Would agree with previous posters about Britannia/Lincoln Heights - stay away as really cruddy ... I know, as I work in the area!
Am up for coffee/dinner when you get here and can give you a tour of the city. Just PM me for contact details.

Hi! Just wanted to agree with other posters that Ottawa is a great place to raise a family! It is really family-friendly and there is a lot to do there all year round! We moved (in 2004) with a 6 year old and a 16-month old. At that time we lived in Alta Vista, which is really nice and it's easy to get to anywhere you need from there. I think we were at most half an hour from anywhere we wanted to go to in general.

We moved back to UK at the end of a posting in 2007 and waited (and waited) to get our PR. We (hopefully) move back at the end of the year (in time for the snow, I hope) and will most likely live in Beacon Hill North,New Edinburgh or the Glebe.

My advice would be to see as many areas as possible! Get out and walk around; look at the map to find places you want to check out and don't feel you have to look too far out of town - you don't want to have to spend all your time driving back in. We had a big house last time (though OH's work) and believe me, there is such a thing as too big!!!

Like Lemonfish said, the Glebe is a really nice place to live. It's a great neighbourhood and very convenient.

Also, don't spend all your visit looking at Ottawa as a potential home - make sure you spend time just enjoying what the city has to offer the visitor as well as walking round looking at houses/shops/facilities. September usually has good weather, still warm, so enjoy!!

Just had a final thought - keep an eye out for a free newspaper called Capital Parent as you will be able to find out more about what's going on for kids. You sometimes see them in stands in the malls or at swimming pools etc (I used to get mine at the Wave Pool near Silver City). There are also various books available - Kids' Ottawa etc and a directory on services/activities etc. If you are in a large branch of Chapter's, have a look! I'm sure you will get lots of help from the people who have offered to meet up with you, wish I was there already!!

Goodness ! I can't believe I was shy to put up a thread here.. You are all so lovely and willing to help clearing the uncertainties and bringing light on the obscure doubts ! !

I just pm'd the people who offered to meet up, so a huge thank you for that ! !

We did like the Glebe and it is very reassuring to have such possitive feedback from the area.. The way we see it, we don't really need a gynormous house and acres of land.. As long as we get a garden and the rooms we need for the family (which doesn't seem to be a problem given you get all sort of other rooms such as the den, family room, etc. which can be converted into whatever you need) we're happy.. And yes, that was the attractive point of the Glebe: it seemed to be very nice and residential, but still very close to everything meaning that you don't really need to take the care every time you want to do something (even though I'm sure you do get used to that as part of the new way of life)

In any case, it is very clear that we must explore both types of living, as they have lots to offer in a fairly different way..

Once more, thank you for ever for all the advise and tips about the city and lifestyle in Ottawa ! It feels a lot more encouraging


from rainy London

Even then you don't really need it. I'd venture that the vast majority of Ottawans coming over here do so to eat or shop. The staff in those places are mostly bilingual, from what I have seen. Curiously, we went to a restaurant in Hull on Saturday and one of our servers couldn't speak French.

Surprised the server hasn't been lynched by the language police for that!

I don't think they are very active here.

Sorry my fault, didn't express myself right.
I have a friend who lived in the Glebe and is now in Old Ottawa South. It's a nice area but very expensive. Once you have settled your kids there and want to buy a house you have to dig deep in your pockets. (approx $580 000 plus) Many houses don't have Air Conditioning or need work doing. Garden space is small and the main roads i.e. Bank Street are busy. There are loads of parks like Brewer and Windsor that are lovely but there are loads of parks in every part of Ottawa. Compared to i.e. Riverside South or Findlay Creek you'll get a newer built with mostly finished basements, AC and kids can ride their bike around the house. But you'll have to have a car or use the bus.
Like you said : each to their own. For my taste I'd rather spend my money on activities and hols than on a house in a chic and fancy area ( nice tho). And I am a country girl and want to make the most of the space that Canada has to offer and not live cramped again.
Sorry didn't want to offend you, just think there is more space for kids to run, climb and ride their bike in other parts. Didn't mean the people were unfriendly.

Not offended at all

Agreed, that if you want a big yard, this is not the area. By UK standards, even in the cities, gardens are not generally large.

On my street though, which is quiet, the kids play out all evening, riding bikes, playing hockey, basketball, badminton in the middle of the road etc.

If you're a country-type person, could see how this area wouldn't appeal.

I'm a towny from London; this is as rural as I get...

We've been in Ottawa for 1 month now, we spent our first month over in Hull and both are nice places to live. I've heard it's significantly cheaper to live on the gatineau side if you have kids so you may want to consider that too. We live in the east end of Ottawa out past vanier it's less than 10 mins by car to downtown and my average commute on the bus is 20-30 mins depending on traffic. Nice area with good supermarket and lots of green space but that seems to be pretty normal here. We live in an apartment but I've seen lovely houses off montreal road past saint laurent boulevard near gloucester and new edinburgh. Prices seem to be pretty cheap around here but that's maybe due to the proximity to vanier!

French I hear every day where I live in the supermarket, on the bus chatting to my neighbours in the lift. Maybe it's an eastend thing I just assumed everywhere in Ottawa was like that. We were expecting to never speak French again after we left Gatineau but that definitely hasn't been the case. Needing French for work depends on the work you want government jobs and most jobs downtown seem to need French. Almost every job I've applied for asks for at least intermediate if not fluent french. Seems any job that doesn't need French is based out in the west end.

Hope that helps
Anita

Francophones are concentrated in the east end of Ottawa. It gets more noticeable the further east you go. Eastern Ontario, particularly the northern bit, has a large franco population. Towns like Casselman and Hawkesbury are overwhelmingly franco.

Hello dear expats,

Thank you all for the great advise, tips and comments. You've been wonderful ! !

Just wanted to let you know that we've had to postpone our trip for next year.. It's all good, we're fine and pregnancy is going well so there is nothing to worry about. Just one of those things...

Will still be here doing research and asking questions (and helping from here if I can) so we'll be in touch

Lotsa luv from rainy London (again)


xx

You hear a lot of French downtown too.

Although I suspect that there is a significant contribution from the Gatineese public servants who return across the river at night.

Came to Ottawa in 1963 and have always lived in the Brittania area. We up two kids ( one now lives in Montral the other in Washington DC)
Britannia has many different areas and on the whole is convenient for schools, public transport, stores and medical.

Great place to live as is most of Ottawa. I chose to live in the west end because the company that brought us over (General Dynamics) is located here.