Living in Ottawa: Ultimate Guide

My aim with this guide is to offer you a unique perspective on what it’s like living in Ottawa.

My partner and I moved to Ottawa from London, UK having only spent 4 days here on vacation. So it’s fair to say when we first moved here we didn’t really know much about the city (or Canada!) at all!

But over the last couple of years of living in Ottawa, we’ve explored our new hometown at length, getting to know all the quirks that make Ottawa, Ottawa.

This journey from newbies to locals makes it easier for us to highlight the important bits of living in Ottawa that born-and-bred Ottawans might take for granted.

Living in Ottawa basics

Ottawa is the capital city of Canada in the province of Ontario.

It sits on the banks of the Ottawa River in south eastern Ontario, about a four hour drive northeast of Toronto. Immediately on the other side of the river is the province of Quebec and the city of Gatineau.

Together Ottawa and Gatineau make the Ottawa-Gatineau metropolitan area and the core of Canada’s federally designated National Capital Region.

Ottawa size

Ottawa’s headline figures for how big it is can be a little misleading I think. Let me explain…

As of June 2019 the City of Ottawa estimated the population of Ottawa to be around 1 million people. Including Gatineau it’s closer to 1.5 million people making it the fourth or fifth most populous city in Canada (depending on how you define population centres and city boundaries!).

Looking at these figures, Ottawa seems to be a pretty big city. But, if you’re trying to get a feel for how big a city feels then those figures are only half the story.

Here’s why:

The land footprint of Ottawa is vast: 2,796 km² vast! To put that in perspective that’s bigger than the combined area of Toronto, Montreal, Vancouver, Calgary and Edmonton (the other most populous cities in Canada).

The City of Ottawa produced this nifty graphic to illustrate the point:

If you combined the cities in this graphic you’d get a population of more than 7 million people.

My point being, Ottawa has a population of 1 million spread out over a huge area – so, apart from the “core” of the city, most of what is classed as Ottawa is empty or very sparsely populated!

Using City of Ottawa numbers, if we look just at the parts of the city inside the greenbelt (which surrounds the core of the city) the population is only 540,000 and the area is only about 200 km².

So, if you’re talking about Ottawa’s size and the question is ‘how big is Ottawa?’, the answer is, in my opinion – not that big.

That’s not to say it feels like a small town living in Ottawa, it definitely doesn’t. It’s a pretty sweet size: big enough and important enough to have a buzz to it, with goods restaurants, museums, nightlife, art etc., but small enough to get your hands around and really feel like you know the place.

For many people, living in Ottawa is living in an ideal city: a capital city with plenty going on but not a massive sprawling metropolis.

Ottawa neighbourhoods

In terms of getting a feel for the layout of the city and where to live if your moving to Ottawa, from a top level you can split the city into three categories: the main urban core, the suburbs and the rural areas.

City of Ottawa has a produced a map that provides a pretty good overview to help you get your bearings.

Using this map as a basis, the closer you are to Central Area (1), the closer you are to the city centre.

Ottawa Central Area

This Central Area (1) contains Ottawa’s big ticket spots like the Parliament of Canada, ByWard Market, and a lot of the Blue Chip company offices.

You won’t hear anyone talk about this area as “Central Area”, that’s just what the City of Ottawa map calls it.

This area is split into the neighbourhoods of Downtown on the west side of the Rideau Canal; and Lowertown, which includes ByWard Market, on the east side. It’s these names rather than “Central Area” you’ll hear.

There isn’t an abundance of housing in this area, it’s more offices, tourist spots and restaurants/bars.

Ottawa Inner Area

Inner Area (2) is a whole bunch of inner city neighbourhoods and is where the bulk of the inner city housing is. Again, “Inner Area” isn’t a term used by people living in the city – it’s just what the City of Ottawa map calls it.

Here is a quick rundown of some of the neighbourhoods you’ll hear people talking about:

• Centretown – restaurants, bars and those who want to live right in the middle of the action.
• The Glebe – still central but probably a bit more neighbourhood vibes with lovely old homes and plenty of restaurants and bars. I like this area a lot – nice mix of established streets with fresh energy.
• Centretown West – I like it. Contains Chinatown and Little Italy. Lots of older homes mixed with new developments. Plenty of bars and restaurants. Some areas can feel a little rough around the edges but not unsafely so.
• Sandy Hill – students! The main campus of University of Ottawa is here so it has a lot of student accommodation as you’d expect. Easy access to Centre Town and ByWard Market and all the restaurants and bars.
• ByWard Market – one of the most bustling areas of the city. Lots of nightlife. Some parts of it can seem a little rough around the edges. Often referred to just as “the market”. (Actually located in the Central Area 1 section).

Ottawa East

The Ottawa East (3) area has pretty varied neighbourhoods.

Up in the top you have New Edinburgh and Rockcliffe Park neighbourhoods which are pretty much the most affluent areas of the city – think beautiful mansions and sweeping lawns.

Rockcliffe Park is considered by many to the best neighbourhood in Ottawa. If you’ve got plenty of money this would be a great place to raise a family.

Incidentally, the Prime Minister’s official residence is here as is the Governor General’s.

Heading south in this block is into the Vanier neighbourhood. Which, in contract to New Edinburgh and Rockcliffe Park’s exclusivity, is one of the more disadvantaged parts of Ottawa. Investment is being made to improve the area and indeed many parts of it have fine homes and a good vibe. But you will want to make sure you know the area is right for you before you move there.

Ottawa West

Where Ottawa East is starting to get into relaxed neighbourhoods, Ottawa West (8) has areas that are buzzing and definitely still part of the urban core: Hintonburg being the main neighbourhood in this category.

You’ve also got Westboro which has a main street with plenty of good restaurants, bars and shops with the streets around it having lovely family homes. It’s also got Westboro beach on the Ottawa River for the summer months.

Once you’re out of the areas mentioned above, I would say you’re more into suburban areas.

Normal family homes and normal daily amenities to make for a comfortable life living in Ottawa. Each area for sure has its own draws and attractions but generally, if you want “city-living” you have to head into one of the more central areas.

Ottawa Suburbs

Kanata and Stittsville

Kanata and Stittsville (11) both used to be towns/settlements in their own right before being incorporated into the Ottawa suburbs.

Kanata is now a huge expanse of new build homes, and has the largest population of any Ottawa area on the map. Many of the residents work in the multitude of technology companies with office based there.

It’s a pleasant place to live with plenty of well-to-do families. There’s lot of amenities scattered throughout the area and restaurants and bars almost exclusively in strip malls. There isn’t really a main street or pavement culture at all – it’s a get in your car and drive somewhere kinda place.   

Stittsville has a bit of an older more established feel, there’s more of an obvious centre with some restaurants and bars. 

Nepean

The suburb of Nepean (South Nepean 12 on the map) includes the neighbourhood of Barrhaven and was also a city in its own right until it was amalgamated into Ottawa in 2001.

Along with the newer community of Riverside South (13), these are again, pleasant suburbs of Ottawa with normal family homes and amenities.   

Orleans

Orleans (15) is the second most populous suburb on the Ottawa map. It’s known for its large French-speaking population and encompasses a number of different neighbourhoods.

As with the other suburbs, it has plenty of amenities and has good transport to downtown.

Rural Ottawa: beyond the suburbs

Ottawa extends significantly beyond the suburbs into pretty rural areas.

This can either offer great options for exploring the countryside on days out, or, depending on what you’re after, lovely places to live.  

There are a number of small villages and settlements scattered throughout the region which still retain their independent character and many historically significant buildings.

Some of the more sizeable rural communities include Manotick (on the banks of the Rideau River with its old mill), Carp (where the Diefenbunker Cold War Museum is), Richmond and Greely. Some being more rural than others!

The countryside communities contribute a lot to making Ottawa a great place to live: cute cafes, pumpkin patches, river paddling, hiking, corn mazes, parks, open water swimming, museums, sugarbushes, and loads more.

Best neighbourhoods to live in Ottawa

Do you want an apartment in the heart of the action? Then ByWard Market or Centretown might be your best areas to live.

If you want a slower pace, then a home in Manotick on the river might be your bliss.

If you need an affordable large family home then Kanata or Nepean could be just the ticket for living in Ottawa.

Basically, Ottawa can offer you whatever type of living you want. From full-on bustling city living with great restaurants and bars right on your doorstep, right through to a country house in perfect isolation with acres of land to call your own.  

Things to do in Ottawa

Given Ottawa is the capital city of Canada you’d probably expect it to have lots of sites to see, and you’d be right. There’s a ton of tourist spots and things to do in Ottawa. Below are a few of my big ticket favourites.

But if you’re looking for things to do in Ottawa I’d suggest checking out Viator. I’m always looking for new stuff to do and Viator shows you cool tours and experiences from all different companies that I otherwise wouldn’t know about. It’s owned by Tripadvisor so it’s like Tripadvisor for experiences.

• Spend a day wandering around the big ticket sites: The central part of Ottawa is fairly compact so you can walk around the sites pretty easily. I’m talking:
  • Parliament Hill with the iconic Peace Tower
  • Rideau Canal and its series of locks down to the Ottawa River (not forgetting the iceskating in winter)
  • Byward Market to soak up the atmosphere
  • Notre Dame Cathedral just next to the market
• Ottawa’s museums. My favourites are:
  • Canadian Museum of History (especially good for an immigrant like me to learn all about the history of Canada)
  • Canadian War Museum
  • Canadian Museum of Nature (check out their Nature Nocturne nighttime events – very cool)
• Find your favourite park. Maybe it’s a cute little city block park, or one on the Ottawa River? Or do you prefer the Rideau River parks? Maybe it’s Dominion Arboretum or Major’s Hill that float your boat?
• Explore some of the less obvious neighbourhoods. One of the things I love about Ottawa is the different vibes of its neighbourhoods. Pick a neighbourhood and go for a wander. Check out the Neighbourhoods section above for an overview but I love Little Italy, New Edinburgh, the Glebe and Hintonburg.

Like I said above, these are some of my big ticket favourites, but if you’re looking for something less obvious to fill your leisure time then Viator has lots of other suggestions.

All of the products and services I recommend on Canada for Newbies are independently selected based upon what I’ve personally found to be useful. If you book something using Viator at the links above I might earn a small affiliate commission. It won’t cost you anything at all and I would never recommend something I don’t believe in and use myself.

Day trips from Ottawa

One of the great things about living in Ottawa is that it has loads of world class tourist spots in the city itself, but if you’re fancying a trip out the city centre, there are heaps of fantastic places to visit near Ottawa that make a lovely day trip.

So, in no particular order here’s some day trips from Ottawa:

Amble around one of the cute towns around Ottawa

There’s a multitude of cute little towns and villages that make a nice day trip out of the city:

Perth. Lovely small, historic town to explore. The main street has interesting shops to peruse and there’s a beautiful park by the Tay River which is a great spot for a picnic from one of the many wee cafes and restaurants.

Almonte. Smaller than Perth but still with quirky and artsy shops to explore on its main streets. The town is right on the Mississippi river and was built as a mill town which makes for some lovely old buildings. There’s a short Riverwalk route in the town that takes you past some of the nicest spots and has interesting plaques about the history of the town.

Explore the Thousand Islands

Spread out along the Saint Lawrence River there’s loads to do here. It’s a constellation of over 1800 islands from Kingston to Brockville. Take the Thousand Islands Parkway between Gananoque and Brockville for picture-perfect vistas. And take a cruise or paddle yourself to explore the islands from the water.

Go caving at Bonnechere Caves

Take one of the informative tours to explore this substantial cave network formed hundreds of millions of years ago. Kids (and, let’s face it, the adults too) will enjoy squeezing through some of the tiny tunnels that run off the main caverns.

Zip line over a waterfall at Chutes Coulonge

Another waterfall in Quebec. You can walk around the complex to the series of lookout points over some pretty impressive waterfalls. Or if adventure is more your type of thing there’s canyon zip lines and obstacle courses for your excitement. Paid entry is required even just to walk around.   

Go underground at the Diefenbunker museum

Definitely not your normal museum; this is a cold war era nuclear bunker built to house key members of the Canadian government and military in the event of a nuclear attack. You can explore the whole – kind of eery – complex and learn about this amazing facility.  There’s also a great escape rooms experience you can do here.

Feed the deer at Parc Omega

A drive through safari park, home to Canada’s wild animals (so think bears, wolves and elk rather than the lions and tigers). You can feed the deer and elk carrots from your car window.

Get lost in a corn maze

Enjoy a wholesome afternoon getting lost in a corn maze. There’s a bunch of these scattered around Ottawa that tend to run from around early September to end of October. Many of them have hayrides and pumpkin patches and that kind of good clean fun.

Stoke your imagination at Upper Canada Village

Costume clad actors animate this recreated 1860s town. You can meander through at your own pace but I think it’s best visited when there’s one of their light festival on such as Pumpkin inferno or Alight at Night.

Hikes near Ottawa

Whilst there are tons of great walks to be had in the city limits. One of the good things about living in Ottawa is there are some fantastic hikes to be had around Ottawa.

But, somewhat surprisingly, there are no significant mountains in Ontario – the closest mountains are actually in New York State. And the area around Ottawa (at least on the Ontario side) is particularly flat.

So whilst there aren’t really any mountain hikes, there’s plenty of Ottawa hiking trails that offer their own unique rewards.   

There’s a whole bunch of hikes in Gatineau Park, just across the river from Ottawa. But beyond that, here are a few of my favourites hikes near Ottawa that are within day trip distance:

Morris Island Conservation Area

There are a few different trail options on this woodlands and wetlands site on the Ottawa River. There’s a causeway through part of the river and the trails take you round some cool little inlets on the Ottawa river. Given the inlets and bay, it’s also a great place to kayak. There’s a site fee per vehicle.

Algonquin Provincial Park

This, I think, is my favourite spot for hiking.

Whilst the park is huge and I’d definitely suggest it warrants a few days to explore, if you’re wanting just a day trip from Ottawa you probably want to stick to the eastern border section.

So, my two favourite hikes in that portion of Algonquin are:

Barron Canyon Trail. A disappointingly-short trail (1.5km) is more than made up for by the amazing views along the ridge of this 100m canyon. Best views within day trip distance of Ottawa!

High Falls Cheater Trail. A longer hike (8.5km) out to some small falls and lakes. In the summer you can swim in the swimming holes and ride down the natural rock waterslide. It can get quite busy in the summer with families spending the day here.

Murphys Point Provincial Park

There’s a few nice hikes in this provincial park taking in the views around the shores of Big Rideau Lake leading to sandy beaches.

If you like your hike with some history, there’s a cool one out to an old open mica pit mine with some heritage displays and rebuilt miner buildings.

Rock Dunder

One of the best views on day hikes from Ottawa at the top of this hill on a 4 kilometre loop. Access to the site is ticketed.

Those are just a couple of my favourite Ottawa hikes. But do also check out the day trips section above which has some shorter hikes/walks to waterfalls and stuff.

A great resource for detailed Ottawa area hikes is this site: Adventure Report. It’s well written and gives you all the details you need for each hike.

Living in Ottawa: restaurants

Ask most Ottawans about the restaurant scene here and most will say something along the lines of  “…people who don’t live here give it a bad rep, but things have changed a lot and the food scene is really quite good now.”

So, given I’ve been living in Ottawa just short of two years, I can’t really comment on what the food scene used to be like in Ottawa (or if it truly does have a dreary reputation).

But what I can say with confidence is Ottawa has got a pretty solid (and definitely growing) restaurant scene.  I’m most certainly what people would describe as a foodie, and I don’t like parting with my funds for forgettable fodder.  

Given the city is smaller than a Montreal or Toronto, the sheer number of restaurants is obviously fewer but there are definitely passionate people here turning out creative and confident food in great-atmosphere dining rooms.

As you’d expect, the best restaurants all tend to be in one of the central neighbourhoods rather than the suburbs.

Little Italy, the Glebe, Hintonburg, Westboro and ByWard Market all have a good selection of restaurants to fit most moods.    

Best restaurants in Ottawa

So, here are a few of the best restaurants in Ottawa that I suggest you check out.

Each one fills a different spot in my dining habits but each is delish.

Cantina Gia. Fairly new Italian place in the Glebe. A cool vibe (think Negronis on tap – kinda gimmicky but kinda fun). Food is definitely not your standard Italian-North American pasta and pizza! This place is the younger, more casual, brother to North and Navy (see below).

North and Navy. Centretown northern Italian restaurant. More expensive and potentially more refined than Cantina. Probably best summed up by saying, North and Navy: you’re celebrating or treating yourself; Cantina Gia: you fancy some great food and a good time.

El Camino. It was here that my partner and I made the decision to move to Ottawa so it has a bit of a special place in my heart. Mexican food in ByWard Market – tacos mainly. Really loud, lively fun atmosphere. Good place to start a night out. Great margs!

Eldorado Taco. Another Mexican, this time in Little Italy. Potentially a little bit more of a creative twist to Mexican than El Camino – goods vibes.

Fairouz. Middle Eastern restaurant (although it describes itself as a café) in ByWard Market. Upscale and stylish with quality nosh and fun cocktails. A million miles away from the plethora of dreary Shawarma joints that pervade Ottawa!

Mati. Not actually been here yet but heard good things about it. It’s crudo and seafood & meat over charcoal. The dining rooms looks great and buzzy atmosphere.

Whalesbone. There’s a couple of locations of this oyster and seafood place in Ottawa. Quite fun sitting at the bar and watching the staff’s oyster shucking skills. All the stuff on their menu is lovely.  

Living in Ottawa nightlife: best bars and pubs

There’s no shortage of places to get a beverage living in Ottawa, but what I struggle with slightly is that a lot of places tend to be primarily eating places that also serve drinks.

So each of the restaurants I’ve listed above also do serious drinks – and some are more towards what I’d call a bar (see El Camino). But sometimes you just want to go to a bar that feels like a bar.

So, for those occasions, here’s a few of the best bars in Ottawa:

Bar Lucy. A newish cocktail bar in the ByWard Market area. Cool intimate space with nice cocktails.

The Moonroom. Serious cocktails, great staff, hip vibe, Little Italy. One of my favs.

Umbrella Bar. Great place for the summer with a massive terrace right on Dows lake. Drinks (and food) are decent but it’s the atmosphere that’s the main USP here.

Ward 14. Very cool little cocktail and consignment bar in Little Italy with vintage, hipster vibes. I really like the effortless cool of this place.

Queen St. Fare. Not really sure whether to put this under restaurants or here. But anyway, it’s a food hall with various food booths from Ottawa restaurants but also a a good bar. Given its location in Centretown it gets lively in the evenings.

The Rainbow Bistro – if you’re after some live music with your drinking, this is a good option. Diverse live music bar in ByWard Market.

So those are a few of my suggestions but really, you’re never too far away from somewhere to get a drink in Ottawa.

There’s tons of fairly generic but fun and lively bars and pubs in most central neighbourhoods. ByWard Market is particularly rowdy on the weekends and, along with Centretown, the main place for nightclubs to take it into the wee hours.

Cost of living in Ottawa

Of the bigger cities in Canada, the cost of living in Ottawa is about middle of the pack.

Using Numbeo data (which crowd sources various living expenses across the globe), if you include rent/mortgage costs, Ottawa is the 10^th most expensive city to live in Canada (as of March 2021).

Rank	City	Cost of living + rent index	Cost of living index	Rent index
1	Toronto	64.89	75.26	52.97
2	North Vancouver	63.87	69.16	57.79
3	Vancouver	63.83	73.68	52.51
4	Burnaby	62.54	74.91	48.33
5	Surrey	60.41	75.47	43.11
6	Mississauga	60.3	71.77	47.12
7	Coquitlam	59.01	69.72	46.7
8	Victoria	58.91	72.17	43.68
9	Markham	58.82	69.75	46.27
10	Ottawa	57.74	72.57	40.7
11	Brampton	57.05	70.64	41.44
12	Halifax	56.03	74.94	34.31
13	Calgary	53.87	72.55	32.42
14	Kingston	53.47	72.24	31.9
15	Guelph	53.41	70.06	34.27
16	Nanaimo, BC	53.1	71.15	32.37
17	Hamilton	52.8	69.14	34.03
18	Kelowna	52.72	65.98	37.49
19	Edmonton	51.94	71.98	28.92
20	London, Canada	51.9	67.72	33.74
21	Fredericton	51.53	75.56	23.92
22	Saskatoon	51.17	71.05	28.34
23	Regina	51.16	69.99	29.53
24	Saint John's	51.07	76.12	22.31
25	Montreal	51.03	68.34	31.16
26	Kitchener	50.87	66.08	33.41
27	Winnipeg	50.17	70.36	26.97
28	Red Deer	49.67	72.92	22.96
29	Windsor	47.86	65.51	27.57
30	Quebec City	45.84	67.49	20.96

Table 1: cost of living index for various Canadian cities

Check out our other articles for costs of living in Canada in general or specifically for Ontario.

Living expenses in Ottawa

Sample living expenses in Ottawa vs Toronto

To give you a rough feel for how expensive living in Ottawa is, I’ve compared some basic living costs in Ottawa against Toronto – widely regarded as the most expensive city to live in Canada.

On average, consumer prices in Ottawa are around 3% lower than Toronto (not including rent).

Restaurant prices around 4% lower in Ottawa than Toronto and there’s no real tangible difference between grocery costs.

Salaries are higher in Toronto. The average monthly salary after tax in Ottawa is $3,794. In Toronto it’s $4,166.

But this higher average salary does not make up for the higher living costs. The local purchasing power, which is basically a measure of how much goods and services the average salary can buy, is 1.71% higher in Ottawa than Toronto.

Average house price living in Ottawa vs Toronto

Real estate costs in Ottawa are considerably cheaper than Toronto.

As of February 2021, the average freehold property price in Ottawa was $739k and $389k for a condo.

Buying a home in central Ottawa is about 54% cheaper than central Toronto. If you’re looking outside the city centre, Ottawa is about 65% cheaper.

Average rent living in Ottawa vs Toronto

Looking at real estate rental prices – average rent in Ottawa for a 1 bedroom apartment in the city centre is $1,620 a month: around 21% cheaper in Ottawa than Toronto. Outside the city centre, real estate average rent in Ottawa is about 24% cheaper than Toronto.

The climate living in Ottawa

Ottawa’s yearly weather is extreme. The summers are hot, humid and feverishly short. The winters are cold, snowy and stubbornly lengthy.

Winter weather lasts into March and April with snow not being uncommon in April.

Things start to heat up a bit in May when you can often get some lovely warm days (followed by some pretty cold ones just to keep you on your toes!).  

Proper hot summer weather is basically June to August. It can be really hot, but after the cold winter people make the most of the warm weather and are almost feverish in their enthusiasm to enjoy the outdoors.  

It starts getting cooler in September with some pleasant temperatures tailing off in October. By November winter is taking hold and snow is in the air.

It’s definitely worth embracing the winter in Ottawa. Definitely invest in some proper winter coats and boots and it will make life much easier. There is loads to enjoy outside from the miles of groomed cross country skiing trails in the city to skating on the Rideau Canal.

Jobs and economy living in Ottawa

The perception for many is Ottawa is a government town. And whilst the largest single employer in Ottawa is the federal government (followed by the City of Ottawa), the high-tech sector is the biggest sector in Ottawa.

High tech and federal government account for around 19% and 18% of Ottawa’s GDP respectively.

My point is that Ottawa isn’t monopolised by the federal government and living in Ottawa doesn’t feel like a place that exists only for those who are employed there.

There are many high quality, highly specialised jobs around Ottawa. Shopify started and is headquartered in Ottawa and tech companies are the biggest tenants in Ottawa’s central district.   

Data source: City of Ottawa

Ottawa’s median household income is the highest of the largest Canadian cities. As of 2018 it was around $113,000.

The unemployment rate in Ottawa is lower than both the provincial and national rate. As of December 2020 it was 5.4% (vs 6% for Canada and 5.7% for Ontario).

Universities and colleges in Ottawa

Ottawa has a substantial student population with the two main universities having over 70,000 students between them.

Ottawa’s two main public universities are the University of Ottawa and Carleton University.

The University of Ottawa, referred to as uOttawa locally, is the largest bilingual university in the world and is ranked seventh in Canada by the Times World University Rankings. Its main campus is in the Sandy Hill area in the centre of Ottawa.

Carleton University is ranked 19^th in Canada by the Times World University Rankings and has its campus slightly further out of the centre in a lovely spot next to Dow’s lake.

Along with the two Universities, Ottawa has a couple of good colleges: English speaking Algonquin College and the French speaking Collège La Cité.

School system in Ottawa

Most Ontario and Ottawa parents send their children to public schools (i.e. free, state funded schools).

There are four publicly-funded school boards in the Ottawa area: English public, English Catholic, French public and French Catholic.

There are various factors to consider when deciding on schools including French immersion programs within the English boards, as well as alternative programs and specialty high schools.

For schools within the City of Ottawa, around 53% of public students attend English public schools, 30% English Catholic, 10% French public and 7% French Catholic.

Ottawa’s schools perform relatively well in provincial comparisons, being slightly above the provincial average for both reading (4% higher) and math (10% higher) standards. Though there is significant variation between schools.

Ottawa public transit

Ottawa has a pretty good public transport system called OC Transpo which the City continues to invest in.

Light rail

The biggest transport investment in Ottawa recently has been the introduction of a brand new light rail transit line going east to west across the main core of the city – dubbed O-Train. The image below shows the route of the line through the city – from Blair in the east to Tunney’s Pasture in the west.

Buses in Ottawa

There’s a fairly comprehensive bus network to complement the O-Train that mainly focuses on ferrying people to the light rail stations or into the core of the city.

Once you get outside of the main urban centre, the public transport starts to thin out pretty quickly apart from along a few main bus routes to take you to O-Train stations – what OC Transpo calls Rapid routes.

So if you want the best public transport links you really want to be near an O-Train station. After that you’ll want to look at local or frequent bus routes in the main urban areas or rapid bus routes if you’re in one of the suburbs.

Bikes

Ottawa is also pretty good for getting around on bike. There’s the Capital Pathway which is a network of over 200 kilometres of off road multi-use pathways that is good for leisure and commuting.

Along with that, there’s a lot of investment going into making the city roads more bike friendly – with segregated bike lanes and safer junctions for example.

But, do keep in mind that during winter when there’s a lot of snow around biking probably isn’t a viable option for most people. So you can’t really rely on using your bike year round.

Roads

If going by car is more your type of thing then Ottawa’s road network seems better than others. Rush hour traffic doesn’t seem nearly as congested as other major cities.

The city sits on the Trans-Canada Highway allowing for an easy journey to Montreal and Highways 416 and 401 provide the same to Toronto.

Grocery stores living in Ottawa

Ottawa’s grocery stores are, for the most part, the familiar ones most people would expect from a large city in Ontario.

But for anyone that’s new to Canada, I’ll give you a quick rundown of the supermarket chains you’ll find living in Ottawa.

Firstly however, I’ll caution that, in my experience, there is no one supermarket brand that you can go to and be confident that, across all products, it’s competitively priced. Prices vary widely and inconsistently between supermarkets.

So just keep an eye on individual item prices. It might be that you end up shopping at a couple of different stores depending on what items you’re buying.

My rundown on supermarkets in Ottawa:

Loblaws, Real Canadian Superstore and Your Independent Grocer (aka. Independent). I’ve lumped these three together because they’re all owned by the same company (Loblaw). Middle of the road kind of places. Some are nicer than others. Amongst regular consumer branded goods they also have their own-brand products, named President Choice which I think are pretty good.  

Metro. A Quebecois group of grocery stores. On the whole, slightly more expensive than Loblaws (but not across the board – as per above caution). They have some different products.

Sobeys. Another big grocery chain. Not that much to differentiate it from others.

Farm Boy. Definitely my favourite grocery store. A local Ottawa mini-chain (now expanding into other parts of Ontario). They’ve got a focus on fresh produce and delish made in store food. But it is a full supermarket (apart from non-food stuff). I do the majority of my grocery shopping here and find it, on average across everything, the most consistent on competitive pricing. I love it!

T&T Supermarket. Primarily sells Asian foods, so it’s great if you’re needing something like that. Also owned by Loblaws.

Walmart. Everyone knows Walmart – love it or hate it, it sometimes serves a purpose.

There’s some other supermarkets that label themselves as “discount” supermarkets, particularly FreshCo (owned by Sobeys) and Food Basics (owned by Metro). But honestly I don’t think they’re tangibly cheaper than others.

Given the discount stores tend to be owned by the established chains, there’s little chance they’re going to be  true discount/market-disruptor stores like you might be familiar with elsewhere such as Aldi or Lidl.

Special things about living in Ottawa

Ottawa is clean and looks good

Ottawa is Canada’s capital city and it shows! It’s clear a lot of effort goes into making sure the city looks impressive, is clean, and puts its best foot forward.

In fact, it’s federally mandated that the city has to look nice!

The National Capital Commission (NCC) has a federal mandate to build the National Capital Region into a source of pride and unity for Canadians so you can be sure that the city is going look the part.    

The NCC manages a large proportion of the nicest bits of Ottawa and the wider National Capital Region. From the most impressive parks, to picturesque parkways and ceremonial boulevards, grand federal buildings and of course the World Heritage Site Rideau Canal.

Living in Ottawa is easy for both English and French speakers

Ottawa is a very bilingual place to live. Around 14% of residents have French as their mother tongue which is significantly higher than any other major Canadian city outside of Quebec. 38% of the population are able to speak both French and English.

That’s not to say you need to be able to speak French to live in Ottawa. You can easily live in Ottawa without speaking French – neither me nor my partner speak French and have never had a problem.

People living in Ottawa love to be active

Ottawa has lots of different options to get out and about and keep active – and the residents definitely make use of it!

You’ll see people out whatever the weather. From hiking, cycling and cross country skiing in Gatineau Park and the Capital Pathway, to skating on the Rideau Canal, through paddle boarding on the Ottawa River and playing volleyball on the beaches.

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So that’s it. That’s my take on living in Ottawa.

But what do you think? Is there a great bar I’ve missed?

Or something that you wanted to know that I’ve not talked about?

Drop me a line in the comments below – I’d love to hear.