Ottawa has never had the glory of a tourist Mecca and seemed like a boring administrative center. But those who have been there, or simply read the description of Ottawa, will certainly want to return, and maybe even stay permanently.
Brief historical background
The modern territory of Ottawa was once inhabited long ago by wild tribes, who were forced out by the French who came in the seventeenth century. It should already be clear what language is in Ottawa. Now most of the population still speaks English, but French remained the main one for quite some time. The first white settlers settled on this site in 1800.
The question of the capital began in the mid-nineteenth century, when Upper Canada (Ontario) merged with Lower (Quebec). Many cities fought for the right to receive this status, for example, Toronto, Quebec or Montreal. Ottawa has become the capital city due to its advantageous geographical position on the border of two major provinces, the presence of rail links and a mixed English and French-speaking population.
Geographic location
Where is Ottawa? Cityis located in the southeastern part of the province of Ontario, on the border with the province of Quebec. The settlement is washed by the banks of the rivers Ottawa, Rideau and the canal of the same name. The city center is located at the confluence of the streams. On the north bank of the Ottawa River is the city of Gatineau, which, together with the capital of Canada, Ottawa, makes up the urban agglomeration - the National Capital Region.
All of eastern Ontario and Quebec are in the North American time zone. Ottawa is five hours behind Greenwich Mean Time in winter and four hours behind Greenwich Mean Time in summer.
Administrative divisions
Administratively, the city is divided into 23 constituencies. There is also a division by postal regions or police districts. Until 2001, the territory of the settlement was only a small part of the modern one. As a result of the 2001 reform, the ten nearest municipalities were annexed to the capital.
Currently, the division into historical districts is actively used only in real estate transactions and everyday conversations. Management in Ottawa is centralized, the local councils of the former municipalities have been liquidated, and all city power is concentrated in the administration.
There are local community centers. These are voluntary organizations that provide interaction between residents of the districts and provide individual social services. These centers are not official representatives of the authorities, any resident of the city can contact them, and not just those who live in the territory entrusted to a certain center.
Ottawa, the capital of Canada, is part of the National Capital Region. The territory of the district covers part of the province of Ontario and part of Quebec. The area is subordinate to the National Capital Commission, which is accountable to the federal parliament.
Population
Ottawa is the fourth most populous Canadian city. Only Toronto (the administrative center of the province of Ontario), Montreal (the largest settlement in the province of Quebec) and Calgary (located in the south of Alberta) are ahead of the capital. If we talk only about the province of Ontario, then Ottawa is the second most populated city after Toronto.
After the 1891 census, the population of Ottawa was only 44 thousand people, by 2016 it exceeded 930 thousand. In the latter case, settlements that were included in the boundaries in 2001 were taken into account. The urban agglomeration of Ottawa-Gatineau is even more numerous - 1.3 million people. The number of residents of the Canadian capital and surrounding areas increased evenly, without sharp jumps or drops.
Mean age of the population is 39.2 years (2011 census). There are more children under fifteen than pensioners: 16.8% and 13.2%, respectively. Ottawa, according to the description of many tourists, is not the metropolis that Europeans or Americans are used to. The Canadian capital is good for pensioners and families with children. On weekdays, the city wakes up at 5:30 and falls asleep at 8:30. Time passes slowly in Ottawa.
Education, employmentand income
The population of Ottawa is almost the most educated in all of Canada. This is facilitated by the concentration of government offices and industrial enterprises that actively use high technology. Among residents aged 25 to 64, almost 40% had a higher education of at least the first stage (bachelor). For comparison: the same figure for the entire province of Ontario is only 24%.
The median income per household in Ontario in 2006 was approximately CAD 84.5 thousand. This is a little over four million rubles. In the province of Ontario, the average income per family is 69.2 thousand, that is, 3.3 million rubles.
Most of Ottawa's population works in trade and other service industries. In total, workers in industrial enterprises and agriculture make up less than 10% of the total number of employed residents of the capital. As of early 2018, the unemployment rate in the metropolitan area was 5.2%. In Canada as a whole, this figure is 5.9%.
Ethnic composition of the population
Approximately half of the population in the first century and a half of the existence of the settlement were Catholics, represented equally by the French and Irish. These peoples inhabited the Lower City in the historic center and the eastern outskirts of Ottawa. The other half of the inhabitants were represented by Protestants of English origin. They chose the Upper City in the center, the southern and western outskirts for settlement.
By the middle of the nineteenth century, Ottawa had becomea site of linguistic friction between the French and English-speaking populations of Canada. There were also small German, Jewish, Italian communities, which were formed mainly at the turn of the nineteenth and twentieth centuries. During the period between the two world wars, Lowertown (Lowertown, formerly inhabited by the French and Irish) was considered a "Jewish" area.
After the end of the Second World War, Arabs appeared in the population of Ottawa - mainly immigrants from Lebanon, and later communities of natives of East Africa. The best-known immigrant areas are Little Italy, Gladstone Avenue and the area of St. Anthony's Church, Chinatown along Somerset Street to the west. These areas are now favored by tourists for their cultural identity.
In the early 20th century, settlers from Poland, Ukraine, and Ireland arrived in Little Italy, and now the neighborhood school has classes in Vietnamese and Mandarin Chinese on Saturdays. Italian restaurants on Preston Street sit quietly side by side with Korean, Turkish or Indian. The closer to Chinatown, the more Vietnamese, Filipino, Thai and Lebanese restaurants and shops are added to them.
From the beginning of the twenty-first century, the population of Ottawa, represented by ethnic minorities, has been growing rapidly. Now they are predominantly African Americans and Asians. If we talk about the language, then 65% of the inhabitants consider English as their mother tongue, 15% - French, and 18% - other languages.
Religious composition
The Canadian capital is a predominantly Christian city, the center of the Catholic archdiocese of Ottawa. Most believers profess Catholicism, but a significant part of the population represents other religions. The last time a question on religious affiliation was included in the Canadian census questionnaire, 14% of residents were members of denominations other than Protestantism and Catholicism. Among others, Islam (more than 6% of the population) and Orthodoxy (approximately 2.5%) were popular.
Famous natives and residents
On the local official website of the tourism department is a list of five residents of the city, "whose talents are known to millions." This list includes Arcade Fire's Arcade Fire drummer Jeremy Gara, who won a Grammy for best album in 2011, Alanis Morissette is a rock singer and actress, Matthew Perry is an actor who grew up in Ottawa, Brendan Fraser is an actor who played in "Mummy" and "Rise of the Cobra", lived most of his childhood in Ottawa, Margaret Atwood - writer, winner of the Booker Prize for the novel "The Blind Assassin".
Moving to Canada
Canada has an immigrant-friendly policy. New arrivals receive information at the service desk, where you can also submit documents for social and he alth insurance. Immigrants can apply to numerous community organizations that receive subsidies from the government of Ontario. Many of these organizations have the words "Arabic", "Catholic" or "Christian" in their names, butin fact, such centers provide services to all who apply. Moving to Canada is a difficult and responsible undertaking, but it is worth following your dream if it is really strong. Maybe Ottawa is exactly the city where you want to spend the rest of your life.
