Alta Vista Drive

Alta Vista Drive is a suburban road in Ottawa, Ontario, Canada. It runs from Bank Street in the south to Industrial Avenue in the north covering the neighbourhoods of Ridgemont, Alta Vista and Riverview.

Alta Vista was created as the result of major residential developments (notably the Rideau Park and Alta Vista subdivisions) in the region following World War II. First referred to as the "100 foot highway", was re-named Churchill Avenue (after Winston Churchill) in 1941. It became "Alta Vista Drive" in July 1950 as the result of Ottawa annexing that part of Gloucester Township (there was already a Churchill Avenue in Ottawa). The first stretch was built between Smyth Road and Kilborn Avenue in 1939.[1] Gloucester Township Council passed a by-law on May 3, 1937 permitting its construction. The stretch from Kilborn to Randall was built in 1940; the stretch north of Smyth in 1942 (to what is now Terminal Avenue) and south of Randall to Bank Street (then called "Metcalfe Road") in 1947.

Alta Vista originally ran past Industrial and connected with the Vanier Parkway, but the intersection, which also involved Riverside Drive was re-aligned in 1986. Furthermore, in the 1990s, Alta Vista gained bicycle lanes along its entire stretch. Alta Vista is so named for its general height, as the neighbourhoods it runs through are generally higher than the rest of the city (the name means "a view from above" or "high view" in Spanish and Portuguese). The name was first applied to the area in 1913, for a small subdivision built on the north side of Randall Avenue which had a good view of Parliament Hill.

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