Overbrook is a neighbourhood in Rideau-Rockcliffe Ward, in the east end of Ottawa, Ontario, Canada. It is across the Rideau River, from the neighbourhood Sandy Hill and just to the south of Vanier. To the east of Overbrook is the former city of Gloucester.
Overbrook covers an area of 3.04 square kilometres, and has a population densisty of 3174 people per square kilometre (2011 Census). Overbrook’s main street is Queen Mary Street, which runs from North River Rd. to St. Laurent Boulevard.
It’s bounded on the north by the former city of Vanier, on the west by the Rideau River, on the south by the Queensway and on the east by St. Laurent Boulevard. The eastern part of the neighbourhood overlaps with the Castle Heights neighbourhood.
The neighbourhood was in the fifth of 5 socio-economic levels, with 1 representing the most advantaged neighbourhood and 5 the least advantaged neighbourhood. A minority (36%) of the residents owned their homes, while 64% rented. Housing is unaffordable for many residents in West Overbrook; 32% spend more than 30% of their income on shelter. Eight percent of the dwellings were reported to be in need of major repairs (higher than city average). The number of persons per room (0.46), a measure of crowding, was also higher than the city average.
In 2005, the property crime rate of 66.4 per thousand people was higher than the city average of 57 per thousand people. Personal crime rates were also higher than the city average of 24 per thousand people, at 52.8 per thousand people.
The west side of Overbrook (“West Overbrook”) is growing with several active infill developments given the changing demographic of the area. With several home renovations projects, addition of low-rise condos, new executive town homes, and even a recent premium apartment building addition that overlooks the historic Rideau River, River Rain Park, Sandy Hill’s Strathcona Park (Ottawa), and Rideau Tennis Club.
