March Road
Encyclopedia
Kanata, Ontario
Situated in the Ottawa Valley, Kanata is located about west-southwest of Downtown Ottawa along Highway 417 at a latitude of 45°18' North and a longitude of 75°55' West, with an area of . Its northern end is just to the west of the Ottawa River....
area of Ottawa
Ottawa
Ottawa is the capital of Canada, the second largest city in the Province of Ontario, and the fourth largest city in the country. The city is located on the south bank of the Ottawa River in the eastern portion of Southern Ontario...
, Ontario
Ontario
Ontario is a province of Canada, located in east-central Canada. It is Canada's most populous province and second largest in total area. It is home to the nation's most populous city, Toronto, and the nation's capital, Ottawa....
, Canada
Canada
Canada is a North American country consisting of ten provinces and three territories. Located in the northern part of the continent, it extends from the Atlantic Ocean in the east to the Pacific Ocean in the west, and northward into the Arctic Ocean...
.
The road begins at the point where Eagleson
Eagleson Road (Ottawa)
Eagleson Road is a northwest-southeast road in Ottawa's west end in Kanata. It starts at Highway 417 and ends at Brophy Road south of Richmond. North of Highway 417 it becomes March Road...
Road crosses The Queensway
Queensway (Ottawa)
The Queensway is a major controlled-access freeway running through Ottawa, Ontario, Canada, from Kanata in the west to Orleans in the east. It is the primary east-west transportation artery in the Ottawa-Gatineau area....
and turns to the west at the Dunrobin
Dunrobin, Ontario
Dunrobin is a rural village located about 22 miles north west of Downtown Ottawa, Canada. Dunrobin lies within a valley, nestled between the Ottawa River and the Carp escarpment, and is located at 45.18° latitude and 75.55° longitude. As a part of West Carleton Township, Dunrobin was amalgamated...
turnoff. The road continues past Carp
Carp, Ontario
Carp is a large village west of urban Ottawa, Ontario, Canada.The village takes its name from the Carp River which runs through the village.The main street was formerly a section of the Trans-Canada Highway and carried much of the traffic coming from the west into Ottawa...
, crosses The Queensway
Queensway (Ottawa)
The Queensway is a major controlled-access freeway running through Ottawa, Ontario, Canada, from Kanata in the west to Orleans in the east. It is the primary east-west transportation artery in the Ottawa-Gatineau area....
a second time and continues all the way to Almonte, Ontario
Almonte, Ontario
Almonte is a Canadian exurb and former mill town located in Lanark County, in the eastern portion of Southern Ontario, Canada. Formerly a separate municipality, Almonte is now a ward of the town of Mississippi Mills, which was created on January 1, 1998 by the merging of Almonte with Ramsay and...
. Drivers are sometimes thrown off by the appearance of two exits for March Road. March Road is also known as Ottawa Road #49.
March Road is sometimes referred to as Downtown Kanata, due to its hi-tech industry.
The section near Carling Avenue
Carling Avenue
Carling Avenue is a major east-west arterial road in the west end of Ottawa, Ontario, Canada. It runs from March Road in Kanata to Bronson Avenue in the Glebe...
is sometimes referred to as the Canadian
Canada
Canada is a North American country consisting of ten provinces and three territories. Located in the northern part of the continent, it extends from the Atlantic Ocean in the east to the Pacific Ocean in the west, and northward into the Arctic Ocean...
version of Silicon Valley
Silicon Valley
Silicon Valley is a term which refers to the southern part of the San Francisco Bay Area in Northern California in the United States. The region is home to many of the world's largest technology corporations...
, hence the nickname, Silicon Valley North. Mitel
Mitel
Mitel Networks, is a high-tech company providing unified communications solutions for business. The company previously produced TDM PBX systems and applications but after a change in ownership in 2001 now focuses almost entirely on Voice-over-IP products.Mitel is headquartered in Ottawa,...
's world headquarters is located in the Kanata Research Park
Kanata Research Park
Kanata Research Park is a business park and Canadian real estate corporation in Kanata, Ontario, Canada which leases and develops commercial real estate. It is home to many companies, mostly IT-related, such as Mitel, March Networks, Bridgewater Systems, DragonWave, Solace Systems, CounterPath...
at the intersection of March Road and Carling Avenue. It is a main thoroughfare with a skyline of office buildings for a city of 85 000. Startup Businesses like silicon chip
Silicon Chip
Silicon Chip is an Australian electronics magazine. It was started in November, 1987 by Leo Simpson. Following the demise of Electronics Australia, it is the only hobbyist-related electronics magazine remaining in Australia.- Magazine :...
innovators, IP companies, technology parks and microchip design operations occupy the side of the boulevard. This area was hit hard by the dot-com meltdown of post-2000. The departure of failed start-up IP companies resulted in 600000 square feet (55,741.8 m²) of cheap real estate in the high tech city of Kanata, which is slowly filling up, to the point where new office buildings are again being constructed.