Gatineau Homes For Sale | Gatineau Real Estate
Canada's national capitol region is one of the cleanest and most organized metropolitan areas in North America. Across the river from the official national capitol of Ottawa lies Gatineau, Quebec, which is still part of the capitol region. Anyone looking to invest in real estate there should be commended on their excellent taste and fine business sense. Real estate values in Gatineau, Quebec aren't quite as high as perhaps they are in the Yonge and Bloor area of Toronto, but because of the high numbers of government offices and programs located in the city and across the river, demand for housing is always high. Browse through the site, which has been compiled for you by area real estate agents, to learn more about what this fascinating city has to offer.
Gatineau, Quebec: The French Half of the National Capitol
Gatineau, QC is a primarily French-speaking city on the banks of the Ottawa River directly across from Canada's national capitol. Its proximity to the capitol makes it part of the National Capitol Region. Its population is approximately 242,000, 78% of whom are Francophone and 12% of whom are Anglophone. Gatineau, QC has become home to some immigrants over the years, especially to those from French-speaking countries in the Caribbean and Africa, but the population is still overwhelmingly white and Catholic. Only 4% of people identified themselves as belonging to a visible minority on the last census.
Gatineau, QC's history as a city is not a long one. It was formed in January of 2002 when the Parti Quebecois government amalgamated the former cities of Hull, Gatineau, Aylmer, Masson-Angers, and Buckingham into one city and decided that the name Gatineau would represent the whole because several geographical features in the area (like the Gatineau Hills) bore the name and it was the most French-sounding.
The history of the settlements that came together to make up the city of Gatineau, Quebec is much longer. For instance, the former city of Hull is the oldest part of the entire National Capitol Region. It was founded in 1800 by Philemon Wright as an agricultural settlement, but soon became a hub for logging and log-driving as the Gatineau River was used to transport logs. This history is commemorated in the name of a neighbourhood in the Hull sector of Gatineau: Wrightville, which was the original name of the settlement.
Most people in Gatineau, Quebec are employed in government offices either on the Gatineau side of the river or across it in Ottawa, Ontario. There are a few paper plants, however, some small business, and of course many retail shopping malls. Gatineau residents enjoy shopping there as well as the smaller local shops located in the main streets of the sectors. For entertainment there are also many parks, the Museum of Civilization, the Casino du Lac Leamay, an annual hot air balloon festival, and an international fireworks competition.
Neighbourhoods and Home Styles in Gatineau, QC
Gatineau, QC has five sectors which correspond to the five original communities that existed along the river before government amalgamation got ahold of them in the early 2000s and started merging them into larger communities. They are Aylmer, Hull, Gatineau, Masson-Angers, and Buckingham. Gatineau is more like five different cities existing alongside one another than one unified city because it has been less than ten years since they were joined.
Aylmer, Hull, Gatineau, Masson-Angers and Buckingham each have a distinct character and demographic from the each other and from the city average. For instance, Aylmer refers to itself as the "Recreation Capitol" of the national capitol region because it has so many parks, golf courses, trails, and marinas. It is mostly residential and suburban with no industry to ruin the views. Demographically it is a more Anglophone than the city average, with approximately 40% of its residents speaking English as their mother tongue and the rest French, though the majority of people there are actually bilingual.
Each sector in Gatineau, Quebec is further divided into neighbourhoods too numerous to list here. Go to our community page for a more complete listing.
Contact a Gatineau, QC Real Estate Agent
If you're looking for more information on the real estate market in Gatineau, QC or want to get started looking for your new property, give one of our helpful real estate agents a call. Their information can be found on the contact page of this website and many offer services in both English and French so it should be easy to find one you're comfortable communicating with. Thanks for reading this page and good luck with your search!
