Augusta

Living in Augusta

Augusta Township was settled in 1784 by United Empire Loyalists under Major Edward Jessup, granted land along the St. Lawrence River as one of seven "Royal Townships" established for colonists who remained loyal to the Crown after the American Revolutionary War. The township itself was named for Princess Augusta, daughter of King George III. That founding history is still visible in the township's oldest hamlets: North Augusta began as Bellamy's Mills, named for the family that purchased a mill there around 1812, and Maitland was the site of a French fort and shipyard at Pointe au Baril until the British captured it in 1760.

Today Augusta spans 313.77 square kilometres at the meeting point of three distinct landscapes, the Glengarry till plain, the Smiths Falls limestone plain, and the Edwardsburgh sand plain, giving the township a mix of St. Lawrence riverfront lowland and inland farm country. Rather than one central town, Augusta is made up of 25 named hamlets and rural communities, including Jasper, North Augusta, Maynard, Maitland, and Roebuck, each with its own small commercial core and identity.

This dispersed pattern of settlement, combined with two and a half centuries of continuous rural use, has kept Augusta a quiet, settled township rather than a fast-growing bedroom community. Brockville sits immediately to the west and Prescott to the east, both close enough for regular groceries, schools, and restaurants without either town absorbing Augusta into its own identity.

Real Estate in Augusta

Augusta's housing market moves on the scale of a rural township rather than a suburb, and single-month averages here can be misleading given how few homes change hands in any given 30-day window. Looking instead at the last 12 months of sold data by bedroom count, three-bedroom homes averaged $532,850 with a median of $487,400 across 52 sales, and four-bedroom homes averaged $1,065,762 with a median of $687,400 across 24 sales, a wide spread driven by everything from modest hamlet homes to larger riverfront and farm properties. As of August 2026 there were 46 active listings across the township, with homes typically spending just over 100 days on market, longer than nearby Ottawa-area towns but consistent with a low-volume rural market.

Housing stock is dominated by single detached homes with three or more bedrooms, spanning riverside properties near Maitland, hamlet homes in North Augusta and Jasper, and working farm properties further inland. For a sense of what riverfront ownership costs beyond the purchase price, see our guide to the costs of waterfront homes in Eastern Ontario. Because sales volume is thin enough that a single closing can swing a monthly average significantly, evaluating a specific Augusta property benefits from looking at recent comparables directly rather than a headline township-wide number.

Deb Driscoll, Jaime Peca, and Luke Geleynse work with buyers across Augusta Township and can pull current comparables for a specific hamlet, riverfront stretch, or farm property before you set expectations on either side of a transaction. Browse our current listings across Eastern Ontario, including Augusta.

Who Is Moving to Augusta

Augusta's population was 7,386 at the 2021 Census, spread across 3,046 private dwellings, with an average household size of 2.5, consistent with a township that skews toward established families rather than single-person or transient households. The median household income was $96,000 in 2020, and roughly 92 percent of households own their home rather than rent, one of the highest homeownership rates of any Eastern Ontario community we cover.

That combination points to a buyer profile centered on long-term settling rather than short-term moves: families and retirees drawn by riverfront and farm properties who plan to stay for years, rather than commuters treating the township as a temporary stepping stone. This mirrors a broader pattern we've tracked across why more buyers are choosing rural Eastern Ontario. Augusta's population grew only modestly between the 2016 and 2021 censuses, reflecting a township that adds residents gradually through its existing hamlets rather than through large new subdivisions.

Buyers moving to Augusta are typically choosing it deliberately for the St. Lawrence riverfront, the acreage, and the quiet of a township with no central commercial core competing for attention, not arriving as overflow from a nearby city's growth.

Schools, Services, and Daily Essentials

Augusta's 25 hamlets are served by schools in nearby Brockville and Prescott rather than a single in-township school system, since the population is spread too thinly across the township to support a full standalone system. Daily grocery, pharmacy, and retail needs typically mean a short drive to Brockville or Prescott rather than a walk, though several hamlets maintain their own small stores and services.

North Augusta and Maitland each retain a small commercial core reflecting their history as independent mill and shipping communities, and residents across the township rely on this network of hamlets alongside Brockville and Prescott for day-to-day life rather than a single town centre.

Getting Around

Augusta runs along the St. Lawrence River with Highway 401 passing through the township, putting Brockville a short drive to the west and Prescott a short drive to the east, and giving residents fast access to the 401 corridor for longer trips toward Kingston or Cornwall. Most daily travel within the township is by car, given the distance between hamlets and the rural road network connecting them.

There is no public transit within Augusta itself, so a vehicle is effectively required for commuting, schooling, and errands, consistent with most rural Eastern Ontario townships of this size and population density.

The Real Costs of Living Here

Augusta's property tax rate is set by the township, separate from Brockville's or Prescott's municipal rates, plus the upper-tier levy from the United Counties of Leeds and Grenville. Homes within the hamlets may be on a mix of municipal and private water and sewer depending on the specific community, while more rural and farm properties are more likely to rely on private well and septic systems.

Riverfront properties along the St. Lawrence carry their own considerations, including potential Parks Canada or conservation authority jurisdiction over shoreline work, similar to waterfront home insurance considerations elsewhere in Eastern Ontario, and the same fire hall distance and rural systems factors covered in our guide to insuring a rural property in Eastern Ontario. Buyers should confirm servicing and shoreline permissions for a specific property rather than assuming based on the hamlet it sits in.

What Makes Augusta Different

Compared to Kemptville or Carleton Place, Augusta has no single central town, its identity is spread across 25 hamlets rather than concentrated in one downtown core, which means buyers are choosing a specific hamlet or stretch of riverfront rather than a single township centre. Compared to a waterfront-focused market like the Rideau corridor, Augusta's St. Lawrence frontage comes with river shipping history and proximity to the U.S. border rather than the canal and lockstation culture of the Rideau.

Its combination of St. Lawrence riverfront, working farmland, and small historic hamlets settled by United Empire Loyalists gives Augusta a distinct identity among Eastern Ontario townships, one built on two and a half centuries of continuous rural settlement rather than recent growth.

Is Augusta Right for You?

Augusta suits buyers who want St. Lawrence riverfront or working farmland, are comfortable without a single central downtown, and are looking for a long-term rural property rather than a commuter-convenient location. It tends to appeal to families and retirees planning to settle for years, drawn by the combination of river access, acreage, and quiet hamlet life.

It may be less of a fit for buyers who want walkable downtown amenities in their own community, a short commute to Ottawa, or a higher-volume market with more comparable listings to draw on when pricing a property. If you're weighing Augusta against Brockville, Prescott, or the Kemptville area, Deb Driscoll, Jaime Peca, and Luke Geleynse can walk you through the trade-offs specific to riverfront versus inland hamlet properties. Start with our buyer resources or get in touch directly.