VANIER, GLOUCESTER & ORLEANS
This part of Ottawa is east of the Rideau River and includes the former municipality of Vanier, Blackburn Hamlet and Orleans. It lies between the Ottawa River to the north and the Mer Bleu Conservation Area to the south. The area is trisected by the Rockcliffe government lands (which include the former military airport, DND facilities and the National Research Council) and the Green's Creek Conservation Area.
This part of town is home to Ottawa’s largest francophone population making it a very bilingual community. Many of the residential communities here are surrounded by Greenbelt parklands and the mix of housing runs the gamut from mature homes to newer developments with prices from low to high and everywhere in between.
There are neighbourhoods positioned between the Aviation Parkway and various federal lands and most have ready access to the downtown core via OC Transpo’s express bus service.
The large community of Orleans sits east of the Greenbelt the bulk of it sandwiched between Innes Road and the Ottawa River. This community of 90,000 is self-contained with its own shopping areas and plenty of parklands. There are oodles of public elementary and Catholic elementary schools in this area as well as high schools.
Shopping in the east end is a piece of cake with handy malls such as Place d'Orleans, Gloucester Centre, and St Laurent Shopping Centre. There are also a number of retails districts along St Laurent Blvd., Ogilvie Road and Innes Road.
If you’re an avid cyclist you’ll enjoy the recreational pathways along the Ottawa River which connect to
Rockcliffe Park. There are two conservation areas – Green's Creek with its winter toboggan hill, and
Mer Bleu, which features excellent cross-country skiing and hiking trails and is known throughout the city as one of the best bird watching spots around. The area has four pools, including a wave pool on Blair Rd, plus another to the east in Cumberland. This part of Ottawa has five ice arenas, a small bunny ski hill (in Beacon Hill), two multi-screen cinemas and the National Aviation Museum at Rockcliffe.
OTTAWA EAST
The charming historical areas of Lowertown and Bytown help make up the city’s East End. This part of town also boasts many of the city’s museums and historical attractions. Bordered by the Rideau Canal and Rideau River, this picturesque area boasts recreational pathways that attract cyclists and inline skaters.
Both Lowertown and ByWard Market have older row housing and newer condos that offer excellent proximity to nightlife and dining. Sandy Hill is quieter and fronts on Strathcona Park and the University of Ottawa and has a host of older fixer-uppers being lovingly restored. The area south of the Queensway (between the Rideau River and the Rideau Canal) has numerous older brick homes on both sides of the charming Bank Street retail district. The area closer to Carleton University is popular for student housing.
Ottawa East is rich in educational opportunities, with six public and four Catholic elementary schools, and three public and two Catholic high schools. The University of Ottawa, Carleton University, St. Paul University, and the Rideau (Lees Ave) Campus of Algonquin College are also close-at-hand. There is no shortage of swimming pools and ice arenas in this community and to the south there is easy access to Mooney’s Bay for boating, athletics and swimming.
Shopping is abundant here and unique shops are easy to find in the ByWard Market, along Rideau Street and the south end of Bank Street. There are also a number of malls including the Rideau Centre in the downtown core, Billings Bridge in the middle, and Herongate Mall to the south. The Queensway also gives quick access to St. Laurent Shopping Centre to the east.
ROCKCLIFFE & NEW EDINBURGH
Renown as home to some of the most expensive houses in Ottawa, this well-treed area is on a hill east of the Rideau River and counts the Prime Minster and the Governor General among its residents. The area is also popular with foreign ambassadors (noted by their national flags on their front lawns) and high-tech billionaires such as Michael Cowpland (Mitel & Corel). New Edinburgh is right on the banks of the Rideau River and has (slightly) more affordable homes with ready access to the area's many parks, though true "affordability' happens further south in Vanier.
The homes in Rockcliffe are large single family dwellings with enclosed lawns – some sporting pools and tennis courts. Several homes date back to the 1860s but most were built in the 1920s Tudor or Georgian style. Price tags on such homes here are often in the millions.
New Edinburgh is a beautiful area with a number of posh neighbourhoods such as Lindenlea
and Manor Park, and is home to exclusive Ashbury College.
Situated on a 13-acre, park-like campus Ashbury College is enriched by the resources, bilingualism, and the diplomatic community of Ottawa. Students represent over 30 countries and are attracted by the International Baccalaureate diploma, Ashbury’s bilingual diploma, and a global education that prepares them for positions of leadership and service to others.
Shopping is available along Beechwood Ave and Montreal Rd. to the south and the Byward Market and Rideau Centre Mall are a quick, picturesque drive across the Rideau River.
Recreational pathways abound along the Ottawa River and east bank of the Rideau River.
Rockcliffe Park, maintained by the NCC, is along the banks of the Ottawa River and on the eastern edge is the pretty and somewhat secluded Hemlock Lake. The museums and historical sites along Sussex Drive are close-at-hand as is the National Aviation Museum.
DOWNTOWN OTTAWA
The downtown core is situated north of the Queensway between the Rideau Canal and Preston Street and boasts some of the most unique neighbourhoods in the city. In the Glebe, for instance, mature, tree-lined streets meet beautiful turn-of-the-century homes, duplexes, renovated townhomes and even Tudor-style mansions.
Centretown is mostly comprised of high rises, Somerset Street is home to Ottawa’s Chinatown and has a smaller multi-unit home appeal with an Asian flair and Preston Street, the heart of the city’s Italian community, is a mix of residential, commercial and retail and features many of the best Italian restaurants in town!
Residents of the downtown area rarely use their cars since everything from the canal to boutiques, cafes and fabulous nightlife is either within walking or biking distance. Families who enjoy the urban lifestyle also enjoy the many parks, schools, community centres and museums in the downtown core.
The area is served by two high schools, five public schools, three separate schools and an adult continuing education facility. This central area is close to many of Ottawa’s finest post secondary schools including University of Ottawa, Carleton University, Algonquin College’s Rideau campus and St. Paul’s University. The city’s main branch of the public library is also situated downtown on Metcalfe Street.
A variety of year-round recreational possibilities are available from small community cinemas to large
movie theatres in the World Exchange Centre and at nearby Rideau Centre. The National Arts Centre hosts a fantastic array of live performances and a number of more intimate venues such as the Ottawa Little Theatre and Great Canadian Theatre Company boast lively community theatre. Along the northern, eastern and southern perimeters of the community are parkways and recreational pathways that follow the city's waterways to offer cycling, walking, and boating in the summer and skating & cross-country skiing in the winter.
BARRHAVEN
At one time, long ago, Barrhaven was merely a school on a road. Today it’s a beautiful, thriving suburb that is one of the most rapidly growing areas of the city. Situated 20 km southwest of Ottawa’s downtown core, Barrhaven’s boundaries include Greenbelt lands to the north, the Rideau River to the east, Hwy. 416 to the west and the Jock River to the south. The mature neighbourhood of “Old Barrhaven” lies between
Cedarview Road and Greenbank Road while an abundance of new developments such as Longfields, Davidson Heights, Chapman Mills and Stonebridge make up a large portion of this part of town. Numerous other neighbourhoods are either being built or in the planning stages. Before municipal amalgamation in 2001 Barrhaven was part of the City of Nepean and had a population of fewer than 35,000. In a few years, due to ongoing development, Barrhaven's population is expected to surpass 100,000.
Once upon a time Barrhaven had no theatres, no bars and only one grocery store. Today two new shopping centres at the junction of Strandherd and Greenbank, as well as smaller lifestyle centres spread throughout the area make Barrhaven a prime shopping destination.
SOUTH END
This part of Ottawa lies south of Heron Road, and includes a number of newer subdivisions that extend to and around the Airport, all surrounded by NCC Greenbelt lands. The southern reaches of "Ottawa South" extend into what used to be Gloucester. One of the more popular communities in Ottawa South is
Riverside South, home to some of the nicest homes in Ottawa.
Riverside pathways and parkways line the western boundary of this community while the east abuts railways and light industrial lands. Commuting to the downtown core is easy via the Transitway and the new Light Rail Transit Line (LRT) connects South Keys with Carleton University, Dow's Lake and LeBreton
Flats.
If you prefer country living the nearby communities of Manotick, Riverside South, North Gower, Osgoode, Kars and Kemptville are all accessible to town via Highway 16. Further east, along Highway 31, are the communities of Greely, Metcalfe, Vernon and Winchester.
The Mooney's Bay area boasts single family two-storey and ranch-style homes with above-average prices. The communities scattered in the Greenbelt include Blossom Park and Parkhaven where condos abound. The Upper Hunt Club community offers upscale singles while the new community of Chapman Mills offers more affordable single-family housing and townhomes.
Riverside South offers townhomes and singles in a small town atmosphere yet the commute to downtown is a quick 15 minutes.
This area has a large number of schools from every school board and a public library. Carleton University is accessible by LRT and the University of Ottawa is accessible via the Transitway.
Shopping is plentiful from malls (South Keys and Herongate Mall) to smaller plazas along Riverside Drive and Bank Street. This part of Ottawa has numerous recreational opportunities available using the Greenbelt and the Rideau River at Mooney's Bay as backdrops. Mooney's Bay has a beach, athletic park and boating facilities and recreational pathways which lead along the Rideau River to downtown and Rockcliffe. The Greenbelt provides ready access to Pine Grove Park and the Pine Grove Nature Trail. Ottawa’s south end also features a number of swimming pools and arenas as well as two public golf courses and the exclusive Hunt Club Golf Course.