Ottawa?

[inferno_gn]

Hi there,

I was wondering how's Ottawa a good place to live (moving from Montreal)? I would like to know the houses prices, school (elementary), peoples and all that. How about home schooling? Jobs? Let me know...

Ju Leon...

[sxz]

Hi there,

I was wondering how's Ottawa a good place to live (moving from Montreal)? I would like to know the houses prices, school (elementary), peoples and all that. How about home schooling? Jobs? Let me know...

Ju Leon...
Ottawa's a pretty quiet and nice city to live in. Compared to Montreal, it's WAY less crowded with much less people. I'm not sure about housing prices though. As for schools, I'd say they're pretty much your average school. Were you wondernig about something in particular about schools? Home schooling? I don't know that's up to you... Jobs aren't as plentiful as cities in Alberta but it's not that hard to find a job here (depending on what kind).

[mart242]

I moved from Montreal to Ottawa 6 years ago. Ottawa is perfect to start a family. I hate traffic, downtown and bars which are the only reasons why people like big cities, ie: "oh, going downtown is soooo cool! I went clubbing all night!". High tech isn't doing too good though...

[inferno_gn]

Hi there,

As long it got some good High Speed net, I don't care. :D

Ju Leon...

[Riffer]

If you can get a good job, Ottawa is quite a good choice.

[inferno_gn]

Hi there,

It's a place to stay and all that I'm looking for, then I'll figure out the job part later on.

Ju Leon...

[jason9945]

Hi there,

As long it got some good High Speed net, I don't care. :D

Ju Leon...


:confused:

Any city would have that. lol


Ottawa is a great city.

[bubble.tea]

Man, I'm such a loner. I thought this was a shout out for an Ottawa Meet. :D

[inferno_gn]

Hi there,

How about the single girls there? :D

Ju Leon...

[mlerner]

Once you settle in, Ottawa is a great city. Housing depends where you are going to live in Ottawa. Having just recently graduated high school about a year ago, the school system is not bad could be a lot worse. Jobs should not be a problem unless you are looking into high tech which is not good unless you are going for telephone tech support and in which case there are plenty of those types of jobs. Internet access should not be a problem if you are going to live in urban Ottawa, you've got Bell for DSL and Rogers for cable. Single girls? You're preaching to the choir! We've got plenty of fine looking girls, best in Canada IMO :cheesygri A few good shopping malls as well.

[cmge]

We've got plenty of fine looking girls, best in Canada IMO :cheesygri
really?... i havent noticed at all... o_O ... seeing that your from MTL... being bilingual will get u a better chance for a job specially downtown... OTT is really for high tech and gov workers... as mentioned by previous posters high tech isnt doing that great... rogers and dell tech support seem to be flourishing if u dont want a retail job... dell alone has plans to build another call centre in ottawa next year...

housing is pretty cheap compared to MTL id say.. heres a good place to start

http://community.livejournal.com/ottawahousing/profile

[KsprayDad]

We've got plenty of fine looking girls, best in Canada IMO :cheesygri A few good shopping malls as well.

40+ year old nicotine addicted cougs OR skanks from Gatineau ... take your pick.

[bubble.tea]

40+ year old nicotine addicted cougs OR skanks from Gatineau ... take your pick.
lmao., Kspray...just cuz that's the only profile you've tracked down, doesn't mean the innocent Plaid mini-skirt types aren't out there for this would-be hunter.

must confess...I found my wifey 1/2 way around the world., as I never found much in my HS, LCI '95...any classmates out there?

[epiphony]

Ottawa's OK if you like the slow paced lifestyle, a dead downtown, great outdoors, and government sponsered festivals almost every bloody week. Jobs are mostly limited to the government or high tech sectors. House prices are around the national average, though I find them to be expensive. People here are moderately wealthy, and enjoy more government perks than usual. I find that most Ottawa residents are not Ottawa natives. They've had pretty good upbringings, good education and came here for good employment, and as a result can be a little snooty and unfriendly sometimes.

If you like real festivals, nightlife, girls, parties, a city that rarely sleeps, speaking French and a good music scene, then stay in Montreal.

That being said, I prefer Ottawa - primarily for easy access to the outdoors. If it wasn't for that, I'd be getting the hell out of here.

Oh yeah, and we have one of the ugliest downtowns in Canada (except for the Wellington strip).

[KsprayDad]

lmao., Kspray...just cuz that's the only profile you've tracked down, doesn't mean the innocent Plaid mini-skirt types aren't out there for this would-be hunter.

must confess...I found my wifey 1/2 way around the world., as I never found much in my HS, LCI '95...any classmates out there?

Actually my point was that the cougs and skanks are the only ones left since I'm hittin' the rest of them! ;)

[bubble.tea]

Actually my point was that the cougs and skanks are the only ones left since I'm hittin' the rest of them! ;)
AHAHAHAHAH.,

yer sooooooo bad! (dammit, where's my tsk tsk smilie)

[SkiLLz]

I lived in Ottawa for a co-op term for 4 months.

Here's some stuff I remember about it:

- REALLY good public transportation system. The buses run frequently and stops are all over the place, plus they have dedicated bus lanes and bus highways. You don't need a car.

- Lots of Lebanese people = lots of good Shawarma places

- I lived in St. Laurent (I think that's what the area was called...), and during the first month I was living there, my boss told me that there was a gang war between the somalians and afghanis (I think... it was one group of africans against a group of arabs), and one of the afghanis got shot so as revenge they chopped off the somalian's arm. This all happened at this amusement park type thing that was a 5-10 minute walk from my apartment.

- You're going to be damn bored if you're coming from montreal. Byward market is good times, but apart from that Ottawa is pretty boring.

[bubble.tea]

.........The buses run frequently and stops are all over the place, ................
yeah, Except at my house and school; for the 10-13 years I was a student and used the busses.

I probably would say statistically 10% of the time, my bus would run on time.

[Handa]

I lived in Ottawa for a co-op term for 4 months.

Here's some stuff I remember about it:

- REALLY good public transportation system. The buses run frequently and stops are all over the place, plus they have dedicated bus lanes and bus highways. You don't need a car.

- Lots of Lebanese people = lots of good Shawarma places

- I lived in St. Laurent (I think that's what the area was called...), and during the first month I was living there, my boss told me that there was a gang war between the somalians and afghanis (I think... it was one group of africans against a group of arabs), and one of the afghanis got shot so as revenge they chopped off the somalian's arm. This all happened at this amusement park type thing that was a 5-10 minute walk from my apartment.

- You're going to be damn bored if you're coming from montreal. Byward market is good times, but apart from that Ottawa is pretty boring.


Wow, that's all you have to complain about? I guess you didn't live here long enough :)

Ottawa is the greatest city in the world. Perfect amount of everything. Everything is within a 10min drive from everything... max.

If you're going to move here for raising a family and starting a life, move to South Ottawa.

If you're going to move here for the University scene/Student living, move to Sandy Hill (near downtown, but not too downtown where you'll be paying insane rent but it's still close enough to be right in the center of the action).

Welcome to Ottawa, you'll definitely enjoy yourself here!

[mart242]

If you're going to move here for raising a family and starting a life, move to South Ottawa.


Why not west (Stittsville) or east (Orleans) ??

[Handa]

Why not west (Stittsville) or east (Orleans) ??

Because I've never lived there and my most honest and best opinion is obviously going to based on a place where I live/have lived.

[KsprayDad]

Why not west (Stittsville) or east (Orleans) ??

If you want bilingual atmosphere move to the east end ... if you are english you will be more comfortable in the west end ...

[phd1969]

If you want to be bored to death then sure you can move to Orleans/Kanata/Stittsville.

[KsprayDad]

If you want to be bored to death then sure you can move to Orleans/Kanata/Stittsville.

All suburbs are 'boring', it isn't unique to Ottawa.

I've haven't had to go East of Woodroffe for over 3 years, seems like a benefit to me.

[taro-chan]

lol...

In response to the call centre, ya, there is a bunch here in Ottawa. Dell, Rogers, Sitel. And there are lots of government positions available if you ever feel the need to vegetate. On a side note, Nortel is still hiring. =). It's not bad here for the tech market actually.

Ottawa is kinda like dead tho, compared to Toronto/GTA. Also the byward market is too weird sometimes. Places like Zaphods confuse the heck out of me. Everytime I go somewhere, I feel like I am overdressing. =\. And speaking of cougars... raer. lol.

Well, I spent too long in Ottawa. (5 years in school and now a job). But its not bad. It's quiet way of life. Work, go home, chill. =). Wish there was a stronger Asian representation though. I go to Kanata Centrum and I am like the only Asian there. I feel totally vulnerable. =P

[KsprayDad]

Wish there was a stronger Asian representation though. I go to Kanata Centrum and I am like the only Asian there. I feel totally vulnerable. =P
????

I live in Kanata and I would estimate over 50% of my neighbours are of Asian ancestory (in my area, not all of Kanata)... one of my children had 3 out of 31 kids that were of European descent the rest were Asian... Perhaps you're going to Centrum at the wrong times?

[atforum]

i went for a tour to ottawa and found it to be very small. But a great place to live i guess. The city becomes a ghost town by 7:00pm though. here i montreal, i see people even at 3:00am in the morning ...montreal never sleeps :D

ottawa shops were cool though. Montreal has a kind of weird culture (probably a mix of french and british), ottawa has a purely british culture.

[jason9945]

Well, I spent too long in Ottawa. (5 years in school and now a job). But its not bad. It's quiet way of life. Work, go home, chill. =). Wish there was a stronger Asian representation though. I go to Kanata Centrum and I am like the only Asian there. I feel totally vulnerable. =P
:confused: :confused:
Kanata is full of Asian people... What the heck?

yeah, Except at my house and school; for the 10-13 years I was a student and used the busses.

I probably would say statistically 10% of the time, my bus would run on time.
Oc Transpo, the better way to get around, if your a bus driver.

Personally I'd go for the west end. I dont speak any french and dont want to learn any either :lol: But thats just me.

[cmge]

Well, I spent too long in Ottawa. (5 years in school and now a job). But its not bad. It's quiet way of life. Work, go home, chill. =). Wish there was a stronger Asian representation though. I go to Kanata Centrum and I am like the only Asian there. I feel totally vulnerable. =P
man kanata lakes is full of asians and the new asian grocery in the glen cairn lots of asians there too... to be completely honest there arent alot of african descent in kanata

[Handa]

i went for a tour to ottawa and found it to be very small. But a great place to live i guess. The city becomes a ghost town by 7:00pm though. here i montreal, i see people even at 3:00am in the morning ...montreal never sleeps :D

ottawa shops were cool though. Montreal has a kind of weird culture (probably a mix of french and british), ottawa has a purely british culture.

Yeah that's because at 7 pm people eat dinner... If you've ever been on Dalhousie/Clarence/Rideau from 9pm-onwards, you'll realize your statement is completely false.

[mart242]

man kanata lakes is full of asians and the new asian grocery in the glen cairn lots of asians there too... to be completely honest there arent alot of african descent in kanata

Lots of middle-east & indians too. Not that I really care though... Just different than Montreal which had lots of blacks.

[phd1969]

The downtown core becomes a ghost town because there's not many residential units there but that will be changing with a few condos going up and Lebreton flats being developed.

The Market is much different, it really doesn't let up with people. You got the suits in the daytime and the restaurant/party goers in the evening.

[taro-chan]

Really?... that's rather odd.
I remember this one time 2 years ago specifically.

My ex and I were in the AMC trying to cut through the mob of people trying to get to the express machine to get tickets. It was like a Friday night at 7. The place was packed. No minorities except us were present. We couldn't get into the movie (sold out) then we went to Boston Pizza for food. Again, no Asian minority.

I guess it was just one of those days?

Even now, I drop by Bayshore on a random shopping trip to BR, and its 90% white.

O well, maybe its just me.

[KsprayDad]

Really?... that's rather odd.
I remember this one time 2 years ago specifically.

My ex and I were in the AMC trying to cut through the mob of people trying to get to the express machine to get tickets. It was like a Friday night at 7. The place was packed. No minorities except us were present. We couldn't get into the movie (sold out) then we went to Boston Pizza for food. Again, no Asian minority.

I guess it was just one of those days?

Even now, I drop by Bayshore on a random shopping trip to BR, and its 90% white.

O well, maybe its just me.

It MUST be...Bayshore is at least 50% Somalian/Ethiopian ANY time of the day.

[bubble.tea]

Love this thread.

So much energy here in Ottawa among us RFDers., and seemingly we're all within 50 years range of each other...KsprayDad you tend to skew the mean.

So...shall we have a meet soon :cheesygri ? Can be very impromptu, just a crappuccino tomorrow night., or something more involved.

[KsprayDad]

...KsprayDad you tend to skew the mean.



Byte Me :D

Its how old you feel not how old you are!

[bubble.tea]

I didn't say anything., YOU SAID IT. something about your kids, having the only kids.....

[KsprayDad]

I didn't say anything., YOU SAID IT. something about your kids, having the only kids.....

39 with 3 kids (that I admit too).

[bubble.tea]

39 with 3 kids (that I admit too).
well done.

[cmge]

Really?... that's rather odd.
I remember this one time 2 years ago specifically.

My ex and I were in the AMC trying to cut through the mob of people trying to get to the express machine to get tickets. It was like a Friday night at 7. The place was packed. No minorities except us were present. We couldn't get into the movie (sold out) then we went to Boston Pizza for food. Again, no Asian minority.

I guess it was just one of those days?

Even now, I drop by Bayshore on a random shopping trip to BR, and its 90% white.

O well, maybe its just me.
its true since fri and tues nite u will see all the tweens and prostitots all the time... and i do admit it is a rare occasion to see a handful of asians... ever since the ox head and sushi kanata restaurant opened there been more asian in the vicinity... and i also worked at crapmart there and there were not alot of asian shoppers...

It MUST be...Bayshore is at least 50% Somalian/Ethiopian ANY time of the day.
and dont forget middle eastern... i recall when i lived in bayshore where it was prominantly white...

[epiphony]

Central is where it's at. Suburbs bore me, Ottawa suburbs bore me even more. Barrhaven should be cast into the fires of whatever mountain it came from, and destroyed! What a residential McMansion wasteland that place is.

[canabiz]

The only really negative thing i could think about Ottawa (and i have been here for 12 years) is the lack of international flights...that's right folks, of all things.

I am frustrated to no end whenever i do international travel, either have to go to the MTL or Toronto or Chicago or Detroit for a connecting flight. Why can't we, the capital of the 2nd biggest country in the world (maybe biggest now with U.S.S.R. breaking up ?) have a decent airport with direct flights to major overseas cities ?

Recently i went to South Korea and this is my flight: Ottawa -> Chicago -> Tokyo -> Seoul. Compared that to folks who live in Toronto and/or Vancouver who have direct flights to Seoul. Obviously, it might be more pricey but I digress.

[taro-chan]

Recently i went to South Korea and this is my flight: Ottawa -> Chicago -> Tokyo -> Seoul. Compared that to folks who live in Toronto and/or Vancouver who have direct flights to Seoul. Obviously, it might be more pricey but I digress.
Ya... I went through Chicago. I hate Ohara airport and I hate United Airlines.

Also, how's that sushi place. Any reviews on it?

[cmge]

Also, how's that sushi place. Any reviews on it?
sushi kanata is good if u are in that area... best sushi id say is Suisha Gardens downtown... Takara is also pretty good which is in the market... i havent tried totoyo in dalhousie i heard the servers there are in kimonos... o_O ... umm kinki use to have good sushi but then the quality went downhill...

price wise id say they are all pretty decent... sushi kanata, suisha and takara has alot of variety and between the 3 id say sushi kanata is cheaper, then takara and then suisha (or was it the other way around) :| ... kinki pricey since its dubbed asian fusion rest...

[ryan123]

I just graduated from Earl of March In kanata, and like 10-20% of people there are asian. If u live in Kanata Lakes, Briddle wood, or Morgans grant, after 6pm u will see a lot of asians in the neigbourhood

[kennyt18]

If you want to live in a SMALL town, then come to Ottawa.
Ottawa is not a city. It is more like a small town.

The Ottawa Renegades (Football), Ottawa Rebels (Lacrosse) don't exist because Ottawa is a VERY SMALL MARKET. The Ottawa Lynx (Baseball) is being moved to Allentown in 2008. So the only sports teams we will have are the Ottawa 67's and the Ottawa Senators. And the Ottawa Senators threatened to move several years ago.

Ottawa is a town for old people like me. No good clubs downtown, family events year round, no red light district.

If it wasn't for the Federal Gov't, Ottawa would be a ghost town.

[Codegen]

If you want to live in a SMALL town, then come to Ottawa.
Ottawa is not a city. It is more like a small town.

The Ottawa Renegades (Football), Ottawa Rebels (Lacrosse) don't exist because Ottawa is a VERY SMALL MARKET. The Ottawa Lynx (Baseball) is being moved to Allentown in 2008. So the only sports teams we will have are the Ottawa 67's and the Ottawa Senators. And the Ottawa Senators threatened to move several years ago.

Ottawa is a town for old people like me. No good clubs downtown, family events year round, no red light district.

If it wasn't for the Federal Gov't, Ottawa would be a ghost town.

Nah, Buckingham is a small town.

[inferno_gn]

Hi there,

Thanks for the information. Keep it coming. Perosnally, I raher goes for the girls there. Being single sucks and it's hard to find someone here. :|

Ju Leon...

[alysomji]

Hi there,

Thanks for the information. Keep it coming. Perosnally, I raher goes for the girls there. Being single sucks and it's hard to find someone here. :|

Ju Leon...

In Montreal it's hard to find someone? Are you kidding??

If you aren't Ottawa is not the place for you. Maybe try New York.

[inferno_gn]

Hi there,

Beside the girls, how about the house? Rent? Good and safe neighbourhood for kids to go around? Home schooling is a good thing?

Ju Leon...

[cmge]

Hi there,

Beside the girls, how about the house? Rent? Good and safe neighbourhood for kids to go around? Home schooling is a good thing?

Ju Leon...
i dunno about home schooling... the catholic school are pretty good... dunno about hte public schools... ottawa is pretty safe... if u are raisig kids id say kanata or barrhaven... the only sketchy part of ottawa is south keys at night and certain parts of nepean...

[babysham]

What is the rent like for a 1 bedroom condo in downtown Ottawa?

[Anteros]

What is the rent like for a 1 bedroom condo in downtown Ottawa?

The ones I looked at for my fiancee a couple of months ago ranged between $600-800 or so. This was for apartment buildings though. It may be cheaper if you don't mind basement apartments. I wouldn't allow a pig to live in the cheaper ones I looked at. I can't believe the landlords (especially in the University of Ottawa area) are allowed to keep the apartments in such terrible shape.

The one I picked for my fiancee was $750 inclusive per month.

[epiphony]

What is the rent like for a 1 bedroom condo in downtown Ottawa?

Watch out for some of the high-rises, especially in downtown. A lot of them have various insect infestations due to older buildings, or lazy/dirty tenants. I would never rent a high-rise again in Ottawa. I can name names in PM if you need to know ;) In general, you get what you pay for. Cheap rent = poor building conditions, and sloppy tenants/landlords.

[kennyt18]

Nah, Buckingham is a small town.

Buckingham is not even a town. It is more like a village. Everybody knows each other in buckingham.

[Codegen]

Buckingham is not even a town. It is more like a village. Everybody knows each other in buckingham.
I don't know anybody outside of family and 1 or 2 friends :/

Though, it is starting to build up there though.

[jason9945]

i dunno about home schooling... the catholic school are pretty good... dunno about hte public schools... ottawa is pretty safe... if u are raisig kids id say kanata or barrhaven... the only sketchy part of ottawa is south keys at night and certain parts of nepean...

Have you ever been to downtown?

Rideau/Wellington perhaps?

[Codegen]

I've only had one bad experience in Ottawa (I'm 25-35 minutes away). It was when I was walking down some road between O'Connor and Bank, and I had this guy being persistent about selling me pot. I wanted to deck him, but I wasn't in the mood for getting stabbed/shot.

[canabiz]

Watch out for some of the high-rises, especially in downtown. A lot of them have various insect infestations due to older buildings, or lazy/dirty tenants. I would never rent a high-rise again in Ottawa. I can name names in PM if you need to know ;) In general, you get what you pay for. Cheap rent = poor building conditions, and sloppy tenants/landlords.


An apartment that I live in downtown had cockroaches at every single corner. They had to come in and spray something. I hope you don't lose your appetite for your dinner tonight.

[cmge]

Have you ever been to downtown?

Rideau/Wellington perhaps?
who hasnt?... of course i have a few friends that live there... am i afraid to walk around there around 1am... of course not... crack heads, homeless ppl and hookers alike... just mind your business and your fine...

however a friend of mine was minding his business at the south keys area and he was mugged by some thugs... another incident happened from a different friend this one happened by baseline station... moreso the building close to home depot my friend was also mugged...

jasmin and the 4 holes id say is something to be more worried about

[canrocks]

Have you ever been to downtown?

Rideau/Wellington perhaps?

The concept of sketchy does not exist in Ottawa.

I can't believe 95% what I'm hearing in this thread. So much of it is just complete BS. Ju Leon, honestly, Ottawa is just two hours away. Just go for the weekend, check some stuff out. You're not going to get any straight info from anyone here. A city means so many different things to different people; a lot of people see what they want to see in it, including me.

If there's one thing I can say, it's to live inside the greenbelt. The Greenbelt is a loose group of parks surrounding the core of the city. Everything outside is just sprawl. Trust me, I live far outside the belt.

[cmge]

The concept of sketchy does not exist in Ottawa.

I can't believe 95% what I'm hearing in this thread. So much of it is just complete BS. Ju Leon, honestly, Ottawa is just two hours away. Just go for the weekend, check some stuff out. You're not going to get any straight info from anyone here. A city means so many different things to different people; a lot of people see what they want to see in it, including me.

If there's one thing I can say, it's to live inside the greenbelt. The Greenbelt is a loose group of parks surrounding the core of the city. Everything outside is just sprawl. Trust me, I live far outside the belt.
the concept of sketchy varies from ppl to ppl too... in every city there is always a "sketchy" part of town... but realistically speaking comparing ottawa to montreal or toronto it definately is a sleepy town...

[mlerner]

If you want to live in a SMALL town, then come to Ottawa.
Ottawa is not a city. It is more like a small town.

The Ottawa Renegades (Football), Ottawa Rebels (Lacrosse) don't exist because Ottawa is a VERY SMALL MARKET. The Ottawa Lynx (Baseball) is being moved to Allentown in 2008. So the only sports teams we will have are the Ottawa 67's and the Ottawa Senators. And the Ottawa Senators threatened to move several years ago.

Ottawa is a town for old people like me. No good clubs downtown, family events year round, no red light district.

If it wasn't for the Federal Gov't, Ottawa would be a ghost town.

Small? You do know Ottawa's population is 1,146,790. Now you want to talk about small? My grandparents live in a city of 4000 residents and there is absolutely no cellular service there. No 'good' clubs? How do you define a 'good' club? Before saying that Ottawa is small you might actually want to look around and see what is actually small.

[kennyt18]

Small? You do know Ottawa's population is 1,146,790. Now you want to talk about small? My grandparents live in a city of 4000 residents and there is absolutely no cellular service there. No 'good' clubs? How do you define a 'good' club? Before saying that Ottawa is small you might actually want to look around and see what is actually small.

I've lived in Ottawa all my life. Even now, the 'clubs' in Ottawa are junk compared to the ones in Montreal and Toronto. And I've vacationed in many "big" cities so I know what is small and what is big. The fact that we only have one major highway, you know you're in a small town.

And your grand parents don't live in a CITY of 4000 residents, they live in a VILLAGE of 4000 residents. So you might want to actually travel outside of Ottawa and go to New York, Tokyo, Beijing, etc. and you'll see what a "big" city looks like.

[canrocks]

I've lived in Ottawa all my life. Even now, the 'clubs' in Ottawa are junk compared to the ones in Montreal and Toronto. And I've vacationed in many "big" cities so I know what is small and what is big. The fact that we only have one major highway, you know you're in a small town.

And your grand parents don't live in a CITY of 4000 residents, they live in a VILLAGE of 4000 residents. So you might want to actually travel outside of Ottawa and go to New York, Tokyo, Beijing, etc. and you'll see what a "big" city looks like.
Why are you arguing about this? You're used to megacities, and he's used to villages. Get over it. Ottawa is neither.

[mart242]

Small? You do know Ottawa's population is 1,146,790. Ottawa has around 800,000 residents. The 1.1M is if you include Hull, Gatineau, and a whole bunch of other small cities in Quebec and Ontario around the national capital.

[phd1969]

You're not going to see many direct international flights in Ottawa just because we're so close to two major hubs, Toronto and Montreal. Ottawa can easily support several direct flights but the airlines think it's cheaper to just connect us to Toronto, Montreal, Chicago, or San Fran.