Ottawa, Canada - Relocating

Question

What neighbourhoods are better to live in than others? Say safe working class to middle class areas along with typical rents for a 1 or 2 bedroom? Most of Ottawa is beautiful; but I want to avoid looking for apartments in a seedy area?

Answer 1

There is a real range of possible choices.  I would personally avoid Vanier and Centertown.  Orleans has more of a french flavour and each of the other parts of the city have their own advantages and disadvantages.  The nightlife in the market if that is important to you, the quiet and family atmosphere of Nepean if that is your thing.  Whatever matters to you and fits your style.

There are a lot of online resources.  Minto is the largest apt. rental company in the city and has a wide choice.  

http://www.mintorentals.com/mainOTT/inde...

Answer 2

Most neighbourhoods in Ottawa are safe.  I am aware of mostly the downtown core. Parts of town I would never live in for safety reasons include: Vanier and Lowertown. Theft, prostitution and substance abuse are most evident in these areas. Sandy Hill has gotten particularly rough in the last 6-12 months, but it is commonly known as the uOttawa student ghetto. Good neighbourhoods could include the Glebe and Rockliffe which are a little middle-upper class, as it is close to downtown; Orleans and Gloucester are safe suburbs about 15-25 mins from downtown; Nepean is also a nice area about 20-25 mins from the downtown core; Kanata is also a suburb which is growing very quickly and is a safe area also.

Basically the closer you live to the parliament buildings, the more expensive the appartment.  I currently live in Sandy Hill and pay $740 for a crappy 1 bedroom, +utilites minus water. I have been looking for a new place and a generalization is that a 1 bedroom goes for roughly $800 or $850ish.  You could easily find 1 bedrooms in the ghetto for $1000 A 2 bedroom can go anywhere from $850 to $900 or $1000.

A big plus about moving to Ottawa is that the bus system is very good. If you don't have a car, it would be a good idea to look for an apt near the main veins of the OCTRANSPO system. Even if they have a car, many people use the bus system to get into the city because parking is expensive, almost twice the cost of a bus pass /month.  

Although the info I provided was a little general I hope I was able to help!  If you have more specific questions, don't hesitate to ask!