The community of Orléans is made up of a collection of neighbourhoods in Ottawa's far east end. Neighbourhoods such as Convent Glen, Orleans Wood, Chapel Hill, Queenswood Heights, Fallingbrook and Chatelaine Village were formally part of the municipalities of Gloucester and Cumberland. In fact, the border between the two former cities ran through the centre of what, over the years, came to be known as Orléans.

The community started out as the Parish of St. Joseph de Gloucester in 1860. The first known settlers to the area were François Dupuis, a veteran of the War of 1812, and Joseph Vézina, also known as Viseneau who arrived in the area about 30 years before it became a parish. In its earliest days -- and right up until the mid-20th century -- Orléans was a predominantly French speaking community. In 1849 the population of the area was approximately 50 people. Within 50 years the area would see the construction of its first hotel, its first post office and its first school. But it wasn't until the 1980s that the community really boomed.

During the early to mid '80s, Orléans was the fastest growing community in Canada. Over that period the population almost doubled. Today, Orléans is home to almost 80,000 inhabitants. The commute into Ottawa can take between 15 minutes from Trim Road in the east end of Orléans during non-rush hour periods to about 30 minutes during rush hour.

The community has a number of state-of-the-art recreation facilities such as the Ray Friel Centre and the Millennium Sports Park, modern library services, top notch secondary and elementary schools and the largest shopping centre in the region in Place d'Orléans.

Orléans is currently represented in the House of Commons by Conservative MP Royal Galipeau who is currently Deputy Chair of the Committees of the Whole House. At the provincial level, the representative is Liberal MPP Phil McNeely who is currently Parliamentary Assistant to the Minister of Transportation. Both are former local city councillors and library trustees and both are descendants of families established here for several generations.

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