Ottawa? Whaddyallthink?

December 30, 2005 9:10 AM

Ottawa: For those of you that have heard of it, is it a generally pleasant place to live?

I will be finishing my thesis soon and I have some connections there. Due to my background, I'm trying to get involved in government work, and it's a good place to be for that. Toronto is also a possibility, but it has never had any appeal to me whatsoever. I know Ottawa is a bit colder than other parts of Ontario in the winter, but other than that I really don't know much about it. What is the quality of life like there? Affordable housing/rentals? Good neighborhoods? I have no desire for suburbia. Stuff for 20ish outdoorsey people to do? Is the weather that bad? I'm in Edmonton now, so I'm no stranger to the cold, but I'm originally from Vancouver. Any insight would be appreciated. (I know this is similar to the San Diego question below....it's no conicidence, it gave me the idea to post this)

posted by shucks to society & culture (20 comments total)

I've not lived in Ottawa, but I'll tell you what I know second hand and from having visited.

First of all, I've heard it's pretty much all suburbia. The city apparently empties out into the surrounding towns at night, with not so much in the way of happening nightlife, except amongst the college crowd.

The advantages of Ottawa is that it gets tons of federal funding so there are fantabulous museums and galleries and theatre and music and festivals, all neatly subsidized by 30 million Canadians who don't live in Ottawa and will probably never see them. But that's at the high cultural end of culture. I don't get the impression there's much of an underground or indie music scene, for example, but I could be wrong because that's the sort of thing that's hard to gauge from afar.

Ottawa winters and Edmonton winters are likely quite similar. I'm from Prince George myself, and have no real issue with Ottawa weather.
posted by jacquilynne at 9:25 AM on December 30, 2005

I've lived in 3 towns of the Ottawa area - Vanier, Orleans, and Gluocester when I was younger, each for about 1+ years. I didn't mind the weather too much, but I grew up in an even colder area. But I think Edmonton has colder winters when I went there. There is some touristy stuff to do downtown which I'm sure many other people will point out. No idea about the 20+ outdoory activities.
posted by lpctstr; at 9:30 AM on December 30, 2005

The best thing you can say about Ottawa is it's close proximity to Hull,Quebec (and yes, I'm an Anglo).
posted by TorontoSandy at 9:31 AM on December 30, 2005

I haven't ever lived there but I have visited often and have lots of friends who do. Great place to be if you're going into a career in government, obviously.

The climate is harsh. I'm similar to you...I'm from Victoria but now go to school in Calgary. My girlfriend is in Hamilton and I spent this summer there, and I can tell you that the biggest adjustment you'll have to make in Ontario is dealing with the summer. The heat and humidity, compared to a western summer, is stifling.

Gatineau Park is simply awesome, whether for cross country skiing, running and cycling in the summer, etc. I have fond memories of driving out to Meech Lake on really hot afternoons and having a good swim. There are tons of young and active people in Ottawa and you'll never be lacking for stuff to do.

The housing market there is murder...less than 1% rental vacancy and coming from Edmonton the purchase price of a house or condo is much steeper. Consider living on the Quebec side, where it's much cheaper.

Friends of mine lived in an area known as the Glebe, which is a great starting point if you want to live within walking distance of Parliament Hill and the rest of downtown, and don't want to live in a suburb.
posted by jimmythefish at 9:33 AM on December 30, 2005

I lived in Hull (and I thought it was just mis-spelled... the best thing about Hull is that you live close to Ottawa), and I can't recommend Ottawa enough.

I'd move there in a second if I didn't have US political aspirations.

The transit system is AMAZING, the arts scene is wonderful, and there are nice areas downtown.

And don't miss ice skating on the Rideau Canal.

* sighs nostalgically *
posted by silusGROK at 9:45 AM on December 30, 2005

I've lived in both Edmonton and Ottawa.

Edmonton is generally colder but, like Alberta in general, friendlier. Ottawans can be quite sour to one another, and you'll be surprised at how often you can be jostled.

Rents are generally more expensive, or at least they were in my experience (Edmonton 1996-1999; Ottawa 1999-2003): Ottawa at the time was in a severe rental housing crunch, but the collapse of the tech sector (Nortel et al.) helped ease that some; 2003 was much more renter-friendly than 2002. On the other hand, when I was in Edmonton it was still very much a renter's market, but I've heard that it's tightened up considerably since then.

The Quebec side of the river (Hull, Gatineau and Aylmer) is considerably less expensive, but less pleasant: bus service is poorer and distances are further.

Living downtown (especially Centretown, the Glebe, and Sandy Hill) is quite nice, but you'll pay for the privilege. A car isn't generally necessary when downtown; the transit system is excellent -- far, far better than Edmonton Transit, which I thought terrible outside the LRT. But there's lots to see and do within walking distance; a good deal of what's good in Ottawa is centrally located. One drawback is that north of Laurier Avenue everything tends to shut down after 5 pm, because of the high concentration of government offices. But there are good spots nearby to compensate: it's a lot more compact than Edmonton in that respect -- think if Whyte Ave and 120 St were in the middle of downtown.

Back to the weather: Edmonton is colder and drier, Ottawa is a bit warmer in winter, but it's wet, and there's a lot more freezing rain and slush to deal with than you'd be accustomed to. Still, snow comes later and leaves earlier than you'll be accustomed to.

Cycling is wonderful so long as you stay off the roads, where drivers tend not to see you. Excellent system of bike trails, better than Edmonton's river valley network.
posted by mcwetboy at 10:10 AM on December 30, 2005

I've lived here for five years now, having previously lived in Montreal. There was a big culture shock when I moved, even though I was working downtown.

There is a lot of suburbia here, but you don't have to live in it. We're living in Westboro now and it feels like any other midsize city: cafes and local shops a few blocks away, a summer farmer's market one neighbourhood over, and so on. The neighbourhoods like that (Wesboro, Hintonburg, the Glebe) tend to be a bit more expensive, just like in any other city in the world, but there are still deals to be found, especially if you're renting, or by heading out of the neighbourhood by a few blocks. That's especially true in Hintonburg, which is really only beginning gentrification now; on the far side of it Mechanicsville is still pretty rough, but to the south of it Civic is filled with doctor's houses.

As for downtown, you have to keep in mind that there are basically 2-3 separate "downtown" areas here. The business downtown dies off at night, but so does Bay Street in Toronto. The Byward Market and Elgin Street stay up late.

Public transportation is very good even though it's 99% bus-based (the other 1% is light rail, but it's just a single line, with more to come in the next decade or so.) Traffic is pretty mild as big cities go.

Ottawa's cultural scene is good but not great. For the sorts of things you'd count on a government to fund it's very good (but so is, say, Montreal); for things that have to get here on their own -- especially non-arena rock shows! -- we get about 2/3 of what I'd like to come to town. Festivals tend to be missing the spontaneity that Montreal's do, mostly because of a dearth of free shows. Winterlude is great. If you're a museum fan you're in heaven.

The rental situation is a lot better now than jimmythefish suggests above. It was ~1% when I moved here in 2001 but it's moved up beyond the national average in the last few years and is at 3.3% as of December 15.

You're spot-on about the government work, of course. Keep in mind that a lot of the office work is across the river on the Quebec side, and a lot of the engineering work is closer to the outskirts of Ottawa proper. Commutes here are straightforward in any case.

If you enjoy la vie Quebecoise, Gatineau is right across the river, and Montreal is an easy day trip.

I wasn't sure that I'd be sticking around here after I moved, especially when the fun dot-com I came here for was bought by a bigger company, but now that I'm in the right neighbourhood I like it a lot. I think what makes Ottawa good for me is that it has most of the things you'd expect in a big city in terms of culture, conveniences, dining, shopping, services, and so forth, but not so much to be bewildering. Montreal's so cosmopolitan that it's impossible to keep up; Ottawa gives me the variety and quality without the overwhelming. I suspect that it might address your Toronto concerns the same way. There's really nothing I need that I can't get here.

There are a lot of Ottawa-area folks on mefi so I'm sure you'll get a bunch of bites here as they find it, but if you've got any questions feel free to drop me a line. My email address is in my profile.
posted by mendel at 10:28 AM on December 30, 2005

I lived 8 months in Ottawa and hated it.

Weather-wise, the summers are very pleasant, the winters absolutely suck. For two weeks straight it was -50 (with wind chill) and the entire city shut down. No one went outside and I felt like a caged rat in my apartment.

People-wise, I don't know if it's the case of all government cities, but the people were the most standoffish, cold, and secretive people I've ever met. Making friends in Ottawa was more difficult than in any other place I've been, because everyone already has their closed cliques and no one gets into them without already being a friend with one of them.

My first day in Ottawa set the tone for the entire 8 months I was there. My French is pity-able, and there are a lot of French-pronounced locations there. Within hours of my arrival I had to ask a stranger where Rideau street was. I pronounced it "Rye-dough". The stranger replied, in the snooty-est Quebecois accent possible "It's not 'Rye-dough', it's 'Ree-dough'" and walked away without giving me the directions I sought.

If you're going to be there, be prepared to love being alone. The only bonus to the city is the numerous museums and galleries, which make it clear where all the taxpaper money from the rest of the country goes.
posted by Kickstart70 at 10:51 AM on December 30, 2005

People call it the land that fun forgot. Sorry....
posted by sandrapbrady at 11:06 AM on December 30, 2005

Apparently a large portion of the population is/was involved in at least one Ultimate (frisbee) league.
posted by PurplePorpoise at 11:51 AM on December 30, 2005

Great record stores and great clubs for seeing small bands (big acts tend to skip Ottawa for Montreal/Toronto except for the summer festivals). Good art scene. B+ for restaurants. Poor for fashion. Otherwise you can find most anything you want to buy in Ottawa.

Great parks/paths/trails and great fall weather. Obviously cold or humid the rest of the time. We don't get absolutely buried in snow most years but there have been some notable exceptions.

You have to go looking for your scene, because walking around all you'll see are dour career bureaucrats, but the underground is out there. For going out, the Byward Market is great nightlife until the late 20s and then a lot of people retire to the Elgin St. pubs. Both are bustling at night despite what you may have heard.

Everything good is central and the bus will take you there if you don't already live in Centretown, Sandy Hill, or the Market.
posted by calculon at 11:59 AM on December 30, 2005

I grew up in Edmonton, lived in Ottawa in the early eighties, went to school in Vancouver and returned to town a few years ago.

In the eighties, Ottawa was the town that fun forgot. There really was nothing to do and the streets rolled up after 6. That's changed a great deal in the past twenty years. Summer has seen the birth of some truly great festivals---we have the largest classical music festival on the continent, the second largest blues festival (after Chicago's) are two of the many that stand out. The bar and restaurant scene now, while still small compared to TO or Montreal, is not completely horrible. We finally have some restaurants worth dropping a few hundred bucks in for instance, and "ethnic" restaurants are the rule rather than the exception.

Ottawa's climate is significantly colder than Toronto's. It's colder in the winter, snow lasts longer. Edmonton has a longer winter than Ottawa, and while colder, gets much less snow. Vancouver, well, Vancouver doesn't have a winter so much as an extended fall. On the plus side, our summers are no where near as oppressively muggy as southern Ontario and the air quality is much better. While the best season in Vancouver is the spring, fall is the best time in Ottawa. Storms here are short and quick; we don't get days of overcast and rain, but nor are we as highly variable as Edmonton or Calgary.

Ottawa has been judged one of the cheapest places to live on the continent in a number of recent magazine surveys. It's certainly cheaper than Vancouver or TO. While we do have our share of sprawl, there are many very pleasant urban neighbourhoods to choose from. Mendel names one of the nicer ones above, but there are quite a few to choose from and cover a range of prices. The cheapest bachelors' appts seem to go for 600+/mo right now, with the average in the 800 to 900/mo range for a decent single downtown.

One of the absolute best things about Ottawa is its proximity to the outdoors. Even from the centre of town it's possible to be in wilderness in less than 15 minutes (by car). We have some amazing resources nearby for hiking, canoeing, white-water kayaking, cross-country skiing, downhill skiing, road and mountain cycling. Ottawa has very active rec sport communities for soccer, base/softball, ultimate, volleyball (largest volleyball tournament in the world every May). Sport is an excellent way to meet people in town.

By the way, you don't ask, but short-term contracting is probably the easiest way to hook-up with a government job. It gets your foot in the door, makes you contacts and gives you a way to hear about permanent positions that otherwise might be difficult to find. All government contracts are let through Merx. Sign up for their free service and browse their boards frequently (and mail me if you need help with their system---I've used Merx more times than I want to remember).
posted by bonehead at 12:15 PM on December 30, 2005

We've lived in Ottawa for ~10 years now, but (as with most people in Ottawa it seems) aren't from here originally. I find it has all the benefits of a larger city without many of the problems (traffic, smog, etc).

Despite the lack of mountains and ocean, there's excellent options for outdoor activities. Others have highlighted most of them, but my favourites are: some of the best Cross-country ski trails in North America, racing sailboats (not large amounts of water, but weeknight racing is great), lots of hiking and camping nearby, very good skiing within 3-4 hours (OK skiing 15 minutes from downtown).

We're happy here, and definitely prefer Ottawa to both Toronto and Vancouver having lived in both previously.
posted by RecalcitrantYouth at 1:52 PM on December 30, 2005

I just moved back to Ottawa from Montreal this past summer. I grew up here but moved away many years ago, and so I'm kind of rediscovering the city.

The most significant thing I've noticed is that when I left, there was the Market and Elgin St - that was pretty much it in terms of pedestrian-friendly multi-use areas. There are many many more interesting and fun areas now, notably Westboro and Hintonburg (which are pretty much attached) and the first foray in this direction, which was Beechwood Village. This last remains quite a bit less interestingly developed than Westboro, say, but even it has a couple of good pubs, a couple of good restaurants, a couple of greasy spoons, some local bakeries and such.

I grew up in Westboro (more or less) and I have to say that it is night and day the changes there. I remember when there was just the Newport (and it was really just a dingy diner - no Elvis sighting business yet), Whispers (which was a lame fake pub) that's about it. I know lots of folks who live around there (many 2nd or 3rd generation in the 'hood) and they all seem to love it.

As far as restaurants go, well, it's kind of hit and miss. There are a small handful of very good places to eat, restaurants that do a very good job with menus that would have been adventuresome 5 years ago in Montreal terms. But I've also eaten in most other major cities in Canada, and though Ottawa is a big step down from Montreal and Toronto, and a half-step down from Vancouver, it's as good or better as Calgary or Edmonton or other cities that size. It's definitely nowhere near as bad as it was reputed to be at one time.

Groceries are a joy here ONCE you get it figured out. The big stores stock pretty well, and beyond that, you can get pretty much anything European you need at Nicastros on Merivale or Bottega in the Market (and in many other smaller stores as well). There is very good cheese available in the Market as well, and there are two excellent butchers there - Aubrey's is my favourite by far, but Sasloves (several locations) is also good. In the West End, there's also the Ottawa Bagel Shop which has a nice selection as well.

Outdoors stuff is awesome. The trick is that it's extremely accessible, especially if you have a car. Just today I decided to go skiing at noon and by one was on the lift. The city is so compact (to the North in particular, where you want to go for most outdoors stuff) that you can go from downtown to ski/hike/mountain bike trail in 15 minutes to half an hour.

Because of this I have a strong preference for the central areas - as others have mentioned, Sandy Hill, the Glebe, Westboro, and New Edinburgh (which is way more accessible price-wise than many people believe). Once you get really west into what used to be Nepean and Kanata, well it's car-requiring hell and the benefits of being close to things like the Gatineau Park are moot cause you have to spend half an hour on the freaking Queensway to get to the road to take to get there.
posted by mikel at 2:46 PM on December 30, 2005

I lived in Ottawa for three years (1986-89) and hated every minute of it. The weather sucked, and it was too suburban, but the real problem was cultural; it was like living in a different country. I just couldn't relate to the approach to life that prevails in Ottawa (and most everywhere else east of the Rockies, for that matter). I'm originally from Alberta, but have spent most of my adult life in Vancouver. I didn't realize how much of a West Coast Boy I was until I tried living in the east. Never again.
posted by GoatCactus at 5:44 PM on December 30, 2005

I've lived in Ottawa for most of my life, but I've also lived in Montreal, Halifax, Toronto, St. Johns, and a number of other cities.

Ottawa has the lowest cost of living of any city in North America, and is tied for the third-highest quality of life in North America. For outdoorsy stuff, you're right next to Gatineau Park, which is 363 square kilometres of pure outdoorsy-ness.

Ottawa's a pretty fantastic town, secretly. No-one knows it, though. The weather is shit, however.
posted by Jairus at 6:32 PM on December 30, 2005

Thanks to everyone so far for their comments. I find that "fun" and "friendly" have more to do with the resident than the place itself, but the practical info has given me some good insight. The weather's probably the main concern, but all that's left I guess is to try it out. The west coast is always an option......
posted by shucks at 6:47 PM on December 30, 2005

I'm late to the party, but I'll add my vote to the "Ottawa rocks" camp. Tons of culture, great transit, greenspace, and Canada's biggest ultimate league. I miss it.
posted by Popular Ethics at 8:02 PM on December 30, 2005

I've been living in ottawa for almost 9 years now, and I still love it. The weather can be a bit of a challenge - I tend to joke that there's no spring and fall it just goes from -15 to 25 in a week's time.

Culturally as many have noted, there are tons of galleries and museums. I find the indie music scene decently represented by Barrymore's and Zaphod's. Middle range acts tend to go to Capital Music Hall, and bigger gets the NAC and the Corel Centre. I've never felt a lack for that.

I don't want to get too repetitive, but if government work is what you're interested in, learn french ASAP. It's next to impossible to find a unilingual job these days.

I certainly suggest giving it a try.
posted by aclevername at 8:28 PM on December 30, 2005

having lived in toronto and visited ottawa, it's cold as hell during winter, humid and hot during summer. all that and it's kind suburbia-like. it doesn't have the metropolitan feel that toronto has. if you're gonna be in ontario, i'd rather live in toronto than ottawa...but that's just me. but for a government work, yeah ottawa is good, plus it's cheaper than toronto. but ottawa...eh?
posted by grafholic at 8:52 PM on December 30, 2005