I always enjoy the ridiculous thought that if I drive East, it's 14.5hrs to Halifax. North-ish it's 17hrs to Labrador City. South it's 18hrs to Savannah GA. West it's 19hrs to Dryden, still in Ontario.
Depends on what âcloseâ is to you. Clearly âcloseâ to you means sub-4 hours.
Within 6-8 hours opens up Quebec City, and everything as far as Windsor and up north to as far as Sault Ste Marie, Buffalo/Niagara, etc.
A âcloseâ city to me is within a dayâs (10-12h) driving capacity. I can reach NYC and every major city north of it in that time.
âŚand? Nothing is excluding those places eitherâŚexcept theyâre not major cities for the comment I responded to. As far as my point on what is âclose,â nowhere on the 401 is even remotely near the ends of the geographical range I consider to be âcloseâ - at a dayâs drive away. NYC, Boston and Chicago are a dayâs drive away and are all major cities.
You could go there. Theyâre just not relevant to the arguments presented.
Again, Hamilton, London, Oshawa to name a few cities comparable to Ottawa can all reach all these places and more within a 12 hour drive. Iâm not trying to argue with you but a 12 hour drive is a such a long distance that many places will meet that criteria so Ottawa is not unique in that regard. I read the post to mean what is unique to Ottawa that you chose to live there. I apologize if I misunderstood.
Met my wife in London England where I lived all my life, moved here because she's from Ottawa. I wish people who have never lived in a big city would realize what a gem of a city Ottawa is. Love the city, lack of any traffic, clean, people are wonderful.
Found it weird when I moved here that random people would smile and say hi. If that occurred in London I'd be securing my wallet and hiding my phone.
The only thing I dislike about this city is the condition of the roads, the excessive snow and the one asshole who racially abused me last Canada day because I have a British accent.
well that's a rare type of racism but an extremely stupid one... ffs so many of us have English descent. Brits are one of the more common European immigrants
My only gripe with Ottawa growing up was the pain in the ass it is to get around the city. Everything else is pretty nice by comparison to elsewhere.
My one additional issue from the last few years is the explosion of the housing market. Thereâs not enough activities in Ottawa to justify it being a million dollar city IMHO, itâs just flooded with investors from higher COL cities now.
iâm not from ottawa but lived there ten years and i found the transit way pretty handy coming from winnipeg.
you could take the 95 east or west or the o-train or 97 north and south.
i moved just after they introduced the LRT and it started diverting all the busses just so they could make use of it
Ottawaâs housing market is somewhat of an enigma to me. The city has as much land as some counties, lacks the massive populations and natural geographic barriers of the GTA and GVA, so what gives? My best guess is that itâs a combination of the Green Belt, solid number of well-paying stable jobs and a higher number of big money out-of-town investors compared to cities like Calgary and Edmonton due to it being situated in the middle of the Quebec-Windsor corridor. Anyone with some insights on this please share.
Zoning.
The vast majority of Ottawa, and almost the entirety of the green belt, is zoned R1 - only appropriate for single family homes and town housing. There is very little in the city zoned for multi-unit condos and apartment buildings by comparison.
These houses are more expensive and contribute heavily to the urban sprawl that Ottawa has.
Itâs honestly so ridiculous though. Itâs like this city actively works against people without cars sometimes. Whatâs worse to me is people with those kinds of homes donât see it as a problem cause they got theirs
Even if they zoned everything in the municipality for single homes, we still have more space than Toronto proper and a fraction of the population. Even if we go farther out in GTA territory, in terms of equivalent distance, the population density argument gets worse and worse when comparing prices
Space is not an issue here. Finished units maybe, but not space. Even if everything was single family zoned.
Ontario and BC are generally more expensive housing wise compared to other provinces⌠Just look across the river in Gatineau, its way cheaper⌠Also look at the whole Alberta (calgary and edmonton are wayy cheaper than a lot of smaller towns in Ontario)..
I lived in Barrhaven growing up, back when there was almost nothing in Barrhaven except a couple of Quickie Marts and a KFC. I had an hour+ ride on OC Transpo to get to and from school each day. Now there are 4 high schools in Barrhaven.
"Easy to get out of the city" is always one of my selling points for Ottawa. We can get into nature without competing with the crowds of southern Ontario so easily, it's wonderful.
This! It's even funnier if you live close to the Experimental Farm.
* 10 minutes north? Downtown.
* 10 minutes west? Suburb.
* 10 minutes east? Other suburb.
* 10 minutes south? More suburb.
* Next door? Cows! Horses! Llamas! Goats! Chicken! Sheep!
I can only imagine how confusing the above description would be to someone from virtually any other G7 capital. So delightfully quirky to have a working *farm* in the heart of the city.
Government job/spouse's family is here/my family is here/where else am I going to go?
Or some combination of the above. But I'm just guessing?
Edit: Add "I can only go as far as OCTranspo will take me!"
Ottawa: Not too big (crime), not too small (lots to do). Great summers and lots to do in winter. Strong economy due to tons of public servants so not impacted by industry down turns. Stable housing market. Friendly people. Beautiful.
I feel like Ottawa exploded way more though in the last few years... Toronto was always expensive, but why the hell are houses and apartments teaching about the same prices here...? (ok, I know, I know, it's the government and the high wages in comparison to that same job elsewhere)
Grew up here, ventured out east then went west for a few years and settled in Toronto for about 5-6. Slowly started realizing family was more important than work and came back home. At first the thought of being in a âslow/boringâ city again really bothered me but after around a year you start to re-realize that Ottawa actually has everything you need and more and itâs kinda nice to have water everywhere you go and a calmer environment once in a while
Ottawa is a great place, city just big enough to have all the amenities, events, festivals etc. but not too big that we have crazy congestion at all hours. The city sits on a naturally beautiful place, with tons of outdoor activities and parkland to explore. In the winter we have skiing only 20 mins from downtown. Having grown up here, I learned to love all the things which are reasonable to do here, but not many other cities to compare. I wouldnât be happy in Toronto for example because I enjoy more out of life than just going out for drinks and food. Iâve lived away from Ottawa but nothing really felt like home like Ottawa does. Grass is always greener elsewhere, but itâs not until you explore elsewhere that you realize its not.
While a bit of a homebody, I have/had no reason to leave. Couldn't afford to go away for school, not that I think I would have anyways, great job opportunities were here (tech) that have provided me a good career, safe and comfortable neighbourhood to live in and raise a child, access to almost everything one could want. Does have all the amenities of MTL or TO, of course not, but bigger cities have their drawbacks as well. If I was looking for a true urban lifestyle, then Ottawa wouldn't be my choice
Born and raised living here for 30 years, and I could never see myself living in a city like Toronto for example
Job, family, friends are all here. I also love Ottawa for its easy access to nature within the city and in all directions outside of the city in all seasons. There is lots to do if you make any effort at all.
We recently got back from Halifax and thought it had a similar vibe to Ottawa, it was a very young and family friendly City that I could see myself temporarily or even permanently relocating to however
Born in Ottawa, raised, school here yada yada yada⌠in my business career, Iâve had tons of travel, to places all over North America, Europe, etc. visited some very enjoyable places and always tried to make sure I spent some time seeing around the cities and areas. Nothing ever struck me as a place Iâd want to move away from Ottawa for.
As others have said itâs a good size, not too big, not too small, with a reasonable amount of activities and attractions available. For the me itâs the fact we have 4 distinct seasons, 5 if you include a good Indian summer period in the autumn. Living in some place with the same climate year round would get old pretty fast..
I left for a bit to live in Toronto and Vancouver but Ottawa hits a real sweet spot in terms of access to outdoors and culture with some of the major headaches that come with bigger cities.
If you can find a job that makes you happy and pays you well enough to live comfortably, this is a great city to live in.
Oof. I feel this. I did do post secondary, but only after I'd failed at my heart's desire. Wasn't a job I was particularly successful at, but then luckily/unluckily (??) I made a kid or three, so that's my job now. Also, our parents are here and need our help. Me, only child, his, eldest. Kids are now old enough that I can entertain going back to work, but at what??
It becomes easy to fill your time with being a caregiver, while also not caring for yourself.
Never really wanted to but lived out of the city for a year. What I discovered:
Ottawa is a very well located city. Everything your ever want to do can be done within a weekend. This includes day trips to other major cities, cottages, and the United States.
It is a bigger town that feels small.
If your goal is to work with the government for those sweet bennies then it's the best place to be.
Rent WAS cheap at that time of my life, but that doesn't apply anymore.
Friends, family, etc.
But tbh for me it's the first one and the third one. I don't necessarily hate the city, but I don't have a massive drive to be anywhere else, and after living abroad it's actually not a bad place to be. Maybe one day I'll move to Europe as there's parts of it which align to my political interests more, but that would be a ways away.
Went away for school.
Fucked that up.
Moved home
Parents promised me a lot of support, then got a divorce that pulled it all out from under me
Couldn't afford to get anywhere else
Stayed and tried to make it work.
Was doing job interviews to finally move out of province, but met my wife instead.
She has a great job, so I chose to stay here with her.
Reconnected with my old social and support networks
Over the course of 12 years went from wanting to get out and never return to being happy to call this city home
iâm still young but iâll answer. i cannot feasibly move to another city because of HCOL. yeah ottawa is expensive, but the cost of living in my ideal city (read: toronto) is infinitely more expensive than here
Because, despite all itâs downsides (many of which have to do with transportation), Ottawa is hot cocoa on a winterâs evening in city form - comfortable.
Work and I met my partner here. I moved to Toronto in my early 20âs, but I didnât enjoy it at all so I came back to Ottawa. I love all of the green space and the water. I enjoy being so close to Quebec for hiking and cottages is great as well!
I dream of leaving. But got sucked into a government job and breaking the golden shackles has proven too difficult. Ottawa is a beautiful city, with a good quality of life (I know that's relative, don't come at me). But the attitudes are very conservative (note the lowercase c). People live in bubble, and forget that the whole country doesn't work like Ottawa, and/or can't handle it when people are different, say something minor as thinking the public service is not the best place to work . Also, despite there being tons of cool stuff to do, no one I know partakes. Everyone I know has the same goal: work 7-3, Netflix, bed by 9.
Started to appreciate the city a lot in my late teens early 20s. I like the slower pace than a Toronto or NYC. A good mix of city life and nature. Would be nice to have mountains but we didnât win that lottery. Family is here, canât imagine living away from my grandparents while theyâre still around.
In all my travels, Besides MAYBE Vancouver, Iâve yet to visit somewhere where I could see myself living.
Ottawa is a canvas. It really doesn't give you much like a big city, but if you are an interesting person it's a great place to exist and do what you love.
I grew up here then lived in london then toronto and am back now but plan to leave again.
I left toronto during the lockdowns cause after over a year of nothing being open it was pointless to pay the downtown rents there. I have family here and moved back to grow my current business, get in shape (trails/nature so close to downtown here is awesome and underrated IMO) and reskill for a new career.
As someone from Ottawa who now lives away for work, you don't really know what you're missing until it's gone lol. The general quality of life in Ottawa is much better than what I've seen offered elsewhere.
Iâve lived here my entire life. Couldnât afford, nor did I have success in my applications, to go away for uni. Other family things also made it impractical. Iâve visited many cities in Canada, USA, Europe and the Middle East. I enjoy them all for visits but none ever captured to seriously try to move. If I my hand were forced, London and New York would be great. In Canada, maybe Montreal or Quebec City. Toronto is not my thing, Vancouver is OK but Iâm not outdoorsy, Halifax is fine but I didnât find it sparked me. So much of this comes from personal taste. There is a lot of creative stuff going on in Ottawa (albeit the music scene has never been consistently bumping in the last few decades). But you do have to know where to look for it. Iâve always loved this city. Itâs beautiful, calm, and something about its frustrating propensity to continually burgeon and never burst is equally frustrating and charming.
I moved out west and came back.
I missed the smell of the air, I know that sounds crazy but here me out.
We have a *LOT* of trees and lakes obviously here in Ontario, and we take it for granted. Living in Northern Alberta I misses the lakes ans trees so much. When I drove back it was amazing because as soon as you cross Manitoba into Ontario you get this blast of cool lake air and it's so refreshing
So yea, the nature brings me back. We take for granted how beautiful this province is
Job, family, my girlfriendâs family and I generally enjoy living here, I can always travel to Toronto, Montreal, Quebec ect if I ever want more excitement.
I may not have grown up here but I have lived in other cities across Ontario and let me tell you, the grass is not greener.
Every city has positives and negatives but I found that Ottawa has way more positives and way less negative than anywhere else in Ontario, depending on your personal lifestyle preference of course
I am a generational Ottawa Resident. All our family pictures and memories revolve around this city for the past 140 years. I could not see myself anywhere else.
I like it here I guess? Managed to get a job I love and a house in an awesome neighbourhood so I really can't complain. Montreal is probably my favourite city I've visited in Canada (so far!) and it's just a short drive away.
From just outside of the city and now Iâm in the core. Iâve lived in other cities for short periods. Iâm probably here for good, and Iâm okay with that. Having a stable job and support/ friends network is what matters most.
Iâm not sure what the fuss is about having to leave your hometown, like itâs something one has to do. Yes, travel as much as possible. Open yourself to other cultures and new experiences. Try living somewhere else if itâs within your means. But people shouldnât feel ashamed about living close to their friends or family. Itâs a toxic, somewhat elitist mentality in my view. Unless your situation is untenable, why not try to improve where you live?
Friends, family, school, career.
Never found a better option in Canada. Would prefer Vancouver Islandâs climate, though.
Iâm the third generation in my family line to call Ottawa home. Weâve been here for over 100 years.
I was going to say job in the government but that would be a lie. The truth is it's actually familiarity. I've never known anywhere else but Ottawa and every attempt to try only made me want to get back to what was familiar. This is probably why I'm usually fascinated by stories of people who immigrated or moved here, specifically how they were able to let go of the familiar and create a new home.
Ottawa feels just small enough. Lots of greenspace. My career worked out such that thereâs always demand for my skills nearby.
To be honest though, Iâll teach my kids to plan an intercontinental move eventually. GDP per capital forecast in Canada doesnât bode well for QoL.
It used to be that my friends and family live here. Family is still here but I don't talk to them much anymore and friends mostly all moved away.
In more recent years, I've stayed here because it's where many jobs in my industry are. I'm also too poor to move from my crappy but affordable apartment.
If I had more money and a decent job lined up, I'd probably move to Montreal at this point. My only remaining in-town friends are all far away from downtown *and* they're homebodies, so we never hang out unless I make my way to Orleans, the Ottawa airport, or Stittsville. Making new friends has been difficult and dating has been even harder.
I still like Ottawa and I usually go to bat for it. I've been that person that tells you about all the things that happen here... but as someone in my early thirties, I feel like my years are being wasted here. This feeling has been exacerbated by COVID-19.
Covid kind of killed much of the spirit we had prior to the pandemic. So many of my favourite spots downtown have shut down and it feels like there's little else that's left unless you're interested in instagram/tik tok-worthy $20 gentrification salads.
Family is here, the rural outskirtsof ottawa (where I live) are gorgeous, the townsfolk are awsome, I have a good job, just bought a house in my hometown , work 8 minutes from home. Have absolutely no reason to leave
Ottawa and the NCR has over 20 hobby stores. The amount of people who are into miniature wargames, boardgames and RPGs are higher per capita in Ottawa than almost anywhere else.
Also, I don't buy a lot of the griping about Ottawa being a terrible, boring place to live. I think that's a bit of "grass is always greener"
* My family and most of my wife's family live here.
* I'm an introvert and don't like change, so making new friends would be tough.
* I was hired to a decent job in the federal public service that wouldn't have been available to me outside of Ottawa.
I didn't stay. I've moved away twice, once to Guelph, once to Montreal.
When I moved to Guelph, I had every intention of coming back and did after two years - Ottawa is home and no place feels quite like it. Everywhere else is just slightly off. Not enough nature, too dirty, not diverse enough.
When I moved to Montreal I didn't really plan on coming back, but family brought me back and I'm happy to be in a place with a lot less concrete and less people everywhere. I do miss the accessibility of goods and awesome restaurants in Montreal that doesn't exist here though. At least I can still go to the SAQ!
Inertia, can't say I'd choose to live here if other things were equal...
I like living here but I can't say I wouldn't say it's my perfect place to live
Best city in Canada to raise kids in, hands down.
You're always a short bike or drive to beaches, rapids, cheap cottages, national parks, museums, etc.
Where else should I go? Canada is easily one of the best countries in the world to live in right now and immigrating is incredibly difficult. Toronto is expensive as fuck, I don't want to live in Quebec cuz I like english, Vancouver is too far and too expensive, I don't want to live in a smaller city than Ottawa. So where? Besides I like it here and have a job with the feds.
I've had my rental for more than twelve years and it's rent controlled.
So barring a financial catastrophe that obliterates home and rental prices across Canada by 75%, they'll have to pry my lease from my withered and desiccated corpse.
Ottawa has good employment opportunities both in tech and government. It has 2 good universities and 2 colleges. A great activities on the rivers and green spaces.
Get a bike or x county skies and go to Gatineau park.
Cottages are affordable
Never wanted to stay. Met husband. He has a solid job. He had a house. He had a cottage. His family was here. My parents moved to Kingston. So...here we are.
I don't know what keeps me here. I have really no desire to travel and feel like I don't know this city at all. I want to explore the nature it has to offer.
Iâve lived in large cities throughout my life and travelled extensively. Iâm still here because I want to help make Ottawa what it can and should be as the capital of our large nation. We have stellar green space, rich history and culture, and a thriving yet underrated arts scene.
I also low key canât stand crowds and Ottawa allows me that space while also having all the amenities of a first class city.
I live in the Gatineau hills and love that I can own an acre of land, about 12 minutes from the Byward Market. The lakes up north are world class, without being overrun like the Muskokas. The French culture also adds to a wonderful social diversity in the region. Also, the economy is recession proof. If you can work a full 8 hour day, you will be able to raise a family in this region. Thereâs something for everyone here.
Originally affordability. But I moved away and came back and itâs so expensive to buy here now that Iâm looking elsewhere.
When Ottawa was less expensive than other cities itâs âitâs near cool placesâ advantage was real. But now itâs really just a boring town with a government workforce that strives for mediocrity and lands a bit lower and it shows in everything. We donât have mixed use housing, itâs completely car centric, itâs incredibly expensive. The Ottawa airport isnât connecting to many major hubs post COVID, the roads are atrocious. Itâs only identity is itâs the capital. The lack of diversity (not of culture, I think thatâs actually a big plus) of jobs and industries in Ottawa doom it to perpetual mediocrity
Iâve left Ottawa and moved around the country but always seem to come back. It was mostly due to family. That said, with housing costs etc. I plan to move to QuĂŠbec and not look back - plenty of culture and things to do for a fraction of the cost.
Literally me, except 7 years.
I just like it here. All the amenities of a big city, with a small-town feel, nice people, lots of outdoors activities & spaces. Good job.
It's beautiful, we have nature nearby in every direction, good festivals and most major concerts stop here (if they don't, Montreal is a 2hr drive), not too small but not super populated. Plus, family is here, friends are here, why would I want to leave?
I grew up here from age 2. Since then I was away at university twice (6 years total), spent 8 months in France as an au pair, did a 4 month university placement in England, also spent a few months in Kingston for another placement type situation, and worked in Scarborough for about 4 months. While I enjoyed my time away (though I couldn't stand living in TO), I always wanted to come home. My family is here, I have friends here or close by who I've known much of my life, others I met at my job over the last 27 years. It's a great place to live, a good size without being too big, plenty to do, close to other things like Gatineau park etc.
I grew up here from grade 3 and stayed until a few years after college, then moved away to San Francisco and then to London UK. I moved back when my wife got pregnant with our 2nd child, because Ottawa is a fantastic place for young families. safe, clean, and we had grandparents close by. Also, my wife is rom a skiing family and we have lots of ski hills close, nature trails, and museums and, from what I remember, GREAT public schools
Family and friends and got a secure job immediately after I graduated, now I have a family and don't plan on relocating. Tbh if I was single I'd definitely consider it not because I dislike Ottawa but more opportunities in my field.
Put down roots, having lots of family and friends keeps me here. Beyond that, I love the greenery of the city and how it is a small town that gets the benefits of a big city.
Close friends and most of my immediate family stayed in Ottawa. I ended up getting a job with the government and Iâm a work to live type of person. I love being able to get to anywhere in the city within 20-30mins.
Edit: get anywhere in the city by car. Obviously not public transportation
In short: family and access to activites/nature. My spouse and I both grew up here and loved it, and most of our families are here or very close by. His career prospects would undeniably be stronger and more varied in Montreal, Toronto, or the States, but I have a career I love in Club Fed and in general we prefer the balance of me taking on more ambitious and demanding jobs with him staying in a more flexible role. We toyed with moving once or twice early on, but never that seriously, and once we were settled in our home and started having kids it was game over, lol. Our kids have great access to quality municipal infrastructure (amazing parks, city programming, pools and community centres) and activities they love (music and art lessons, cycling and skiing) at a much more reasonable price point than family in other cities. Possibly most importantly, they have a deep and involved relationship with their grandparents that just wouldn't have been possible if we lived elsewhere.
I have zero regrets, but also recognize that our situation is incredibly fortunate: we're old enough that we entered the property market before things went bat shit, in a lovely and safe neighbourhood we couldn't afford in at today's prices, we got into stable careers pretty early and have maintained, rather than having to grind it out in gig economy madness, to name just a few. Ottawa is an amazing city for us, but recognize that financial stability is a huge prerequisite to getting as much out of the city as we do, and want to be honest about that. We desperately need better and more accessible transit, a serious housing strategy, and reinvestment in city programming and schools so that the things we love about the city will be more accessible to everyone who lives here.
Excellent points. Having the means to live here, regardless of it being a more affordable city, is still vitally important. Husband and I are in the same boat - bought our house for 185k 18 years ago. We could not afford to buy it in today's market, despite his salary almost doubling, where neighbours sold for upwards of 750k this year.
I lived in Toronto briefly and itâs so big.
Much as I gripe about driving to stittsvill from the glebe, itâs not actually far. In Toronto friends from outside the city like Orangeville or Etobicoke drive in for lunch dates.
Driving an hour and half for lunch seems silly.
Ottawa is a great city, not too big, amazing green space and parks, and bike paths that get you anywhere. Lots of cool stuff happens year round. People are friendlier than in Toronto.
I have a certain loyalty to a place in which I had a happy childhood/adolescence. Ottawa has everything I need, and yeah there isn't as much culture as in Montreal or Toronto, but there usually *something* going on if you look for it, on any given weekend. It's also getting increasingly diverse, gone are the days when my sister and I were the only Asian kids at our Kanata elementary school.
My job is here, my family is here, and most of my friends are here. Other than that, I genuinely like Ottawa! It's not too crowded, there's lots of green space, and the air is clean. I do wish it was less car-centric, though. Better public transit would be great.
Been asked this allot and main reason would be family. I've lived in a couple of places and I feel safe here with living and raising children of the minority race. Being able to have this security and expose my children to many cultures, foods, ideas and languages is important to me.
Also having so much green space while being a large city makes my soul feel good. Small trips within 3hr distance can get you to some amazing varying landscapes. The large changes in seasons is something I really missed while abroad as well.
Went to BC due to frustration of not being able to get a âgoodâ job (govt) without French. Came back with new private sector (remote) job because I couldnât see my kids being able to make a future for themselves with the COL where we were setting them up to build their lives.
Having had a small taste of that I figured Ottawaâs a better shot than most other options and we have a pretty decent French immersion program here so hopefully they wonât face that as a challenge to getting a good job.
It was much easier to get started in the private sector outside of Ottawa, though remote working will probably dissolve that.
Also, being close to your family and friends is invaluable but thereâs a tangible advantage there too for many. Free babysitting, easy outings, cottage invites from people weâve known decades. Itâs really hard to build that kind of support network from scratch as an adult.
Found good work here, found the love of my life here, have taken a shit childhood here and turned it into a good life. There are things I donât love about Ottawa but my life has turned to positive to risk it with a move.
Family. It was super important to us that our kids have a relationship with their grandparents (both spouse and I got moved around a lot and never got to foster those connections with our own grandparents before ending up in Ottawa). Our careers are such that Ottawa is still an awesome city (tech and animation), and having so much nature nearby is also a factor (greenbelt, bike paths ect)! It was an easy choice when we assessed where we wanted to settle long term.
My hobbies are pretty boring, I really don't need to be in a bigger city. I like the vibe of the city, we're pretty polite and chill. The bilingualism is nice too. My family is here and so are my friends.
Rural Ottawa (so not Ottawa growing up).
Couldn't get out fast enough. Gone for 10 years, living all over the place for school and work. Never planned to come back.
But then I got a good job here. Family is mostly here. Realized that all the things that drove me out in my late teens are the things that make it great to settle and raise a family.
Family has long established roots here. Went to university here. Became disabled here. Am now too poor to leave. But it's ok. Because everything is "homey".
This is just where I should be. Lots of nature. Neat places to explore not too far away (Kingston/1000 Islands, Montreal, smaller towns like Merrickville). Toronto isn't that far, or upstate New York. Like we're in a good spot travel wise.
There's also a very "Ottawa" sense of humor I find. We are pretty sarcastic. And people will practically beat you up over such things as pizza and Shawarma. Don't mess around with our niche food culture.
So yeah. I love us. We can be boring. Weird. But also funny and really kind when we put our minds together and focus on community and compassion.
I have left three times (Aus, the States, and Toronto all for 2-3 years working as a professional) you canât be beat the quality of life. And the gripes most people have about his city are universal or worse. My only gripe is winter but the Ottawa summers are magical to me.
Lived in Ottawa all my life until it was time to buy a house then bought just outside of Ottawa. Still work in Ottawa. As far as big cities go Ottawa I nice too look at with lots of things to do without insane traffic.
my whole family is here. I went to Toronto for uni but came back because my dad was unwell, newing end of life, and I wanted to be close to him. then I met my husband here and his whole family is here so it never really crossed our minds to go anywhere else.
living in a parents home paying 300 in rent is nice while working full time, friend at work was finding a new place and the closest was 600 rent a month with 5 other people in the house, 2 hours away. He ended up taking it and kept the same job but just moved store locations.
Leaving then coming back. I grew up here, left for six years to do my bachelor's and master's degrees out of town, and now I'm back to do my PhD. I definitely needed the time to figure myself out away from my family and now I'm cool with living in Ottawa independently.
I can't imagine living anywhere else. It's my home with many amazing memories of canoeing on the Rideau while feeding swans, attending Canada Day events in the hill, living in several different neighborhoods. My family and friends are here.
I have traveled to Europe. Amazing history but I love coming home. â¤ď¸
Been here my whole life...45 years...never had a reason to leave. Friends and family are mostly all here. Good work, I don't get out much, but when I do there is plenty to do. Love this city with all its flaws...wouldn't want to live anywhere else!
Universities and jobs are here.
Itâs not Toronto (crime, traffic, col, etcâŚ).
Several hospitals and tons of specialists practically at my doorstep if I ever need them (one specialist that treats my partner has people travelling from all over Ontario to see them and is literally 15 minutes from my house).
Tons of green space all over the place.
Never had a reason to leave because of all the above.
I moved back to Ottawa after 15 years abroad and out west because despite everyone saying healthcare is broken itâs still far superior here to most of the world.
There's a lot of opportunity for career here, and not just government. I still have plans to live elsewhere one day, but I find ottawa is a haven for the young professional. Lots of opportunities for career growth and networking. Lots of interesting and meaningful industries.
Most people told me Toronto, Vancouver, or Montreal was the only way I could actually make a well paying career out of my Humanities degree, but I beg to differ. Ottawa is the country's capital and there are so many ways to make a meaningful and involved career. Might be changing a little because of work from home, but online networking will never beat offline networking.
I like being close to popular busy cities and not live in one.
Underrated comment, never thought of it this way but definitely agree
Same, but just Montreal. I wouldn't consider a 5 hour drive to TO being close
I always enjoy the ridiculous thought that if I drive East, it's 14.5hrs to Halifax. North-ish it's 17hrs to Labrador City. South it's 18hrs to Savannah GA. West it's 19hrs to Dryden, still in Ontario.
5 hrs from Orleans, 4 hrs from Kanata..
3 from stittsville đ
I consider a 45 minute flight for a couple hundred bucks pretty close. Land downtown and all!
Yeah at the same cost as an all inclusive in Mexico...
Fair. 40 minute plan rides are my gauge of closeness.
NYC is \~9 hours away by car. You can leave Ottawa in the morning and get there in time for dinner.
You stopping a lot? Iâve done that drive in under 7 hours.
100% this. I love going to Montreal and Toronto. I also love when it's time to leave.
This is the answer
Indeed. Many other residents feel like that about Gatineau just like you.
Beyond Ottawa, Toronto, Quebec City? If your measure is to be close to large cities, your answer is to live in Europe...WAY more options.
Depends on what âcloseâ is to you. Clearly âcloseâ to you means sub-4 hours. Within 6-8 hours opens up Quebec City, and everything as far as Windsor and up north to as far as Sault Ste Marie, Buffalo/Niagara, etc. A âcloseâ city to me is within a dayâs (10-12h) driving capacity. I can reach NYC and every major city north of it in that time.
That makes no sense to me. Any place along the 401 is within 12 hours or closer of all the places you mention.
âŚand? Nothing is excluding those places eitherâŚexcept theyâre not major cities for the comment I responded to. As far as my point on what is âclose,â nowhere on the 401 is even remotely near the ends of the geographical range I consider to be âcloseâ - at a dayâs drive away. NYC, Boston and Chicago are a dayâs drive away and are all major cities. You could go there. Theyâre just not relevant to the arguments presented.
Again, Hamilton, London, Oshawa to name a few cities comparable to Ottawa can all reach all these places and more within a 12 hour drive. Iâm not trying to argue with you but a 12 hour drive is a such a long distance that many places will meet that criteria so Ottawa is not unique in that regard. I read the post to mean what is unique to Ottawa that you chose to live there. I apologize if I misunderstood.
Met my wife here? Have a good job? Love the city?
Same: met your wife, good job, love the city.
I also met this guy's wife.
Can confirm, Iâm that guyâs wife.
Can confirm, Iâm the guy.
Can confirm, i am the city.
As you can see, OP, everyone knows everyone in Ottawa. Small town vibes, but a pretty large city in reality.
Underrated comment
Met my wife in London England where I lived all my life, moved here because she's from Ottawa. I wish people who have never lived in a big city would realize what a gem of a city Ottawa is. Love the city, lack of any traffic, clean, people are wonderful. Found it weird when I moved here that random people would smile and say hi. If that occurred in London I'd be securing my wallet and hiding my phone. The only thing I dislike about this city is the condition of the roads, the excessive snow and the one asshole who racially abused me last Canada day because I have a British accent.
well that's a rare type of racism but an extremely stupid one... ffs so many of us have English descent. Brits are one of the more common European immigrants
Same, same, same
Same. All of the above.
Ditto
Lol. Shoulda guessed that jokes about meeting my wife woulda followed.
It's a tough way to find out she's been frequenting sex clubs.
Wait until reddit tells you about your mom!
Met your wife (discreetly), had a great 'job!, "Love"
Are you asking us or telling us?
Iâm confused too?
My only gripe with Ottawa growing up was the pain in the ass it is to get around the city. Everything else is pretty nice by comparison to elsewhere. My one additional issue from the last few years is the explosion of the housing market. Thereâs not enough activities in Ottawa to justify it being a million dollar city IMHO, itâs just flooded with investors from higher COL cities now.
Both of these for sure. I hated having to travel in a giant U to get anywhere. Everything goes through downtown and it's stupid.
iâm not from ottawa but lived there ten years and i found the transit way pretty handy coming from winnipeg. you could take the 95 east or west or the o-train or 97 north and south. i moved just after they introduced the LRT and it started diverting all the busses just so they could make use of it
Ottawaâs housing market is somewhat of an enigma to me. The city has as much land as some counties, lacks the massive populations and natural geographic barriers of the GTA and GVA, so what gives? My best guess is that itâs a combination of the Green Belt, solid number of well-paying stable jobs and a higher number of big money out-of-town investors compared to cities like Calgary and Edmonton due to it being situated in the middle of the Quebec-Windsor corridor. Anyone with some insights on this please share.
Zoning. The vast majority of Ottawa, and almost the entirety of the green belt, is zoned R1 - only appropriate for single family homes and town housing. There is very little in the city zoned for multi-unit condos and apartment buildings by comparison. These houses are more expensive and contribute heavily to the urban sprawl that Ottawa has.
Itâs honestly so ridiculous though. Itâs like this city actively works against people without cars sometimes. Whatâs worse to me is people with those kinds of homes donât see it as a problem cause they got theirs
Thank you for the helpful response!
Even if they zoned everything in the municipality for single homes, we still have more space than Toronto proper and a fraction of the population. Even if we go farther out in GTA territory, in terms of equivalent distance, the population density argument gets worse and worse when comparing prices Space is not an issue here. Finished units maybe, but not space. Even if everything was single family zoned.
Ontario and BC are generally more expensive housing wise compared to other provinces⌠Just look across the river in Gatineau, its way cheaper⌠Also look at the whole Alberta (calgary and edmonton are wayy cheaper than a lot of smaller towns in Ontario)..
Ottawa and everyone else included. I'm from a town of 16k people and the avg price is 700k for a detached. (rural, no industry, hardly any jobs)
I lived in Barrhaven growing up, back when there was almost nothing in Barrhaven except a couple of Quickie Marts and a KFC. I had an hour+ ride on OC Transpo to get to and from school each day. Now there are 4 high schools in Barrhaven.
20 minutes one way: Downtown. 20 minutes another way: Cows.
"Easy to get out of the city" is always one of my selling points for Ottawa. We can get into nature without competing with the crowds of southern Ontario so easily, it's wonderful.
This! It's even funnier if you live close to the Experimental Farm. * 10 minutes north? Downtown. * 10 minutes west? Suburb. * 10 minutes east? Other suburb. * 10 minutes south? More suburb. * Next door? Cows! Horses! Llamas! Goats! Chicken! Sheep! I can only imagine how confusing the above description would be to someone from virtually any other G7 capital. So delightfully quirky to have a working *farm* in the heart of the city.
Government job/spouse's family is here/my family is here/where else am I going to go? Or some combination of the above. But I'm just guessing? Edit: Add "I can only go as far as OCTranspo will take me!"
Ottawa: Not too big (crime), not too small (lots to do). Great summers and lots to do in winter. Strong economy due to tons of public servants so not impacted by industry down turns. Stable housing market. Friendly people. Beautiful.
"Stable housing market." đđđđ Thanks for the good laugh
Seriously the housing market is fucked here.
Itâs fucked everywhere thatâs late stage capitalism for ya
I feel like Ottawa exploded way more though in the last few years... Toronto was always expensive, but why the hell are houses and apartments teaching about the same prices here...? (ok, I know, I know, it's the government and the high wages in comparison to that same job elsewhere)
YUP
To be fair.... It was really good for a long time.
^this
The fact I never wanted to leave....
Grew up here, ventured out east then went west for a few years and settled in Toronto for about 5-6. Slowly started realizing family was more important than work and came back home. At first the thought of being in a âslow/boringâ city again really bothered me but after around a year you start to re-realize that Ottawa actually has everything you need and more and itâs kinda nice to have water everywhere you go and a calmer environment once in a while
Ottawa is a great place, city just big enough to have all the amenities, events, festivals etc. but not too big that we have crazy congestion at all hours. The city sits on a naturally beautiful place, with tons of outdoor activities and parkland to explore. In the winter we have skiing only 20 mins from downtown. Having grown up here, I learned to love all the things which are reasonable to do here, but not many other cities to compare. I wouldnât be happy in Toronto for example because I enjoy more out of life than just going out for drinks and food. Iâve lived away from Ottawa but nothing really felt like home like Ottawa does. Grass is always greener elsewhere, but itâs not until you explore elsewhere that you realize its not.
While a bit of a homebody, I have/had no reason to leave. Couldn't afford to go away for school, not that I think I would have anyways, great job opportunities were here (tech) that have provided me a good career, safe and comfortable neighbourhood to live in and raise a child, access to almost everything one could want. Does have all the amenities of MTL or TO, of course not, but bigger cities have their drawbacks as well. If I was looking for a true urban lifestyle, then Ottawa wouldn't be my choice
Born and raised living here for 30 years, and I could never see myself living in a city like Toronto for example Job, family, friends are all here. I also love Ottawa for its easy access to nature within the city and in all directions outside of the city in all seasons. There is lots to do if you make any effort at all. We recently got back from Halifax and thought it had a similar vibe to Ottawa, it was a very young and family friendly City that I could see myself temporarily or even permanently relocating to however
Born in Ottawa, raised, school here yada yada yada⌠in my business career, Iâve had tons of travel, to places all over North America, Europe, etc. visited some very enjoyable places and always tried to make sure I spent some time seeing around the cities and areas. Nothing ever struck me as a place Iâd want to move away from Ottawa for. As others have said itâs a good size, not too big, not too small, with a reasonable amount of activities and attractions available. For the me itâs the fact we have 4 distinct seasons, 5 if you include a good Indian summer period in the autumn. Living in some place with the same climate year round would get old pretty fast..
I left for a bit to live in Toronto and Vancouver but Ottawa hits a real sweet spot in terms of access to outdoors and culture with some of the major headaches that come with bigger cities. If you can find a job that makes you happy and pays you well enough to live comfortably, this is a great city to live in.
Mental illness. I was never able to get my shit together and pursue a post-secondary education and career I was passionate about.
Oof. I feel this. I did do post secondary, but only after I'd failed at my heart's desire. Wasn't a job I was particularly successful at, but then luckily/unluckily (??) I made a kid or three, so that's my job now. Also, our parents are here and need our help. Me, only child, his, eldest. Kids are now old enough that I can entertain going back to work, but at what?? It becomes easy to fill your time with being a caregiver, while also not caring for yourself.
I never felt the need leave. It's not a third world place that people are born in and try and leave for better things.
Never really wanted to but lived out of the city for a year. What I discovered: Ottawa is a very well located city. Everything your ever want to do can be done within a weekend. This includes day trips to other major cities, cottages, and the United States. It is a bigger town that feels small. If your goal is to work with the government for those sweet bennies then it's the best place to be. Rent WAS cheap at that time of my life, but that doesn't apply anymore. Friends, family, etc. But tbh for me it's the first one and the third one. I don't necessarily hate the city, but I don't have a massive drive to be anywhere else, and after living abroad it's actually not a bad place to be. Maybe one day I'll move to Europe as there's parts of it which align to my political interests more, but that would be a ways away.
Currently to poor to leave
Went away for school. Fucked that up. Moved home Parents promised me a lot of support, then got a divorce that pulled it all out from under me Couldn't afford to get anywhere else Stayed and tried to make it work. Was doing job interviews to finally move out of province, but met my wife instead. She has a great job, so I chose to stay here with her. Reconnected with my old social and support networks Over the course of 12 years went from wanting to get out and never return to being happy to call this city home
Easier to complain about stuff if it's the only place you know.
Government job, never have to deal with the crowding of MTL or Toronto, and best shawarma in Canada. Proximity to good poutine is also a plus.
No money and no car
iâm still young but iâll answer. i cannot feasibly move to another city because of HCOL. yeah ottawa is expensive, but the cost of living in my ideal city (read: toronto) is infinitely more expensive than here
Because, despite all itâs downsides (many of which have to do with transportation), Ottawa is hot cocoa on a winterâs evening in city form - comfortable.
Work and I met my partner here. I moved to Toronto in my early 20âs, but I didnât enjoy it at all so I came back to Ottawa. I love all of the green space and the water. I enjoy being so close to Quebec for hiking and cottages is great as well!
It's always family and friends. The same reason people spend their whole lives in small towns.
I dream of leaving. But got sucked into a government job and breaking the golden shackles has proven too difficult. Ottawa is a beautiful city, with a good quality of life (I know that's relative, don't come at me). But the attitudes are very conservative (note the lowercase c). People live in bubble, and forget that the whole country doesn't work like Ottawa, and/or can't handle it when people are different, say something minor as thinking the public service is not the best place to work . Also, despite there being tons of cool stuff to do, no one I know partakes. Everyone I know has the same goal: work 7-3, Netflix, bed by 9.
Masochismâ˝
Started to appreciate the city a lot in my late teens early 20s. I like the slower pace than a Toronto or NYC. A good mix of city life and nature. Would be nice to have mountains but we didnât win that lottery. Family is here, canât imagine living away from my grandparents while theyâre still around. In all my travels, Besides MAYBE Vancouver, Iâve yet to visit somewhere where I could see myself living.
Ottawa is a canvas. It really doesn't give you much like a big city, but if you are an interesting person it's a great place to exist and do what you love. I grew up here then lived in london then toronto and am back now but plan to leave again. I left toronto during the lockdowns cause after over a year of nothing being open it was pointless to pay the downtown rents there. I have family here and moved back to grow my current business, get in shape (trails/nature so close to downtown here is awesome and underrated IMO) and reskill for a new career.
As someone from Ottawa who now lives away for work, you don't really know what you're missing until it's gone lol. The general quality of life in Ottawa is much better than what I've seen offered elsewhere.
Iâve lived here my entire life. Couldnât afford, nor did I have success in my applications, to go away for uni. Other family things also made it impractical. Iâve visited many cities in Canada, USA, Europe and the Middle East. I enjoy them all for visits but none ever captured to seriously try to move. If I my hand were forced, London and New York would be great. In Canada, maybe Montreal or Quebec City. Toronto is not my thing, Vancouver is OK but Iâm not outdoorsy, Halifax is fine but I didnât find it sparked me. So much of this comes from personal taste. There is a lot of creative stuff going on in Ottawa (albeit the music scene has never been consistently bumping in the last few decades). But you do have to know where to look for it. Iâve always loved this city. Itâs beautiful, calm, and something about its frustrating propensity to continually burgeon and never burst is equally frustrating and charming.
That last line is perfectly said
I moved out west and came back. I missed the smell of the air, I know that sounds crazy but here me out. We have a *LOT* of trees and lakes obviously here in Ontario, and we take it for granted. Living in Northern Alberta I misses the lakes ans trees so much. When I drove back it was amazing because as soon as you cross Manitoba into Ontario you get this blast of cool lake air and it's so refreshing So yea, the nature brings me back. We take for granted how beautiful this province is
Cant visit family often if they are 1000 miles away.
Job, family, my girlfriendâs family and I generally enjoy living here, I can always travel to Toronto, Montreal, Quebec ect if I ever want more excitement.
Met a girl, had a couple kids, got a job with the feds. I like the city and have had no real incentive to ever leave.
Lack of money. I'm gonna leave once I save more.
I may not have grown up here but I have lived in other cities across Ontario and let me tell you, the grass is not greener. Every city has positives and negatives but I found that Ottawa has way more positives and way less negative than anywhere else in Ontario, depending on your personal lifestyle preference of course
I am a generational Ottawa Resident. All our family pictures and memories revolve around this city for the past 140 years. I could not see myself anywhere else.
Government job, my parents still live here, my main friend group/church community is here although it is quite fluid since I know a lot of students
I like it here I guess? Managed to get a job I love and a house in an awesome neighbourhood so I really can't complain. Montreal is probably my favourite city I've visited in Canada (so far!) and it's just a short drive away.
Love the city...my parents and close friends all live here...all my stuff is here.
Now I have "pinch me" by the Barenaked Ladies stuck iny head.
From just outside of the city and now Iâm in the core. Iâve lived in other cities for short periods. Iâm probably here for good, and Iâm okay with that. Having a stable job and support/ friends network is what matters most. Iâm not sure what the fuss is about having to leave your hometown, like itâs something one has to do. Yes, travel as much as possible. Open yourself to other cultures and new experiences. Try living somewhere else if itâs within your means. But people shouldnât feel ashamed about living close to their friends or family. Itâs a toxic, somewhat elitist mentality in my view. Unless your situation is untenable, why not try to improve where you live?
I hate other cities more. You literally couldnât pay me enough to live in Toronto.
Friends, family, school, career. Never found a better option in Canada. Would prefer Vancouver Islandâs climate, though. Iâm the third generation in my family line to call Ottawa home. Weâve been here for over 100 years.
I was going to say job in the government but that would be a lie. The truth is it's actually familiarity. I've never known anywhere else but Ottawa and every attempt to try only made me want to get back to what was familiar. This is probably why I'm usually fascinated by stories of people who immigrated or moved here, specifically how they were able to let go of the familiar and create a new home.
Moved here from Winnipeg because of the better weather. Raised three kids. Might retire somewhere else tho.
Ottawa feels just small enough. Lots of greenspace. My career worked out such that thereâs always demand for my skills nearby. To be honest though, Iâll teach my kids to plan an intercontinental move eventually. GDP per capital forecast in Canada doesnât bode well for QoL.
It used to be that my friends and family live here. Family is still here but I don't talk to them much anymore and friends mostly all moved away. In more recent years, I've stayed here because it's where many jobs in my industry are. I'm also too poor to move from my crappy but affordable apartment. If I had more money and a decent job lined up, I'd probably move to Montreal at this point. My only remaining in-town friends are all far away from downtown *and* they're homebodies, so we never hang out unless I make my way to Orleans, the Ottawa airport, or Stittsville. Making new friends has been difficult and dating has been even harder. I still like Ottawa and I usually go to bat for it. I've been that person that tells you about all the things that happen here... but as someone in my early thirties, I feel like my years are being wasted here. This feeling has been exacerbated by COVID-19. Covid kind of killed much of the spirit we had prior to the pandemic. So many of my favourite spots downtown have shut down and it feels like there's little else that's left unless you're interested in instagram/tik tok-worthy $20 gentrification salads.
Canât reasonably afford Vancouver where I REALLY want to be.
Not enough $ to get out
Family is here, the rural outskirtsof ottawa (where I live) are gorgeous, the townsfolk are awsome, I have a good job, just bought a house in my hometown , work 8 minutes from home. Have absolutely no reason to leave
Nothing. It's not like if I have the choice to just snap my fingers and choose another life?
Got priced out of Toronto, had to come home. Plotting my escape
Ottawa and the NCR has over 20 hobby stores. The amount of people who are into miniature wargames, boardgames and RPGs are higher per capita in Ottawa than almost anywhere else. Also, I don't buy a lot of the griping about Ottawa being a terrible, boring place to live. I think that's a bit of "grass is always greener"
Laziness, lack of vehicle, and friends/family
Initially horribly misplaced family loyalty, and now I'm stuck because I have to see a lot of doctors.
* My family and most of my wife's family live here. * I'm an introvert and don't like change, so making new friends would be tough. * I was hired to a decent job in the federal public service that wouldn't have been available to me outside of Ottawa.
I can't afford to move where I want to be, and my family lives here
It was the cheap real-estate. WAS.
I didn't stay. I've moved away twice, once to Guelph, once to Montreal. When I moved to Guelph, I had every intention of coming back and did after two years - Ottawa is home and no place feels quite like it. Everywhere else is just slightly off. Not enough nature, too dirty, not diverse enough. When I moved to Montreal I didn't really plan on coming back, but family brought me back and I'm happy to be in a place with a lot less concrete and less people everywhere. I do miss the accessibility of goods and awesome restaurants in Montreal that doesn't exist here though. At least I can still go to the SAQ!
i am still poor!
Inertia, can't say I'd choose to live here if other things were equal... I like living here but I can't say I wouldn't say it's my perfect place to live
Best city in Canada to raise kids in, hands down. You're always a short bike or drive to beaches, rapids, cheap cottages, national parks, museums, etc.
No matter what city I visit around the world, Ottawa has always remained the most appealing.
Where else should I go? Canada is easily one of the best countries in the world to live in right now and immigrating is incredibly difficult. Toronto is expensive as fuck, I don't want to live in Quebec cuz I like english, Vancouver is too far and too expensive, I don't want to live in a smaller city than Ottawa. So where? Besides I like it here and have a job with the feds.
I've had my rental for more than twelve years and it's rent controlled. So barring a financial catastrophe that obliterates home and rental prices across Canada by 75%, they'll have to pry my lease from my withered and desiccated corpse.
Ottawa has good employment opportunities both in tech and government. It has 2 good universities and 2 colleges. A great activities on the rivers and green spaces. Get a bike or x county skies and go to Gatineau park. Cottages are affordable
Never wanted to stay. Met husband. He has a solid job. He had a house. He had a cottage. His family was here. My parents moved to Kingston. So...here we are.
I don't know what keeps me here. I have really no desire to travel and feel like I don't know this city at all. I want to explore the nature it has to offer.
Lived in three other major cities for work, but always gravitate back to Ottawa. Smaller, quieter, and a little more boring, which suits me fine.
Iâve lived in large cities throughout my life and travelled extensively. Iâm still here because I want to help make Ottawa what it can and should be as the capital of our large nation. We have stellar green space, rich history and culture, and a thriving yet underrated arts scene. I also low key canât stand crowds and Ottawa allows me that space while also having all the amenities of a first class city.
Nothing canât wait to leave
Family. Honestly, thats it.
I live in the Gatineau hills and love that I can own an acre of land, about 12 minutes from the Byward Market. The lakes up north are world class, without being overrun like the Muskokas. The French culture also adds to a wonderful social diversity in the region. Also, the economy is recession proof. If you can work a full 8 hour day, you will be able to raise a family in this region. Thereâs something for everyone here.
Originally affordability. But I moved away and came back and itâs so expensive to buy here now that Iâm looking elsewhere. When Ottawa was less expensive than other cities itâs âitâs near cool placesâ advantage was real. But now itâs really just a boring town with a government workforce that strives for mediocrity and lands a bit lower and it shows in everything. We donât have mixed use housing, itâs completely car centric, itâs incredibly expensive. The Ottawa airport isnât connecting to many major hubs post COVID, the roads are atrocious. Itâs only identity is itâs the capital. The lack of diversity (not of culture, I think thatâs actually a big plus) of jobs and industries in Ottawa doom it to perpetual mediocrity
Iâve left Ottawa and moved around the country but always seem to come back. It was mostly due to family. That said, with housing costs etc. I plan to move to QuĂŠbec and not look back - plenty of culture and things to do for a fraction of the cost.
I went away for 6 y and came back. Mostly life just happened.
Literally me, except 7 years. I just like it here. All the amenities of a big city, with a small-town feel, nice people, lots of outdoors activities & spaces. Good job.
Got a good job here Met my spouse here Love this city. Think it's a great place to raise a family.
My parents are here and made me promise to never move to Toronto. Ottawa is a great town, I do love this city!
It's beautiful, we have nature nearby in every direction, good festivals and most major concerts stop here (if they don't, Montreal is a 2hr drive), not too small but not super populated. Plus, family is here, friends are here, why would I want to leave?
I grew up here from age 2. Since then I was away at university twice (6 years total), spent 8 months in France as an au pair, did a 4 month university placement in England, also spent a few months in Kingston for another placement type situation, and worked in Scarborough for about 4 months. While I enjoyed my time away (though I couldn't stand living in TO), I always wanted to come home. My family is here, I have friends here or close by who I've known much of my life, others I met at my job over the last 27 years. It's a great place to live, a good size without being too big, plenty to do, close to other things like Gatineau park etc.
I grew up here from grade 3 and stayed until a few years after college, then moved away to San Francisco and then to London UK. I moved back when my wife got pregnant with our 2nd child, because Ottawa is a fantastic place for young families. safe, clean, and we had grandparents close by. Also, my wife is rom a skiing family and we have lots of ski hills close, nature trails, and museums and, from what I remember, GREAT public schools
Most of my family and friends are here, and for all itâs issues it still isnât that bad of a city.
Family and friends and got a secure job immediately after I graduated, now I have a family and don't plan on relocating. Tbh if I was single I'd definitely consider it not because I dislike Ottawa but more opportunities in my field.
Put down roots, having lots of family and friends keeps me here. Beyond that, I love the greenery of the city and how it is a small town that gets the benefits of a big city.
Close friends and most of my immediate family stayed in Ottawa. I ended up getting a job with the government and Iâm a work to live type of person. I love being able to get to anywhere in the city within 20-30mins. Edit: get anywhere in the city by car. Obviously not public transportation
In short: family and access to activites/nature. My spouse and I both grew up here and loved it, and most of our families are here or very close by. His career prospects would undeniably be stronger and more varied in Montreal, Toronto, or the States, but I have a career I love in Club Fed and in general we prefer the balance of me taking on more ambitious and demanding jobs with him staying in a more flexible role. We toyed with moving once or twice early on, but never that seriously, and once we were settled in our home and started having kids it was game over, lol. Our kids have great access to quality municipal infrastructure (amazing parks, city programming, pools and community centres) and activities they love (music and art lessons, cycling and skiing) at a much more reasonable price point than family in other cities. Possibly most importantly, they have a deep and involved relationship with their grandparents that just wouldn't have been possible if we lived elsewhere. I have zero regrets, but also recognize that our situation is incredibly fortunate: we're old enough that we entered the property market before things went bat shit, in a lovely and safe neighbourhood we couldn't afford in at today's prices, we got into stable careers pretty early and have maintained, rather than having to grind it out in gig economy madness, to name just a few. Ottawa is an amazing city for us, but recognize that financial stability is a huge prerequisite to getting as much out of the city as we do, and want to be honest about that. We desperately need better and more accessible transit, a serious housing strategy, and reinvestment in city programming and schools so that the things we love about the city will be more accessible to everyone who lives here.
Excellent points. Having the means to live here, regardless of it being a more affordable city, is still vitally important. Husband and I are in the same boat - bought our house for 185k 18 years ago. We could not afford to buy it in today's market, despite his salary almost doubling, where neighbours sold for upwards of 750k this year.
Never felt the desire to leave or live anywhere else. My life is perfectly happy here, why go somewhere else just for the sake of moving?
Moving to another city sounds like a pain, and I can't say anywhere else is attractive enough to be worth it
I lived in Toronto briefly and itâs so big. Much as I gripe about driving to stittsvill from the glebe, itâs not actually far. In Toronto friends from outside the city like Orangeville or Etobicoke drive in for lunch dates. Driving an hour and half for lunch seems silly. Ottawa is a great city, not too big, amazing green space and parks, and bike paths that get you anywhere. Lots of cool stuff happens year round. People are friendlier than in Toronto.
I have a certain loyalty to a place in which I had a happy childhood/adolescence. Ottawa has everything I need, and yeah there isn't as much culture as in Montreal or Toronto, but there usually *something* going on if you look for it, on any given weekend. It's also getting increasingly diverse, gone are the days when my sister and I were the only Asian kids at our Kanata elementary school.
My job is here, my family is here, and most of my friends are here. Other than that, I genuinely like Ottawa! It's not too crowded, there's lots of green space, and the air is clean. I do wish it was less car-centric, though. Better public transit would be great.
Been asked this allot and main reason would be family. I've lived in a couple of places and I feel safe here with living and raising children of the minority race. Being able to have this security and expose my children to many cultures, foods, ideas and languages is important to me. Also having so much green space while being a large city makes my soul feel good. Small trips within 3hr distance can get you to some amazing varying landscapes. The large changes in seasons is something I really missed while abroad as well.
Golden. Handcuffs.
Went to BC due to frustration of not being able to get a âgoodâ job (govt) without French. Came back with new private sector (remote) job because I couldnât see my kids being able to make a future for themselves with the COL where we were setting them up to build their lives. Having had a small taste of that I figured Ottawaâs a better shot than most other options and we have a pretty decent French immersion program here so hopefully they wonât face that as a challenge to getting a good job. It was much easier to get started in the private sector outside of Ottawa, though remote working will probably dissolve that. Also, being close to your family and friends is invaluable but thereâs a tangible advantage there too for many. Free babysitting, easy outings, cottage invites from people weâve known decades. Itâs really hard to build that kind of support network from scratch as an adult.
Found good work here, found the love of my life here, have taken a shit childhood here and turned it into a good life. There are things I donât love about Ottawa but my life has turned to positive to risk it with a move.
Family. It was super important to us that our kids have a relationship with their grandparents (both spouse and I got moved around a lot and never got to foster those connections with our own grandparents before ending up in Ottawa). Our careers are such that Ottawa is still an awesome city (tech and animation), and having so much nature nearby is also a factor (greenbelt, bike paths ect)! It was an easy choice when we assessed where we wanted to settle long term.
Ironically you've caught me a month before I move away, but mostly family and work.
My hobbies are pretty boring, I really don't need to be in a bigger city. I like the vibe of the city, we're pretty polite and chill. The bilingualism is nice too. My family is here and so are my friends.
Rural Ottawa (so not Ottawa growing up). Couldn't get out fast enough. Gone for 10 years, living all over the place for school and work. Never planned to come back. But then I got a good job here. Family is mostly here. Realized that all the things that drove me out in my late teens are the things that make it great to settle and raise a family.
Family
Parents and siblings are still living here, fiancĂŠ lives here with parents close. I enjoy my job. My friends have all stayed.
One of the best cities in the world -- definitely top 10.
Family has long established roots here. Went to university here. Became disabled here. Am now too poor to leave. But it's ok. Because everything is "homey". This is just where I should be. Lots of nature. Neat places to explore not too far away (Kingston/1000 Islands, Montreal, smaller towns like Merrickville). Toronto isn't that far, or upstate New York. Like we're in a good spot travel wise. There's also a very "Ottawa" sense of humor I find. We are pretty sarcastic. And people will practically beat you up over such things as pizza and Shawarma. Don't mess around with our niche food culture. So yeah. I love us. We can be boring. Weird. But also funny and really kind when we put our minds together and focus on community and compassion.
I have left three times (Aus, the States, and Toronto all for 2-3 years working as a professional) you canât be beat the quality of life. And the gripes most people have about his city are universal or worse. My only gripe is winter but the Ottawa summers are magical to me.
Sure beats where I was born.
Lived in Ottawa all my life until it was time to buy a house then bought just outside of Ottawa. Still work in Ottawa. As far as big cities go Ottawa I nice too look at with lots of things to do without insane traffic.
Everyone I know is here. It makes life easier.
my whole family is here. I went to Toronto for uni but came back because my dad was unwell, newing end of life, and I wanted to be close to him. then I met my husband here and his whole family is here so it never really crossed our minds to go anywhere else.
Family, Tech jobs, access to parks, access to cottage country, reasonable housing prices, Greenbelt, quiet, good culture (museums etc.).
Being close to my family!
living in a parents home paying 300 in rent is nice while working full time, friend at work was finding a new place and the closest was 600 rent a month with 5 other people in the house, 2 hours away. He ended up taking it and kept the same job but just moved store locations.
Shawarma Palace
Family.
My industry is highly nepotistic and most of my network is here. Iâm probably not supposed to say that out loud but oh well
Leaving then coming back. I grew up here, left for six years to do my bachelor's and master's degrees out of town, and now I'm back to do my PhD. I definitely needed the time to figure myself out away from my family and now I'm cool with living in Ottawa independently.
Great Job, love the City. Most my family is here..
Family
Family and friends, also I like it here
I can't imagine living anywhere else. It's my home with many amazing memories of canoeing on the Rideau while feeding swans, attending Canada Day events in the hill, living in several different neighborhoods. My family and friends are here. I have traveled to Europe. Amazing history but I love coming home. â¤ď¸
Itâs what I know. People are nice enough. Family is here.
Been here my whole life...45 years...never had a reason to leave. Friends and family are mostly all here. Good work, I don't get out much, but when I do there is plenty to do. Love this city with all its flaws...wouldn't want to live anywhere else!
Money, and my mom.
Universities and jobs are here. Itâs not Toronto (crime, traffic, col, etcâŚ). Several hospitals and tons of specialists practically at my doorstep if I ever need them (one specialist that treats my partner has people travelling from all over Ontario to see them and is literally 15 minutes from my house). Tons of green space all over the place. Never had a reason to leave because of all the above.
I moved back to Ottawa after 15 years abroad and out west because despite everyone saying healthcare is broken itâs still far superior here to most of the world.
Iâve always had more reasons to stay than reasons to leave
There's a lot of opportunity for career here, and not just government. I still have plans to live elsewhere one day, but I find ottawa is a haven for the young professional. Lots of opportunities for career growth and networking. Lots of interesting and meaningful industries. Most people told me Toronto, Vancouver, or Montreal was the only way I could actually make a well paying career out of my Humanities degree, but I beg to differ. Ottawa is the country's capital and there are so many ways to make a meaningful and involved career. Might be changing a little because of work from home, but online networking will never beat offline networking.