BOUNDARIES

Town of Almonte (OREB 911)

For a town with a population of roughly 5,000, Almonte — part of the municipality of Mississippi Mills — has a lot going on. There are spring/ summer festivals devoted to puppets, cycling, Celtic music, and Volkswagen camper vans, as well as the North Lanark Highland Games.

However, Almonte is far from being just a tourist town. Joanne Beaton, a sales representative with the Almonte office of Royal LePage Team Realty, moved to the area 35 years ago. She says the friendly vibe that attracted her still draws many newcomers. “You really do feel a sense of community.”

The varied housing stock includes luxury condos in converted mill buildings and century houses on large lots. The Gale subdivision, built largely in the 1970s, has become popular with a new generation of young families as empty nesters move away. Several developers — including Neilcorp, Doyle, and Phoenix — are building new houses. However, green space still abounds, including the Riverwalk hugging the Mississippi River downtown and the nearby Mill of Kintail Conservation Area. “It’s a very pretty town,” says Beaton. And for those commuting to work in Kanata, the office is about half an hour away.

Price range, early 2016: $189,900 to $439,900.

BOUNDARIES Gatineau River north to Morrison’s Quarry, Gatineau Park north of Promenade Champlain, a small area between de la Montagne Road and Kelly Road, and an area between Gatineau Park and the Gatineau River north of the Club de Golf Hautes Plaines Two main things draw outdoors-loving homebuyers to the Gatineau Hills village of Chelsea, says real estate agent Stephen Lynott: proximity and price. “The distance thing is really, really an important part” of Chelsea’s appeal, says Lynott, owner of Century 21 Macintyre. In good traffic, he notes, you can drive from Chelsea to downtown Ottawa in about 15 minutes. (Rush-hour bridge traffic is another story.)

As for price, he estimates a $500,000-to-$600,000 house in Chelsea would cost $100,000 to $200,000 more in the city.

“There’s the savings right up front,” he says. In addition, municipal and school taxes are lower than Ottawa’s. On the flip side, many residents pay more in provincial income taxes than they would on the Ontario side. Whether you will come out ahead financially depends on many things, from your salary to whether you have kids in daycare.

In the end, fresh air, big lots, and easy access to Gatineau Park are often the deciding factors. “People want to live out here for the quality of life,” says Lynott, who notes that most residents are delighted by the snowshoeing, skiing, hiking, and cycling options at their back door. “It’s a very personal choice.”

Price range, early 2016: $169,000 to $1.3 million