I hope you mean in terms of “big-city” attractions, business centres and such, in which case, yes, those three are big cities.
Ottawa is a perfect mix of big and small. We have many of the amenities and advantages of a big city, but very few of the problems, so yes in some ways it feels like a small town. There is far more nightlife here than most people realize, though, it’s just that we aren’t looked at for anything other than politics. Our crime rate is extremely low (I think there was around 10 murders in Ottawa last year, how many US cities with a population of 1.1 million have that few?), there are few areas where it is unsafe to walk at night, and there are many diverse cultures, like Toronto but on a smaller scale. We are The Capital, we’re just not very big and exciting.
As I mentioned in another post, I am not a Texan. I grew up in Michigan, and went to college in the Upper Peninsula. I just happen to live in Austin now (which really should be barely considered part of Texas, based on politics, but anyhoo).
While I don’t really want to go back to cold weather, Ottawa sounds downright balmy compared to Houghton, MI (where it was often around -30C, assuming I did my conversion correctly)
I guess the snow would be more tolerable working at home (since I wouldn’t necessarily HAVE to shovel my driveway daily), and an apartment would solve that problem…
Hey, I agree with all of that. Ottawa is a great place. For many, that “small town” vibe is just what they want.
I was there a week ago, staying at a B&B in the Glebe area; and for a small town, Ottawa has an awesome array of museums, art galleries, attractive sights and parks.
But I can’t help but think of Ottawa as more of a tourist attraction than a city. Ottawa is beautiful, but Toronto is where everything is happening (if you are into “happening”).
Well -30C is -22F and the Sault seems to bang about -10C in winter so you may be off a bit. Depends on where you were in the UP, and then there’s wind chill.
Here are the stats for Ottawa in regards to temperature, rain/snow etc. We do get hot in the summer but the humidity pushes it into the high 30s (high 90s).
I grew up in the Soo. It is a great place to live, assuming you can get a job there. The weather wasn’t all that bad in the winter, and as far as scenery goes, the north shore of Lake Superior is some of the most beautiful the world has to offer.
Houghton is north of the Sault. According to this site it rarely drops below zero F… but as a Michigan Tech graduate, I have to say that’s bunk. Ok, maybe the average is up there… but I distinctly remember celebrating when the temperature finally got above 0, and we had many many days below -25 F.
With wind chill, I think the worst we had was -78 F (-61 C). It was a big joke around MTU, because every school in Michigan, Wisconsin, and Minnesota was closed… except MTU. A friend of mine swears his eyes froze in place (he couldn’t look to the side without turning his head). Classes were finally cancelled at noon when the Governor called the President of MTU asking the President what the hell he was thinking…
As far as Toronto being more “happening” (and Vancouver and Montreal), no argument. Ottawa is great for raising a family, and for feeling safe and comfortable, but even though we have a bunch of attractions and festivals and all, it’s not very exciting here. Toronto really takes the cake there, for sure.
Incidently, I live in the Glebe. We may have passed each other by. Small world, eh?
Well, you may be prepared then for life here. I just know a lot of people who come here and are literally overwhelmed by the cold in winter. If you handled -60, then you can take whatever we get here. In fact, two years ago, the winter here was so mild that we hardly had any snow, and the Canal (world’s longest skating rink, a big winter attraction here for what it’s worth) only opened for 2 weeks, when most years they can get 2 or 3 months skating in. That winter the temperature rarely got below -5C, so I guess it all depends.
As some others have posted, though, Toronto, Montreal and Vancouver are definitely more exciting overall.
The Glebe is a really, really nice area - from what I saw of it.
I dined at a Mexican place, and at an Indian place on the same street. There was another Indian place on the other side of the street, which seemed to be one of the main streets of that area. Can’t remember what it was called, though.
The Mexican place is Fellinnis (not sure of the spelling), and the Indian place is I think New Delhi. There are about 5 Indian restaurants on Bank St (the street you were on, the main street in the area). There’s also Italian, Irish, British, and fusion (Italian/Asian, I think). It’s a cosmopolitan area, and very nice, but housing prices are astronomical.
Uhh, you’re kidding, right? Are you looking at the same map that I see on the page?
That map goes way, way, way past the continguous urban sprawl of Toronto. You can maybe justify it going all the way west to Burlington, but Burlington is as much as suburb of Hamilton as it is Toronto, and to suggest the city stretches on without end beyond the borders with Vaughan, Caledon, Aurora, or even beyond Whitby is absolutely ludicrous. By the time you get that far you’re driving through a lot of farmer’s fields and forest.
If I get into my car right now and drive north on the 427, the city’s urbal sprawl ends and I’m looking at farms BEFORE I get to Vaughan. You’re in burbs and outlying industrial parks before you hit the 407.
First ,since your job is not gonna be in Canada ,and you are really tele-commuting , make sure you get paid in american dollars.
Second , check with your financial adviser regarding taxes, you may end up having to remit a 1040 to washington ,while filing a T-4 with ottawa.
Third , everyone here ,thats Canadian , will be rah rah’ing their home town and as it should be , but check with Americans who have lived up here for more pertinent information that would affect you.
Fourth, I can’t see anywhere in Canada that does not have highspeed internet , apart from sympatico dsl and __________ regional cable , there is also expressvu sattelite dsl.
Fifth,my vote is for the toronto economic region , you are at most roughly 2 hours from New York State , weather is temparate ,which means you get friggen cold snaps that suck the teeth out of ya in the winter , heatwaves that suck the moisture out but for only weeks at a time ,then its back to moderate weather.
Ottawa is beautiful, but Toronto is where everything is happening (if you are into “happening”).