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.
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.
Alexandria train station, 45 McDougald Street E (north end of town, turn east on McDougald Street), 45.318056°, -74.639722°. 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. 2020-06-14 Train operator:
Regional Road 34 runs through Alexandria on its way between Highways 401 and 417.