Beacon Hill South Community Highlight
Welcome to Beacon Hill South! You are going to love the family-friendly community, top-tier schools, abundance of beautiful greenspaces, and easy access to the rest of Ottawa!
Location
Beacon Hill South is a small family-friendly community bordered to the East by the Greenbelt (including the Green's Creek ravine), to the South by Highway 174, and on the West by Blair Road (South of Montreal Road) and Rothwell Heights (North of Montreal Road).
Transportation
Commuting to and from as well as within Beacon Hill South is a breeze with easily navigable roads, multiple street level bus stops, and quick access to the Queensway. Situated between the Orleans area and central and Western Ottawa, you are just under a 15 minute drive or a quick bus ride to the downtown core and just a few exits off the Queensway to Orleans.
Housing
The majority of the homes in Beacon Hill South were built between 1950 to 1970 with the oldest house being built in 1950. Approximately 65% of the homes in this community are detached and 35% are row homes or semi-detached.
Schools and Child Care
Beacon Hill South has fantastic schools, including 8 public schools, 4 private, alternative and Catholic schools, with both Francophone and bilingual options in the immediate area. There are even more incredible schools in the surrounding areas including many private and alternative options.
The public schools include:
École élémentaire publique Séraphin-Marion
The Catholic and private schools include:
Thomas D'Arcy McGee Catholic School
École élémentaire catholique La Vérendrye
St-Laurent Academy - Ottawa Private School
Colonel By Secondary School (part of the OCDSB, Ottawa-Carleton District School Board) was voted Ottawa’s best high school and one of the top in the entire province of Ontario. Colonel By offers the demanding pre-university International Baccalaureate program. As of 2019, Merivale High School in Nepean was also authorized to offer this program.
If you have children that are not old enough to attend school, this area offers plenty of home daycares, playgroups, and parent meet-up options as well.
Parks and Recreation
There is no shortage of recreational options in Beacon Hill! With access to the Greenbelt and multiple parks and greenspaces, you truly do have your choice of what to do living in this community.
Pineview Golf Course is located right on the edge of the Greenbelt with multiple courses including indoor High Definition Simulators, a 250 seat clubhouse, and one of the largest tournament/banquet facilities in Eastern Ontario. There is something for every level of golfer!
Right behind Pineview Golf Course to the East you will find Green’s Creek, an area of unusual geology, with steep-sided ravines and plateaus. The area has 5.5 kilometers of trails for hiking, cross-country skiing and snowshoeing. Leashed pets are welcome year round on the Eastern Pathway. In the winter, enjoy Green’s Creek Toboggan Hill. Due to Green’s Creek’s fragile ecosystem and connection to Mer Bleue Conservation Area, please review the “principles of outdoor ethics” by the NCC.
Gloucester Splash Wave Pool is located in the Trillium Recreation Complex and is a one-of-a-kind experience in Ottawa that many locals travel to enjoy. The main pool features intermittent waves so you can enjoy the pool even if you are not in the mood to surf. They also have a canteen, loungers and tables, a kiddie pool with spray fountains, a whirlpool for little kids, a 25-metre lap pool with an accessible ramp, and a 32-metre waterslide. Take the virtual tour to see the entire facility for yourself!
The Trillium Recreation Complex also includes Earl Armstrong Arena. The arena hosts the Gloucester Rangers Jr "A" hockey team as well as the Rangers minor hockey program through the winter months as well as several other teams from the Gloucester Hockey Association. The winter hockey season spans from September 1 to April 10 of each year. In April the ice surface transformed to make way for the lacrosse season and the Gloucester Griffins Minor Lacrosse Association as well as the Gloucester Griffins Jr "B" program.
The third part of the Trillium Recreation Complex is the North Gloucester branch of the Ottawa Public Library and includes a branch of the Friends of the Ottawa Public Library (FOPLA), which has evolved from 3 small community efforts to an organization that,
“...now donates more than $350,000 annually to Ottawa’s public library system. FOPLA has also provided $85,000 in library sciences scholarships and bursaries to the University of Ottawa and Algonquin College, with the goal of inspiring the next generation of library advocates.
Because of our dedicated volunteers, FOPLA now manages five bookstores, more than 20 self-serve book shelves, a central Distribution Facility, and specialty sales including our popular monthly Mammoth Sale.” (https://www.fopla-aabpo.ca/what-is-fopla/)
Right at the Eastern edge of Beacon Hill South is Hornets Nest Soccer Park. This facility features a climate-controlled Superdome and over 10 outdoor soccer fields. This area is not just about sports, however, as it is located within beautiful green space including hiking and biking trails. Pets are allowed on leash.
On top of all of these incredible options, there are also quite a few parks around the neighbourhood including Trillium Park, Ogilvie South Park, Jasmine Park, Kinsmen Park, Elmsmere Park, Marquis Park, Loyola Park, Ski Hill Park, Appleford Park, Fairfield Park, Quarry Park, Naskapi Ridge Park, and Lockwood Park with baseball diamonds, basketball courts, outdoor rinks, splash pads, and a skateboard park, all incredible opportunities for kids and adults alike to relax and have a good time.
Amenities
Just like recreation options, there is no shortage of amenities in the Beacon Hill South area. The majority of the dining, shopping and entertainment options are along the border of this community with the center being primarily residential.
Costco and Loblaws are located right in and directly next to the Trillium Recreation Complex. To the North you will find a Metro, Korems Foods and Variety Store, Carson Fresh Grocer, Istanbul Food Mart, and Kool Runnings Caribbean Groceries.
Enjoy the incredible mix of dining options including Crust & Crate, Moxies Gloucester, Silly Billy, Big Rig, Montana’s, East Side Mario’s, Bonnie’s Pizza and Subs and La Bonita to the South and Falafel on Wheels, Pilos Restaurant, Greek on Wheels, and Pho Hoan to the North. There are even more dining options in the neighbouring communities!
Cosmic Adventures and Flying Squirrel and Trampoline Park are located in communities to the South.
Ogilvie Square, Beacon Hill Shopping Centre, Gloucester Centre, St, Laurent Shopping Centre are just a few of the options if you are looking for anything from home decor, to clothing and salons, and much more!
History
Beacon Hill gets its name from an old lighthouse that used to stand on the Ottawa River, downstream from Duck Island. Prior to development, the lighthouse could be seen from Naskapi Drive, which is at the top of a hill, hence - Beacon Hill. The lighthouse itself is long gone, but you can see what remains of it by taking the bike paths along the Ottawa River to the North and looking across Lower Duck Island to the Former Beacon Hill Lighthouse.
The “Hill” itself is actually more of a ridge running pretty much parallel to the Ottawa River. These days, the area is the Municipal Ski Hill Park. One third of the park is a very popular area for winter sledding and skiing while the remaining 2/3rd is undeveloped natural woodlands with walking paths throughout.
Beacon Hill was also home at one time to two Canadian performers, including Bryan Adams who attended Colonol By and Tom Cruise, who went to Robert Hopkins Elementary and the Henry Munroe Middle School.
It is always important to remember when learning the history of any area that we include the history of those that we stole this land from. The entirety of Ottawa was built on unceded Algonquin Anishinaabe Territory. To learn more about the Algonquin peoples, their history, and how we can make reparations, go to Algonquins of Ontario.
Character
This wonderful suburban community is consistently one of the most popular areas for growing families to watch when house hunting. If you are looking for an established and mature neighbourhood blended with beautiful greenspaces, easy access to amenities, lots of recreation options, and top-tier schools, Beacon Hill South is the community for you.
What is your favourite thing to do in Beacon Hill South? Let us know! We love adding Ottawa insider knowledge to our blogs and including as much information as possible! Let us know if we missed anything or if there are any corrections needed by emailing admin@nickfundytus.ca!
