Nowadays it seems like everyone has their eyes on Ottawa. Ask anyone, it’s on their list of best cities in Canada. But what’s going on there that’s making the capital of Canada such a popular place? It’s had over 5.8% growth in recent years, and while it’s hard to believe, it’s growing at a slightly even faster rate than Toronto.
If you’ve ever considered moving here, now’s the time because when looking at Ottawa homes for sale, thanks to the city’s popularity, the prices are going up year-after-year. If you’re curious what might be pulling everyone to the capital of Canada, keep reading to find out.
Tech Jobs
It feels as if for each day that goes by, there’s one more thing we can do from the comfort of our smartphones. There’s not anyone that sees a change to that coming anytime soon and that’s a result of the endless innovation happening in places like Ottawa. Many refer to the city as Silicon Valley North because of all the tech companies that have headquarters there.
A few major players in that field are Bell Canada, IBM, and Blackberry QNX, among many others. While the covid pandemic has created issues throughout most industries, tech jobs have often been less impacted because of the ease in ability to work from home, ensuring those who have moved to Ottawa for their career are able to stay there.
Government Work
Like tech, working in government isn’t going away anytime soon. Given it’s the political capital of the entire country, the government alone is the largest employer in the city with over 135,000 employees in Ottawa alone. Working in government, outside of being an elected official, can be incredibly stable work.
Given that’s the city’s largest employer, the GDP of the city is much more stable than other comparable cities throughout the country. The thought of the city’s largest workforce being unaffected by economic cycles has pulled in those hoping to work in the industry and those attracted to the idea of their city’s larger economy staying stable, regardless of where they might work themselves.
Quality Of Life
Having two great industries to build a city around is a great attraction to those considering a move, but what else is drawing residents to Ottawa? One major additional reason is the affordability of housing. For the past few years now, this has been an issue throughout many parts of the world, but thankfully, those with Ottawa in their sights don’t need to be worried as much as others.
It’s still quite a seller’s market here, but the prices are much better compared to other major Canadian cities, such as Toronto and Vancouver. Some homes are seeing as much as a 16% increase from just one year ago, but, like mentioned, Ottawa is still pulling ahead when it comes to getting the most for your dollar. That’s allowing families the best quality of life, at the best cost, allowing for less time at work and more time doing what one loves.
