Ottawa a good place to live for a couple years?

Question

I plan after highschool to take university outside of my province. I use to live in ottawa when i was so little. I remember so little. I plan in returning but i want more info. I want to know

1.Cost of living (cheap? Expensive?)

2. Types of people ( Freindly? Culture, religion over there?)I'm half chinese and phillipino. Good place to see phillipinos who could speak tagalog.

3. Enviroment

4. Attractions or famous places

5.Criminal rates (is it a bad place?)

6. Types of universities or colleges ( best suited for civil engineering?)

Any other important info you want to give plz go right ahead. Thanks in advance.

Answer 1

1. Cost of living is about average for a city it's size. There are certain areas that are cheaper, and others that are a bit more expensive--the area around Carleton is fairly cheap, while downtown is more expensive. For a general idea, check out craigslist.org , click on Ottawa and click on apts.

2. There is a fairly sizeable Phillipino population within Ottawa, something which I didn't really realize until a few years after I moved here (I worked with four or five Phillipinos who introduced me to their culture). Chinatown is a decent size, and there are a number of cultural diaspora who showcase their music, movies, food, religions, etc throughout the city in different events. There is definitely a good cultural atmosphere here.

3. If you  mean outdoors stuff, then you're coming to the right place! Across the river in Gatineau, there is Gatineau Park, with numerous hiking, biking and cross-country skiing trails. There are also a number of downhill trails within a 45 minute drive. And the canal for skating. Summer sports? There are a number of boating clubs, hiking, biking trails--the entire bike path that runs through Ottawa along the River. There are three major provincial parks within an hours drive that are worthy of camping at. There's also all your usual sports clubs.

4. Attractions: Depends upon what your interested in. We get a lot of concerts, and even if we don't, it's only a 2 hour drive/bus ride to Montreal. There's a lot of historically famous places--parliament, a ton of museums (war museum, museum of civilization, etc), and even just historic buildings turned into pubs, etc. I have never found a dull weekend in Ottawa when I've gone looking--there's always different festivals and things going on as well.

5. Criminal rates: The same, maybe slightly lower than any city this size: It's a matter of what areas. Around Carleton there isn't a lot. Most of the crime is small stuff, in the downtown area and in the east (Vanier) or the centre-west (Mechanicsville). We've had 5 or 6 homicides this year. You're likely not going to get shot, if that's what you're asking.

6. Dr Henry 17 is completely wrong: While Ottawa U and Carleton sort of have the short end of the stick, for engineering programs, Carleton is one of the top 2 in the province--the other being Waterloo. It has a really strong civil engineering program, and the campus is beautiful! I have loved my last 4 years here.

So, I think you will like Ottawa. The problem is, if you're like me, you'll love it too much.

Answer 2

LIVE HERE. GREAT PLACE.

Answer 3

1. I find cost of living higher than average. Plenty of student housing so you'll be fine but for after school when you want something nicer it is more expensive then it should be.

2. It is not as diversified as a major city like Toronto would be but you'll have no problem meeting some people with a similar ethnic background though clubs at school. Toronto would be better for having a larger population of different cultures.

3. Clean as any other city.

4. It is the capital so lots of museums etc but for stuff like night life and clubs the city if fairly boring. There is a casino.

5. Fairly safe. There are a certain areas that are not very nice but this is Canada -- all our cities are fairly safe.

6. They are pretty bad. Both schools are considered a joke. They have low admission standards and they are not really that good. If you want to go to a good university in Ontario I suggest Western, Queens, McMaster or UofT (downtown campus). For engineering Waterloo is also excellent.