Questions about moving to Ottawa/Gatineau/Hull (apartments, daycare)

[maxy1990]

Hello there, long time reader of CityData and first time poster.

I have an opportunity to move to Ottawa/Gatineau soon for a new job. Few things about myself: Would be moving from the Niagara region, am 21 years old, would make about $40,000/year working in Ottawa, am completely bilingual (French is my first language). I've read through the forum a little bit and have some questions that haven't really been looked at in-depth about Ottawa/Gatineau. Firstly, I don't have a wife/kids so daycare, schools, healthcare and similar things won't really weight into the decision I'll be making. Also language is not an issue for me (completely comfortable in both languages).

So I'm basically wondering which between Ottawa and Gatineau offers more for:
- a young adult that likes outdoor activities/sports
- somewhere that I can easily meet new people with similar interests (so clubs, festivals, chance to meet women and make new friends, that sort of thing)
- better nightlife (more interested in bars than nightclubs)
- I also like a city that is a bit more walkable. Not that I have to walk everywhere but one where I could walk to the grocery store, restaurant, bars, stores, etc..)
- apartments that are priced fairly and with good quality (with an emphasis on being close to everything)

I'm leaning towards Gatineau/Hull area but am having a hard time finding information on nightlife and overall things to do for a young professional like myself. In a nutshell this questions pretty much asks: for a 21 year old male, which city is better: Ottawa or Gatineau. Any information on the above would be greatly appreciated.

[Acajack]

Originally Posted by maxy1990

Hello there, long time reader of CityData and first time poster.

I have an opportunity to move to Ottawa/Gatineau soon for a new job. Few things about myself: Would be moving from the Niagara region, am 21 years old, would make about $40,000/year working in Ottawa, am completely bilingual (French is my first language). I've read through the forum a little bit and have some questions that haven't really been looked at in-depth about Ottawa/Gatineau. Firstly, I don't have a wife/kids so daycare, schools, healthcare and similar things won't really weight into the decision I'll be making. Also language is not an issue for me (completely comfortable in both languages).

So I'm basically wondering which between Ottawa and Gatineau offers more for:
- a young adult that likes outdoor activities/sports
- somewhere that I can easily meet new people with similar interests (so clubs, festivals, chance to meet women and make new friends, that sort of thing)
- better nightlife (more interested in bars than nightclubs)
- I also like a city that is a bit more walkable. Not that I have to walk everywhere but one where I could walk to the grocery store, restaurant, bars, stores, etc..)
- apartments that are priced fairly and with good quality (with an emphasis on being close to everything)

I'm leaning towards Gatineau/Hull area but am having a hard time finding information on nightlife and overall things to do for a young professional like myself. In a nutshell this questions pretty much asks: for a 21 year old male, which city is better: Ottawa or Gatineau. Any information on the above would be greatly appreciated.

Outdoor activities and sports: Gatineau
Meeting new people: even
Nightlife: the Quebec side used to be WAY better than Ottawa but it was cleaned up rather stringently about 20 years ago and still hasn't really recovered. Ottawa is way better now even though some people will say Gatineau is better - these people are living in the past.
Walkability: Ottawa
Good quality living spaces for a good price: Gatineau, though you may have to look hard in order to achieve this goal plus walkability in Gatineau.

[maxy1990]

^ Thank you, anyone else want to give their opinion?