Rothwell Heights–Beacon Hill–Carson Grove

East

Blair Station on the O-Train Confederation Line. — Photo: Earl Andrew, public domain, via Wikimedia Commons

Fast Facts

Population: 28,248 (City of Ottawa Neighbourhood Study (sum of the three combined boundaries))
Size: 12.55 km² (Computed from the combined City of Ottawa Neighbourhood Study boundary polygons)
Distance from Parliament Hill: About 7.9 km east (straight-line distance)
Who's building: Campeau Corporation (Carson Grove), Canada Mortgage and Housing Corporation (Carson Village)

Overview

This east-end area groups three neighbouring postwar communities: Rothwell Heights and Beacon Hill North, named for the elevation of the Ottawa River bank and a long-gone lighthouse respectively; Beacon Hill South-Cardinal Heights; and Carson Grove, built in the early 1970s by the Campeau Corporation. Almost all residential development here dates from after the Second World War, and Blair Station, the current eastern terminus of the O-Train Confederation Line, sits at its centre.

Boundaries

The City of Ottawa Neighbourhood Study covers this area with three separate boundaries — Rothwell Heights-Beacon Hill North, Beacon Hill South-Cardinal Heights, and Carson Grove-Carson Meadows — merged here, running roughly from the Ottawa River in the north to the Queensway/Highway 174 corridor in the south, and from the Aviation Parkway east to the Greenbelt.

Map

History

One of the area's first major developments was the Rockcliffe Air Station, later CFB Rockcliffe, established in 1920. The National Research Council's Montreal Road campus took shape mainly from the late 1930s to the mid-1950s, and Montfort Hospital opened nearby in 1953.

Beacon Hill, named for a long-gone Ottawa River lighthouse, was part of the City of Gloucester until it was amalgamated with Ottawa in 2001. Most of its housing, along with that of neighbouring Rothwell Heights, was built in the 1960s and 1970s.

Carson Grove was built in the early 1970s by the Campeau Corporation and named for John Carson, an early settler in the region; it was expanded in the mid-1990s with Carson Village, developed by the Canada Mortgage and Housing Corporation. A small area of Rothwell Heights, Briarcliffe, was designated an Ontario Heritage Conservation District in 2013.

Blair Station opened on September 14, 2019 as part of the O-Train Confederation Line's initial network, becoming the line's eastern terminus and a major transfer point to bus routes serving Beacon Hill, Carson Grove and Orléans.

Claim to Fame

This area's defining feature is Blair Station, the O-Train Confederation Line's eastern terminus and one of OC Transpo's busiest transfer points, anchoring a set of postwar suburban communities built mainly from the 1960s through the 1990s.

Surrounding Neighbourhoods

Rockcliffe Park and New Edinburgh lie west, Orléans lies east, Vanier lies southwest, and the National Capital Greenbelt and Blackburn Hamlet lie south.

Architecture

Housing in Beacon Hill and Rothwell Heights dates mainly to the 1960s and 1970s, while about half of Carson Grove's homes were built after 1980. Briarcliffe, a small area of Rothwell Heights, was designated an Ontario Heritage Conservation District in 2013.

Restaurants

Big Rig Kitchen & Brewery — Brewery restaurant
Brewpub and restaurant at 1980 Ogilvie Road, with a large patio.
Visit website

Grocery Stores

Loblaws — Grocery store
Loblaws supermarket at 1980 Ogilvie Road.

Pedestrian and Cycling

This is largely a car-oriented suburban area, though Blair Station and the Beacon Hill Shopping Centre anchor walkable pockets, and pathways along the Ottawa River offer walking and cycling routes at the neighbourhood's northern edge.

Schools

Carson Grove Elementary School — Ottawa-Carleton District School Board
Elementary school at 1401 Matheson Road in Carson Grove, established in 1973.
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Henry Munro Middle School — Ottawa-Carleton District School Board
Middle school at 2105 Kender Avenue in Beacon Hill North, serving the Carson Grove area.
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Amenities

Beacon Hill Shopping Centre — Shopping centre
Neighbourhood shopping centre at 2339 Ogilvie Road, with a bank, pharmacy, post office and Service Canada/Service Ontario location.

Transit Options

OC Transpo bus routes serve Ogilvie Road and Blair Road, connecting to Blair Station, the current eastern terminus of the O-Train Confederation Line. Check octranspo.com for current route numbers, since the network is periodically redesigned.