Hintonburg

Infobox City
official_name = Hintonburg
nickname =
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map_caption = Location of Hintonburg in Ottawa
subdivision_type = Country
subdivision_name = Canada
subdivision_type1 = Province
subdivision_name1 = Ontario
subdivision_type2 = City
subdivision_name2 = Ottawa
leader_title = MPs
leader_title1 = MPPs
leader_title2 = Councillors
leader_title3 =
leader_title4 =
leader_name = Paul Dewar
leader_name1 = Yasir Naqvi
leader_name2 = Christine Leadman
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settlement_type = Neighbourhood
population_as_of = 2006
population_note = Canada 2006 Census
population_total = 7485
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timezone = Eastern (EST)
utc_offset = −5
timezone_DST = EDT
utc_offset_DST = −4
coor_type = Hintonburg Community Centre
latd=45|latm=24 |lats=23 |latNS=N
longd=75 |longm=43|longs=45 |longEW=W
elevation_m = 65
elevation_ft =
website =
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Hintonburg is a neighbourhood of Ottawa, Ontario, Canada. It is a working-class, predominately residential neighbourhood, with a commercial strip located along Wellington Street, located to the west of downtown. It is home to the Parkdale Farmer's Market, located at Parkdale Avenue, just north of Wellington.

Its eastern border is the O-Train line, just west of Preston Street, with Centretown West / Somerset Heights neighbourhood to the east. To the north it is bounded by the transitway (originally the Canadian Pacific Railway main line), along Scott Street, with Mechanicsville beyond. To the south it is bounded by the Queensway (originally the Canadian National Railway main line) (417 highway) and to the west by Holland Avenue (Hintonburg Community Association borders) or as far west as Island Park Drive.

History

Originally part of Nepean Township the area was first settled in 1826, growing in size the village of Hintonburg was incorporated as a village in 1893. It was named after Joseph Hinton, a community leader who died in 1884. As the city of Ottawa grew it expanded west and Hintonburg was annexed to Ottawa in 1907. The Ahearne's Ottawa Street Railway Company ran a street car line through the area, continuing along further west along Byron Avenue (now a recreational path) and it soon became home to mostly blue collar workers who commuted into downtown.

Hintonburg used to be on the main road leading west from downtown Ottawa. Wellington Street, which starts at Parliament Hill, runs through the center of the neighbourhood to this day. Originally, the area north of Wellington was considered Mechanicsville, but over time this has changed. When the NCC took over Lebreton Flats in the 1960s, the bridge over the north-south rail line linking the central Wellington street to the Hintonburg section was demolished, and the central Wellington street was linked to Scott street, making a bypass for the automobile traffic. This has led to a decline in commercial business along Wellington street. At one time, there was a department store at the crossroads of Somerset and Wellington, it was for a while the location of the used goods charity "Ottawa Neighbourhood Services" and is now mostly used for offices.

The 1950s and 1960s was a time of great change in the area. The federal government built the Tunney's Pasture office campus at the north end of Holland Avenue. The rail along Scott Street was closed and eventually became the Transitway bus roadway. To the south, the Queensway/417 was built, partly on old rail lines, and partly directly through demolition of homes along its path. This provided another bypass around the area, and also lead to an increase of automobile traffic along Parkdale.

The area continues to change. In the late 1980s, the Hintonburg Community Association (HCA) was formed, and the local residents now have a better voice in community issues and local City of Ottawa activities. The Hintonburg Community/Recreation Centre was opened, and several in-fill developments have occurred. Several of the older industrial buildings and cottages have become space to artists. The area is adapting to a new role, that of central-area residential neighbourhood, and is comparable to others in Ottawa.

In 2003, HCA published "Hintonburg & Mechanicsville: A Narrative History" by John Leaning; it is available in some local bookshops and through the association. A heritage walking tour of the neighbourhood is also available on their website (see link below).

Culture

It's Ottawa's first true arts district. Hintonburg's notable history of cultural achievement paired with its relaxed creative atmosphere has spawned the QUAD, a grass-roots initiative that is unique in Ottawa. The QUAD,an acronym that stands for Quartier des artistes / Arts District, blends cultural expression, community spirit and heritage character to create a special neighbourhood that embraces all arts disciplines.

In 2005,the Hintonburg community Association (HCA)launched the popular ArtsPark annual event in the Parkdale Market featuring the works of Ottawa artists and music to highlight the community's growing role as an arts district in the city. Regular activities are put on at the Hintonburg Community Centre, including outdoor films in the summer. The association's website lists several galleries that have opened since 2006 in the vicinity of the Market. Recently, the Great Canadian Theatre Company relocated to Hintonburg, in a new facility at Holland and Wellington.

In the heart of Ottawa, Canada, Hintonburg is a beautiful, historic and creative neighbourhood that has been ranked as one of the best. In its April 2007 number, enRoute magazine named Hintonburg one of the top ten emerging neighbourhoods in Canada. The same month, Ottawa Magazine said Hintonburg is "hot" and credits the QUAD arts district as the reason residents think we're "cool". Then in June 2007, the Financial Times noted that the 'Burg is "thriving again".

One big factor is its mixed citizenry and perception as a welcoming place. Along Wellington Street are small businesses catering for all points on the economic and social spectrum. There are pubs that sell both high-end whiskies and quart bottles of domestic beer, plenty of ethnic restaurants, including Italian, Thai and Ethiopian, and the popular Parkdale fruit and vegetable market, requented in the summer by people from around Ottawa. Add to this some affordable housing and Hintonburg is starting to pique the interest of city home buyers.

Character

Hintonburg is very mixed in its character. The land use is very mixed, and this is due to its predating land zoning rules. Additionally, the area has a mix of heritage buildings and recent additions.

The area to the north of Wellington is very mixed, and can be characterised as being in transition. Some industry still exists just south of Scott to the west of Parkdale. The north-east area is almost completely residential, of one hundred year old wood 'clapboard' homes, with a small village/enclave nature. Many of the homes are very small, reflecting the late 1800s typical worker's homes.

The area to the south of Wellington is almost entirely residential of brick-veneer wood-frame construction dating to the 1910 to 1920s. There is very little commercial activity south of Wellington, except along the O-Train line to the east, where the Canada Bank Note operates a large facility and there are some industrial buildings along Breezehill.

Businesses on Wellington are characterised by a mixture of largely proprietor-operated retail and service shops. In the east, Wellington has not completely recovered from its being bypassed. Several vacant and/or underutilized properties exist. When a major effort to remove prostitutes from the Byward Market area was made in the early 1980s, this strip became an area of "streetwalkers." Regular crackdowns since that time have led to a decline in prostitution. The local Community Association worked with police and other city agencies to step up enforcement efforts against drug houses in an effort to reduce prostitution- and drug-related challenges. Other residents have targeted "johns" by tracking and publishing partial licence plates. To the west, Wellington is more busy, and commercial activities are thriving due to the proximity of Tunney's Pasture and the Parkdale Market. Bars and restaurants have multiplied, especially along the stretch from Parkdale to Holland.

Holland Avenue, a four-lane north-south avenue leading directly south of Tunney's Pasture, has developed a stretch of restaurants and commercial businesses to serve the government complex.

Parkdale Avenue, a two-lane north-south avenue is a busy road. When the Queensway was built in the 1960s, Parkdale was chosen for an interchange rather than the four-lane Holland Avenue. This leads to daily traffic jams at "rush hour." At its north end, some vestiges of the industrial area along the Scott street rail line exist. The popular warm-weather Parkdale Market just north of Wellington is the home of about 20 stalls, of local and imported produce and flowers. To the south of Wellington, it is residential on both sides.

To the west of Holland, the area is known as Elmdale. The basic pattern of land-use continues. To the south of Wellington, entirely residential. To the north, mainly residential, with smaller homes close to Scott reflecting the time when a railway ran nearby. The road known as Wellington ends here, and continues west as Richmond Road, at one time leading to the village of Richmond. Commercial activity along this street is predominantly independent businesses and offices.

Political representation

Hintonburg is a part of Ottawa's Kitchissippi Ward, represented by councillor Christine Leadman since the November 2006 election. The previous councillor was Shawn Little.

External links

* [http://www.ncf.ca/~dw413/k1y_map.htm K1Y Area - Hintonburg, Mechanicsville & Tunney's Pasture Directory]
* [http://www.hintonburg.com Hintonburg Community Association]
* [http://www.ontarioearlyyears.ca/oeyc/en/Location/Ottawa/OttawaCentre/Services/RecreationandLibraries/Services.htm Hintonburg Community Centre]