LuminousOcean

It was no problem! I have gotten a lot of amazing advice from this forum in the past so I thought I would pay it forward. And feel free to message me if you have any questions!

Hi! Ottawa native here. There are a few neighbourhoods in Ottawa near both universities that are great and there are others to be avoided. The vast majority of Ottawa is safe and accessible by public transportation and by bike in the the spring/summer/fall. Though there has been A LOT of changes recently to city transportation due to the LRT expansion, which has been a pain but hopefully it will come to an end soon. I am going to list all the neighbourhoods I think are the best and the worst/not ideal below and give a quick pro/con to all of them. Best neighbourhoods for UOttawa: Sandy Hill- Known student area that is close to downtown and very close to campus. This neighbourhood is best if you want to be able to walk to everything you need rather than bussing anywhere. There are a few dive bars with a lot of charm in this area which are student watering holes and a great place to meet people. Centertown/Golden Triangle- This is the neighbourhood directly across from the university on the other side of the canal. It is filled with heritage homes and newer developments making an awesome place to find a unique apartment. It is close to Elgin st which has a ton of bars and restaurants, and is one of the hubs for Ottawa nightlife. Though I will say that Elgin st will be closed for the next year to replace water mains, so that might be a possible source of inconvenience, but I think the location is worth it and all of the local businesses in the area are still open during construction and need all the help they can get! Downtown/Byward Market- This neighbourhood teeters in between being a neighbourhood that I would recommend and one I would not. Reason being, the Byward Market is super close to Uottawa and is in the heart of downtown and close to the action. In my opinion, it might be too close to the action, as it can be loud and the crime rate is slightly higher than the rest of the city, but that is to be expected from the downtown core. Also, most of the condos downtown are very expensive which is a drawback for me, especially when there are some many cooler places in other close neighbourhoods. Neighbourhoods to avoid/are not ideal: Vanier/Overbrook- These two neighbourhoods which sit right next to each other if you are looking at a map of Ottawa, have a reputation for elevated crime rates and run down homes. Vanier has become the next project for the City who is investing $50m into revitalizing the neighbourhood, so I think in the next 10-15 years this place might be a good place to look at, but currently, I would not recommend. Orleans- I have seen many people argue that Orleans is 20-30 minutes drive from Downtown, and that might be true for driving during non-rush hour. But if you are driving during rush hour or if you are taking the bus at any time of day you are looking at an hour plus commute, which isn't great. Kanata- Kanata has a similar problem to Orleans. In theory, it is 20-30 minute drive to downtown. In reality, you are so far away from downtown that public transport will take forever, and if you are caught in rush hour, good luck. Ottawa traffic can be awful, especially on the 417, so it's best to live closer to campus to avoid the hassle. Moving on to Carleton neighbourhoods! Best neighbourhoods for Carleton: The Glebe-The Glebe is one of the better known neighbourhoods in Ottawa. It has many local restaurants, bars, and small businesses which are all great and it is home to Landsdowne/TD Place where you can go to concerts/music festivals, or go see a football, hockey, or soccer game. The rent will be more expensive in some parts of the Glebe due to this neighbourhood being an upper-middle class neighbourhood. Also with this upper-middle class status sometimes the locals can get a little pretentious. Recently, there was an uproar over a McDonalds wanting to open a new location in the Glebe ? Barring that, the Glebe is a gorgeous area with turn of the century homes and lots of parks. Though, I will note that the closer you get to Bronson, the more student friendly the prices become because it is closer to Carleton. But, this part of the Glebe is further away from the local businesses which are mostly on Bank st. Old Ottawa South-This neighbourhood is an ideal place for students who want to be close to campus but also be close to things to do. Old Ottawa South is very close to Landsdowne and has a ton of local businesses that are unique. Also, this area is ideal because it is connected to the main bus routes the 6 and 7 run all the way downtown. The 7 will be your bus of choice as it is a direct line via bank st from Carleton to Rideau. The rent is slightly elevated (though not as bad as some in the Glebe) so you are paying a slight premium, but you can still find good places to rent for good prices. Little Italy/Chinatown- This is a great place to live if you love to eat. There is a ton of different restaurants of different flavours and it is located close to the O-train line which makes it a convenient spot. Also, this neighbourhood is really close to LeBreton Flats where Bluesfest is held every year in July. The lineup has already been announced for 2019 so I would check that out if you are in Ottawa by then. Unfortunately, the O-train is being shutdown in 2020 for construction so there will be changes to transportation which will impact your commute, but there will be accommodations made by the city to make sure that there isn't too much of an impact. Though, I have heard terrible things about the student apartment buildings in this area, LIV is one of them, so I would be very hesitant to rent from those places. Also there is a bunch of new construction occurring close to Dow's Lake so I would look at places away from that area if you don't like the sounds of constant construction. Hintonburg- Hintonburg is a hipster haven, filled with artisan shops and cool hangout spots. It is close to Little Italy, so you can still access all of the good eats but pay slightly cheaper rent. Again, Hintonburg will suffer slightly from the O-train construction but it won't be anything terrible. Meadowlands/Experimental Farm Area- This is another area that I am on the fence about. Firstly, it is on the other side of Carleton on the other side of the Canal which makes it harder to access downtown in a convenient way. Also these areas are largely residential (or open fields) so there is not a whole lot to do. There is also rougher spots in these neighbourhoods, which can be avoided by renting in other locations. Neighbourhoods to avoid/are not ideal: South Keys/Greenboro- Again, this is another in between neighbourhood. It is very close to public transit, big shopping malls, and typically you get more bang for your buck in terms of renting. However, it is pretty far from Ottawa nightlife and is a solid 30 minute bus ride to downtown if the bus is on time and not in traffic. Also, as previously mentioned, the O-train is going to be temporarily unavailable for a year in 2020 which makes this area even more inaccessible as this was a direct line from this neighbourhood to Carleton. But please be aware, just like Meadowlands/Experimental Farm area, there are rough patches in this neighbourhood so please be careful when renting a place and do your research! Mechanicsville- Mechanicsville is definitely a neighbourhood in transition. it used to have a bad reputation but it has been gentrified over the past decade which is improving its reputation. However, it is super close to Hintonburg which has more things to do, so if I had to choose, I would choose Hintonburg over Mechanicsville. Westboro- Westboro is also close to Hintonburg area but I think it is a little too far from campus unless you have a car or a stomach for long OC Transpo communtes. Also, this is where some of the rich people live so the rent might be elevated in some places. Otherwise, there is great boutiques and higher end restaurants to enjoy. Ditto for Orleans and Kanata I hope this list helped! And welcome to Ottawa