This Ottawa Valley town was named the 4th-best place to live in Canada

The town hall in Deep River, Ont. A survey by the website Living Waldo named the Ottawa Valley town the fourth best place to live in Canada. (Dylan Dyson/CTV News Ottawa)

DEEP RIVER, ONT. -

It seems there's something special flowing in the water in Deep River, Ont.

"The joke around town is we're the best kept secret at the end of Renfrew County," Coun. Will Fitton said.

The Ottawa Valley town roughly 200 kilometres west of Ottawa was named as the fourth best place to live in Canada in a recent ranking by movingwaldo.com. 

The rankings considered three categories when breaking down Canada's towns: safety, affordability, and access to parks and recreation.

"You can do everything from yacht, tennis, curling, squash, fencing, symphony orchestra, wood working clubs, Boy Scouts, hockey, figure skating," Fitton said. "The list goes on and on."

If you ask those who live in the town, they'll tell you Deep River checks all the boxes.

"We've done our 10 years in Toronto before moving to Deep River," says Guy Gagnon, who has lived in Deep River for 29 years now.

"And for our kids, because we moved here with our young kids and they're growing up now, but there was everything for them to do."

"It just has a small town feel," adds Gagnon's wife Vickie. "There's so many clubs. There's two nice beaches."

Deep River has a population of fewer than 5,000 people. It's located on the Ottawa River with major employers Canadian Nuclear Laboratories and Garrison Petawawa located nearby.

Realtor and lifelong Deep River resident Kristin Hawley says homes rarely go up for sale in the town; a sign that those who live there want to stay.

But when homes do become available, Hawley says they are affordable.

"Over the last year, the average sale price in Deep River was about $390,000."

Deep River has its own police and fire departments, as well as a hospital. Despite the available resources, it's rare to see emergency lights around town.

"It's usually pretty petty stuff, there's nothing really major that happens in Deep River," Fitton said.

"It's the people, the people are great around here," says Rose Kennedy, who has lived in Deep River since 1993. "Everybody is so friendly."

The community spirit is one that can truly be felt around town, walking the streets, and talking with locals.

But Fitton says the secret to the small town is simplicity - what you see is what you get.

"What makes us a great small town, it really is the people in town, and it's the way communities band together to get things done."