Westboro, Ottawa: 73 questions about living and buying here, answered | westboro.homes

Question 1

Is Westboro a good place to live in Ottawa?

Accepted Answer

Westboro is a west-end Ottawa neighbourhood built around Richmond Road, its main street of shops, cafés and restaurants. From the neighbourhood centre, an elementary school (Churchill Alternative) is about a 3-minute walk, two grocery stores are 8 to 10 minutes away, and the Ottawa River and Westboro Beach are about 0.7 km north.

Question 2

Where will the O-Train stations be in Westboro?

Accepted Answer

The O-Train Line 1 west extension will add Westboro station (on Scott Street), Kichi Zìbì station (formerly Dominion, near Richmond Road and Westboro Beach), Sherbourne station and New Orchard station (both underground along the Byron Linear Tramway Park). Lincoln Fields will be the junction where Lines 1 and 3 split.

Question 3

What schools are in or near Westboro, Ottawa?

Accepted Answer

The closest school-board elementary schools to the Westboro centre are Churchill Alternative School (about a 3-minute walk), Hilson Avenue Public School (14 minutes) and Broadview Public School (18 minutes), all Ottawa-Carleton District School Board. The nearest high schools are Nepean High School (17 minutes, OCDSB, grades 9–12) and Notre Dame High School (25 minutes, Ottawa Catholic School Board, grades 7–12).

Question 4

What neighbourhoods make up the Westboro area of Ottawa?

Accepted Answer

westboro.homes covers six neighbouring west-end Ottawa communities: Westboro, Westboro Beach, Highland Park, McKellar Park, Carlingwood and Woodroffe North. Together they run from the Ottawa River south to Carling Avenue, and from Island Park Drive and Tweedsmuir Avenue west to Woodroffe and Pooler avenues.

Question 5

When will the O-Train west extension open to Westboro?

Accepted Answer

In March 2026 OC Transpo expected the Line 1 west extension to be handed over to the City in the second quarter of 2027 and to start carrying passengers in the third quarter of 2027. Canada Day 2026 flooding damaged part of the line between New Orchard and Moodie, and OC Transpo has said the extension could open in parts.

Question 6

How much do houses cost in Westboro, Ottawa?

Accepted Answer

The Ottawa Real Estate Board does not publish neighbourhood-level prices in its monthly release. Citywide, OREB's single-family benchmark price (MLS® HPI) was $705,100 in September 2026, nearly unchanged from September 2025, and the average sale price of all homes was $685,640.

Question 7

Is Westboro good for families with children?

Accepted Answer

Here are the facts families usually ask about. From the Westboro centre, Churchill Alternative School is about a 3-minute walk and Hilson Avenue Public School about 14 minutes, Westboro Kiwanis Park and Lion's Park have wading pools, and Westboro Beach has a supervised swim area in summer.

Question 8

How long is the commute from Westboro to downtown Ottawa?

Accepted Answer

By car, Parliament Hill is about 10 km and 14 minutes from Carlingwood (2110 Honeywell Avenue) in free-flowing traffic, and Tunney's Pasture is about 9 minutes, by OSRM routing estimates. By transit, buses run on Scott Street to Tunney's Pasture, where O-Train Line 1 continues downtown.

Question 9

Where exactly is Westboro, and what are its boundaries?

Accepted Answer

Westboro is in Ottawa's west end, centred on Richmond Road. The Westboro Community Association covers the area east of Denbury Avenue and west of Tweedsmuir Avenue, between Carling Avenue and Scott Street, plus the block between Tweedsmuir, Richmond Road, Island Park Drive and Scott.

Question 10

Which high schools are near Westboro?

Accepted Answer

Nepean High School (574 Broadview Avenue, OCDSB, grades 9–12) and Notre Dame High School (710 Broadview Avenue, Ottawa Catholic School Board, grades 7–12) are both in Highland Park. Woodroffe High School (2410 Georgina Drive, OCDSB, grades 9–12) is south-west of the area.

Question 11

Can you swim at Westboro Beach, and what is there?

Accepted Answer

Yes. Westboro Beach is an NCC-managed sandy beach on the Ottawa River with a designated supervised swim area in summer. It reopened on June 1, 2025 after a $21 million redevelopment that added a zero-carbon pavilion with a year-round restaurant and a seasonal café.

Question 12

What kind of homes are in Westboro?

Accepted Answer

Most of Westboro's houses were built between 1900 and 1960, and condominium buildings along Richmond Road and the other main streets are adding density. In the 2021 census, the Ottawa Neighbourhood Study's wider 'Westboro' area was 21.9% single-detached houses and 42.3% apartments in buildings of five or more storeys.

Question 13

What is the Ottawa housing market doing right now?

Accepted Answer

OREB's September 2026 figures show 1,010 homes sold in Ottawa, down 6.6% from September 2025, with a median of 27 days on market (22 a year earlier) and a 97.5% sale-to-list price ratio. Active listings at month end were 4,813, up 7.9% year over year.

Question 14

How do I find which school an address in Westboro is zoned for?

Accepted Answer

Use each board's own tool: the OCDSB school locator for English public schools and the OCSB boundaries page for English Catholic schools. French-language boards CEPEO and CECCE handle their own admissions.

Question 15

What is the nearest working O-Train station to Westboro right now?

Accepted Answer

Tunney's Pasture, at Scott Street just east of the area, is the current western end of O-Train Line 1 and the nearest open station. It is about a 28-minute walk from the Westboro Beach centre and 30 minutes from the Westboro centre, or about 4 minutes by car.

Question 16

Can you do your errands on foot in Westboro?

Accepted Answer

From the Westboro centre, the Real Canadian Superstore (190 Richmond Road) is about an 8-minute walk and Farm Boy (317 McRae Avenue) and Natural Food Pantry about 10 minutes, by OSRM walking estimates. Richmond Road also has pharmacies (Shoppers Drug Mart, Pharmasave), cafés, restaurants and outdoor-gear stores.

Question 17

What is Westboro Village known for?

Accepted Answer

Westboro Village is the shopping and dining strip along Richmond Road, known for a concentration of outdoor and sporting-goods stores such as MEC, Bushtukah and Fjällräven, plus independent cafés, bakeries, restaurants and pubs. The Westboro Village BIA has supported the business district since 1979.

Question 18

Where is Carlingwood in Ottawa?

Accepted Answer

Carlingwood is a west-end Ottawa neighbourhood roughly bounded by Richmond Road, Sherbourne Road, Carling Avenue and Woodroffe Avenue. It grew up around Carlingwood Shopping Centre, which opened in 1956.

Question 19

Is Carlingwood good for families?

Accepted Answer

From the Carlingwood centre, Woodroffe Avenue Public School (K–8) is about an 8-minute walk and Our Lady of Fatima School (JK–6) about 9 minutes. Woodroffe Park has a rink and wading pool, Loblaws is about 6 minutes on foot, and the Carlingwood library has a children's department.

Question 20

Are there French immersion or French-language schools near Westboro?

Accepted Answer

Yes. OCDSB schools with French immersion in or near the area include Broadview Public School (Early French Immersion), Hilson Avenue Public School (Middle French Immersion, grades 4–6), Woodroffe Avenue Public School (Early French Immersion, grades 1–8), Elmdale Public School (Early French Immersion) and D. Roy Kennedy Public School (Middle French Immersion). Nepean and Woodroffe high schools both offer French Immersion.

Question 21

Which City of Ottawa ward is Westboro in?

Accepted Answer

Westboro, Westboro Beach and Highland Park are in Kitchissippi Ward (Ward 15). McKellar Park, Carlingwood and Woodroffe North are in Bay Ward (Ward 7), and the line between the two wards runs along Denbury Avenue.

Question 22

What parks are in Westboro?

Accepted Answer

Parks in and around Westboro include Westboro Kiwanis Park beside the Dovercourt Recreation Centre (outdoor rink and wading pool), Lion's Park (wading pool), Clare Gardens Park and the Byron Linear Tramway Park on the old streetcar line. The Ottawa River Pathway and Westboro Beach run along the area's northern edge.

Question 23

Is Westboro good for young professionals?

Accepted Answer

In the 2021 census, 53.6% of households in the ONS 'Westboro' area rented and 42.3% of dwellings were apartments in buildings of five or more storeys, so there is a large rental and condo stock. Richmond Road has cafés, restaurants and pubs, and groceries are about a 10-minute walk from the centre.

Question 24

Is Carlingwood a good place to retire or downsize?

Accepted Answer

Carlingwood's streets are mainly late-1950s single-family homes around Carlingwood Shopping Centre. Loblaws is about a 6-minute walk from the centre, the mall has a Rexall pharmacy, the library is about 0.5 km away, and Queensway Carleton Hospital and the Civic Campus are 9 and 10 minutes by car.

Question 25

How many homes are for sale in Westboro?

Accepted Answer

westboro.homes tracks active REALTOR.ca listings in the six neighbourhoods and publishes the weekly count, new listings and median asking price by neighbourhood on its market page. Citywide, OREB counted 4,813 active listings at the end of September 2026, up 7.9% from a year earlier.

Question 26

What schools are closest to Carlingwood, Ottawa?

Accepted Answer

From the Carlingwood centre, Woodroffe Avenue Public School (OCDSB, K–8) is about an 8-minute walk and Our Lady of Fatima School (OCSB, JK–6) about 9 minutes. The nearest high schools are Notre Dame (OCSB, grades 7–12) at about 20 minutes and Nepean (OCDSB, grades 9–12) at about 21 minutes.

Question 27

What is the difference between Westboro and Carlingwood?

Accepted Answer

Westboro is the older village around Richmond Road, with most houses built between 1900 and 1960 and many newer condos, while Carlingwood is mostly late-1950s single-family streets built around Carlingwood Shopping Centre. In the 2021 census, the ONS 'Westboro' area was 21.9% single-detached houses and 53.6% renters, compared with 47.5% and 41.6% in the 'Laurentian' area that includes Carlingwood.

Question 28

What is the Westboro Beach neighbourhood like?

Accepted Answer

Westboro Beach is the riverside part of Westboro, between the Scott Street Transitway corridor and the Ottawa River, east to Island Park Drive. It is the only part of the area with direct public access to the river, and the NCC's Westboro Beach, a swimming beach with a year-round restaurant, is about 0.4 km from its centre.

Question 29

What is the history of Westboro, Ottawa?

Accepted Answer

Westboro grew up along Richmond Road, once the Macadam Road to Bells Corners, as a farming and mill area in Nepean Township. It became a police village in 1903 and was annexed by the City of Ottawa in 1949.

Question 30

How can I check crime in Westboro?

Accepted Answer

The Ottawa Police Service publishes crime data through its Community Safety Data Portal at data.ottawapolice.ca, where anyone can view, download and map data the police release. It includes datasets on criminal offences, bike theft, motor vehicle theft, shootings, hate crime and dispatched calls for service.

Question 31

Is Westboro a good place for retirees?

Accepted Answer

Westboro has the City's Churchill Seniors Recreation Centre at 345 Richmond Road, and from the neighbourhood centre two grocery stores are an 8- to 10-minute walk, with several pharmacies on Richmond Road. The Highland Park Lawn Bowling Club, open since 1914, is nearby.

Question 32

Is Ottawa a buyer's or seller's market?

Accepted Answer

OREB reported 4.8 months of inventory for all Ottawa homes in September 2026, up from 4.1 a year earlier, and 4.4 months for single-family homes. Its sales-to-new-listings ratio was 34.5%, the lowest September result of the past decade, which means buyers had more listings to choose from than a year earlier.

Question 33

Where is Highland Park in Ottawa?

Accepted Answer

Highland Park is the south-west quarter of Westboro, between Richmond Road and Carling Avenue, from Churchill Avenue west to Denbury Avenue. McKellar Park is directly to the west.

Question 34

Is Highland Park in Ottawa good for families?

Accepted Answer

Highland Park has Broadview Public School (JK–8) and Nepean High School (9–12) each about a 5-minute walk from its centre, and Notre Dame High School (7–12) about 11 minutes away. Westboro Kiwanis Park, with a rink and wading pool, and the Dovercourt Recreation Centre's indoor pool are in the neighbourhood.

Question 35

Where is McKellar Park in Ottawa?

Accepted Answer

McKellar Park is a residential west-end Ottawa neighbourhood between Denbury Avenue and Sherbourne Road, running from Carling Avenue north to the Ottawa River. Highland Park is to the east and Carlingwood is across Sherbourne Road to the south-west.

Question 36

What Catholic schools are near Westboro?

Accepted Answer

Ottawa Catholic School Board schools in and around the area are St. George School (130 Keyworth Avenue, JK–6), Our Lady of Fatima School (2135 Knightsbridge Road, JK–6), St. Elizabeth School (1366 Coldrey Avenue, JK–6) and Notre Dame High School (710 Broadview Avenue, grades 7–12).

Question 37

How far is Carlingwood from the new O-Train station?

Accepted Answer

The nearest future O-Train station to the Carlingwood centre is Sherbourne station, about a 13-minute walk. It is under construction for the Line 1 west extension and is not open yet; OC Transpo expected passenger service in the third quarter of 2027.

Question 38

How many people live in Westboro?

Accepted Answer

The Ottawa Neighbourhood Study's 'Westboro' area had 12,280 residents and 6,790 private dwellings in the 2021 census. That area includes Westboro Beach, Laurentian View and Hampton-Iona, so it is larger than Westboro Village alone.

Question 39

Which OC Transpo bus routes serve Westboro?

Accepted Answer

OpenStreetMap's route data shows routes 11, 51, 81 and 153 on Richmond Road, and many routes (including 11, 14, 51, 53, 57, 58, 61 and 63) on Scott Street, which is the temporary Transitway detour. Carling Avenue and Woodroffe Avenue are also bus corridors.

Question 40

What is the nearest hospital and emergency department to Westboro?

Accepted Answer

The Ottawa Hospital's Civic Campus at 1053 Carling Avenue, east of the area, and Queensway Carleton Hospital at 3045 Baseline Road, to the south-west, both have emergency departments. From 2110 Honeywell Avenue in Carlingwood they are about 10 and 9 minutes away by car in free-flowing traffic.

Question 41

What is at Carlingwood Shopping Centre?

Accepted Answer

Carlingwood Shopping Centre at 2121 Carling Avenue is an enclosed mall that opened in 1956 with about 100 stores. Its anchors include Loblaws and a Canadian Tire flagship that opened in 2022.

Question 42

When is the Westboro Farmers' Market?

Accepted Answer

The Ottawa Farmers' Market's Westboro location runs in the Byron Linear Tramway Park every Saturday from 9 am to 3 pm. The 2026 season ran from May 16 to October 31 with more than 60 local vendors.

Question 43

Do more people rent or own in Westboro?

Accepted Answer

In the 2021 census, 53.6% of households in the Ottawa Neighbourhood Study's 'Westboro' area rented their home, so slightly more households rent than own. In the neighbouring 'Laurentian' area (Carlingwood, Highland Park and McKellar Park) 41.6% rented.

Question 44

What kind of homes are in Carlingwood?

Accepted Answer

Carlingwood is mainly late-1950s single-family streets built after Carlingwood Shopping Centre opened in 1956, plus a few apartment buildings. Somerset Towers and the Saville Apartments date from the early 1960s and Bromley Square from 1972.

Question 45

What schools are closest to Highland Park, Ottawa?

Accepted Answer

From the Highland Park centre, Broadview Public School (OCDSB, JK–8) and Nepean High School (OCDSB, grades 9–12) are each about a 5-minute walk, and Notre Dame High School (OCSB, grades 7–12) about 11 minutes. Churchill Alternative School is about 14 minutes away.

Question 46

Is McKellar Park good for families?

Accepted Answer

From the McKellar Park centre, Broadview Public School (JK–8) and Nepean High School (9–12) are each about a 7-minute walk. McKellar Park itself has a fieldhouse with Dovercourt Recreation Association programs, a wading pool and a double-surface outdoor rink.

Question 47

Where is Woodroffe North, and what kind of homes are there?

Accepted Answer

Woodroffe North is a small Bay Ward neighbourhood between Richmond Road and the Ottawa River around the north end of Woodroffe Avenue, west to Pooler Avenue. Its homes began as summer cottages, and most have since been replaced by year-round houses.

Question 48

Where can you eat and get coffee in Westboro?

Accepted Answer

Westboro Village BIA members on and around Richmond Road include cafés such as Equator Coffee, Happy Goat, The Bower, Cloudforest and Bridgehead, and restaurants such as Gezellig, Lexington Smokehouse, Elise, Khao Street Food, Pure Kitchen and Fratelli. Pubs include The Barley Mow, The Clocktower Brew Pub and Churchills.

Question 49

What do townhouses and condos cost in Ottawa?

Accepted Answer

OREB's September 2026 MLS® HPI benchmark was $546,500 for townhouses (down 2.2% year over year) and $380,800 for apartments (down 6.1%). The composite benchmark for all home types was $623,500.

Question 50

Where is the nearest grocery store to Carlingwood, Ottawa?

Accepted Answer

From the Carlingwood centre, Loblaws at Carlingwood Shopping Centre (2085 Carling Avenue) is about a 6-minute walk, and the Produce Depot greengrocer (1855 Carling Avenue) about 15 minutes.

Question 51

Why do buses run on Scott Street through Westboro?

Accepted Answer

The Transitway trench through Westboro closed in June 2022 so it could be rebuilt for the O-Train Line 1 west extension. Since then buses have run on Scott Street beside it, with curbside stops at Westboro.

Question 52

Where are the outdoor rinks and wading pools near Westboro?

Accepted Answer

City parks with supervised outdoor rinks in winter and wading pools in summer include Westboro Kiwanis Park, McKellar Park, Woodroffe Park, Champlain Park and Raven Park. Iona Park, Lion's Park and Hampton Park have wading pools.

Question 53

What is there to do outdoors in winter in Westboro?

Accepted Answer

The volunteer-groomed Kichi Sibi Winter Trail follows the Ottawa River shore for skiing, snowshoeing, fat-biking and walking, and the NCC says it leads directly to Westboro Beach. City parks such as Westboro Kiwanis, McKellar and Woodroffe parks have supervised outdoor rinks.

Question 54

Can you bike from Westboro to downtown Ottawa?

Accepted Answer

Yes. The NCC's Ottawa River Pathway runs along the river at the north edge of the area and is a car-free walking and cycling route east toward downtown and west along the shore. It is part of the NCC's Capital Pathway network of more than 200 km of off-road paths.

Question 55

How far is Westboro from the airport and the hospitals by car?

Accepted Answer

From 2110 Honeywell Avenue in Carlingwood, OSRM routing estimates free-flow drives of about 21 minutes (13.9 km) to Ottawa International Airport, 10 minutes (5.4 km) to the Ottawa Hospital Civic Campus and 9 minutes (6.1 km) to Queensway Carleton Hospital. Kanata Centrum is about 15 minutes (15.3 km).

Question 56

What schools are closest to McKellar Park, Ottawa?

Accepted Answer

From the McKellar Park centre, Broadview Public School (OCDSB, JK–8) and Nepean High School (OCDSB, grades 9–12) are each about a 7-minute walk. Notre Dame High School (OCSB) is about 11 minutes and Our Lady of Fatima School (OCSB, JK–6) about 15 minutes.

Question 57

How far is McKellar Park from the new O-Train station?

Accepted Answer

The nearest future O-Train station to the McKellar Park centre is Sherbourne station, about a 10-minute walk. It is under construction for the Line 1 west extension and is not open yet; OC Transpo expected passenger service in the third quarter of 2027.

Question 58

How far is Westboro Beach from the new O-Train station?

Accepted Answer

The nearest future O-Train station to the Westboro Beach centre is Westboro station, about a 7-minute walk. It is under construction for the Line 1 west extension and is not open yet; OC Transpo expected passenger service in the third quarter of 2027.

Question 59

How far is Highland Park from the new O-Train station?

Accepted Answer

The nearest future O-Train station to the Highland Park centre is Kichi Zìbì (formerly Dominion) station, about a 14-minute walk. It is under construction for the Line 1 west extension and is not open yet; OC Transpo expected passenger service in the third quarter of 2027.

Question 60

Is there an indoor pool or recreation centre in Westboro?

Accepted Answer

Yes. The Dovercourt Recreation Centre at 411 Dovercourt Avenue, run with the Dovercourt Recreation Association, has an indoor pool with swim lessons and drop-in swims, a fitness centre, pickleball, an after-school program and camps. The City's Churchill Seniors Recreation Centre is at 345 Richmond Road.

Question 61

What is the Byron Linear Tramway Park?

Accepted Answer

The Byron Linear Tramway Park is a tree-lined City park on the former Ottawa Electric Railway streetcar right-of-way along Byron Avenue. It hosts the Westboro Farmers' Market on Saturdays in season, and the underground Sherbourne and New Orchard O-Train stations are being built along it.

Question 62

Where are the pharmacies and medical clinics near Westboro?

Accepted Answer

In Westboro Village there are a Shoppers Drug Mart (410 Richmond Road), Pharmasave (298 Richmond Road), Westboro IDEAL Pharmacy (1960 Scott Street) and a pharmacy and the Westboro Medical Clinic at 190 Richmond Road. Around Carlingwood there are a Rexall inside the mall, a Shoppers Drug Mart at 2148 Carling Avenue, and a Pharmasave with an Appletree medical clinic at 356 Woodroffe Avenue.

Question 63

What kind of homes are in Highland Park, Ottawa?

Accepted Answer

Highland Park's lots were first sold from 1898, and the streets west of Broadview Avenue were mostly built after the Second World War. It is a mixed area: larger homes nearer Richmond Road, middle-income houses, and many low-rise apartment buildings closer to Carling Avenue.

Question 64

Where is the nearest grocery store to Westboro Beach, Ottawa?

Accepted Answer

From the Westboro Beach centre, Natural Food Pantry (1960 Scott Street) and Farm Boy (317 McRae Avenue) are each about a 10-minute walk, and the Real Canadian Superstore (190 Richmond Road) about 14 minutes.

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