Ottawa: What Is It Like?

Are you new to the city, or will you be moving soon?

As the Canadian capital, Ottawa is a beautiful and genuine city. It hosts over a million people and is known for its universities. It also has the longest canal in the world, which is an open air ice skating ring during the winter months – and the biggest in the world!

The weather is generally good – warm and sunny in the summer, but cold in the winter (the coldest in Eastern Canada). It is also developing a reputation for being one of the cleanest cities in the world! It is always well taken care of and constantly maintained.

The majority of the jobs are governmental, and because it is the only official bilingual city of Canada, it is mandatory that both English and French are spoken to find employment.

Transportation is generally good in the city. OC Transpo is the organisation that provides all the buses for the transit system, which runs from east to west. There is no underground system. It is also car and bicycle friendly.

In terms of activities, two sporting franchises have been operating in the last few years, Ottawa Fury and the RedBlacks. Both competing at high levels and have been giving Ottawa a better name! The Byward Market is known for all its restaurants and nightlife, and is generally very busy over the weekend. Right outside the market is the popular Rideau Mall, a large commercial centre.

Downtown Ottawa consists of Bank and Elgin Street, also popular areas with restaurants and a nightlife.

The capital city also has several festivals during the year, the biggest one being Canada Day celebrations at parliament hill. Hundreds of thousands of people gather there to celebrate on the 1st of July, where a beautiful ceremony and fireworks are on display. Next year will mark Canada’s 150th birthday! Other festivals include Winterlude in the winter, and the Tulip festival as well as Bluesfest keeps the city entertained.

Ottawa also boasts some unique museums. For the culturally curious, you can always visit the Canadian War Museum, the National Arts Centre which hosts many shows throughout the year, as well as the Canadian Museum of Nature.

Finally, in terms of housing, Ottawa has reasonably priced houses and many spacious neighbourhoods to choose from.