Nepean & Barrhaven: Named for a Bureaucrat, Built on a Racetrack That Never Was

Named After a Bureaucrat Nobody Remembers

In 1792, the land that would eventually become one of Ottawa's biggest suburban areas didn't have a name of its own at all. It was just "Township D," and when it finally got a real name, it wasn't named for a local hero or a geographic feature. It was named after a British Under-Secretary of State who likely never set foot in it.

The Origin

Nepean Township was formally established in 1792 and named after Sir Evan Nepean, a British Under-Secretary of State for the Home Department. Jehiel Collins, a settler from Vermont, is believed to have been its first inhabitant.

The township's hub originally centred around Westboro, which was annexed by Ottawa in 1950. After that, the municipal centre shifted to Bells Corners, and development spread outward through Centrepointe and Barrhaven over the 1950s and '60s. Nepean became its own city on November 24, 1978.

The housing across Nepean reflects that wave of expansion. Builders like Minto and Campeau put up much of the 1950s and '60s stock, and older sections like Meadowlands–Fisher Glen are still known for smaller bungalows on generous lots, alongside single-family homes, duplexes, and seniors' bungalows from that same era. As development pushed further out, newer areas brought a wider mix of larger, more modern single-family homes, right through to Barrhaven today, where single-family homes and condos make up most of what's being built.

Barrhaven's Accidental Start

One of Nepean's biggest communities almost became something else entirely. In the 1960s, developer Mel Barr bought a 200-acre farm with plans to build a horse racing track. When that plan fell apart, he pivoted to houses instead, and the resulting community simply took his name.

Barrhaven Public School opened in 1968-69 as the area's first school. Growth briefly stalled in 1978 when the Ontario Municipal Board tried to limit expansion, but the provincial cabinet overruled that decision in 1979, and Barrhaven took off from there, eventually growing into one of Ottawa's largest suburbs, with over 103,000 residents by 2021.

The Takeaway

By the time amalgamation came around, Nepean had grown into a major hub for government and tech employment, home to companies like Nortel Networks, JDS Uniphase, and Gandalf Technologies. It was also known for its disciplined, pay-as-you-go budgeting, and it entered the 2001 amalgamation into the City of Ottawa with a financial surplus and a population of about 125,000,which has since grown to roughly 186,000.

It's a good reminder that a plan B can end up mattering more than the original plan ever would have. Nobody remembers Mel Barr's racetrack. A lot of people call Barrhaven home.

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