First, we would like to say welcome to our amazing city! Ottawa is a vibrant and growing community that offers a lot of opportunity to its residents. Congratulations on choosing to join the neighbourhood. It may all seem overwhelming so let’s take a look at some key things that everyone new to the city should know!

4 Tips for Moving to Ottawa

1. Ottawa Covers A Lot of Ground

Ottawa is the largest of Canada’s big cities and it covers an area of 2778 km². It is located on the south bank of the Ottawa River and reaches Fitzroy Harbor and Constance Bay to the West and Navan and Cumberland to the East. In 2001, the municipality of Ottawa-Carleton was amalgamated into one city and this can cause confusion for some. Those who have been around for a while may refer to their addresses based on the their previous city names but technically it is now all city of Ottawa. It doesn’t matter if you live in Kanata, Nepean, Carp, Stittsville or Orleans: it’s all Ottawa.

2. Transportations and Getting Around

If you are looking to travel, Ottawa is home to the Macdonald-Cartier Airport (YOW) and two train stations serviced by Via Rail. All are conveniently located. To get around the city, you have a variety of options. If you are traveling by car, there are two major highways that cross through the city: the Queensway (417) – the East-West corridor and the Veteran’s Memorial Highway (416) – the North-South Corridor which connects the city to the 401. Ottawa also offers public transit through OC Transpo and there are extensive paths, trails, and bike lanes if you’d rather go a greener route.

3. School Boards

Ottawa has four major school boards to choose from which serve all the communities from East to West. There are two English boards (the Ottawa Carleton District School Board and the Ottawa Catholic School Board) and two French boards (Conseil des Ecoles Catholiques du Centre-Est and Conseil des Ecoles Publiques de l’Est de l’Ontario). All four school boards offer great programs and school and it is important to consider your child’s needs in choosing a school that is right for them.

4. Get Out and Have Some Fun

It’s important to get out and Ottawa offers many great opportunities to do so. The city is home to the Ottawa Senators, an NHL hockey team that play at the Canadian Tire Centre in Kanata. The Canadian Tire Centre also hosts large concerts and entertainment events throughout the year. Downtown, you will find the National Arts Centre which is a hub for music, theatre and the arts. And don’t forget to check out the many museums that only a capital city can offer. Ottawa is also home to many great restaurants for the foodies out there.

---