Template:Wp-Orleans, Ontario-history

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It was in the 1830s that the earliest pioneers arrived in the Orléans area. Amongst the first Francophones were the Dupuis, Besserer, Major, Duford and Vézina families. A few English-speaking families also made Orléans their home from the very beginning, such as the Kennys and the McNeelys. In 1880, the parish was made up of 43 Anglophone families and 131 Francophone families.

In 1858, the first subdivision plans (Lots 1 and 2) were registered in the County of Carleton, for Gloucester Township, thereby creating the Village of Saint-Joseph d'Orléans. In 1859, François Dupuis also registered his plan (Lot 3) including St. John (St-Jean), Dupuis (Dessere), and Scott Streets (St-Charles).

Orleans was named by Msgr. Ebrard in the late 1850s for the city of the same name in France. According to the Canadian Permanent Committee on Geographical Names files he applied for establishment of a post office "plus tard en 1859". It was granted in 1860.

In 1860, Father Alphonse-Marius Chaîne was appointed resident priest of the new Saint-Joseph d’Orléans parish, founded in October of the same year.

In 1885, the first church opened its doors. In 1922, a second church - the current one - replaced the first which had been destroyed by fire. The parish priest was Mgr. Hilaire Chartrand.

In the same year (1922) Orléans became a semi-autonomous municipality, known as a police village, and more decisions were made locally. The police village was governed by a council consisting of three volunteers elected to preserve peace, health, and public safety. At the time, the village was part of Gloucester Township, which in turn, was part of Carleton County. However, some parishioners lived in Cumberland Township, east of Champlain Street, the dividing line between the townships.

By the 1950s, St-Joseph Boulevard became a major artery, with storefronts multiplying everywhere and new restaurants opening up the length of the through fare. Social life took on a decidedly community flavour, with clubs and community associations being formed. Commercial life improved considerably in Orléans in 1955 with the establishment of the first Chamber of Commerce in Orléans, which campaigned on behalf of various causes, such as pressing for a decent water and sewer system in the 1960s. The quiet, rural community that was once Orléans lived its last moments in 1958, when developers hit the town, and from then on, things would never be the same. Orléans has known dramatic residential growth since then, which has led to profound social and linguistic changes in the make-up of the population.

The first major real estate development was Queenswood Heights with construction beginning in 1958. In 1970, the Grey Nuns of Charity Congregation sold 500 acres of land to the Costain and Minto real estate companies, which launched major developments in the Convent Glen, Orléans Wood, Chatelaine Village areas, etc.

On Jan. 1 1974, the village of Saint-Joseph d’Orléans was incorporated into the Regional Municipality of Ottawa-Carleton. It was in the 1970s that the first high schools opened their doors, and after-class hours had Orléans youth start setting up their own clubs.

The housing and population boom years for Orléans came in the decade from 1981 to 1991. The population of Orléans tripled and grew from 24,000 to 70,000 people. Orléans recorded the second-highest population growth rate in the entire country in the late 1980s.

In 1989, Orléans became a municipality, Cumberland Township moved its city hall from Leonard, Ont. to Orléans. Orleans continued its residential developments through the 1990s. In addition to the residential developments, the 1990s in Orleans saw the final expansion of the Place d'Orléans shopping centre, a movie theatre, several new restaurants, new businesses, four new high schools, etc.

In 2001, Orléans was amalgamated into the City of Ottawa, becoming Urban sub-area No. 16 (now No. 15). The country-wide housing boom starting from 2000 has also seen an extremely large amount of housing and residential areas being developed in the eastern Orléans area west of Trim Road and south of Innes Road, such as the new communities Avalon, Notting Gate (including Notting Hill). The population and business growth in the area prompted the re-development of Innes Road from a two-lane to a four-lane road in 2005. With the Innes Road expansion, newer business areas along Innes Road between Trim and Pagé Roads, consist of many large retail outlets, restaurants, gyms, a movie theatre, etc.