The City of Ottawa boasts so many great neighbourhoods that you can have a hard time choosing the best place to live. However, whether you’re looking for Ottawa’s best movers and moving locally within Ottawa or long distance, you’re bound to hear plenty about the Glebe. It’s a central neighbourhood which people tend to have strong opinions about, whether they absolutely love it or not so much.
Are you moving to or from the Glebe?
PROS
Moving to the Glebe offers a whole host of advantages. We think these are standouts:
Strong Sense of Community
Some urban neighbourhoods might tend to feel a bit cold and unwelcoming to newcomers. Not so the Glebe! When you move to the Glebe, you will be impressed by the community spirit. There is an active neighbourhood association and an organization to support local businesses, and you can readily make new friends at the Glebe Neighbourhood Activities Group.
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Download NowPerhaps this sense of community is due to the age of the area. The Glebe was established almost 2 centuries ago, unlike many Ottawa neighbourhoods, which might date back only 50 years or less. The togetherness might also stem from the fact that most “Glebe-ites” are families raising children. (If you’re not in that demographic, though — say, as an empty nester — you could risk feeling a little out of place.)
Easy Access To Downtown
The Glebe is less than 5 kilometres from the downtown core. That allows for easy access whatever your preferred method of travel may be — car, bicycle, or public transit. (Despite the COVID pandemic, work is proceeding briskly on Stage 2 of the LRT system, which will serve the Glebe as well as other Ottawa neighbourhoods.) You can even walk to the city centre if you so choose.
Lots of Entertainment & Activities
Come to the Glebe if you love having fun! It’s bordered by the Rideau Canal, with winter skating, plus beautiful scenery and paths for walking or biking year-round. Lansdowne Park is a major hub, which hosts the Farmers Market, Civic Gardens, and the TD Place Stadium to name just a few. It also offers outdoor activities like skateboard ramps and basketball courts and big-name events for every taste, from the Escapade Music Festival to the Canadian Tulip Festival.
Proximity to Schools
You’ll find many good schools for your kids right in the area, spanning the age spectrum from kindergartners to university students. (While not technically in the Glebe, Carleton U is located very close by.)
CONS
Since every silver lining has its cloud, we now present some disadvantages of moving to the Glebe:
Older & Expensive Homes
Though they give the area its attractive historical feel, those lovely century homes do have a downside—several downsides, to be quite honest with you. Real estate in the Glebe is expensive to buy and may lack family-friendly features like a convenient layout or more than one bathroom.
Local properties also tend to be expensive to maintain because so many of the houses come complete with “issues” — anything from missing ductwork or antiquated plumbing, all the way to hazards like knob-and-tube wiring (yikes!) or rodent infestation (yuck!). PS You’ll be looking at steep property taxes, too.
Some May Not Like The Downtown Feel
Despite its welcoming vibe and its reputation as a “good” neighbourhood, the Glebe is quite urban, with many negatives that category entails. Compared with Ottawa’s suburbs, it’s noisier. In addition, traffic and air pollution are heavier, while backyards (actually, nearby green spaces in general) are smaller.
Despite all the trendy boutiques, well-stocked, reasonably-priced grocery stores are in short supply. And one of the Glebe’s greatest pluses — its easy access to downtown — is much less important to many Ottawa residents these days. Their new work-from-home role has turned commuting into a non-issue.
Should You Move To The Glebe?
Whew! You thought it was tough weighing the pros and cons of moving to Ottawa! Now you’ve got to narrow it down even further by deciding whether the Glebe is the best place for you and your family to live. If you appreciate historic architecture combined with an edgy urban vibe, it could be the perfect fit.
And when you’re ready to make a move, contact Cassidy’s. Our experienced professional team will do our best to make relocating to Glebe smooth and stress-free.
