Ottawa Canada Vacation Information

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As the capital of Canada, Ottawa is an international tourism destination, as well as a thriving business center. Located in the province of Ontario, Ottawa is surrounded by acres and acres of parks and natural space called The Greenbelt. The city is described as being safe, clean and inviting. Ottawa is the fourth largest metropolitan area in Canada, and has an urban yet natural feel.

Ottawa Info:

Land Area: 42.5 square miles
Elevation: 374 feet
Number of parks: 45+
Number of radio stations: 23 FM/5 AM
Number of television stations: 5
Number of newspapers: 3 (CBC Ottawa, Ottawa Citizen, Ottawa Sun)
Transportation: Macdonald-Cartier International Airport (Ottawa International), VIA Rail passenger service, bus companies including Greyhound and others.

Ottawa Weather and Climate:

Average daily temperature: High 11 degrees C/Low 1 degree C
Average annual rainfall: 34 inches

Distances to other Metropolitan Areas from Ottawa (in miles):

Atlanta, GA — 918
Boston, MA — 306
Chicago, IL — 643
Dallas/Ft. Worth, TX — 1,406
Houston, TX — 1,483
Las Vegas, NV — 2,112
Los Angeles, CA — 2,343
Memphis, TN — 1,019
Miami, FL — 1,356
Nashville, TN — 844
New Orleans, LA — 1,294
New York, NY — 333
Orlando, FL — 1,191
Philadelphia, PA — 373
Phoenix, AZ — 2,058
Rapid City, SD — 1,324
Salt Lake City, UT — 1,818
San Antonio, TX — 1,627
San Diego, CA — 2,330
San Jose, CA — 2,394
Washington, DC — 447

Ottawa Safety Phone # and Major Hospitals:

Police/Fire/Ambulance: 911
The Ottawa Hospital (613-722-7000)
Children's Hospital of Eastern Ontario (613-737-7600)
Monfort Hospital (613-746-4621)
Saint-Vincent Hospital (613-233-4041)
Civic Hospital (613-761-4000)

Ottawa Top Tourism Draws and Seasons:

Seasons: all
Canadian Aviation Museum
Canada Science and Technology Museum
Canada Museum of Civilization
Canada Museum of Nature
Ottawa International Jazz Festival
Winterlude
Tulip Festival
Canada Day
Cisco Systems Bluesfest
Ottawa Chamber Music Festival
Hope Volleyball Summerfest
Canada Dance Festival
Ottawa Fringe Festival
Ottawa International Hockey Festival
International Children's Festival
Casino du Lac-Leamy Sound of Light
Glengarry Highland Games
Greek Festival
Lumiere Festival
Gatineau Hot Air Balloon Festival
International Animation Festival
Ottawa International Silent Film Festival
Ottawa Dragon Boat Race Festival
Bon Appetit Ottawa
Egyptian Festival
Air Show Ottawa
Hop On/Hop Off City Tours

Ottawa Major Shopping Areas:

Babylon Mall
Bank Street Promenade
Rideau Centre
Westgate Shopping Centre
Carlingwood Mall
Dowtown Rideau
Greenbank Square
The Glebe
Bayshore Shopping Centre
Billings Bridge Plaza
Hazeldean Mall
Preston Street
Somerset Village
Sparks Street Mall

Ottawa Major Dining Areas:

Downtown
Ottawa East
Gatineau Hull
Ottawa West
Ottawa South

Ottawa Famous Landmarks & Historic Places:

The Parliament Buildings
The Prime Minister's Home (24 Sussex Drive)
Rideau Hall
Rideau Canal
National Gallery of Canada
The Billings House
The Interprovincial Bridge
National War Memorial
Old Ottawa City Hall
Minto Bridge
Peacekeeper's Memorial

Ottawa Famous Natives and Residents:

Peter Jennings - journalist
Matthew Perry - actor
Alanis Morissette - singer/songwriter
Tom Green - comedian
Dan Akroyd - actor
Margaret Atwood - writer
Bruce Cockburn - singer
Yousuf Karsh - photographer
Rich Little - comedian
Sandra Oh - actress
Nancy Greene Raine - Olympic skier
Billy Boucher - NHL Hockey player
Elisabeth Harvor - novelist
Tom Cavanagh - actor
Sarah Chalke - actor
Paul Anka - singer

Notable Moments in Ottawa History:

1800 - Philemon Wright started the first European settlement in the area on the Quebec side of the river.
1800s - The timber industry in Ottawa took off.
1832 - The Rideau Canal, a waterway link between Montreal and Kingston through Ottawa, was finished.
1836 - Ottawa's first newspaper, The Rideau Gazette, was started.
1855 - Ottawa was incorporated as a city.
1857 - Queen Victoria chose Ottawa as the capital of Canada.
1899 - The Ottawa Improvement commission was started and began improvement projects throughout the city.
1916 - The Centre Block of the Parliament was destroyed by fire.
1922 - The building of the new Centre Block was accomplished.
1945 - Igor Gouzenko, a defect from the Soviet Embassy in Canada, turned over vital spy documents to the Canadian Police, an event that many people point to as the start of the Cold War.
1958 - A "Greenbelt" was established around Ottawa to provide plenty of park space and prevent urban sprawl.
1988 - The National Gallery of Canada was opened in Ottawa.
2001 - The City of Ottawa became a municipality that included many suburbs.

Interesting Facts about Ottawa:

Folk stories suggest that Queen Victoria chose Ottawa as the capital of Canada by randomly sticking a hatpin on the map halfway between Toronto and Montreal.
Ottawa is Canada's fourth largest city.
The City of Ottawa's motto is "Advance-Ottawa, En Avant"
Ottawa has the world's only IMAX/OMNIMAX Theater combination.
Ice skaters can skate continually for 4.5 miles during the winter on Rideau Canal-the world's longest skating rink.

Ottawa Population and Demographics: