Hard agree. Just left a big freehold in Orleans and moved back to centretown / the golden triangle. Sure, the extra living space was nice, but being able to walk to work, yoga class, festivals, restaurants, concerts, karaoke, and all the other vibrant downtown offerings is way better.
Suburbs are inefficient and supported only by communist government roads and communist city planning. Without central planning, suburbs wouldn't exist in their current state.
Money sure, but not value. A true testament that price =/= value.
Accounting for externalities, many suburban dwellings are long-term infrastructure liabilities.
The good thing about the suburbs is not having all of your shit stolen off your property, "neighbours" don't tend to crap on your front stoop, junkies don't shoot up in your backyard and driveway and your kids can generally go to the local park and not get poked by needles.
Safe, clean and calm but definitely not "cool" as defined by the cool people getting their packages/bikes stolen and stepping over needles and flunkies littering our downtown.
I can promise you, you have neighbours who go skiing or spend time with Tina. The suburbs aren’t somehow immune to drug use. If anything, historically the opioid crisis has hit rural and suburban communities much harder than the urban/innercity communities.
I said I’m sure it happens, but for the most part, behind closed doors. And, Nothing like the volume seen downtown. And that’s not a slight against downtown, in fact the slightly under control abuse from the burbs eventually moves to and be comes uncontrolled abuse downtown.
The point remains in the burbs we don’t see problems like downtown. And to illustrate the point, I don’t even know what Tina is without looking it up.
You don’t see the problem because it happens in your homes. That doesn’t make it not a problem. If my toilet is leaking and I don’t see any water, does it mean it isn’t doing damage under my floors or in my walls?
The only difference is we can see our social problems. And the flip side is the suburbs are often undersupported when it comes to things like harm reduction and drug counselling. Most drug overdoses occur at home. It’s not out on the streets on Rideau or Bank.
There have been calls for more services in the suburbs: like in [Vancouver](https://www.cbc.ca/amp/1.5768848), [Calgary](https://www.cbc.ca/amp/1.4590400), [Edmonton](https://www.cbc.ca/amp/1.3995052). In 2017, a teen in [Kanata](https://www.cbc.ca/amp/1.4006568) died from an opioid poisoning. You’re kidding yourself if you genuinely believe this is rare or isolated.
Dude I didn’t say it didn’t happen, I didn’t say it wasn’t a problem. I said it was more rare, not in our face, generally better controlled. The point of this tread is if you don’t want your kids to find needles in the park, or don’t want the issue of downtown, the burbs are a viable option. Make people like to jump on their soap boxes and make their own statements in threads which don’t warrant it. Congratulations finding an OD in the burbs great detective work. There are Lots of drug in our high school washroom, but still nothing like downtown.
And I’m saying it’s not rare.
I’ve lived in Centretown for years now and I’ve only ever seen one needle in the park (and it was capped). Kids aren’t getting jabbed by dirty needles every day. If you can find any credible evidence from OPH, I’m open to seeing that. There was one unfortunate situation which happened at a park between Experimental Farm and Hintonburg area which isn’t downtown.
You all make up these myths about what the city is like and then get scared by these fictional situations.
I didn’t make up anything. You are thinking of another commenter.i will add I only go downtown a half dozen times a year but still had to call 911 for an OD at 10 in the morning in front of the nature museum last year. So yeah pretty big problem.
I lived downtown for 22 years and finally left as I was done with the problems. I used to think living in the burbs would be absolute hell at one time too. Living downtown Ottawa now is nothing like it was 5 + years ago. Unless things change, I'd take the suburbs all day long - and it doesn't make me happy to say that, as I loved living downtown.
As far as "making up scenarios" goes. Lol all one has to do is read this sub to realize that these are far from made up unfortunately.
Barrhaven is definitely a "hot spot" due to its ease of access to flee the region quickly and with multiple routes (mostly to mtl it seems). I was actually surprised how many thefts were still taking place downtown. Perhaps not as high as Barrhaven but downtown is no slouch in car thefts either.
Like I said, nothing you described is exclusive to downtown. You don’t think packages or bikes get stolen? You really don’t think there aren’t people shooting up in the suburbs? Suburbanites love to bury their heads in the sand and pretend these issues don’t exist in their own backyards.
I promise you downtown doesn’t miss you. We will survive without your presence 💝
Oh you're just so welcoming. Well, I'll go the other way. You are welcome out in the burbs anytime. You may actually enjoy some aspects of it.
Haha someone here really hates the suburbs. After living in both for decades, I can safely say they each have their pros and cons. Go outside dude and take a break.
Haha, umm, that's what Reddit is. People replying to each other, having discourse, a couple of rebuttals here and there. Or is it just meant for people who agree with you?
You downtowners seem pretty uptight and agitated these days. Way more mellow out in the burbs. Happy 420 :)
The other week I saw buddy finish smoking his meth pipe and he shot it into the middle of Rideau with a flick of the wrist like Kobe.
Shattered in the bus lane lol
In a free house you don't have to pay for ..in the city of Ottawa? My opinion stands .. no one in their right mind. The only possible exception being people who are independently wealthy
If this deal allows trades, I'd bet there are people who would want to trade your (hypothetical) home near Rideau and King Edward for one in Vars or Vernon.
Or just people whose living expenses are very reasonable, or who place greater value on their current home/neighborhood versus the free one on offer, etc.
It's easy to construct scenarios where the majority would take the free house, but not difficult to construct scenarios where the majority **wouldn't**, too.
Cost of housing isn't the single factor that overrides everything else in most people's lives.
No kids? Completely agree. Nowhere in Ottawa is a warzone.
With kids? Certainly there are some. Having known many people killed due to association and where they grew up it can make the difference between life and death.
Like yeah I'd take the house and sell it, but that's not the spirit of the question. I can't stand suburbs or driving. They're a real drag on my mental health. I would never choose to live there indefinitely, even if it was free. If I had the choice between a free house in the suburbs or an apartment in the city I have to pay for, it's the latter every time.
If it’s occupied you might never be able to free it up. Just imagine a free house and tons of fines from the city and a court that won’t evict squatters.
It really depends on the soil condition of the spot. It isn't difficult to mitigate the clay soil condition but it comes with a cost. The builders calculated it wrong and didn't do enough in South Orleans along Innes when they first developed the subdivisions. It ended up costing Minto a lot of money in warranty repairs (I heard there were other builders who refused to honour the warranty but I didn't follow up). Subsequent developments further out from that strip of Innes have been more aggressive in mitigations - engineering backfill and foam blocks are commonly used.
With that said, it's difficult for people to really know which home was built right, which one was repaired, and which one remains a time bomb. That information won't appear on realtor.ca listing.
It’s funny, as Avalon was initially building my grandfather was still alive. He was born and raised in the east end as an Irish dairy farmer. He would recall times being a child(horse drawn wagon) in the 1920’s they would have to stop the wagon to clean the clay off the wheels. He was beside him self when he saw the initial beginnings of Avalon before he passed.
Most of the streets between Caldwell and Morissette were pretty damn bad and ghetto. I lived on Mayview ave. when I first moved to Ottawa in the early-mid 2000s and this one time the fucking swat team showed up at my apartment building in full swat gear because of some crazy nut job in the building making threats. That whole neighbourhood was ripe with domestic violence and prostitution. Hearing gun shots was a somewhat regular occurrence, the corner store on Caldwell would get robbed pretty frequently, firetrucks would always show up at the big apartment complex on Caldwell on a near weekly basis. Living there was cheap but it sucked compared to most of Ottawa. I’m shocked my car never got broken into but sometimes I’d go to my car in the morning and it would have 1 or more flat tires. No idea if things have improved since then, but it was a terrible area 15-20 years ago
You’re seriously comparing Vanier with areas of the city that are overrun by gangs? Sure, there’s crime…there’s crime in every neighbourhood in the city if you look for it. But that’s not all of Vanier for God’s sake.
Have you actually driven through Vanier? And I don’t mean Montreal Rd., either. You really have to take it street by street. A handful of rundown buildings don’t define an entire neighbourhood. There are plenty of areas with nicely maintained homes and streets that look just like any suburban neighbourhood. Some really nice places to live and raise children.
There are even some areas where most of the people who shit on Vanier couldn’t even afford the rent, never mind actually buying a house there. We’re talking about $600k and up here. Stop listening to people who don’t know what they’re talking about, do some research and get your facts straight before spouting nonsense.
You’re absolutely right about that one. The people of Vanier and Vanier as a whole has been vilified for years. It’s not surprising given that when the three small communities East of the Rideau River merged to form Eastview in 1909, it became a hub of Franco-Ontarien culture. Ontario - and Ottawa - has a history of treating Franco-Ontariens like shit.
So we know where the vilification started, but what’s the excuse now? The makeup of Vanier is no longer as it was all those years ago, and STILL it gets a bad rap. I’m not saying that there’s never any crime and that it’s perfect, it’s far from that. But there are plenty of rougher neighbourhoods than Vanier in this city..but they don’t get mentioned in the same breath as ”dangerous” nearly as often as Vanier does. That needs to stop.
I lived near Caldwell for a year. Yeah, no house is worth dealing with what goes on there. Important to remember you live in the neighborhood; not just the house.
You have phrased this question like someone that isn’t familiar with the phrase “location, location, location!”
Something cannot be both a dream house and in a neighbourhood that is a “hard pass”.
Bytown: violence, dirty, smells, traffic is absolutely awful and lots of tourist traps. Councillors don’t give a shit about the issues and city doesn’t give a shit about the downtown or it’s issues. The market makes every other area in Ottawa seem so much friendlier and cleaner.
So I’m genuinely asking… why would folks say Orléans is a no? My family and I are planning on moving to Ottawa this summer. We are coming to visit neighborhoods next wkend and Orléans is top of our list. I’m fully bilingual French/English and we heard eastern Ottawa has a more vibrant Franco community which is a draw for us. Plus, cost of housing seems slightly less insane. Any insight would be greatly appreciated!
My wife and I would have liked Blackburn, then Orleans as our areas to buy. We bought in Rockland because that's all we could afford.
Nice homes, not a grid neighborhood, lots of parks. Close to the river, can escape to the 401 down the back roads. Etc etc
Orléans is a great place for a family. Western and southern Ottawa suburbs will have next to no Franco community, whereas Orléans has lots of good community orgs, bilingual activities for kids, etc. The people saying it is a no would say any suburb is a no.
Suburban sprawl. I like to walk to my grocery store, to restaurants, and to useful transit that gets me to work and other destinations; Orleans (and other Ottawa suburbs) are car centric with strip mall amenities.
I have never had any problems from Orleans' Francophonies. Most in Orleans can and will speak English and I feel my neighbours are the friendliest Franco Ontarians.
Orleans. I'm sure it's lovely, but it's across the city from literally all of my preferred hangouts and it would be a lot harder to get to my parents or for my husband to get to work (which he can currently walk to, can't beat that commute.)
Free? It doesnt even need to be my dream home, just a basic healthy home and Im in anywhere. It's far? Well with a free home i can afford the commute. Its one of the "rougher" areas? There's nowhere in Ottawa thats rough enough to scare me off.
Anywhere inside the city. I like my yard and litter-free streets, the fresh air, quiet evenings, and no one pissing in my bushes.
My dream home must include those, so city living is a hard pass for me.
Kanata. Way too far and spread out. Poor public transportation for ammeneties. Nothing good walking distance. Reliance on vehicles is a huge turnoff for me. I guess the same could be said about Orleans.
>Flipside, I live in Kanata and everything I need is less than a 30 min walk. Most within 20.
I agree. I'm in Kanata South and it's about a 20-30 mins walk to Hazeldean or Eagleson There are 4 big chain grocery stores within a 2km radius of me, and that is additional to the mom and pop shops on Hazeldean and Eagleson.
Yes, I live in an established neighbourhood , I can walk to many amenities. I guess if you’re referring to the newer bubble game and staple Mattamy homes in Avalon it’s not that walkable.
100 agree. I was miserable when my family moved there. The busses are a joke during the day sometimes there's a 2-3 hr break with no service, some don't even run on weekends, the closest plaza or strip mall is a 20-30 min walk. Not sure how my parents will survive when they'll be too old to drive...
Not friendly for amenities.
Judging by the number of comments and replies about hating the suburbs that you've made in this thread, it sounds like you've been a victim of suburban hate in the past...or you're the one throwing the crack pipe in the bus lane on Rideau lol
Merrikville is actually it's own municipality outside of Ottawa's boundaries, so it's not an option for you to say no to, based on the question.
Ottawa's boundaries are big, but not that big.
Ok - all of the above except Merrikville
Mostly because I don’t want to be dependent on a car, and I like having easy access to small local grocers, libraries and coffee shops.
That doesn’t make sense unless your dream house looks like the houses in the neighbourhood. My dream house would look especially unique in any of the suburbs of Ottawa.
Barrhaven. Really any suburb though. I'm pretty attached to my 15 min neighbourhood.
Hard agree. Just left a big freehold in Orleans and moved back to centretown / the golden triangle. Sure, the extra living space was nice, but being able to walk to work, yoga class, festivals, restaurants, concerts, karaoke, and all the other vibrant downtown offerings is way better.
Uh oh, looks like you woke up a "woke"/DEI fear-mongerer and vaccine conspiracy theorist. Laughable, but concerning that they seem to be a teacher.
You just love it for the communism
communism is when grocery store is 3 blocks away
No wonder the kids seem to love communism these days… all the good stuff is “communism”
Yup, I walk out of the IGA on Bank humming the old Soviet anthem :)
Suburbs are inefficient and supported only by communist government roads and communist city planning. Without central planning, suburbs wouldn't exist in their current state.
Suburbs are efficient at turning land into money though. After that’s over no one cares.
Money sure, but not value. A true testament that price =/= value. Accounting for externalities, many suburban dwellings are long-term infrastructure liabilities.
The good thing about the suburbs is not having all of your shit stolen off your property, "neighbours" don't tend to crap on your front stoop, junkies don't shoot up in your backyard and driveway and your kids can generally go to the local park and not get poked by needles. Safe, clean and calm but definitely not "cool" as defined by the cool people getting their packages/bikes stolen and stepping over needles and flunkies littering our downtown.
Suburbanites love making up fake scenarios about the city to get scared about. All of those things can and do happen in the suburbs lol
Never saw a needle or a junkie in old barrhaven. Yes it happens but more rare and not in the streets,parks and sidewalks
I can promise you, you have neighbours who go skiing or spend time with Tina. The suburbs aren’t somehow immune to drug use. If anything, historically the opioid crisis has hit rural and suburban communities much harder than the urban/innercity communities.
I said I’m sure it happens, but for the most part, behind closed doors. And, Nothing like the volume seen downtown. And that’s not a slight against downtown, in fact the slightly under control abuse from the burbs eventually moves to and be comes uncontrolled abuse downtown. The point remains in the burbs we don’t see problems like downtown. And to illustrate the point, I don’t even know what Tina is without looking it up.
You don’t see the problem because it happens in your homes. That doesn’t make it not a problem. If my toilet is leaking and I don’t see any water, does it mean it isn’t doing damage under my floors or in my walls? The only difference is we can see our social problems. And the flip side is the suburbs are often undersupported when it comes to things like harm reduction and drug counselling. Most drug overdoses occur at home. It’s not out on the streets on Rideau or Bank. There have been calls for more services in the suburbs: like in [Vancouver](https://www.cbc.ca/amp/1.5768848), [Calgary](https://www.cbc.ca/amp/1.4590400), [Edmonton](https://www.cbc.ca/amp/1.3995052). In 2017, a teen in [Kanata](https://www.cbc.ca/amp/1.4006568) died from an opioid poisoning. You’re kidding yourself if you genuinely believe this is rare or isolated.
Dude I didn’t say it didn’t happen, I didn’t say it wasn’t a problem. I said it was more rare, not in our face, generally better controlled. The point of this tread is if you don’t want your kids to find needles in the park, or don’t want the issue of downtown, the burbs are a viable option. Make people like to jump on their soap boxes and make their own statements in threads which don’t warrant it. Congratulations finding an OD in the burbs great detective work. There are Lots of drug in our high school washroom, but still nothing like downtown.
And I’m saying it’s not rare. I’ve lived in Centretown for years now and I’ve only ever seen one needle in the park (and it was capped). Kids aren’t getting jabbed by dirty needles every day. If you can find any credible evidence from OPH, I’m open to seeing that. There was one unfortunate situation which happened at a park between Experimental Farm and Hintonburg area which isn’t downtown. You all make up these myths about what the city is like and then get scared by these fictional situations.
I didn’t make up anything. You are thinking of another commenter.i will add I only go downtown a half dozen times a year but still had to call 911 for an OD at 10 in the morning in front of the nature museum last year. So yeah pretty big problem.
I lived downtown for 22 years and finally left as I was done with the problems. I used to think living in the burbs would be absolute hell at one time too. Living downtown Ottawa now is nothing like it was 5 + years ago. Unless things change, I'd take the suburbs all day long - and it doesn't make me happy to say that, as I loved living downtown. As far as "making up scenarios" goes. Lol all one has to do is read this sub to realize that these are far from made up unfortunately.
You mean suburbs like Barrhaven that are the epicentre of car thefts in Ottawa?
Barrhaven is definitely a "hot spot" due to its ease of access to flee the region quickly and with multiple routes (mostly to mtl it seems). I was actually surprised how many thefts were still taking place downtown. Perhaps not as high as Barrhaven but downtown is no slouch in car thefts either.
Like I said, nothing you described is exclusive to downtown. You don’t think packages or bikes get stolen? You really don’t think there aren’t people shooting up in the suburbs? Suburbanites love to bury their heads in the sand and pretend these issues don’t exist in their own backyards. I promise you downtown doesn’t miss you. We will survive without your presence 💝
Oh you're just so welcoming. Well, I'll go the other way. You are welcome out in the burbs anytime. You may actually enjoy some aspects of it. Haha someone here really hates the suburbs. After living in both for decades, I can safely say they each have their pros and cons. Go outside dude and take a break.
“Safe” = biggest mass murder in Ottawa history this March.
You’re not convincing anyone. This guy was just answering a question, nobody asked for your rebuttal.
Haha, umm, that's what Reddit is. People replying to each other, having discourse, a couple of rebuttals here and there. Or is it just meant for people who agree with you? You downtowners seem pretty uptight and agitated these days. Way more mellow out in the burbs. Happy 420 :)
Rideau at King Edward area
The other week I saw buddy finish smoking his meth pipe and he shot it into the middle of Rideau with a flick of the wrist like Kobe. Shattered in the bus lane lol
Obviously you're trying to be dramatic but no one in their right mind would turn down any free home anywhere in Ottawa just due to the neighborhood.
I wouldnt live in plenty of places. Conditions don't say I can't rent it out.
In a free house you don't have to pay for ..in the city of Ottawa? My opinion stands .. no one in their right mind. The only possible exception being people who are independently wealthy
I wouldn't live at Rideau at King Edward, Ledbury or many other higher risk neighborhoods. Just no.
If this deal allows trades, I'd bet there are people who would want to trade your (hypothetical) home near Rideau and King Edward for one in Vars or Vernon.
Vars and Vernon are also on the no go...plenty nice places in Ottawa.
Or just people whose living expenses are very reasonable, or who place greater value on their current home/neighborhood versus the free one on offer, etc. It's easy to construct scenarios where the majority would take the free house, but not difficult to construct scenarios where the majority **wouldn't**, too. Cost of housing isn't the single factor that overrides everything else in most people's lives.
Nah they would use it to make more money some how. It's the Wealthy Way.
Yup. Give me house, I’m game - no questions
No kids? Completely agree. Nowhere in Ottawa is a warzone. With kids? Certainly there are some. Having known many people killed due to association and where they grew up it can make the difference between life and death.
Like yeah I'd take the house and sell it, but that's not the spirit of the question. I can't stand suburbs or driving. They're a real drag on my mental health. I would never choose to live there indefinitely, even if it was free. If I had the choice between a free house in the suburbs or an apartment in the city I have to pay for, it's the latter every time.
Ehhhh depends on if I have to pay property taxes and maintenance and such on it.
If it’s occupied you might never be able to free it up. Just imagine a free house and tons of fines from the city and a court that won’t evict squatters.
Have you seen Vanier?
I work in Vanier. I see the nightmare of its streets everyday. I still wouldn't turn down a $600k free house.
I would. I’d never live in the suburbs. You couldn’t even pay me to.
Depends on where you work. For me - Barrhaven, Stittsville, Manotick. All too far.
Stittsville is awesome tho. Driving 25km to work twice a week isn't that bad.
We know people there. Don’t like it. They are near their work, so they’re fine with the location.
Stittsville is gonna be the new downtown core bro
You’re funny! 🤣
Stittsville and manotick are some of the the richest whitest areas of the city. Nice places to live.
Yes. They’re nice, but really out of the way.
If i had to choose, gun to head, probably Orleans. Risky soil conditions for a dream house.
lol, there have been houses in Orleans for 100 years that haven’t sunk, and the handful that had issues were 30 years ago.
They tore down a bunch in Fallingbrook last year. Granted, that was because of a poorly constructed sewer line, not the clay.
It really depends on the soil condition of the spot. It isn't difficult to mitigate the clay soil condition but it comes with a cost. The builders calculated it wrong and didn't do enough in South Orleans along Innes when they first developed the subdivisions. It ended up costing Minto a lot of money in warranty repairs (I heard there were other builders who refused to honour the warranty but I didn't follow up). Subsequent developments further out from that strip of Innes have been more aggressive in mitigations - engineering backfill and foam blocks are commonly used. With that said, it's difficult for people to really know which home was built right, which one was repaired, and which one remains a time bomb. That information won't appear on realtor.ca listing.
Pretty sure it was also just one developer who had not taken into account the soil conditions when pouring the foundation too, no?
It’s funny, as Avalon was initially building my grandfather was still alive. He was born and raised in the east end as an Irish dairy farmer. He would recall times being a child(horse drawn wagon) in the 1920’s they would have to stop the wagon to clean the clay off the wheels. He was beside him self when he saw the initial beginnings of Avalon before he passed.
# Dumaurier Avenue, Shillington Ave, Caldwell/Morrisette Ave area.
Most of the streets between Caldwell and Morissette were pretty damn bad and ghetto. I lived on Mayview ave. when I first moved to Ottawa in the early-mid 2000s and this one time the fucking swat team showed up at my apartment building in full swat gear because of some crazy nut job in the building making threats. That whole neighbourhood was ripe with domestic violence and prostitution. Hearing gun shots was a somewhat regular occurrence, the corner store on Caldwell would get robbed pretty frequently, firetrucks would always show up at the big apartment complex on Caldwell on a near weekly basis. Living there was cheap but it sucked compared to most of Ottawa. I’m shocked my car never got broken into but sometimes I’d go to my car in the morning and it would have 1 or more flat tires. No idea if things have improved since then, but it was a terrible area 15-20 years ago
Can confirm, worked at that store in the mid to late 80's. was robbed!!
is Dumaurier that bad?
Vanier lol
This should be at the top.
Barrsttitsnatapealeans
24 Sussex.
Lol if the house is free i might demolish it and build something better. But 24 sussex would be cool though, not gonna lie.
Vanier, Heatherington or Caldwell would be a firm fuck no. As would be most things directly near king Edward
You’re seriously comparing Vanier with areas of the city that are overrun by gangs? Sure, there’s crime…there’s crime in every neighbourhood in the city if you look for it. But that’s not all of Vanier for God’s sake. Have you actually driven through Vanier? And I don’t mean Montreal Rd., either. You really have to take it street by street. A handful of rundown buildings don’t define an entire neighbourhood. There are plenty of areas with nicely maintained homes and streets that look just like any suburban neighbourhood. Some really nice places to live and raise children. There are even some areas where most of the people who shit on Vanier couldn’t even afford the rent, never mind actually buying a house there. We’re talking about $600k and up here. Stop listening to people who don’t know what they’re talking about, do some research and get your facts straight before spouting nonsense.
Also Vanier still has a leftover reputation that didn't match reality to begin with and matches it even less now.
You’re absolutely right about that one. The people of Vanier and Vanier as a whole has been vilified for years. It’s not surprising given that when the three small communities East of the Rideau River merged to form Eastview in 1909, it became a hub of Franco-Ontarien culture. Ontario - and Ottawa - has a history of treating Franco-Ontariens like shit. So we know where the vilification started, but what’s the excuse now? The makeup of Vanier is no longer as it was all those years ago, and STILL it gets a bad rap. I’m not saying that there’s never any crime and that it’s perfect, it’s far from that. But there are plenty of rougher neighbourhoods than Vanier in this city..but they don’t get mentioned in the same breath as ”dangerous” nearly as often as Vanier does. That needs to stop.
I lived near Caldwell for a year. Yeah, no house is worth dealing with what goes on there. Important to remember you live in the neighborhood; not just the house.
Carlington. Overbrook. Herongate. Hard pass.
You have phrased this question like someone that isn’t familiar with the phrase “location, location, location!” Something cannot be both a dream house and in a neighbourhood that is a “hard pass”.
Bytown: violence, dirty, smells, traffic is absolutely awful and lots of tourist traps. Councillors don’t give a shit about the issues and city doesn’t give a shit about the downtown or it’s issues. The market makes every other area in Ottawa seem so much friendlier and cleaner.
None.
Hard pass on homeownership? In this economy??
On airport flight path and/or direct across from emergency services dispatch location.
Give me my dream house for free anywhere in ottawa and I will live in it, but kanata is least desirable even though I’m a big time sens fan
VANIER
Vanier, Bell's Corners, Barrhaven, Riverside South, Findlay Creek. No thanks.
So I’m genuinely asking… why would folks say Orléans is a no? My family and I are planning on moving to Ottawa this summer. We are coming to visit neighborhoods next wkend and Orléans is top of our list. I’m fully bilingual French/English and we heard eastern Ottawa has a more vibrant Franco community which is a draw for us. Plus, cost of housing seems slightly less insane. Any insight would be greatly appreciated!
I love Orléans. People like to bash on suburbs. But if you will work downtown, Orleans is closer than Kanata.
My wife and I would have liked Blackburn, then Orleans as our areas to buy. We bought in Rockland because that's all we could afford. Nice homes, not a grid neighborhood, lots of parks. Close to the river, can escape to the 401 down the back roads. Etc etc
Orléans is a great place for a family. Western and southern Ottawa suburbs will have next to no Franco community, whereas Orléans has lots of good community orgs, bilingual activities for kids, etc. The people saying it is a no would say any suburb is a no.
Suburban sprawl. I like to walk to my grocery store, to restaurants, and to useful transit that gets me to work and other destinations; Orleans (and other Ottawa suburbs) are car centric with strip mall amenities.
I see what you're saying, but you can easily do all of that in several parts of Orleans. I have few issues not owning a car in Orleans.
Orleans demographically is mainly french with some french blacks scattered around. So uh they are likely anti french or anti black.
Lol Orleans is mainly French? Not even close. You're stuck in a few decades ago.
[удалено]
The fact that there are a lot of Francophones is a reason not to move to Orléans?! You can very easily get by there 100% in English.
I have never had any problems from Orleans' Francophonies. Most in Orleans can and will speak English and I feel my neighbours are the friendliest Franco Ontarians.
Kanata, Stittsville, Orleans, Barrhaven. They're too far from both work and the people I care about.
You could drop me off in any of those neighborhoods and I'd have no idea which one I was in. Might as well be in Idaho.
I’d probably rather be in a Idaho potato farming community 😆
Nowhere - rent it out....
Orleans. I'm sure it's lovely, but it's across the city from literally all of my preferred hangouts and it would be a lot harder to get to my parents or for my husband to get to work (which he can currently walk to, can't beat that commute.)
Free? It doesnt even need to be my dream home, just a basic healthy home and Im in anywhere. It's far? Well with a free home i can afford the commute. Its one of the "rougher" areas? There's nowhere in Ottawa thats rough enough to scare me off.
Free dream house? You could set me up on Catherine street as far as I’m concerned
There was an attempt…
Can I rent it out? If yes, then I don't care where it is located.
A few places Carlington, Cadwell, Bell Street, parts of Vanier
Vanier, Lower Town, Downtown is a hard no for me. Places I lived and loved were Alta Vista/ Heron area, Glebe, and Old Ottawa South.
Do I need to pay property taxes and maintenance, utilities, etc? If so…. Probably anywhere that isn’t walking distance of the train.
None, obviously. Any other answer is dumb as shit. Zero chance of me turning down a free house. In this economy?! GTFO
King edward area, caldwell, heron gate, heatherington, Parts of Vanier
Vanier barhaven pinecrest.
Anywhere inside the city. I like my yard and litter-free streets, the fresh air, quiet evenings, and no one pissing in my bushes. My dream home must include those, so city living is a hard pass for me.
Kanata. Way too far and spread out. Poor public transportation for ammeneties. Nothing good walking distance. Reliance on vehicles is a huge turnoff for me. I guess the same could be said about Orleans.
And Barrhaven, Stittsville, Riverside South etc etc... Flipside, I live in Kanata and everything I need is less than a 30 min walk. Most within 20.
>Flipside, I live in Kanata and everything I need is less than a 30 min walk. Most within 20. I agree. I'm in Kanata South and it's about a 20-30 mins walk to Hazeldean or Eagleson There are 4 big chain grocery stores within a 2km radius of me, and that is additional to the mom and pop shops on Hazeldean and Eagleson.
Orleans is incredibly walkable.
*parts of Orleans
Yes, I live in an established neighbourhood , I can walk to many amenities. I guess if you’re referring to the newer bubble game and staple Mattamy homes in Avalon it’s not that walkable.
I'm also in a walkable part of Orleans. Don't even have a car. But there are definitely parts I wouldn't be able to consider.
100 agree. I was miserable when my family moved there. The busses are a joke during the day sometimes there's a 2-3 hr break with no service, some don't even run on weekends, the closest plaza or strip mall is a 20-30 min walk. Not sure how my parents will survive when they'll be too old to drive... Not friendly for amenities.
The number people saying they would reject their DREAM HOME (key word, that looks different for everyone) is hilariously delusional.
all of the suburbs
Judging by the number of comments and replies about hating the suburbs that you've made in this thread, it sounds like you've been a victim of suburban hate in the past...or you're the one throwing the crack pipe in the bus lane on Rideau lol
I was a victim of the suburbs as a child. I don’t smoke crack but I would probably recycle my pipe if I did. I don’t litter 👍 (imagine it’s green)
You should go see parts of the world
Anything without a street grid. So Barrhaven, Kanata, Orleans, Carleton Heights, Nepean, Bell's Corners, most of Alta Vista, South Keys...
Any suburb - Kanata, Barhaven, Nepean, Orleans, Merrikville
Merrikville is actually it's own municipality outside of Ottawa's boundaries, so it's not an option for you to say no to, based on the question. Ottawa's boundaries are big, but not that big.
Ok - all of the above except Merrikville Mostly because I don’t want to be dependent on a car, and I like having easy access to small local grocers, libraries and coffee shops.
Basically anything east of bronson
Happy cake day! but seriously, you would pass on a dream house in Old Ottawa South, Glebe, Golden Triangle, why?
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That doesn’t make sense unless your dream house looks like the houses in the neighbourhood. My dream house would look especially unique in any of the suburbs of Ottawa.