JB0591

Bull Riding was great fun, as the for cougar hunt I think that is more of a Fri/Sat night thing in there....(so i am told)

The Broken Cue is fine for a game of pool, snooker or darts. Lots of pool tables, one full size snooker table and 4 or 5 dart boards. Never had an issues in the place although we only go every few months. They dont do food but will call out for Pizza and/or Wings for you.

SambaDeAmigo

Look into Barrhaven (in Nepean). It's a growing community with a frequent bus route to downtown. Lots of houses to rent or buy and very family-friendly.

Lemonfish

Ottawa has been a good choice for us - nearly 6 years and no regrets.

We live more or less downtown in the Glebe and love it here. As a fellow ex-Londoner, I found having access to all the amenities less of a culture shock than moving to the burbs would be. You would find a similar thing in Westboro.

Both are very walkable neighbourhoods and we didn't have a car for our first year here. I also find Ottawa feels very safe, particularly compared with SE London which is where I lived (Nunhead/Peckham).

One thing I do prefer about Westboro than the Glebe is access to the Transitway, which is much quicker than our buses here. They are also going to be putting light rail into that area in the near future (think DLR) which will be great too.

Things I like:
- Good housing cost vs. wages trade-off, one of the best in the country I believe. Houses have increased in price, but average wage (and education level) is high, and prices are less than Vancouver, Toronto or Calgary.

- Plenty of culture stuff for a city of its size - museums, galleries, arts etc. Now I have a toddler, that's a bit less important, but there's plenty to do. There are also some very good fine-dining restaurants here (Beckta, Play, Urban Pear among others) although obviously less than somewhere like Toronto. Not a clubbing city though, if that's your thing.

- Access to nature. Driving out to the Gatineau hills, Wakefield or Chelsea villages, walks, beaches by the river, lakes and parks close by are all great. You are out of the city in no time at all.

- Accessible to other places. Reasonable driving distance to Montreal for a cool big city (2.5 hours), Toronto, Vermont/New Hampshire and further south to beaches if you have a day or two to spare. Airport direct flights to London or Frankfurt, plus can use Montreal airport if needed.

- Bilingual city. I like this as making life more interesting and makes Ottawa feel like home, but I'm aware that some people have issues in regard to employment etc. If you do speak French, employment will be easier in some industries (government, health sector) although less relevant to others (IT)

- People. I find the city relatively friendly although others say it is reserved compared to other places in Canada. Can only speak from personal experience, but we've made friends here, although have obviously needed to make an effort.

- Winter. Its cold and long. By March, I'm going a little crazy being cooped up inside too much. People do sports like skiing and skating to cope, but I can't really do either, so guess that's my fault for not learning. Nice blue skies though and the snow really shines on those sunny days.

- Summer. Very humid at times. Biggest surprise moving here was how hot it gets, particularly as it sits in a river valley where the heat doesn't move. Some days in July or August it reminds me of trips to Singapore or far east. Personally I need air conditioning here for those 2-3 months. On the upside, warm evenings where you can sit out until late with a glass of wine on the deck wearing a t-shirt are great.

Hope helps

LF

AnneMarieC

Thanks all - fantastic tips! It's making it all the more real as we start to imagine ourselves somewhere other than London!


Bricking it about not having a job set up to go to (though will start making contacts with agencies in the next couple of weeks), especially in terms of also trying to find accommodation that doesn't break the bank. Any locals have any scoops on short term rentals / b&b's / motels that are under $100/night whilst we try and sort something? Will need t'internet access. I've been looking at Craigs List, Kijiji, Viewit, Airbnb - also just wondering if there's some others out there I've not thought of.

Siouxie

There's a few places on these websites for under $100 a night - not sure how many bedrooms you need?

http://www.flipkey.com/ottawa-vacati...-featured=desc

(this one seems to be recommended - http://www.flipkey.com/ottawa-condo-rentals/p468871/)

https://www.airbnb.ca/s/Ottawa--Cana...&price_max=100

B&B offering discount for long stay: http://ottawa.kijiji.ca/c-real-estat...AdIdZ527042984

Partially discharged

Great links....I never knew about many of those types of places. The B and B is right across the road from a park for the OP's child. It is in a safe area and literally 50 m from Elgin Street and its shops/restaurants/pubs.

sarahloo

i have lived in kanata for the past 3 years and love there are loads of shops bus service isnt to bad from what i hear.
lots of resturants,open spaces, lots of kids sports (i know you dont need that yet but you know its there)
close to scotia bank (canadian tire centre) so easy to get to concerts , hockey
close enough to city if you want it (an hr on bus) but far enough away .
lots of places to see the wildlife (feeding the deer, birds watching the chip monks)
great areas for cross country ski ing not too far from ski hills
good luck with your new adventure

Steve_

I don't pretend to be an expert on the realty market in Ottawa but Calgary is all much of a muchness, in Ottawa there is a wide variety. If you're okay living in a condo apartment then you can do it for the same or maybe even less than in Calgary - Calgary isn't really a condo apartment type of market (yet).

Ottawa has a lot of big old houses which obviously don't exist in Calgary, and they cost a mint. When you add on the higher property taxes too, it starts to get pricey compared to Calgary. If you wanted a typical 3-bedroom house you could do it more easily in Calgary I reckon.

Ottawa is the only place I can think of in Canada where I wouldn't mind moving to from Calgary, but it's the taxes and the overcast weather that put me off. There's definitely more to do than in Calgary though.

bats

Overcast?

AnneMarieC

We're renting for the foreseeable future so not too worried about the property market just yet. Rentals are definitely cheaper.

I know what you mean about the taxes - but its offset by being able to claim back a portion of the rent / better child benefits / less rednecks / no migraine-inducing chinooks / but most importantly a city we both don't know. I hear its pretty sunny though ... anything's better than London weather! hehe

dollface

My B-I-L and family live in Stittsville too! we also lived there for 3 years. Defo need a car - Poster should head toward Westboro if possible, if West Ottawa is the best area for them. Nothing good about Carling really.

AnneMarieC

Thanks Dollface - we are indeed focussing on Westboro / Wellington type area(s).

dollface

We also lived South side for 6 years prior to Stittsville, again need a car. Westboro is great, lots of neat wee cafe's, gastropubs, and shops etc.

Souvy

It was a typo. What he meant to write was "blazing sunshine". Easy mistake to make.

ninaDGBCA

Family areas if you like cookie cutter : Kanata. Barrhaven, Findlay Creek, Hunt Club, all have OC Transpo access.

Things to do in and around Ottawa/Ottawa Valley: Museums, Winterlude, skiing, skating, lakes, rivers, apple picking, Spooky wagon rides....

Weather: Hot and humid in summer and cold, sometimes very cold in winter, oh and possibly tons of snow

Jobs I can't help but I've a friend that used to work in accountancy and can ask her if she still has contacts if you want.

We lived Hunt Club btw but moved out into the lovely Lanark country side, but you'd defo need a car out in the boonies.

PM me if you've any questions if you like.