Stittsville
West
Fast Facts
- Population: 26,674 (City of Ottawa Neighbourhood Study ("Stittsville"))
- Size: 29.8 km² (Computed from the City of Ottawa Neighbourhood Study boundary polygon)
- Distance from Parliament Hill: About 24.9 km west (straight-line distance)
- Who's building: Claridge Homes (Jackson Trails), Regional Group (Fernbank Crossing), Caivan (Stittsville South)
Overview
Stittsville is a community in far west Ottawa named after Jackson Stitt, its first postmaster, when its post office opened in 1854. Originally an independent village that grew around the Canadian Pacific Railway line rebuilt after the 1870 Carleton County fire, Stittsville joined Goulbourn Township in 1974 and became part of the City of Ottawa in the 2001 amalgamation. It has since become one of Ottawa's fastest-growing suburban areas, with major new subdivisions such as Fernbank Crossing and Jackson Trails.
Boundaries
The Ottawa Neighbourhood Study's "Stittsville" boundary covers the community's historic core along Stittsville Main Street and Hazeldean Road, together with the extensive newer subdivisions built to the south and southwest over the past two decades.
Map
History
Settlement began in the 1820s at the crossroads of Stittsville Main Street, Hazeldean Road and Carp Road. The village took its name in 1854, when its first post office opened and Jackson Stitt was chosen as its first postmaster.
The Carleton County fire of August 1870 destroyed much of the settlement; villagers rebuilt around the newly constructed Canadian Pacific Railway line, and by 1910 Stittsville was a busy rail centre handling roughly 16 trains a day. The last train passed through in January 1990, and the abandoned rail corridor now forms part of the Trans-Canada Trail.
Stittsville became a police village in 1956 and a full village in 1961, before joining Goulbourn Township in 1974. Goulbourn, and Stittsville with it, amalgamated into the City of Ottawa in 2001.
Since amalgamation, Stittsville has grown rapidly through large master-planned subdivisions including Fernbank Crossing and Jackson Trails, adding thousands of new homes and several new schools, including Maplewood Secondary School, which opened in 2024.
Claim to Fame
Stittsville's defining feature is its transformation from a 19th-century railway village, rebuilt around the Canadian Pacific Railway after the 1870 Carleton County fire, into one of Ottawa's fastest-growing suburban communities.
Surrounding Neighbourhoods
Kanata lies northeast, West Carleton lies west and north, and rural Rideau-Jock lies south.
New Developments
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Architecture
Stittsville's historic core along Stittsville Main Street retains older village-era buildings, while the surrounding subdivisions built from the 2000s onward, including Fernbank Crossing and Jackson Trails, consist mainly of single-family homes, townhouses and low-rise condominiums typical of recent Ottawa suburban development.
Restaurants
- Masala Trail — Indian
Indian restaurant at 5754 Hazeldean Road.
Visit website - Masakali Indian Cuisine — Indian
Indian restaurant at 5507 Hazeldean Road, Unit C3-1.
Visit website - Desi Tadka Express — Indian
North Indian restaurant at 1610 Stittsville Main Street, offering dine-in and takeout.
Visit website
Bars
- Big Rig Brewery — Brewery
Craft brewery and taproom at Unit 11A, 6081 Hazeldean Road.
Visit website
Grocery Stores
- Food Basics — Supermarket
Supermarket at 5703 Hazeldean Road.
Visit website - Farm Boy — Grocery store
Grocery store at 6315 Hazeldean Road.
Visit website
Pedestrian and Cycling
The former Canadian Pacific Railway corridor through Stittsville now forms part of the Trans-Canada Trail, offering a walking and cycling route separate from road traffic; newer subdivisions also include internal pathway networks.
Schools
- Stittsville Public School — Ottawa-Carleton District School Board
Elementary school at 40 Granite Ridge Drive.
Visit website - St. Stephen Catholic School — Ottawa Catholic School Board
Catholic elementary school at 1145 Stittsville Main Street.
Visit website - Maplewood Secondary School — Ottawa-Carleton District School Board
Secondary school at 700 Cope Drive, opened in September 2024 to serve Stittsville's growing population; adding a grade each year until it becomes a full grades 7-12 school in 2027.
Visit website - Sacred Heart High School — Ottawa Catholic School Board
Catholic secondary school at 5870 Abbott Street East.
Visit website
Amenities
- CARDELREC Recreation Complex Goulbourn — Recreation complex
96,000-square-foot recreation complex at 1500 Shea Road with twin-pad arenas, a pool, a fitness centre and a seniors centre; formerly known as the Goulbourn Recreation Complex.
Visit website - Village Square Park — Park
Park at 1517 Stittsville Main Street, home to a historic log cabin and the Stittsville Market at the Barn.
Visit website - Village Plaza — Shopping plaza
Shopping plaza at 1 Hobin Street.
Transit Options
OC Transpo bus routes run along Hazeldean Road and Stittsville Main Street. Stittsville does not have its own O-Train station. Check octranspo.com for current route numbers, since the network is periodically redesigned.
Nearby on This Site
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Official Information
Last verified: August 27, 2026