few thousand , Though often located in rural areas, the term urban village is also applied to certain urban neighbourhoods, such as the West Village in Manhattan, New...
of Richmond
Richmond, Ontario
Richmond is a Canadian village. Founded in 1818, it spans the Jock River, a tributary of the Rideau River. Like many communities in eastern Ontario, Richmond houses several unique populations. Some residents have historic and economic roots in the immediate area. Richmond operates as a small core...
(10 km south) as having some of the most fertile soils in the entire region. The town itself was born in the 1850s by Jackson Stitt, for whom the town is named; he was also the first postmaster in the area.
The original town site, now known as "Old Stittsville", was located at the present intersection of Carp Road and Hazeldean Road. It was a small crossroads, consisting of a few houses, a small inn, and a general store and post office, which was owned by Jackson Stitt.
The Great Carleton Fire of 1870 devastated the community, destroying nearly everything. The Hartin House and a handful of other buildings were all that was left standing. This was an extremely large fire, encompassing over 250000 acres (1,011.7 km²) from 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...
to Smiths Falls
Smiths Falls, Ontario
Smiths Falls is a town in Eastern Ontario, Canada. It is in the census division for Lanark County, but is considered a separated town and does not participate in county government...
to Carleton Place
Carleton Place, Ontario
Carleton Place is a town in the eastern portion of Eastern Ontario, Canada, in Lanark County, about west of downtown Ottawa. It is located at the crossroads of Highway 15 and Highway 7, halfway between the towns of Perth, Almonte, Smiths Falls, and the nation's capital, Ottawa...
.
The regrowth of Stittsville did not occur until the 1870s, when Canadian Pacific built a railway line connecting Ottawa to the booming lumber town of Carleton Place. The new town would be located at the current intersection of Abbott Street and Main Street. A train station, grist mill, grain elevators, and several hotels were just some of the features of this sleepy outpost town. The hamlet of Ashton
Ashton, Ontario
The small village of Ashton is located about west of Ottawa, Ontario, Canada, at the intersection of Ashton Station Road and Flewellyn Road. Ashton Station Road runs through the centre of the community, and serves as the south-western boundary line for the City of Ottawa, thus making the eastern...
(12 km to the west) also attributes its beginning to the railway line. In 1989, the tracks were removed, and CP Rail donated the land to be used as part of the Trans-Canada Trail.
Stittsville was incorporated as a police village
Police village
A police village was a form of municipal government used in the province of Ontario, Canada, beginning in the early 19th century. It was used in cases where the finances or population of the area did not permit the creation of a village....
in 1956, and became a full village in 1961. In 1974 it was amalgamated into Goulbourn Township. In 2001 Goulbourn was amalgamated into the City 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...
.
Since the extension of the Queensway
Queensway (Ottawa)
The Queensway is a major controlled-access freeway running through Ottawa, Ontario, Canada, from Kanata in the west to Orleans in the east. It is the primary east-west transportation artery in the Ottawa-Gatineau area....
in the 1970s made travel from Ottawa quicker and easier, Stittsville has experienced rapid growth; it transformed from a quiet farming community of under 500 people to a suburb of 20,000, in just over 25 years. Many residents are employed in 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...
's high-tech industry or the federal government. Further growth is expected in the near future with the development of neighborhoods such as Jackson Trails and Kanata West to its north, Fernbank to its east and south and West Ridge to its west. In the next 10 to 20 years, Stittsville's population is expected to exceed 30,000.
Services
The community is home to many elementary schools including public, Catholic and French Catholic schools. The high school with the largest attendance regionally is Sacred Heart High SchoolSacred Heart High School (Ottawa)
Sacred Heart Catholic High School is a secondary school of the Ottawa Catholic School Board in Ottawa, Ontario Canada. Sacred Heart is the largest high school in Ontario with approximately 2 200 students. It serves as a middle school and also as a high school, having classes from grades seven to...
, also located in Stittsville. Public high school students in this area go to South Carleton High School
South Carleton High School
South Carleton High School is a high school situated in the southwestern sector of the city of Ottawa, in the village of Richmond, Ontario. The school is under the jurisdiction of the Ottawa Carleton District School Board. The SCHS attendance boundaries cover a major section of the southern part of...
in Richmond
Richmond, Ontario
Richmond is a Canadian village. Founded in 1818, it spans the Jock River, a tributary of the Rideau River. Like many communities in eastern Ontario, Richmond houses several unique populations. Some residents have historic and economic roots in the immediate area. Richmond operates as a small core...
. It is home to two indoor hockey rinks, an indoor public pool, a public library, and the Amberwood Golf and Country Club. Stittsville has two weekly local newspapers: The Stittsville News and the EMC.
Stittsville Public School, an elementary school originally located on Stittsville Main Street, has had a series of expansions to accommodate the growth in population. The school opened as a two-room, one-story building, and was eventually expanded to a two-story building with about fourteen classrooms. At the start of the 2005–2006 school year, Stittsville Public School, including staff and students, was moved to a new two-story building with over twenty classrooms and now 13 portables at 40 Granite Ridge Drive.
Stittsville is also the home of the Stittsville Minor Hockey Rams, as well the Stittsville RAMS competitive hockey association.
In 1956, Stittsville men's fast-pitch softball team won the Ontario provincial tournament. To this day, men's fastball teams in Stittsville are known as the "Stittsville 56'ers" in honour of the 1956 provincial victory.
Stittsville residents travel to Kanata and downtown Ottawa via Provincial Highway 417 and Ottawa's OC Transpo
OC Transpo
OC Transpo is the urban transit service of the City of Ottawa, Ontario, Canada. An integrated hub-and-spoke system of services is available consisting of: regular buses travelling on fixed routes in mixed traffic, typical of most urban transit systems; a bus rapid transit system — a high...
urban transit buses.