Where to live in Ottawa?
As someone who recently relocated to Ottawa (for university) and is currently working for the federal government, I hope I can offer a little bit of insight… If you’re looking for an area with plenty of young people/uni students and tourists, the place to look would be the Byward Market. It’s full of clubs and restaurants and is only a short walk to the National Arts Centre, Parliament Hill, the Rideau Canal and various other interesting places. Living in the Market can be expensive, but I’m sure you could find something within your range. I live a little further afield, myself, but I’m still close to many a tiny cafe and restaurant, so anywhere in the “Downtown” area would probably suit your needs. Ottawa has a fantatic transit system. I bus to and from work everyday, and I have never had a problem finding a bus that is going in my direction. Buses are frequent and, more often than not, on time. Althought I’ve never taken a bus there specifically, OC Transpo probably runs a bus dire
I’d say live in Centretown as it’s the closest reasonable place to les Terasses de la Chaudière (if by close you mean a 20-40 minute walk), but the north-west part of Centretown (closest to Hull) is farthest from basic amenities like grocery stores, restaurants, etc and is just canyons of highrise apartments, hotels and condos. The more interesting part of Centretown for the young crowd is probably Bank Street, with Elgin Street skewing a bit older and being more pubby/restauranty compared to Bank Street’s live music venues and skeezy “dive-pubs” for lack of a better word. An apartment for under $1000 is quite doable provided you don’t want parking.
I’ve lived here my entire live and so let me share with you my opinions…and biases. Centretown can’t be beat for the location, amenities and friendly folks. Sure, it’s also where you’re going to find all kinds of social problems, but unlike the suburbs the problems are in plain view. Streets that feed off of Bay and Percy are both good bets if you want to pay less than what you would in the Elgin/Golden Triangle area. Be wary of the area bounded by Bronson, Sommerset, Booth and Gladstone. That’s become a real shit hole. And I’m being charitable. Granted, Centretown living space isn’t cheap, but it will be less than what you’d pay for living in the Glebe or Westboro, both of which have become over-run with people who have more money than brains…and and annoying sameness to their lives. One area to avoid completely is the Lees Avenue apartments. They’re in a cluster and lure newcomers with the appeal of being close to downtown, the canal and the Market. But it’s also where you’ll fin
Single twenty-one year old male here: I’ve been living in Little Italy for about a year and a half and I’ve really enjoyed it. You’ll definitely be able to find a place for less than $1000 a month, so that’s no worry. The area is also pretty well connected transitwise. There are a few ways to get downtown from here by public transit and they all take 10 – 15 minutes. I put my address into the OC Transpo Travel Planner to see what the Little Italy to TLC commute is like and it says that the total duration is 26 minutes, with one transfer. You could bike to work from here too, and I expect it would probably take a similar amount of time. However unless you’re really hardcore I imagine you probably aren’t going to want to bike to work in the winter, in which case a decent bus commute is key. There’s bars, coffee shops, bakeries, restaurants, and all sorts of stuff on Preston St. At the corner of Beech and Champagne is Di Rienzo’s D
I work for the feds and live in Ottawa, and I have to second Flashman. I live on Somerset West just off of Elgin in Centretown, and I could not recommend it more. It’s not the market or the glebe, but personally, I think it’s better. You’re 15-20 min walk from either of those areas, and a decent bike ride from Terrace, as Ottawa bike paths are spectacular (although be warned, friends call it the Terrace de Shoddy Air — take walks at lunch). If you live here in Centretown, the #8 will get you there easily and is about a 5 – 10 minute walk, at the max. An apartment for one person under $1000 is easily found. I recommend anywhere from Gladstone in the south to Laurier at the North, Elgin at the East and Bronson at the West. Welcome to Ottawa! I’ve lived here 10 years and I love it!
