Canadian Relocation
Ottawa, Ontario

Welcome to Canadian Relocation Ottawa, the Online Guide for people Relocating or Moving to Ottawa, organized by category of interest from Apartment Rentals to Weather. You don't have to search the internet, we have done it for you.

Photo - Dasser Kamran

Ottawa, the capital of Canada, is situated at the confluence of the Ottawa, Gatineau, and Rideau rivers. Its metropolitan area lies astride the Ontario-Quebec border. With a population of 1,323,783 in the Ottawa–Gatineau CMA, Ottawa is ranked high in terms of quality of life, based on many factors, including low crime rates, environmental cleanliness, public services, political stability, and socio-economic conditions.

Ottawa is home to 12 national museums devoted to Canadian art, nature, science and technology, aviation, war civilization and more. Also of interest are the Royal Canadian Mint and the ByWard Market, which is constantly buzzing with people visiting the many restaurants, shops and pubs. Ottawa's historic ByWard Market Square is located in the downtown area of Ottawa's oldest commercial and residential neighbourhoods and the cradle of the city's French, Irish and Jewish populations and is home to Canada's oldest farmers market. Whether you'r looking for Candian cheese or maple-infused chocolate, you'll find it here. At night, the rustic taverns or stylish gay bars are a buzzing hub of activity.

The National Arts Centre Orchestra, Ottawa Symphony, Nepean Symphony Orchestra and Kanata Symphony are Ottawa's finest when it comes to classical music, yet the city indulges in tunes of every type to please even the most finicky patron.

Ottawa has a fine selection of Parks city wide for family picnics, fun in the sun activities and outings for children of all ages. Gatineau Park, the Capital's conservation park, offers ski trails in the wintertime and swimming pools, hike trails, bicycle paths and picnic grounds.

If you're interested in moving to Ottawa and looking for homes for sale in the Ottawa area, you may want to search this Ottawa MLS as a first step. You'll be able to browse through thousands of homes and condos that are currently on the market.

Skiing is a favorite pastime in Ottawa. One will never be alone traveling down the likes of Edelweiss Valley, Vorlage, Mont Cascades, Camp Fortune or Mont Ste. Marie.

Job-wise, Ottawa is also the place to be. According to Statistics Canada, Job growth, for the most part, has occurred in industries and occupations that tend to pay higher-than-average weekly wages.

The first descriptions of Ottawa's future site were written by the founder of New France, Samuel de Champlain, in 1613. The rivers served as passageways for explorers and traders over the following two centuries. The Napoleonic Wars increased Britain's need for shipbuilding timber, and the Ottawa River valley offered just such resources. In 1800 an American, Philemon Wright, had begun timbering across the Ottawa River in what became the city of Hull. During the War of 1812 between Britain and the United States, the Rideau provided the British with a safe shipping route from the Ottawa River to Kingston, on Lake Ontario, thus spurring settlement of Ottawa. It was hastened by the arrival in 1826 of Lieutenant Colonel John By of the Royal Engineers to work on canalizing the river, and the town became Bytown.

Ottawa might still be a modest city had not political quarrels between Quebec city and Toronto and between Montreal and Kingston induced leaders to call upon Queen Victoria to designate a capital for United Canada. In 1855 Bytown was incorporated and rechristened Ottawa, named for the Odawa First Nations. It became the fastest-growing metropolis in eastern Canada, a development due largely to the presence of the national government. In 1937 Prime Minister William L. Mackenzie King brought the architect Jacques Gréber from France to begin the redevelopment of the national capital district.

The fur trade and lumbering have diminished in favour of tourism and computer-related industries. The federal government is the major employer. Many commercial and financial associations from around the country as well as embassies and trade associations are also located here.

Ottawa is served by both of Canada's major railroads and several airlines.

Ottawa's mass transit is represented by OC Transpo transit buses, The O-Train, Ottawa's Light Rail Transit System, and Para Transpo, a door-to-door transportation service for persons with disabilities who are physically unable to board conventional transit services. If you'll be using public transportation on a regular basis, you might consider PRESTO, an electronic payment system that eliminates the need for tickets, tokens, passes and cash. PRESTO works across local transit in Ottawa, making paying for your trip simple, convenient and secure.

Ottawa also houses the National Arts Centre, which includes an opera house and two theatres, the National Library and Public Archives Building, the National Museum of Science and Technology, and the Canadian Museum of History.

Along with the Ottawa and Gatineau rivers, Ottawa proudly boasts the Rideau Canal, a playground for skaters in the winter and for boaters in the summer. The 202km (126 mile) Rideau was named Canada's 14th UNESCO World Heritage Site in 2007.

The major educational centres remain the city's three universities. The University of Ottawa and St. Paul University are bilingual institutions, whereas instruction at Carleton University is entirely in English. Algonquin College, provides a wide variety of programs both on-campus and online.

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