living in Ottawa?

[Timon]

Hi guys,

Hubby is in the middle of changing jobs right now, he's got an interview tomorrow in Prince George and he's working on a great opportunity in Ottawa in the New Year, so I posted before about Prince George, now I would love any info about Ottawa.

I grew up in Montreal and went to Ottawa when I was a kid but that's the extent of my knowledge of Ottawa.

I looked at the weather, looks pretty good, nothing too extreme (I am used to -20 to -30 º C in the winter here in Calgary) but I would love to hear from someone from Ottawa what it's like to live there. Best part of the city to live, parts to avoid? etc etc

It's only a couple hours drive to Montreal right? Hey that's cool with me, some REAL food finally!

Any info would help as this would be a huge life change for us!

Thanks!

 

[Frieda]

Hello Timon. I live in Ottawa...been here all my life. I think it’s a great place to live. It’s not too small and not too large. Most areas of Ottawa are pretty good. There are the high-end neighbourhoods of Rockcliffe Park, the Glebe, and the Driveway (along the Rideau Canal).

The big push in housing is now heading southwards into the neighbourhoods of Barrhaven, Nepean and Kanata (southwest).

If you like hockey (whenever it comes back), you can find lots of housing in Kanata near the Corel Centre, where the Senators play (or will play one day again).

If you like something closer to downtown in an older established neighbourhood, check out the neighbourhood of Ottawa South. Bank Street, which is one of Ottawa’s main streets, goes right through this neighbourhood. Ottawa South has the Rideau River to the south and the Rideau Canal (great for skating in the wintertime) to the north. Just on the other side of the Rideau Canal is Landsdowne Park where the Ottawa Renegades play. This neighbourhood is close to lots of shopping but has wide tree lined streets in the residential section. Lots of major malls, parks, hospitals near by.

 

[diz karen]

I grew up near Montreal and lived in Montreal for years. I did not think I would like living away from Quebec but I really like Ottawa. I know some people who complain that it is boring, stuffy, and too family oriented. In some ways it is, but Toronto and Montreal are close enough to get away to for a fun week-end.

I really love the green space. I find so many areas so pituresque.

Since it is the Capital there are lots of museums and that kind of thing. It is big enough that you can find most of the services or products that you would want but is small enough that you can get almost anywhere in the city within a 1/2 hour. (Depending on traffic. It seems like even a little rain makes us forget how to drive. )

Unfortunately there are not that many major routes into the downtown area. That makes it hard for people who live further out to the west, east, or north. I would prefer not live in Orleans, Kanata, or Hull if I worked downtown just because I do not like to sit in traffic.
We have decent shopping and restaurants and a couple of disney stores.

Come on over to our little/big town. It is a great place to live!

 

[Timon]

Thank you both for the great info!Do you mind if I e-mail you at a later date if we do decide to move?

Just out of curiosity, how much have you paid for airfare to Orlando? It's about $600 from Calgary, so I am hoping for some cheaper airfare so we can maybe visit more often

 

[Frieda]

Hi Timon. If you have any questions, definitely drop an e-mail. Both my wife, Frieda, and myself, Pete (I saw your question and answered it before I relaized I was under Frieda's name) would be happy to answer any questions you have.

We just booked return flights for four from Ottawa to Orlando via Toronto for March 2005. We paid just a little over $1500 CDN.


Pete

 

[Frieda]

I guess the e-mail address would help. It's kubia4@globalserve.net.


Pete

 

[FayeW]

We've been in Ottawa for 7 years now, and we really love it here. We had visited Ottawa a couple of times over the years and liked it well enough, but we were still very disappointed when my husband got transfered here. We decided to make the best of it, and it turned out to be the best thing that ever happened to us. We live in the east end (Orleans), lots of growth out here but the housing is still affordable. There are some great, new schools as well. The commute isn't great if you are driving your own vehicle downtown at rush hour, but the bus service is very good.

Pete/Freida: How did you get that great airfare?? When we went to Orlando, we drove to Syracuse NY (about 3-3.5 hours away) and flew from there. It saved us a ton of money, but the airfare out of Syracuse is comparable (with the exchange) to what you've paid so I would love to take advantage of that!

 

[Frieda]

Hi FayeW. I think we just got lucky with the flights. We were planning to fly early on a Wednesday morning but the total cost of that would have been over $1,700. Just for fun, we decided to look at the flights that left the previous evening. We found one that left Ottawa at 6 p.m. and it was $200 cheaper overall. That was with Air Canada (Tango).

We are now arriving in Orlando at around midnight but with the money we saved we booked a room at a hotel by the airport for $85 U.S. We got that deal through the 2005 Entertainment book we purchased from my son's school. Now instead of arriving at Disney late in the day on the Wednesday, we'll have a full day at the parks and still we saved a pile of money.

We booked these flights in mid-October. Last week I heard that the airlines would be raising their fees due to increased fuel costs. That was true as Frieda checked out the costs of the excat same fligt package that we bought and it's now just over $2000. Yikes! We were lucky.

Pete

 

[wenabre]

Hi Timon,
Well my opinon of Ottawa has actually begun to change from the worst place on earth. ...to.... its actually not a bad place to live after all.
I was one of those people who had been dragged kicking and screaming to Ottawa ( twice ) from Victoria BC by a Navy Husband !!.
Like all new places there are good and bad, but on the whole, its not too bad. I live in the east end ( Orleans ) as it was closer and easier for my navigationally challenged Mother , who lived west of Montreal, to find. We also had friends here in Orleans, so it was nice to be closer to them. The west end of town is building by leaps and bounds but so is the east end. Both ends have some things pro and con about them. I personally feel that the east end still has a bit of older, more settled feel, but thats me.
Weather in Ottawa is pretty good, the summers can get hot and muggy but this summer we had a lot of real good breezes that seemed to keep the air fresher. Our autumns are beautiful with colours that are abound and seem to go on for miles. Winters here are cold, but fresh and sunny. I would much rather it be -20 with snow and sunlight, than green grass , but wet and grey skies.
Traffic isn't the greatest, but unlike Toronto, unless its at a total standstill, you can get across town in less than two hours!!
Now as far as politicans go, ( and I wish they would ) I think its better to leave somethings for after you've moved here. Welcome to Ottawa Timon!!

Wenabre

Oh by the way,I've noticed that we seem to have a few more Ottawa Disers' these days, anyone up for a Dis Meet? .

 

[Timon]

diz karen, wenabre, FayeW,

Thanks so much for the info! Jotting notes down, just in case
I appreciate you taking the time to post. I will post again when I hear more.
I would actually like to move back east I think...wait a sec, how much SNOW does Ottawa get again???
Hubby was born in Saskatchewan and only ever lived there and Alberta so I would love to show him around Ottawa/Toronto/Montreal area, especially in the fall (I've told him about those colours many times!) since in Calgary, we only have a week of fall then it's winter! Plus I love the location (close to so many Theme Parks We are thrill junkies!)
I know it would be a good change for us, although very tough at first since our family is here in Calgary. He's had a few offers and opportunites to move east before but mostly for Toronto and I was never really thrilled about it but for some reason, I feel good about Ottawa.

Oh, and if this happens, as soon as I am settled, we gotta do a DIS Meet! wenabre! I was always jealous of you guys down "east" planning all those DIS meets!

Thanks again!

 

[disney funseeker]

Timon,

I live about 45 min south of Ottawa. Once you cross south of the Rideau River, housing prices are a lot cheaper. We live in the country yet still very close to everything. A lot of people commute to Ottawa for work from here and a large percentage of home buyers are coming from Ottawa now.

We fly out of Syracuse and save big $$$ on flights to Disney.

Originally from Toronto but would never live in such a big city again. Nice for visiting though. I think its the traffic and housing prices in Toronto that scare me now.
Love it here in Ottawa area but moving to Edmonton area very soon.

I think you'd like it here.

 

[lmk]

Hi there We live out in Cumberland (about 20 minutes east of downtown). We love it out here - feels like we're out in the country but we're still so close. Orleans is great also - lotsof new developments. The prices for homes out our way are still pretty good relative to the rest of Ottawa but are going up. My husband used to take the bus in to work downtown - it was quite fast and dependable. He never had a problem and it beats driving in the winter. If you're interested in more info on this end of town, just let me know.

By the way - hi dizkaren I hope your daughter likes the antenna topper!

 

[Mid-Night Owl]

Another Ottawan here. West Ender. Also came kicking and screaming. Nice city, but winters are too long for me. DH complains more and he's the one who grew up here, and who dragged me here.
Great city for families.
My advice is to research the school in the area you're moving too, to see if it meets your family's needs.

Night owl
WDW March 2004 Pop Century

 

[DisneyLisa]

Another Ottawa resident here. My father was in the Military so I've lived all over Canada...from Aklavik, NWT to Gander & St. John's, Newfoundland. I love Ottawa (but have to say that Newfoundlanders are the friendliest people in all of Canada..I miss that).

Are you still scrapping (other than your CG albums)?...I found a great store here and attend crops monthly with a great group of women...a few even like Disney.

I PMd you as well. Keep us posted.

 

[Bea]

I grew up in Ottawa and have lived in many different cities since. I like the location; it is within driving distance to Montreal, Toronto and the US. Tons of beautiful scenery (the Canal, Gatineau's), and lots to do. The winters are horrible but the summers are hot (I love the heat). We are currently living in Nova Scotia but it's looking like we are going to be living in Ottawa in the next year or so. I grew up in Nepean so am familiar with that area. I think we are looking at Kanata or Barrhaven.

Good luck with your decision.

 

[Sandy22]

I love the Ottawa/Gatineau area! I've lived out East, out West and finally settled in Ottawa (well across the river in Quebec but it's all the same to me!)

You have most of the big city amenities yet the area is still safe with low crime. The city is clean with lots of green areas and access to water with plenty of beaches and boating. Gatineau park is beautiful and provides many recreational opportunities. And I don't think it's boring at all - there's the market, the Senators, the NAC... And it's central too: you're a couple of hours from Montreal and Mont-Tremblant and the U.S. is an hour away.

For DisneyLisa: What scrapbooking store are you referring to? I just started and so far I've only found supplies at Michaels.

 

[DisneyLisa]

Hi Sandy,

I'll PM you with the info & web address.