Population Growth and Density of Ottawa-Gatineau

[waterloowarrior]

City of Ottawa's population hits 900,000
http://www.ottawacitizen.com/life/City+Ottawa+population+hits/2340056/story.html
DECEMBER 14, 2009 7:02 PM




OTTAWA — The City of Ottawa marked a population milestone Monday as it announced 900,000 residents live in this community.

All boundary signs have been updated to reflect the new total and a new sign will be placed on Booth Street between Ottawa and Gatineau, the city says.

Since 2001, Ottawa’s population has grown by about 12 per cent with the addition of 103,000 new citizens. It is anticipated that by 2031 Ottawa will have more than 1.1 million people and will be at the centre of a metropolitan area of more than 1.7 million people.

“This marks a significant milestone for the City of Ottawa,” said Mayor Larry O’Brien. “With our rich history and culture, abundant recreational facilities and pathways, strong economy and vibrant people, it is no surprise that more individuals and businesses are choosing to call Ottawa home.”

© Copyright (c) The Ottawa Citizen

One million here we come!

[Reggae Boyz Ja]

Good for the capital even though it feels like a 400,000 city.

[reidjr]

Originally Posted by Reggae Boyz Ja

Good for the capital even though it feels like a 400,000 city.

Why do you think it feels like a 400,000 city.

[vid]

Because most of them live in Orleans and Kanata and the steel and masonry skypenises aren't as big as Calgary's.

[Jamaican-Phoenix]

Originally Posted by vidilicious

Because most of them live in Orleans and Kanata and the steel and masonry skypenises aren't as big as Calgary's.

I am remembering "skypenises" for it's hilarity and might possibly sig this. With your permission of course.

[waterloowarrior]

Originally Posted by vidilicious

Because most of them live in Orleans and Kanata and the steel and masonry skypenises aren't as big as Calgary's.

About 59% of the population lives inside the Greenbelt, 31% outside Greenbelt (Kanata, Orleans etc), and 10% in the rural area (including villages). So for now inside the Greenbelt is still ahead in population

[Mille Sabords]

Originally Posted by vidilicious

Because most of them live in Orleans and Kanata and the steel and masonry skypenises aren't as big as Calgary's.

Maybe not but they're thicker.

[Reggae Boyz Ja]

Originally Posted by reidjr

Why do you think it feels like a 400,000 city.

I guess its because your city doesn't have a big skyline. Like washigton Dc it's a mid size city.

[ue]

^Ottawa holds about 1.2 million total, versus DC's 5.3 million, I'd hardly call DC mid sized in comparison.

Ottawa's skyline seems more human scaled, I still think it looks pretty, it's just not flashy like Toronto's or Calgary's. And Ottawa doesn't look like a 400,000 city. Also, there are more factors than a skyline that determine the look of size of population for a city, but even just skyline itself Ottawa's skyline looks way bigger than a 400K city.

[eternallyme]

That seems like a high estimate (I would estimate about 855,000 for the City of Ottawa right now), since the 2006 Census had a population of just under 813,000, although 835,000 was probably more realistic at the time given the high undercounts of censuses (about 3%).

The metropolitan area is, in my opinion, seriously underdefined by Statistics Canada (municipal amalgamation played a major role, plus the fact that Kanata is considered Urban Fringe as if it was a separate community makes a statistical anomoly - if that was considered part of the Urbanized Core, large areas west and southwest of Ottawa would also be added to the CMA), and a more reasonable estimate would have a population about 100,000 higher, which should be used for planning purposes.

[waterloowarrior]

Originally Posted by eternallyme

That seems like a high estimate (I would estimate about 855,000 for the City of Ottawa right now), since the 2006 Census had a population of just under 813,000, although 835,000 was probably more realistic at the time given the high undercounts of censuses (about 3%).

you can compare city of Ottawa vs census numbers here:

http://ottawa.ca/residents/statistics/data_handbook/population/table_1_en.html

http://ottawa.ca/residents/statistics/data_handbook/population/table_2_en.html

[eternallyme]

Notice the population inside the Greenbelt outside the downtown core, based on City numbers, has actually declined over the last few years. I do think that if the old municipal boundaries were in place, the old City of Ottawa would have shown negative growth from 2001 to 2006.

[Norman Bates]

What? 900,000?

I remember a sign on Booth Street announcing that Ottawa's population was one million! I even remember some kind of media coverage and photo op associated with this in the Chirelli days.

[Mille Sabords]

Originally Posted by Norman Bates

What? 900,000?

I remember a sign on Booth Street announcing that Ottawa's population was one million! I even remember some kind of media coverage and photo op associated with this in the Chirelli days.

Those signs, if you carefully paid attention, said OTTAWA and in small print National Capital Region below, and then Population 1,000,000. Those were put up by the pre-amalgamation City of Ottawa because it drove them crazy that the province never seemed to change their population signs (those said 300,000 for like two decades). Post-amalgamation, the new city stuck with signs with the population figure just for the new city. It started out at 785,000 (and there are a couple of old MTO signs on the 417 still with that figure, since 2001) and then 840,000, 870,000 and now 900,000.

The Greater Ottawa Area is close to 1.4 million by now but there aren't any signs saying that.

[Ottawan]

[cityguy]

Ottawa is a very provincial city,it may not look look a city of 400,000,but it does act like one.

[Ottawan]

Originally Posted by cityguy

Ottawa is a very provincial city,it may not look look a city of 400,000,but it does act like one.

If you're referring to City Council, then I agree. If you're referring to Ottawa as a urban entity, its people, culture, etc, then I could not disagree more. People who argue that Ottawa has nothing to do or a "small town" feel do so because they do not take the time to enjoy the parts of the City and people who live here that feel quite the opposite.

On another aside, while I look forward to steady population growth for Ottawa, I'm also not embarrassed to be the one to say "size isn't everything". When you think of great European cities, are you thinking of Hamburg, Frankfurt, Turin, Essen, Naples, Manchester, Katowice - all much bigger than Ottawa, or are you thinking of Oxford, Luxembourg, Geneva, Venice, Strasbourg, Edinburgh, Zurich, Copenhagen - all smaller than Ottawa (some much smaller). In North America, are you more impressed by Detroit, Minneapolis, San Diego, St. Louis (Larger) or Santa Fe, Savanna, Charleston, Providence, Portland Oregon or Maine (all smaller).

[eternallyme]

I wonder what Gatineau's most recent population estimate is? It has to be getting close to 300,000 since recently Gatineau has been growing faster than Ottawa.

[harls]

Originally Posted by eternallyme

I wonder what Gatineau's most recent population estimate is? It has to be getting close to 300,000 since recently Gatineau has been growing faster than Ottawa.

249 973 as of 2008, according to this.

edit - add another 45K if you include MRC des Collines (they are included in the CMA, I think..for the most part)

[eternallyme]

Originally Posted by harls

249 973 as of 2008, according to this.

edit - add another 45K if you include MRC des Collines (they are included in the CMA, I think..for the most part)

Overall, although it could be defined differently and StatCan's definition is probably under-done, the Ottawa-Gatineau region would be almost 1.4 million.