Boundaries
Walkley Road on the north, Lester Road/Davidson Road on the south, the Rideau River on the west, Russell Road/Hawthorne Road on the east.
History
One of the earliest European settlers in the area was retired Scottish naval captain Andrew Wilson, who received a grant of 200 acres on the eastern shore of the Rideau River in 1819. The region remained largely rural until what is now the Ottawa Hunt and Golf Club arrived in 1907. In the following decade, pilots established a rudimentary airport nearby. The Royal Canadian Air Force set up a training base, RCAF Station Uplands, in 1942. After the war, the federal government expropriated lands in the community of Bowesville to expand the base and to build Ottawa International Airport, and also created the Greenbelt to the south. Residential development of South Keys–Hunt Club began in earnest in the early 1970s.
Claim to fame
The Ottawa Hunt and Golf Club — which gave the area its name — was established in the area in 1907, focusing first on hunting and equestrian sports. The club added a golf course in the 1920s and a curling rink in 1959.
South Keys–Hunt Club neighbourhoods
Neighbourhoods in this large area in Ottawa’s south end include:
- South Keys
- Hunt Club
- Emerald Woods–Sawmill Creek
- Ledbury
- Heron Park
- Riverside Park South
- Hunt Club Woods
- Revelstoke
- Blossom Park
- Greenboro
In the area
The area’s neighbourhoods are home to a vibrant mix of people of different ages, ethnicities and socio-economic levels. Many homes were built in the 1970s and 1980s, with newer houses in the Sawmill Creek area. Just about every type of home, from subsidized apartments to large waterfront mansions, is available.
Schools
South Keys–Hunt Club has a full range of English and French elementary schools. It also has a French public alternative high school. Other high schools are nearby, including Canterbury High School of the Arts.
- English public: Ottawa-Carleton District School Board
- English Catholic: Ottawa Catholic School Board
- French public: Conseil des écoles publiques de l’Est de l’Ontario
- French Catholic: Conseil des écoles catholiques du Centre-Est
Businesses
Business parks on the neighbourhood’s eastern edges, as well as the area adjacent to Ottawa International Airport, are home to major employers, such as a Farm Boy distribution centre, Lowe-Martin, Iogen Corporation and NAV Canada. Other businesses include:
- Loblaws
- Home Depot
- Giant Tiger
- Farm Boy
- LCBO
- Beer Store
- Long & McQuade Musical Instrument
- The Works Gourmet Burger Bistro
- Alta Vista Animal Hospital
- Artistic Landscape Design
- Winners
- HomeSense
- Indigo
- Montana’s
- T&T Supermarket
- The Royal Oak (Hunt Club)
Amenities
Too many to name them all, but they include:
- Cineplex Odeon South Keys Cinemas
- Infinity Convention Centre
- SkyZone Trampoline Park
- Monkey Around Play and Learn Centre
- The Meadows Golf and Country Club
- Green spaces such as Pine Grove Trail, Conroy Pit dog park, Fawn Meadow Park, Rideau River and NCC Greenbelt. Mooney’s Bay Park and Beach is just outside the neighbourhood.
Services
Services in South Keys–Hunt Club include medical offices, churches, salons, banks, gas stations, a veterinary hospital, retirement homes and daycare centres. Others include:
- Sawmill Creek Community Centre and Pool
- Hunt Club–Riverside Park Community Centre
- Albion–Heatherington Community Centre
- Greenboro Community Centre
Transit options
The community is served by multiple public transit routes: octranspo.com. Greenboro Station is currently the end of the LRT’s Trillium Line. When the line’s extension is complete, the neighbourhood will have three new LRT stations (some converted from Transitway stations) — Walkley, South Keys and Uplands — as well as a new station just beyond the neighbourhood at Ottawa International Airport.