Alexandria is the administrative centre of the township of North Glengarry, in Eastern Ontario. It is primarily of interest to travellers as a stop on the Montreal-to-Ottawa VIA Rail line.
Understand
Alexandria has a population of about 3,300 people. Alexandria and its nucleus Priest's Mill, built in 1819, were named for the Catholic priest Alexander Macdonell, who resided at St. Raphael's and later became the first bishop of Kingston.
The area was settled in 1792 as part of the historic Glengarry County in which many Scottish emigrants settled from all over the Scottish Highlands due to the Highland Clearances. This first wave of heavy migration lasted till 1816, emigration continued afterwards into the early 20th century but in a slower pace. Many of these migrants came from the Inverness-shire area of Scotland specifically. Canadian Gaelic/Scottish Gaelic has been a spoken language in the area since then.
Development in the region was significantly spurred by the development of a railway link between Ottawa and Montreal in the early 1880s. Maxville, Alexandria and Glen Robertson, in particular, became key railway hubs for farmers in the area.
Get in
By train
The VIA Rail passenger line between Ottawa and Montreal stops in Alexandria.
- 1 Alexandria train station, 45 McDougald Street E (north end of town, turn east on McDougald Street), toll-free: 1-888-842-7245. Station opens 60 minutes prior to train arrival and remains open for 30 minutes after train departure. This is an unstaffed station with a ticket kiosk.
By bus
- 417 Bus Line. Commuter bus service from Ottawa. This service is suspended as of Feb 2021.
By car
Regional Road 34 runs through Alexandria on its way between Highways 401 and 417.
Get around
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See
Do
- Glengarry Golf & Country Club, 20511 McCormick Road, ☏ 1 613-525-2912. May-October. An 18-hole course. The 15th hole - "The Monster" - is a 477-yard par 4.
Buy
- Fauxmagerie Zengarry, 209 Main Street North, ☏ 1 613-525-4722. W-F 9AM-4PM, Sa 11AM-3PM. Vegan "cheese".
Eat
- Georgian House Restaurant and Day Spa, 146 Main Street South, ☏ 1 613-525-2219.
- The Quirky Carrot, 1 Main Street South, ☏ 1 613-525-2229. M-F 7:30AM-3:30PM, Sa 7:30AM-2:30PM. Café and cookery school.
Drink
Sleep
- White Rock Motel, 169 Main Street North, ☏ 1 613-525-2362.
Connect
Stay safe
- 1 Glengarry Memorial Hospital (Hôpital Glengarry Memorial), 20260 County Road 43, ☏ 1 613-525-2222. always open.
Nearby
Dunvegan
- 1 Glengarry Pioneer Museum, 1645 County Road 30, RR #1 Dunvegan, ☏ 1 613-527-5230, ✉[email protected]. A regional history museum.
Go next
- Glengarry Highland Games. Nearby Maxville hosts one of North America's largest festivals of Scottish culture, on the first long weekend in August. The Glengarry Highland Games include traditional Scottish events such as the caber toss, tug of war, and the sheaf toss.
Alexandria is midway between Montreal and Ottawa.
| Routes through Alexandria |
| Ottawa ← | W  E | → Dorval → Montreal |