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Billings Bridge

A neighbourhood on the south bank of the Rideau River, where Bank Street crosses the bridge named for settler Braddish Billings.

Brewer Park Pond, Ottawa
Brewer Park Pond, Ottawa. Photo: Earl Andrew, CC BY-SA 4.0, via Wikimedia Commons
6,065Population (2021 census)* · source
3,325Private dwellings (2021)* · source
34.4Median age (2021)* · source
3Schools inside
18Parks & places inside
0Homes for sale here

* Ottawa Neighbourhood Study figures for its “Billings Bridge - Heron Park” area, which is larger than Billings Bridge alone.

Billings Bridge is an Ottawa neighbourhood south of the Rideau River, around the Bank Street bridge. The Ottawa Neighbourhood Study's 'Billings Bridge - Heron Park' area had 6,065 residents in the 2021 census.

Updated · Facts on this page link to their sources

The neighbourhood

About Billings Bridge

Billings Bridge is an Ottawa neighbourhood south of the Rideau River, around the Bank Street bridge. Wikipedia says Braddish Billings settled here in 1812 and that a village grew up south of the river near the bridge. Ottawa annexed the village on 1 January 1950. The ONS groups it with Heron Park, which Wikipedia says is sometimes called Billings Bridge and was built after the annexation, south of the older community of Gateville. In the 2021 census the ONS area had 6,065 people, 67.8% renter households, and a mix of apartments and houses. Billings Bridge Shopping Centre, Transitway stations and several parks and rinks are in or near the area.

Boundaries

We use the Ottawa Neighbourhood Study (ONS) area 'Billings Bridge - Heron Park'. Wikipedia describes Heron Park as bounded by the Rideau River to the north, Sawmill Creek to the west, Bank Street to the east and Walkley Road to the south, and divided by Heron Road. Wikipedia also says the old Billings Bridge village was south of the river near the bridge, and that the Heron Park area is sometimes called Billings Bridge. Population figures differ by definition: Wikipedia gives 4,758 for Heron Park (2021 census), while the ONS area has 6,065.

Homes

In the 2021 census, the ONS 'Billings Bridge - Heron Park' area had 3,325 private dwellings. About 40.2% were apartments in buildings of five or more storeys and 20.2% were apartments in buildings under five storeys. Single-detached houses made up 17.6%, semi-detached 8.2%, row houses 7.4% and duplex flats 6.1%. Condominiums were 9.8% of dwellings, and 67.8% of households rented while 32.3% owned. ons-sqo.ca

Highlights
  • About 4.9 km in a straight line from Parliament Hill; about 5.7 km and 12 minutes by car in free-flow traffic with no traffic
  • Billings Bridge Shopping Centre, Your Independent Grocer, Walmart Supercentre and Farm Boy within the area
  • Heron Park has a wading pool and ice rink, and Wikipedia notes pathways beside Sawmill Creek
  • Billings Bridge and Heron Transitway stations in the area; Mooney's Bay, Carleton and Walkley O-Train stations nearby
  • Schools from the OCDSB, OCSB and CECCE are listed in and around the area
  • Heron Park Community Association, listed in Wikipedia's external links

Community

History

How Billings Bridge came to be

View of the Confederation Heights O-Train station following renovations in 2017
View of the Confederation Heights O-Train station following renovations in 2017. Photo: Dvermeirre, CC0, via Wikimedia Commons
  1. late 1800s

    The Ottawa Brick and Terra Cotta Co. Ltd. brickyard opened at the foot of the hill, east of Sawmill Creek, on 58 acres now occupied by the RA Centre. The Merkley family ran it later, and it closed in 1958 after the federal government expropriated the land in 1954. en.wikipedia.org

  2. 1812

    Braddish Billings arrived from Brockville in 1812 and cut out a farm on the Rideau River at what is now Billings Bridge. In 1823 he built a sawmill on a creek near today's Bank Street, which is still known as Sawmill Creek. en.wikipedia.org

  3. 1830s

    The first bridge over the Rideau River at Bank Street was built by Billings in the early 1830s (Wikipedia gives both 1830 and 1831) and was first called Farmers Bridge. By 1859 both the bridge and the community were commonly known as Billings Bridge. The early bridges were washed out and rebuilt in 1847 and 1862. en.wikipedia.org

  4. 1874

    Gateville was founded where Metcalfe Road (today's Bank Street) crossed Billings Creek (Sawmill Creek), south of Billings Bridge. During the Great Depression it was known as 'Poverty Hill' and 'Deadbeat's Hill'. en.wikipedia.org

  5. 1913–1916

    A new bridge was built after the concrete central span of the old one collapsed on 21 March 1913. Wikipedia gives 1916 as the date of the current bridge and describes an inauguration on 2 September 1915. en.wikipedia.org

  6. 1950

    On 1 January 1950, 14,605 acres of Gloucester Township, including Billings Bridge, were annexed by the City of Ottawa. Nearly all Billings Bridge streets were renamed. The Heron Park community was built soon after, south of Gateville. en.wikipedia.org

  7. 2022

    The 'Battle of Billings Bridge' is the informal name for a counter-protest by Ottawa residents on February 13, 2022, during the Canada convoy protest. Residents set up a blockade on Riverside Drive at Bank Street. en.wikipedia.org

People & landmarks

Local names worth knowing

  • Braddish Billings

    Settler who arrived from Brockville in 1812, established a farm on the Rideau River, built the first bridge and gave the area its name. en.wikipedia.org

  • Lazarus Greenberg

    Left Belarus for Canada after the 1905 Russian Revolution and settled in Billings Bridge before the First World War, where he opened a general store on the Metcalfe Road. The Greenbergs were the first Jewish family to settle in the village. en.wikipedia.org

  • Alex Merkley

    Took over management of the brickyard in 1912 and, with his brothers, bought it out in 1924 (possibly 1919), according to Wikipedia. en.wikipedia.org

Map

Around Billings Bridge

Walking rings at 5, 10 and 15 minutes from the neighbourhood centre.

Schools

8 nearby

Straight-line distances from the Billings Bridge centre. Living near a school does not guarantee a place: confirm the designated school for an address with each board. All schools and board locators.

Parks & places

10 nearby

The full parks & trails guide.

Shops & dining

10 nearby

The full shops & dining guide.

Getting around

Transit

  • Billings Bridge

    openopenstreetmap.org

    150 m2 min walk

  • Heron

    openopenstreetmap.org

    590 m7 min walk

  • Mooney's Bay

    O-Train

    openopenstreetmap.org

    1.0 km13 min walk

  • Heron At Mooney's Bay Station

    OC Transpo

    openopenstreetmap.org

    1.0 km13 min walk

  • Distance to downtown

    About 4.9 km in a straight line from the area centre to Parliament Hill (downtown Ottawa). By road it is about 5.7 km and 12 minutes (free-flow, no traffic), from the OSRM demo router on OpenStreetMap roads.

    router.project-osrm.org openstreetmap.org

  • O-Train

    Mooney's Bay station is the nearest, about 1.0 km in a straight line from the area centre, which we calculated from OpenStreetMap coordinates. Carleton station is about 1.6 km and Walkley station about 1.8 km.

    openstreetmap.org openstreetmap.org openstreetmap.org

  • Transitway stations

    Billings Bridge and Heron stations are listed as open in OpenStreetMap. Pleasant Park and Riverside stations lie just to the north, and Heron At Mooney's Bay Station to the south-west.

    openstreetmap.org openstreetmap.org

  • Transit access

    The ONS reports an average of 16.4 transit stops within a 600 m walk. In the 2021 census, 21% of workers commuted by public transit and 66.0% by car, truck or van, and 42.6% worked at home. Check OC Transpo for current routes.

    ons-sqo.ca

The full transit guide.

Homes

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Next door

Neighbouring areas

    Questions people ask

    Quick answers

    Short answers first; each links to the full answer and its sources.

    All 32 questions

    1. Is Billings Bridge a good place to live?

      Billings Bridge is a south-central Ottawa neighbourhood on the Rideau River, about 4.9 km in a straight line from Parliament Hill. In the 2021 census, the Ottawa Neighbourhood Study's 'Billings Bridge - Heron Park' area had 6,065 residents, a median age of 34.4 and 67.8% of households renting. Its average Walk Score is 57.27 and there are on average 16.4 transit stops within a 600 m walk.

      As of 2021 · ons-sqo.ca ons-sqo.ca

    2. What schools serve Billings Bridge?

      The schools mapped in and around Billings Bridge include three elementary schools: Alta Vista Public School and Hopewell Avenue Public School (both Ottawa-Carleton District School Board) and the French-language École élémentaire catholique Lamoureux (Conseil des écoles catholiques du Centre-Est). The secondary schools are Brookfield High School (OCDSB) and St. Patrick's High School (Ottawa Catholic School Board).

      As of 2026-10 · openstreetmap.org openstreetmap.org

    3. How far is Billings Bridge from downtown Ottawa?

      Parliament Hill is about 4.9 km in a straight line from the centre of Billings Bridge. By road it is about 5.7 km, roughly a 12-minute drive in free-flowing traffic.

      As of 2026-10 · router.project-osrm.org openstreetmap.org

    4. What are homes like in Billings Bridge?

      Apartments are the most common home type. In the 2021 census, 40.2% of dwellings in the 'Billings Bridge - Heron Park' area were apartments in buildings of five or more storeys and 20.2% were apartments in buildings under five storeys. Single-detached houses were 17.6%, semi-detached 8.2%, row houses 7.4% and duplex flats 6.1%.

      As of 2021 · ons-sqo.ca ons-sqo.ca

    5. What is the nearest O-Train station to Billings Bridge?

      Mooney's Bay is the nearest mapped O-Train station, about 1 km from the Billings Bridge centre in a straight line, by our calculation from OpenStreetMap coordinates. Carleton (about 1.6 km) and Walkley (about 1.8 km) are the other O-Train stations mapped nearby, and all three are shown as open.

      As of 2026-10 · openstreetmap.org openstreetmap.org

    6. Where do people in Billings Bridge buy groceries?

      Grocery stores mapped in and around Billings Bridge include Your Independent Grocer (2241 Riverside Drive), Walmart Supercentre (2277 Riverside Drive), Bulk Barn (2269 Riverside Drive) and Farm Boy (1500 Bank Street). Smaller markets include Cedars & Co. Food Market (1255 Bank Street), Kaladar Fresh Market (2455 Kaladar Avenue) and Mangosteen (1742 Bank Street).

      As of 2026-10 · openstreetmap.org openstreetmap.org

    Sources for this page (59)
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