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As
a result of a 1994 cross-Canada survey, the acclaimed Canadian
publication Chatelaine Magazine named Ottawa, the centre
of the National Capital Region, as the best place to live
and work. The criteria for the survey included
clean air, educational institutions - from public schools
to universities, affordable housing, quality of urban living,
employment opportunities, libraries, culture and public
transportation.
 Although the National Capital Region boasts a population
of more than 1 million, and enjoys one of Canada’s highest
growth rates, Ottawa exudes the charm of a smaller city,
while home to the country’s most prolific attractions.
Described as one of the world’s most beautiful capital cities,
Ottawa is endowed with spectacular parks within its urban
centre, and is moments away from renowned wilderness areas.
There are hundreds of pristine lakes, rivers and streams
surrounding the region. It is less than an hour’s drive
from the United States, and easily accessible to Canada’s
two largest cities - approximately 200 kilometers from Montreal
to the east and 400 kilometers from Toronto to the west.
History
The Ottawa region was long home to First Nations peoples
who were part of the Algonquin. The first European settlement
in the Ottawa region was that of Philemon Wright who started
a community on the Quebec side of the river in 1800. Wright
discovered that transporting timber by river from the Ottawa
Valley to Montreal was possible and Ottawa was soon booming
based almost entirely off timber. The city grew even further
in importance when the Rideau Canal was constructed by Colonel
John By. The city was then known as Bytown, but it was incorporated
as Ottawa in 1855.
On December 31, 1857 Queen Victoria was
asked to choose a capital for Canada, and chose Ottawa.
There are various popular stories explaining this decision.
One explanation is that she did so by sticking her hatpin
on a map roughly halfway between Toronto and Montreal;
Ottawa was the nearest city to were it landed. Another
is that she liked some watercolours she had seen of the
area. In reality, the primary objective was probably to
avoid antagonising either English speakers or French speakers.
The other candidates - Quebec City, Montreal, Kingston
and Toronto - were perceived as too firmly rooted either
in English or in French tradition; Ottawa seemed more
neutral. Also, at a time when the US was considered a
military threat, Ottawa was situated further from the
border.
The original Centre Block of the Parliament
Buildings in Ottawa burned down on February 3, 1916. The
House of Commons was temporarily relocated to the Victorian
era building which was then the Victoria Museum, and is
currently (2004) the Canadian Museum of Nature, located
about 1 km south of Parliament Hill at the opposite end
of Metcalfe Street. A new Centre Block was completed in
1922, the centre-piece of which is a dominant gothic revival
styled structure known as the Peace Tower which has become
a common emblem of the city.
In 2001, the city of Ottawa was amalgamated
with the suburbs of Nepean, Kanata, Gloucester, Rockcliffe
Park, Vanier and Cumberland, and the rural townships of
West Carleton, Osgoode, Rideau and Goulbourn, along with
the systems and infrastructure of the Ottawa-Carleton
Regional Municipality, to become one municipality.
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Geography
Ottawa sits on the south bank of the Ottawa River, around
the mouths of the Rideau River and Rideau Canal. The oldest
part of the city (including what remains of Bytown) is known
as Lower Town and occupies an area between the canal and
the rivers. Across the canal to the west lies Centre Town,
which is the city's financial and commercial hub. Between
here and the Ottawa River, the slight elevation of Parliament
Hill is home to many of the capital's landmark government
buildings.
The
Ottawa urban area extends for considerable distance to the
east, west and south of the centre, and includes the former
cities of Gloucester and Nepean. Around the city is an extensive
greenbelt, administered by the National Capital Commission
for conservation and leisure, and comprising mostly forest
and marshland. A number of satellite towns and rural communities
lie beyond the greenbelt but are administratively part of
the Ottawa municipality. The largest of these are Kanata
to the west and Orleans to the east.
Across
the Ottawa River, which forms the border between Ontario
and Quebec, lies the city of Gatineau. Although administered
separately, the two cities both fall within the remit of
the National Capital Commission and for many purposes are
considered a single metropolitan area, called Canada's Capital
Region.
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Demographics
According to the 2001 Statistics Canada census, there are
774,072 people, 310,132 households, and 210,875 families
residing in the city. The population density is 278.6 per
sq. km.
The linguistic makeup of the city is 63.6%
Anglophone, 15.0% Francophone, 0.9% bilingual, 20.3% allophone.
There are 210,875 families out of which
72.8% are married couples living together, 11.1% are common-law
couples, and 13.2% have a female householder with no husband
present.
In the city the population is spread out
with 25.3% under the age of 19, 6.9% from 20 to 24, 32.5%
from 25 to 44, 23.8% from 45 to 64, and 11.5% who are
65 years of age or older. The median age is 36.7 years.
For every 100 females there are 95.1 males. For every
100 females age 18 and over, there are 92.1 males.
The median income for a working individual
in the city is $39,713, and the median income for a family
is $73,507. Males have a median income of $47,203 versus
$31,641 for females. The per capita income for the city
is $23,061.
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Transportation
Ottawa is served by VIA Rail, by Macdonald-Cartier International
Airport and by a number of long distance bus companies.
Ottawa's main mass transit company is
known as OC Transpo. The bus transit system includes the
Transitway, a network of mostly grade-separated,
extremely high-frequency, reserved bus rapid transit lanes
with full stations instead of stops. There is also a
pilot-project diesel light rail system called the O-Train. Both OC Transpo
and the Quebec-based Société de transport
de l'Outaouais operate bus services between Ottawa and
Gatineau.
The Rideau Canal, which starts in Kingston,
Ontario, winds its way through the city. The final flight
of locks on the canal are adjacent to the Parliament Buildings.
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Primary Industries
Ottawa's
primary employers are the Canadian federal government and
high technology. Many publicly traded companies such as
Nortel, Alcatel, Cognos, MOSAID, Mitel Networks, Bell Canada, Telus
and Corel have offices in the city.
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Notable Buildings and Institutions
Some of
the notable buildings in Ottawa include the Parliament Buildings,
where Canada's government resides; 24 Sussex Drive, the
home of the Prime Minister of Canada; and Rideau Hall, the
home of the Governor-General of Canada. Ottawa also has
several museums, including the National Gallery of Canada,
Canadian War Museum, Canada Science and Technology Museum,
and Canadian Museum of Nature. The Canadian Museum of Civilization
is located across the Ottawa River in Gatineau, Quebec.
Ottawa is also the home of the University of Ottawa and
Carleton University. Ottawa is served by Macdonald-Cartier
International Airport. All federal buildings and lands are
managed by the National Capital Commission.
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Annual Events
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Winterlude
is an annual winter carnival held each year in February.
It is focused on the Rideau Canal. |
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Each May Ottawa receives a gift of several
hundred thousand tulips from the royal family of the Netherlands.
These are displayed throughout the city in conjunction
with the Tulip Festival. |
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Canada Day is one of Ottawa's most important holidays and
people from across the nation visit to celebrate the nation's
birthday. |
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The Ottawa Chamber Music Festival
is the world's largest festival of chamber music, held annually. |
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Sports
Ottawa
is home to two major league sports teams, the Ottawa Senators
(established 1992) of the National Hockey League and the
Ottawa Renegades of the Canadian Football League. It is
also home to the AAA farm team of the Baltimore Orioles,
the Ottawa Lynx of the International League, and the
Junior A Ottawa
67's of the Ontario Hockey League.
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Famous People from Ottawa
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Dan Aykroyd (actor) |
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Paul Anka (singer) |
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Margaret Atwood (author) |
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Tom Green (comic, actor) |
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Peter Jennings (ABC television news anchor) |
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Rich Little (impersonator) |
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Peter Mansbridge (CBC television news anchor) |
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Alanis Morissette (singer) |
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Matthew Perry (actor) |
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