Living away from campus made Ottawa feel like a real city
Finding housing as a student can be stressful. Sandy Hill is the natural first instinct for many U of O first years to look for housing. They’ve probably walked through the neighborhood enough to feel some familiarity with it and its convenience with the proximity to campus makes it a no brainer for some.
I lived in Sandy Hill for most of my time as a student. It made it easier to go out and see my friends being just blocks away. But, there were also sleazy landlords who would once apologize for entering our home without warning … and with a pizza.
Renting as a student is a minefield of landlords trying to rent you “micro suites” among other absurd living arrangements. The further you look away from campus the more opportunity you give yourself to fall in love with the city!
Now obviously if every U of O student took this advice it would upend the Ottawa housing market, but I have this hunch that less than 100 people will read this, so if you are one of the people, heed my warnings: move out of Sandy Hill.
In my fourth year, I moved to Centretown and became roommates with students studying at Carleton and Algonquin. I was a 30 minute walk from campus or a 10 minute bus ride – when it chose to be functional, the LRT was an option as well.
Now admittedly, I was lucky to find a rental situation with a family renting their former home (no matter what you do — do what you can to avoid rental agencies). The neighbourhood offered so much variety in groceries, food and retail within a short walking distance than Sandy Hill. And the people who own the properties actually live in the neighbourhood; this is especially noticed in the winters, when the sidewalks of Sandy Hill are so poorly maintained with snow and ice that many elect to walk in the streets.
It’s very easy to get caught up in the campus bubble for the four years of your studies and leave your knowledge of the city you studied within a short walking distance of campus. Even if you never move out of Sandy Hill, explore the city as much as you can while you’re here!
Ottawa’s reputation as a boring city is spread by the folks who never put in the time to explore it. If you have time on the weekends, venture to different parts of the city and use the transit system to get there (if it’s functional!)
