Centretown is a neighbourhood in Somerset Ward, in central

Ottawa, Ontario Ottawa is the capital city of Canada. It is located in the southern Ontario, southern portion of the province of Ontario, at the confluence of the Ottawa River and the Rideau River. Ottawa borders Gatineau, Gatineau, Quebec, and forms the cor ...

, Canada. It is defined by the city as "the area bounded on the north by Gloucester Street and Lisgar Street, on the east by the Rideau Canal, on the south by the Queensway freeway and on the west by Bronson Avenue." Traditionally it was all of Ottawa west of the Rideau Canal, while Lower Town was everything to the east. For certain purposes, such as the census and real estate listings, the Golden Triangle and/or Downtown Ottawa (between Gloucester/Lisgar and the

Ottawa River The Ottawa River (, ) is a river in the Canadian provinces of Ontario and Quebec. It is named after the Algonquin word "to trade", as it was the major trade route of Eastern Canada at the time. For most of its length, it defines the border betw ...

) is included in Centretown and it is considered part of Centretown by the Centretown Citizens Community Association as well as being used in this way in casual conversation. The total population of Centretown (south of Gloucester Street) was 25,687 according to the

Canada 2021 Census The 2021 Canadian census was a detailed enumeration of the Canada, Canadian population with a reference date of May 11, 2021. It follows the 2016 Canadian census, which recorded a population of 35,151,728. The overall response rate was 98%, whic ...

.Population is calculated from combining Census Tracts 5050040.00, 5050039.00, 5050038.00, 5050037.01, 5050037.02 and 5050049.00 Centretown is marked by a mix of residential and commercial properties. The main streets such as Bank Street and Elgin Street are largely commercial, while the smaller ones, notably MacLaren and Gladstone are more residential. Much of the area still consists of original single family homes, but there are newer infill and town house developments and low-rise and high-rise apartment buildings. A construction boom that began in the late nineties significantly increased the number of condominiums and other residential and commercial high-rise buildings north of Cooper Street. Landmarks include the

Canadian Museum of Nature The Canadian Museum of Nature (; CMN) is a national museums of Canada, national natural history museum based in Canada's National Capital Region (Canada), National Capital Region. The museum's exhibitions and public programs are housed in the Vi ...

, Dundonald Park, Jack Purcell Park, McNabb Recreation Centre, the Ottawa Curling Club, and the Sens Mile.

Demographics

''According to the

. Defined as the area of Ottawa bounded on the west by Bronson, north by Gloucester Street, east by the Rideau Canal and on the south by the Queensway.'' *Population: 25,687 *Change (2016–2021): +7.8% *Total Private Dwellings: 18,291 *Land Area: 2.1 km². *Population density: 12,231.9 per km². Precise numbers are difficult because of the large contingent of transient residents in the neighbourhood, many of whom are students or hill staffers temporarily living in Ottawa.

Mid-Centretown Design Study

In 2009, the City of Ottawa launched a Mid-Centretown Community Design Plan study, which was to cover the area roughly bounded by "Elgin Street on the east, the 417 on the south, Kent Street on the west and the Central Area boundary/Gloucester Street on the north". Since that time, the study has come to encompass the entirety of Centretown. The design plan is targeted for completion in the fall of 2012.

Members of Parliament

The area was represented by two members from 1872 to 1935 # Joseph Merrill Currier, Liberal-Conservative (1867–1882);

Ottawa (City of) Ottawa (City of) () was a federal electoral district (Canada), electoral district in the provinces and territories of Canada, province of Ontario, Canada, that was represented in the House of Commons of Canada from 1867 to 1935. It was crea ...

# John Bower Lewis,

Conservative Conservatism is a cultural, social, and political philosophy and ideology that seeks to promote and preserve traditional institutions, customs, and values. The central tenets of conservatism may vary in relation to the culture and civiliza ...

(1872–1874); Ottawa (City of) # Pierre St. Jean, Liberal (1874–1878); Ottawa (City of) # Joseph Tassé, Conservative (1878–1887); Ottawa (City of) # Charles H. Mackintosh, Conservative (1882–1887); Ottawa (City of) # W. G. Perley, Conservative (1887–1890); Ottawa (City of) #

Honoré Robillard Honoré Robillard (January 12, 1835 – June 13, 1914) was a Liberal-Conservative Member of the House of Commons of Canada for Ottawa City from 1887 to 1896 and a provincial Conservative Member of the Legislative Assembly of Ontario for ...

, Liberal-Conservative (1887–1896); Ottawa (City of) # Charles H. Mackintosh, Conservative (1890–1893); Ottawa (City of) # James Alexander Grant, Conservative (1893–1896); Ottawa (City of) # William H. Hutchison, Liberal (1896–1900); Ottawa (City of) # N. A. Belcourt, Liberal (1896–1907); Ottawa (City of) # Thomas Birkett, Conservative (1900–1904); Ottawa (City of) # Robert Stewart, Liberal (1904–1908); Ottawa (City of) # J. B. T. Caron, Liberal (1907–1908); Ottawa (City of) #Sir

Wilfrid Laurier Sir Henri Charles Wilfrid Laurier (November 20, 1841 – February 17, 1919) was a Canadian lawyer, statesman, and Liberal politician who served as the seventh prime minister of Canada from 1896 to 1911. The first French Canadians, French ...

, Liberal (1908–1910); Ottawa (City of) # Harold B. McGiverin, Liberal (1908–1911); Ottawa (City of) # Albert Allard, Liberal (1910–1911); Ottawa (City of) # Alfred Ernest Fripp, Conservative (1911–1921); Ottawa (City of) # John Léo Chabot, Conservative (1911–1921); Ottawa (City of) # Harold B. McGiverin, Liberal (1921–1925); Ottawa (City of) # Edgar Rodolphe Chevrier, Liberal (1921–1925); Ottawa (City of) # Stewart McClenaghan, Conservative (1925–1926); Ottawa (City of) # John Léo Chabot, Conservative (1925–1926); Ottawa (City of) # Edgar Rodolphe Chevrier, Liberal (1926–1935); Ottawa (City of) # Gordon Cameron Edwards, Liberal (1926–1930); Ottawa (City of) # Thomas Franklin Ahearn, Liberal (1930–1940); Ottawa (City of) to 1935. Ottawa West from 1935 # George McIlraith, Liberal (1940–1972); Ottawa West to 1968. Ottawa Centre from 1968 # Hugh Poulin, Liberal (1973–1978); Ottawa Centre # Robert de Cotret, Progressive Conservative (1978–1979); Ottawa Centre # John Evans, Liberal (1979–1984); Ottawa Centre # Michael Cassidy, NDP (1984–1988); Ottawa Centre #

Mac Harb Mac Harb (born November 10, 1953) is a former Canadian politician, who served successively in local Ottawa positions, as a Member of the House of Commons, and as a Senator for Ontario.J. Patrick Boyer. ''Our Scandalous Senate'' Volume 1 of Poin ...

, Liberal (1988–2003); Ottawa Centre # Ed Broadbent, NDP (2004–2005); Ottawa Centre # Paul Dewar, NDP (2006–2015); Ottawa Centre # Catherine McKenna, Liberal (2015–2021); Ottawa Centre # Yasir Naqvi, Liberal (2021–Present); Ottawa Centre

Centretown churches

* Centretown United Church * Church of St. Barnabas, Apostle and Martyr * First Church of Christ, Scientist * First United Church * Holy Korean Martyrs Parish * Metropolitan Bible Church * Salvation Army Gladstone Community Church * St. George's Anglican Church * St Patrick's Basilica * St. Elijah's Housing (former church, today an apartment building)

Centretown embassies

References

;Bibliography *

External links

Centretown History: Virtual Museum of Canada Exhibit
{{authority control Neighbourhoods in Ottawa Diplomatic districts