The landmark area of Ottawa known as “The Glebe” got its name in 1837 after a survey of Ottawa allocated the land to St. Andrew's Presbyterian Church. The word "glebe" means church lands and the area was originally known as "the glebe lands of St. Andrew's Presbyterian Church". The Glebe  was considered rural until it was annexed by the City of Ottawa in 1889.  When the area was opened for development in 1870, real estate agents began to refer to it simply as "The Glebe" and that name has stuck ever since.

The Glebe was one of Ottawa's first suburbs. In 1900, the Ottawa Electric Street Railway was established, with one of its first routes running south along Bank Street. This allowed workers to live in the Glebe and take the streetcar to work. Most Glebe houses date from this era, and it became home to many middle-class workers. In the middle part of the century the Glebe changed, as the middle class moved to more distant suburbs, it transformed into a predominantly working-class neighbourhood with the houses subdivided into multiple apartments or turned into rooming houses.

The neighbourhood experienced a monumental change again in the 1970s when it underwent significant gentrification and became one of Ottawa's elite neighbourhoods. The percentage of residents with university degrees rose from 10 to 60 percent between 1971 and 1996, while white- collar employment changed from less than half to 95%.  In 1971 Glebe residents were 14 percent poorer than the average citizen of Ottawa, in 1996 they were 28 percent wealthier.

The Glebe is a trendy neighbourhood located just south of Ottawa's downtown area, and bordered by the picturesque Rideau Canal to the south and east, and Dows Lake to the west. As of 2006, the area's population was 10,886. The Glebe has a strong community association, which in addition to running a large community centre, lobbies the local government on issues such as traffic noise and distribution, commercial expansion and neighbourhood development. The Glebe is mostly populated by families; and the area has many children, consequently its social services are oriented towards youth. It is also almost entirely anglophone.

The stretch of Bank Street that runs through the Glebe is one of Ottawa's premier shopping areas, with many boutiques and restaurants offering a wide variety of world cuisine and services. Much of the rest of the Glebe consists of detached homes, many of them constructed in the early decades of the 20th century. Some of these homes are owner-occupied family residences, while others have been subdivided into upscale multiple rental apartments.

The Glebe is home to Lansdowne Park which contains Frank Clair Stadium,  the former home of The Ottawa Rough Rider Football team, as well as the Ottawa Civic Centre, the permanent rink of the Ottawa 67's Junior A hockey team.  Two bodies of water jut into the Glebe from the Rideau Canal, Patterson Creek and Brown's Inlet. These areas are surrounded by parks and some of the city's most expensive homes.

The last Saturday in May of each year brings the "Great Glebe Garage Sale" to the neighbourhood, attracting a large contingent of bargain hunters from all over eastern Ontario to the area. Sellers are expected to donate a portion of the proceeds to a designated charity.

Many of the leisure and recreation facilities in the city of Ottawa are located within the boundaries of the Glebe. In the summer, the Annual Canal Flotilla delights onlookers with a convoy of colourfully decorated boats ranging from canoes to yachts. Ottawa’s Annual Tulip Festival is located in and around the Dow’s Lake area, on the western fringe of the Glebe. With the onset of winter, the Rideau Canal transforms into” The World’s Longest Skating Rink” hosting Winterlude and attracting tourists from all over the globe.  

The Glebe offers a prestigious, eclectic and somewhat bohemian lifestyle, with the best of what Ottawa has to offer at your doorstep.