Old Stittsville is the historic heart of the community — the original village core along Stittsville Main Street, where century and character homes sit beside a walkable, low-rise main street of local shops and restaurants. It suits buyers who want heritage character and a genuine village atmosphere inside the City of Ottawa, walkable to everyday amenities and the Trans Canada Trail, rather than a uniform subdivision. For the wider market, see the Stittsville real estate guide.
A short history of Stittsville village
Stittsville’s story begins around 1818, when settlers took up land along the old survey line in what was then Goulbourn Township. The village took its name in 1854, when the first post office opened and Jackson Stitt became postmaster. In August 1870 the great fire of Carleton County swept through the area, destroying much of the village; within about a month a new rail line opened roughly a kilometre and a half to the south, and residents rebuilt closer to the tracks. That line — later part of the Canadian Pacific Railway, with its last passenger train running in January 1990 — shaped the village that stands today.
Stittsville was a police village by 1961, folded back into Goulbourn Township in 1974, and became part of the City of Ottawa in the 2001 amalgamation. That layered history is documented by the Goulbourn Historical Society and the Goulbourn Museum on Huntley Road, and it is what gives the old village its identity. For where the core fits among the community’s pockets, see the Stittsville neighbourhoods overview and the reasons buyers choose Stittsville.
Where Old Stittsville is
The historic core runs along Stittsville Main Street, with the City’s planning documents identifying the segment around Abbott Street as the centre of the historic village and the Main Street corridor stretching roughly between Neil Avenue and Bell Street. The former rail corridor — now part of the Trans Canada Trail — crosses Main Street along Abbott Street, giving the core a car-free walking and cycling spine. Stittsville sits about 20 kilometres west of downtown Ottawa, immediately southwest of Kanata.
Homes in Old Stittsville
The old village offers something no subdivision can: age and individuality. Housing near Main Street ranges from older century and character homes to newer infill, in a mix of eras and styles rather than a single builder’s product line. The City’s Stittsville Main Street plan is explicitly designed to protect that village character — it caps building heights along the corridor at four storeys and encourages low-rise mixed-use buildings, so the area intensifies gently rather than losing its scale.
For buyers, character homes reward a careful eye. Older properties vary widely in how much has been updated — foundations, wiring, plumbing, roofs and windows can be original or fully renewed — so each home warrants an individual assessment rather than assumptions. Buyers can compare current Stittsville homes for sale, look at low-maintenance options among bungalows and townhomes for sale in Stittsville, and read the downsizing in Stittsville guide, since the walkable core appeals strongly to downsizers.
Shopping, dining and community life
Main Street is the reason people love the old village. It functions as a traditional commercial main street — local shops, cafes and restaurants within walking distance of the surrounding homes — and the City’s plan is built around keeping it pedestrian- and cyclist-friendly. Community life is active and well documented, from seasonal markets and events to the heritage programming at the Goulbourn Museum. It is a part of Stittsville where you can genuinely walk to a coffee, a meal or a farmers’ market rather than driving to a plaza.
Schools near Old Stittsville
The village core is served by both the Ottawa-Carleton District School Board and the Ottawa Catholic School Board. Sacred Heart High School on Abbott Street sits right in the core as the local Catholic secondary school, with Holy Spirit Catholic elementary on Main Street nearby; on the public side, Stittsville Public School and A. Lorne Cassidy Elementary serve the area, with the OCDSB planning a new Stittsville secondary school. Because secondary boundaries are under active review, confirm the current catchment for a specific address on the boards’ locators; the Stittsville schools guide covers the options.
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Parks, trails and recreation
The Trans Canada Trail along Abbott Street is the old village’s recreational spine, and Poole Creek’s natural corridor runs through the community nearby. For indoor sport and swimming, the CARDELREC Recreation Complex Goulbourn on Shea Road anchors arenas, a pool and fitness programming. The Stittsville parks, trails and recreation guide maps the wider network, part of the City of Ottawa’s parks and green spaces.
Commute and location
For all its village feel, the old core is well connected. Highway 417 is reached via Carp Road and Hazeldean Road, putting downtown Ottawa and Kanata’s technology employment within a straightforward drive, and OC Transpo serves Stittsville with commuter routes from the Shea Road area. Everyday-cost context is in the cost of living in Stittsville guide.
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Who Old Stittsville suits
The historic core suits buyers who want character and walkability over uniformity — a heritage or infill home within strolling distance of Main Street’s shops, cafes and trail. It is a natural fit for downsizers who want to trade a large suburban lot for a walkable village lifestyle, for families drawn to community identity, and for anyone who values being able to leave the car at home for daily errands. If you are weighing the west end broadly, the Kanata vs Stittsville comparison and the buying a house in Stittsville guide both help.
The Old Stittsville market
The old village is best understood as Ottawa’s west-end heritage village core — older and character homes plus gentle low-rise infill, distinct from the large-lot subdivisions elsewhere in Stittsville. Because homes vary so much by age, size and updates, pricing depends on comparing genuinely similar recent sales rather than a Stittsville-wide average, and character homes in particular reward a property-specific evaluation. For current numbers, see the Stittsville real estate market trends guide using Ottawa Real Estate Board data, with national context from CMHC and Statistics Canada.
See homes in Old Stittsville
Browse current Stittsville homes for sale, explore the wider Stittsville neighbourhoods, or call Jason at (613) 601-9333. Sellers can start with a no-obligation free home evaluation.
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Work with a Stittsville REALTOR® who knows the village
Jason Polonski is a full-time REALTOR® with Right at Home Realty and more than 15 years of experience across Ottawa’s west end, with detailed knowledge of Stittsville from its historic core to its newest communities. He works as a move coordinator first — matching buyers to the right home and location before the conversation turns to price, and helping anyone selling and buying at once sequence the two so they avoid carrying two mortgages.
Older village homes reward a careful look at wiring, foundations and past renovations. See how Jason approaches them as a Stittsville REALTOR® with a construction and electrical background.
Character and heritage homes are exactly where his background pays off: a career in the construction and electrical trades, plus a technical diploma in Construction Electricity, means he assesses an older home’s foundation, wiring, systems and structure with a trained eye most agents lack — so you know what you’re buying before you commit. Recognized as Best in Ottawa Top REALTOR® for seven consecutive years through 2026 and a Top Choice REALTOR® in Kanata and Stittsville, on the strength of hundreds of satisfied buyers and sellers, he is available seven days a week. To explore Old Stittsville, learn more about Jason, read his reviews on his Google Business Profile, or call (613) 601-9333.
Old Stittsville and the Village Core (FAQs)
Old Stittsville is the original village core, centred on Stittsville Main Street near the Hazeldean and Carp Road corridors. It is the historic heart of the community, where Stittsville grew up around the railway in the 1800s, and it remains its walkable commercial and social spine.
The village core offers Stittsville’s most varied housing — older and character homes, some with heritage value, alongside infill and updated properties on established, walkable streets. Conditions and lot sizes vary widely, so due diligence on older systems is especially important.
Yes. Old Stittsville is one of the few genuinely walkable areas in the west end, with independent shops, cafés, pubs, restaurants and community events along Main Street, plus the seasonal farmers’ market at Village Square Park.
It suits buyers who value character, history and walkability over new construction — including those seeking a character home to renovate and those who simply want to live within walking distance of Main Street. It is less suited to buyers set on a brand-new, uniform home.
The village core is a distinctive, limited-supply market where character and walkable location support steady demand and value. Because homes vary widely in age and condition, buyers benefit from careful inspection and individual pricing rather than relying on a general Stittsville average.
