Kanata can be further broken down into the following communities: Bridlewood / Emerald Meadows, Glen Cairn (Kanata South Business Park), Katimavik / Hazeldean, Beaverbrook, Kanata Lakes, South March (Morgan’s Grant & Shirley’s Brook)
Thinking about living in Kanata, Ontario?
Located in the city’s west end, Kanata has grown dramatically over the past 10-20 years and has established itself as an ideal place for middle to higher income families to call home. Primarily consisting of town and single family homes plus an abundance of parks, playgrounds and schools, Kanata is a safe, suburban community and the perfect location for kids to grow up and learn. The area offers a vast array of dining, shopping and entertainment options that are centrally located making it an attractive option for prospective home buyers.
How far is Kanata from Ottawa?
Kanata is about a 20-25 minute drive to the west of Downtown Ottawa. Public transit also runs locally throughout the Kanata area and connects to the rest of the city. Major transit stations include Terry Fox station, Eagleson station and Innovation Park & Ride. Future plans (2030 and beyond) include bringing light rail, rapid transit expansion directly into the Kanata area.
In this post, we’ll highlight 6 major Kanata neighborhoods to consider during your home search. If you’re looking for other Ottawa areas, check out our detailed blog post about the best Ottawa neighbourhoods to live in!
Overview of Kanata Neighborhoods in Ottawa
Bridlewood / Emerald Meadows
The community of Bridlewood & Emerald Meadows is located in the southernmost part of Kanata and is bordered by the protected Greenbelt to its south which mainly consists of farmers fields. The majority of the homes here were built between the years 1980 and 2000 however some pockets of the community were recently developed within the past 5 years including Mattamy Homes ‘Monahan Landing’ as well as Claridge Homes ‘Bridlewood Trails’.
With so many parks and schools situated amongst the homes in the area, this community is a great location for raising a family. The Crownridge tennis courts offer lighting for night time play and are popular among residents. Within close proximity are a whopping 17 parks and greenspaces, many of which have soccer fields and play structures. Some of the popular ones include Kristina Kiss Park, Bridlewood Park and Scissons Park.
The following parks are also located nearby: Maplewood Park, Sawyer’s Meadow Park, Grassy Plains Park, Meadowbreeze Park, Huntsman Park, Stonemeadow Park, Bluegrass Park, Deevy Pines Park (Eva James Soccer field), Brigitta Park, Brian Parsons Park, Mattawa Park, Shetland Park and Appaloosa Park.
The Trans Canada trail is a pathway that connects Bell’s Corners (Northeast of Kanata) and Carleton Place (Southwest of Kanata). It passes through the Bridlewood community and is a 60KM round trip route enjoyed by avid hikers, cyclists and runners.
If you’re thinking about living in Bridlewood, there are 10 schools nearby including French and Private school options. We’ve compiled a list for your reference.
Schools in Bridlewood / Emerald Meadows include:
- St. Anne School (Catholic elementary – Junior Kindergarten to Grade 6 & Childcare program)
- Elisabeth Bruyere (Catholic elementary – French school), Junior Kindergarten to Grade 6)
- Bridlewood Community Elementary School (JK to Grade 6)
- Roch Carrier Elementary School (JK to Grade 6)
- St. James School (Catholic elementary, JK to Grade 6 & Childcare program)
- WO Mitchell Elementary School (JK to Grade 8)
- Maurice Lapointe Elementary (JK to Grade 12)
Private schools in Kanata include:
- Beaverbrook Montessori (14 months to 6 yr old)
- Kanata Academy (Preschool to Grade 12)
- Kanata Montessori (Preschool to Grade 12)
- Cedar Ridge High School (Private / Grade 7-12)
Places of Worship in Bridlewood / Emerald Meadows include:
- Holy Redeemer Roman Catholic Church
- Bridlewood Community Church (Pathway Church)
- Bridlewood Bible Chapel
For those who may be looking to live in close proximity to elderly parents, the Chartwell Stonehaven Retirement Residence and Courtyard on Eagleson Retirement Residence are two options to consider. The Eva James Community Centre offers a variety of city run programs, as well as sports, dance, gymnastics and arts programs. In addition to these, there are plenty of nearby stores and businesses that may be convenient to you. Some of these include:
- Real Canadian Superstore
- Bridlewood Medical Centre
- Fit4Less gym
- Walmart Supercentre
- Bridlewood Animal hospital
- LCBO
- Shoppers Drug Mart
- Tim Hortons / Starbucks
- The WORKS burger bistro
- Canada Post
- West End FamilyCare Clinic (Family doctor)
- DynaCare Labs
- Bridlewood Medical Centre Physiotherapy
Click here to begin your search for homes in Bridlewood / Emerald Meadows
Glen Cairn
The community of Glen Cairn is located North West of Bridlewood and to the south of Hazeldean Road. Unlike some of the newer developments, this is one of the oldest neighborhoods in the area with most of the homes having been built 40-50 years ago. A unique feature of this community is the close proximity to many of the nearby businesses, parks and community centres – many of them being within reasonable walking distance. Most of the homes in Glen Cairn are single family dwellings but on the west side closer to Terry Fox, there are some semi detached homes as well. Just to the west of Glen Cairn on the other side of Terry Fox is a custom home developer called Metric Homes. These single and townhomes have occupancy dates beginning in 2023 and are something to consider if you’re looking for a new build at higher price points.
There are numerous parks and schools located in the heart of the community making them easily accessible for students and families. Some of the most popular parks in the area include Clarence Maheral Park, Rickey Place Park and Beaton Park. Other parks nearby are: Hope Cloutier Park, Frank MacDonald Bell Park, Ravine Park and Dog Bone Park.
Schools in the Glen Cairn community include:
- John Young Elementary School (JK to Grade 6)
- St. Martin de Porres School (Catholic School – JK to Grade 6)
- Glen Cairn Middle School (Grade 7&8)
- AY Jackson Secondary School (Grade 9 to 12)
Private schools in Kanata:
- Beaverbrook Montessori (14 months to 6 yr old)
- Kanata Academy (Preschool to Grade 12)
- Kanata Montessori (Preschool to Grade 12)
- Cedar Ridge High School (Private / Grade 7-12)
Glen Cairn has numerous community centres and recreational venues. These include:
- The Glen Cairn Tennis Club
- The Glen Cairn Community Centre
- Glen Cairn Pool
- Lion Dick Brule Community Centre
- The Jack Charron Arena
- The Ottawa Public Library
Places of worship include:
- The Glen Cairn United Church
- Holy Redeemer Catholic Church
- Kanata Community Christian Reformed Church
Nearby businesses to take note of in Glen Cairn:
- Shoppers Drug Mart
- Lorenzos Pizza
- McDonalds
- Arby’s
- Little Caesars
- Shawarma Prince
- Kanata Noodle House
- Fat Bastards Burrito
- strEATS Kanata Kitchen
- My Thai Village
- Greek on wheels
- Moose McGuires
- Busters Bar & Grill
Click here to begin your search for homes in Glen Cairn
Katimavik – Hazeldean
The community of Katimavik – Hazeldean is located North of Hazeldean Rd and South of hwy. 417 (Trans Canada Highway). This sector of Kanata is a mature residential area that is surrounded by parks and schools with much of its development completed between the mid 1970’s to the 90’s. Much like the Glen Cairn community located to its South, Katimavik – Hazeldean is an original Kanata neighbourhood with older homes and the majority of them being single family dwellings. This area is community oriented with an emphasis placed on the well being of its residents thanks to the community association which has been around for over 40 years. Katimavik – Hazeldean features 13 parks nestled amongst the homes in the area with many of them offering play structures and sandboxes for young families to enjoy. Some of the most popular parks include Cattail Creek Park, Hewitt Park and Pickford Park. Other parks in this community include: Rowe Park, Davis Park, Dorey Park, Hayward Park (soccer fields), Sewell Park Playground, Stonegate Park, Young’s Park Pond Playground, McLennan Park, Watt’s Park and Hazeldean Woods Park.
By far and away the largest park in the area however is situated just outside of the main neighborhood. Walter Baker Park is on a shared piece of land with the Kanata Recreation Complex which features toboggan hills, multiple soccer fields, baseball diamonds and walking paths. This multi purpose centre offers several rinks, meeting rooms, outdoor splash pads and more. Recently, a $4.4M revitalization project was announced for the building to greatly enhance its appearance and city service offerings.
Located nearby, you’ll find the Ron Maslin Playhouse, a large performing arts center that first opened its doors in 1996. With 350 seats in the auditorium and 6 separate shows that are presented each year, the Playhouse has become a staple in the community and has an excellent reputation for delivering a high quality product. Most notably, the performers and production staff are an entirely volunteer led operation.
There are also several old age seniors residences located in the area including Chartwell Empress Kanata Retirement Home and Garden Terrace Long term care home. Best Western & Comfort Inn hotels are conveniently located just off the highway as well for any overnight visitors requiring accommodations.
Schools in the Hazeldean-Katimavik area include:
- Castlefrank Elementary (OCDSB – JK to grade 3)
- Roger-Saint-Denis Elementary School (Catholic – JK to Grade 6)
- Holy Redeemer School (Catholic – JK to Grade 6)
- Katimavik Elementary School (OCDSB – Grades 4 to 8)
- Holy Trinity Catholic High School (Catholic – Grades 7 to 12) and Katimavik Kindergarden & School Age Program (Childcare & Early Learning – OCSB – building attached to Holy Trinity)
- The CORE Learning Center (Special Education)
Nearby Private Schools:
- Beaverbrook Montessori (14 months to 6 yr old)
- Kanata Academy (Pre school to grade 12)
- Kanata Montessori (Pre school to grade 12)
Nearby Places of Worship in Katimavik-Hazeldean:
- Kanata Baptist Church
- St Paul’s Anglican Church
- Kingdom’s Hall of Jehova’s Witnesses
Recreational & entertainment activities include:
- Bell Sensplex (4 ice pads, indoor soccer field, restaurant, meeting rooms and more)
- Altitude Gym (Rock Climbing)
- Xtreme Trampoline Park
- Katimavik Outdoor Pool (Public)
- Movati Athletic (Gym)
- Canadian Tire Center (Home of the NHL’s Ottawa Senators, majority of major concerts & Ottawa events are held here)
- Kanata Leisure Center & Wave Pool
- Rideau Gymnastics at Resolute Center
Nearby Shopping & Retail Stores include:
- Hazeldean Mall
- Palladium Auto Park – Massive Car Park including dealerships for Toyota, Hyundai, Mazda, Volkswagon, Dodge / Jeep / Chrysler, Nissan, Honda
- Costco Wholesale
- Home Depot
- Kanata Centrum & Tangar Outlets (more about these in the Kanata Lakes neighborhood section)
Restaurants include:
- Swiss Chalet
- East Side Marios
- Darcy McGee’s
- A&W
- Mandarin
Click here to begin your search for homes in Katimavik / Hazeldean
Beaverbrook
With 11 parks, 7 schools, 6 churches and several community centres located right in Beaverbrook, the area has a lot to offer. Home prices here tend to come in lower than some of the newer communities in Kanata due to its age.
Some of the most popular parks in the area include Beaverbrook Park and Roland Michener Park, each offering soccer fields and ball diamonds. Nearby you can also find Bethune Park with playgrounds for kids, Varley Park, Gow Park, Craig Park, Lytle Park, Kimmins Court Park, Lawren Harris Park, Logan Lea Park and Tom Thomson Park.
Schools in Beaverbrook include:
- Roland Michener Public School (JK to Grade 6)
- W. Erskine Johnson Public School (JK to Grade 6)
- Stephen Leacock Public School (JK to Grade 6)
- George Vanier Elementary School (Catholic – JK to Grade 6 and childcare centre)
- Earl of March Secondary School (Grade 7 to 12)
The following educational facilities are also located in Beaverbrook:
- Tiny Hoppers Kanata North (Childcare centre)
- Beaverbrook Montessori (Private – 14 months to 6 years
Some of the community centres located in Beaverbrook are:
- Kanata Beaverbrook Community Centre
- Beaverbrook Outdoor Pool
- Indegenous Centre for Cumulative Effects
- Ottawa Public Library Beaverbrook
- Mlacak Arena
- March Tennis Club (Privately owned club / tennis courts)
Places of worship in Beaverbrook:
- Ottawa Mandarin Wesleyan Church
- Saint Xenia Russian Orthodox Church
- Kanata United Church
- Wells Salvation Church
- Community of Christ Kanata Congregation
- Community Life Church
Beaverbrook is unique in that the community itself is almost entirely free of any commercial development. While the original developers had initially planned for many businesses to be located within close proximity to the residential area, that didn’t pan out and never went forward. Luckily, March road is just a 5 minute drive to the North offering close access to several establishments such as dining, health services and grocery stores. Beaverbrook is also less than a 10 minute drive from Kanata Centrum and Tanger outlets, providing easy access to hundreds of businesses, including many dining options.
Click here to begin your search for homes in Beaverbrook
Kanata Lakes
Located West of Beaverbrook is a community called Marchwood-Lakeside, also known as Kanata Lakes. The centrepiece of the area began to take shape in the late 60’s with the development of the Kanata Golf & Country Club. In the decades that followed, homes were built throughout the community, mostly between the 80s and the early 2000s. It’s home to some of the more expensive real estate that you’ll find in Kanata, with a number of streets featuring large, single family homes, many of which back directly onto the golf course with no rear neighbors. Some of these homes often sell for well over $1M, but there are pockets of the community with higher end row / townhome options as well.
The Bradley’s ‘Gracious Retirement Living’ home is located in Kanata Lakes for seniors.
Located North West of Kanata Lakes and on the East side of Terry Fox Drive is a newer development called Richardson Ridge. This block of new home builds is currently in its 4th phase of construction and is being constructed by Cardel Homes and Uniform Urban Developments with a mix of upscale single and townhomes.
A popular attraction in the area is the Beaver Pond which offers walking trails around the perimeter of a secluded wildlife park. It’s a calm setting to take in Kanata’s natural beauty.
The Kanata Entertainment Centrum is a well known focal point of the Kanata area and is located within the Lakeside-Marchside community, offering a large variety of dining, shopping and entertainment options.
Kanata Centrum offers numerous bars and restaurants as well as various retail stores.
These include:
- The Crazy Horse
- Jack Astors
- Milestones
- Moxie’s
- Pure Kitchen
- Aperitivo
- Fratelli’s
- Three Brewers
- Kelsey’s
- Digby’s Seafood
- Mary Brown’s Chicken
- Graffiti’s Italian Eatery
- Zak’s Diner
- Montanas
- Baton Rouge
- Walmart Supercentre
- Golf Town
- Farm Boy
- Pro Hockey Life
- Sportchek
- Canadian Tire
- Dymon Self Storage
- Staples
- Ren’s Pets & PetSmart
- Landmark Cinemas (features 24 movie theatres – largest theatre in Ottawa)
- Hotels: Holiday Inn & Suites, Marriott TownePlace Suites, Homewood Suites / Hilton
Just 3 KM west of Kanata Centrum is a large outlet style shopping centre called Tangar Outlets. Located right across from the Canadian Tire Center (home of the NHL’s Ottawa Senators) & The Palladium Autopark (on the opposite side of the Highway 417), it’s accessible from the outdoors and features over 77 brand names. Stores here (to name a few) include:
- Adidas
- Banana Republic
- Calvin Klein
- Fossil
- Hugo BOSS
- Kate Spade
- Levi’s
- Lululemon
- Marshalls
- Mountain Warehouse
- Nike
- Oakley
- Polo Ralph Lauren
- Puma
- Tommy Hilfiger
- Tory Burch
- Under Armour
- Zumiez
Also located near Tanger Outlets is:
- Wingate by Wyndham hotel
- Cabela’s Ottawa (Outdoor Superstore)
- Princess Auto (Tool store & Specialty products)
There are several popular parks located in Kanata Lakes such as Whalen Park, Walden Park and Insmill Park. Other parks include: Devonian Park, Richardson Heritage Park, Broughton Park, John Gooch Park, Judy Laughton Park, Fentiman Park, Goldridge Park and Jim Malone Park.
Schools in Kanata Lakes include:
- St. Gabriel School (Catholic – JK to Grade 6)
- All Saints High School (Catholic – Grade 7 to 12)
- Elementary School Catholic Saint-Rémi – (French Catholic School – JK to Grade 6)
Click here to begin your search for homes in Kanata Lakes
South March
Two of the newest residential developments in the Kanata area are located in Kanata North and were built between the 90s and the early 2000’s. The Morgan’s Grant and Shirley’s Brook communities are intersected by March Road – the main artery that provides access to Kanata North as well as several commercial and corporate establishments. The homes here offer a good mix of single, town and semi detached dwellings that come in at varying price points, giving homebuyers plenty of options to consider depending on family needs.
Also located in South March is the Kanata North Business Park, Canada’s largest corporate technology park which is home to over 500 companies and 28,000 employees. Some of Canada’s most innovative businesses either have offices or corporate campuses in Kanata, including Apple, Ciena, Ericsson, Nokia, Mitel, Cisco, BlackBerry / QNX and Huawei among many others.
This community is home to one of the nicest public golf courses in Ottawa, The Marshes. The club hosts a number of big local tournaments and weddings throughout the summer. The course was the final design completed by renowned golf architect Robert Trent Jones Sr., in collaboration with his son. It is owned by Terry Matthews, an Ottawa resident who has founded over 100 companies through his company, Wesley Clover. He became the first billionaire from Wales, UK. and owned Newbridge Networks that he later sold to Alcatel for $7.1 Billion. His real estate management company, KRP Properties owns much of the corporate real estate in the Kanata technology park and surrounding areas, including The Brookstreet hotel which offers high end, luxury accommodations, located right on the golf course.
There are a number of parks in the South March community. In Morgan’s Grant, The W.C. Bowes Park is highly rated and also offers splash pads for kids in the summer months. Klondike Road Park and Morgan’s Grant Woods are also popular among local residents. Other parks include: Forestbrook Park, Dunollie Park, Allenby Park, Gateshead Park and Old March Town Hall Park.
In Shirley’s Brook, Brookshire Park (Splash pads), Ravenscroft Park and Somerton Park are the most popular options. McKinley Park, Shirley’s Brook Park and Juanita Snelgrove Park are also in the area.
Also located in Shirley’s Brook is the Chartwell Kanata Retirement Residence.
Schools in South March include:
- South March Public School – (OCDSB – JK to Grade 6)
- St Isidore School (Catholic School Board – JK to Grade 6)
- École Julie Payette (Ottawa French Public School Board – (JK to Grade 8)
- Jack Donohue Public School (OCDSB – Public – JK to Grade 8)
- John Paul Elementary School (OCDSB – Grade 4 to 8)
- March Academy (Private School – Grade 1 to 6)
Places of worship include:
- Brookside Baptist Church
- St John’s Kanata Anglican Church
- Kanata Muslim Association
Some of the other notable commercial establishments nearby include:
- Metro
- Sobey’s
- Lone Star
- 3 Brother’s Shawarma
- Starbucks
- St Louis Bar & Grill
- Luna Crepes & Cafe
- Royal Oak
- Farinella Restaurant
- The Barley Mow
- Papa Sam’s Pizza
- Subway
- Freshii
- Shopper’s Drug Mart
- Rexall
- Calabogie Brewing Company
- Big Rig Brewery
- Browns Martial Arts
- Free Form Fitness
- LF3 Fitness
- Richcraft Recreation Complex
- Presotea
- Burger King
- Shirin Market
Click here to begin your search for homes in South March
In Summary
Kanata has a lot to offer for families who are looking to experience all of the benefits that an established, residential community has to offer. Mature neighborhoods, plenty of schools, parks, restaurants and shopping are centrally located throughout the area. Having lived in Kanata ourselves, we can certainly attest to it being an amazing place to live, work and play.
At SERNO Realty, we know the area inside and out and can help you narrow down the best Kanata communities to live in based on your family’s unique needs.
Click here to learn more about our homebuyer service package and experience the SERNO difference.