When looking for the right home, you’re not just buying the property. You’re also buying into the neighbourhood. Ottawa has dozens of unique neighbourhoods, but how do you know which one is right for you and your family?
In our Ottawa Neighbourhood Spotlight series, we’ll walk you through some of the city’s popular neighbourhoods and give you the inside scoop on their amenities, schools and much more. We’ll try to make your home search a little easier by doing some of that research for you.
Find a comfortable spot and kick up your feet up while we explore the neighbourhood of Old Barrhaven West.
NAVIGATING OLD BARRHAVEN WEST
Like its title suggests, this neighbourhood encompasses the northwest section of Barrhaven – Pheasant Run, Cedargrove/Fraserdale and Knollsbrook (affectionately known as The Triangle). The map reflects the Ottawa Real Estate Board’s District Neighbourhoods. To search for a listing using the map above, simply maximize the map by clicking on the icon in the top right corner. Using the Google Maps application, you can easily pop the address of any Barrhaven home for sale into the search bar to see what neighbourhood you’d be living in.
Old Barrhaven West is considered a mature neighbourhood, with many of the houses dating back to the 60s, 70s and 80s. You may find that the lot sizes are slightly larger in Old Barrhaven West than in some of the more recently developed Barrhaven neighbourhoods.
OLD BARRHAVEN WEST AMENITIES 
Great news if you’ve got a swimmer or future Sydney Crosby in your family because Old Barrhaven West is home to one of Ottawa’s largest state-of-the-art recreation centres.
Walter Baker Centre, aka Baker, is a full-service facility offering swimming pools, ice rinks, fitness facilities, a climbing wall, a library, and an inflatable obstacle course. The centre provides a wide selection of recreational programs for both children and adults.
In this neighbourhood, shopping is just a hop, skip and a jump away. To the west of the residential districts of Old Barrhaven West, between Strandherd Drive and the 416, is a large complex containing approximately 310,000 square feet of retail space. You can get your errands done and even stop by for a bite all in one place.
While Old Barrhaven West may be one of the area’s oldest hoods, exciting development projects are in the works, like the 2.8 million square foot Amazon Fulfillment Centre. The centre is expected to be completed later this year and will provide thousands of jobs. You might go from one-day delivery to one-hour delivery if you live in this neighbourhood (here’s hoping)!
Old Barrhaven West Schools
Neighbourhood schools are always an important consideration for families moving to a new area. With Ottawa’s many school boards plus French Immersion programs, finding a school can be a confusing process.
To make the process a bit easier for you, the interactive map above allows you to restrict your search to the specific type of school you’re looking for. To use this function, click on the icon found on the top left of the map. A menu will slide out on the lefthand side, and you can scroll through the list and check the box of the schools you’d like to see on the interactive map.
For the English boards, you can also type an address into the school locators below to determine which programs are offered at which schools for that particular address.
Ottawa-Carleton District School Board school locator
Ottawa Catholic School Board school locator
English Public Elementary (OCDSB)
Barrhaven Public School was the first school to open in Barrhaven in 1968. It offers Core French, Early French Immersion and Middle French Immersion. Boundaries vary by program.
Core French and EFI: Boundary map
Middle French Immersion: Boundary map
Jockvale Elementary is a dual-track school offering both English and Early French Immersion programs to 350 students. It also has a grade 5/6 gifted class. Boundary map.
Mary Honeywell Elementary School opened in 1989 and now serves over 600 students. It is a dual-track school offering both an English program and an Early French Immersion program. It also has an Autism System class. Boundary map.
English Catholic Elementary (OCSB)
St. Patrick Elementary School Boundary map
St. Elizabeth Ann Seton Catholic School Boundary map
Middle Schools
Cedarview Middle School, a grade 7 and 8 school, opened in 1994. It has an enrolment of over 800 students and offers a Core French program plus Early and Middle French Immersion.
The middle school also offers a gifted program and an Autism System class. It currently serves the students in the Half Moon Bay district as well. School boundaries differ by program.
Core French and EFI: Boundary map
Middle French Immersion: Boundary map
High Schools
John McCrae is a Secondary School in the English Public School Board (OCDSB). It was built in 1999 and has an enrolment of over 1300 students.
John McCrae is attached to the Walter Baker Sports Centre and is the only OCDSB school to offer a high-performance athlete program. Boundary map.
Although not located in Barrhaven, South Carleton High School is attended by some students in the west end of Barrhaven, with Cedarview listed as one of its feeder schools. It offers both English and French Immersion programs. Boundary map.
Old Barrhaven West Real Estate
Are you looking to buy a home in Barrhaven? Check out our current listings. If you want more information on Barrhaven neighbourhoods or to hear about new listings as they come on the market, our experienced realtors can help. Contact us today.
Buy and sell with confidence. Choose the MacDonald Property Group.
At The MacDonald Property Group, we have a dedicated, national award-winning full-service team all under one roof, ready to provide the expertise you can trust. Our team and associates are recognized as the top 1% in North America since 2010.
With over twenty-five years of experience in all aspects of real estate, we have bought and sold well over a thousand homes. We’ve been honoured to help thousands of clients in Barrhaven and across the Ottawa area close a deal with confidence and satisfaction. Give us a shout, and let us show you what we can do for you!