Sandy Hill

Centretown is known to be the student hot-spot for University of Ottawa, but it isn’t just students who live there!

Sandy Hill is home to a large number of nice family homes, duplexes, a pre-school, elementary schools, daycares, parks, and more.

On an average day, you will see a large number of university students headed back and forth from class. During the weekends, the streets in the area will be bustling with life!

During the summer, a large number of the students in the area go home, and you may notice a quieter atmosphere.

During large school events, the area is often busy with activities - particularly University of Ottawa’s Panda Game, Halloween, and St. Patrick’s Day.

Sandy Hill is primarily an area where you will have to travel a bit for work, unless you work at an Embassy or one of the few restaurants in the area. The closest neighbourhoods for work will be the Byward Market or Centretown, both are about a 30-45 minute walk or a short bus ride.

Sandy Hill has an average population of around 13,000 people.

This population fluctuates greatly during the year depending on whether school is in season, and you will also see a ‘revolving door’ of neighbours as many of the homes, particularly those near Somerset, are rentals for students who come and go every 1-3 years.

The typical Sandy Hill resident is a student or young family. That being said, there is plenty of diversity in age and background in this area too! Depending on where you are in the area, the demographics change quite drastically. Near the Rideau River you will see plenty of wealthy homes, but closer to the university, you will see many homes split into 3-4 apartments and more diverse income levels!

There are a vast number of schools in Centretown for kindergarteners, middle schoolers, and high schoolers in both the Catholic, public, and French streams.

List of schools in the Sandy Hill area:

• Centennial P.S - JK-G6

• Fisher Park P.S / Summit A.S - Alternative Program with Core French - G7-G8

• Glashan P.S - MFI REG EFI - G7-G8

• Lady Evelyn A.S - ALT - JK-G6

• Lisgar C.I ENS IMM GR9-G12

• Queen Elizabeth P.S - EFI - G7-G8

• Viscount Alexander P.S - EFI REG - JK-G6

• York St P.S - REG - JK-G8

• (Catholic) St. Brigid Elementary School - JK-G6.

• (Catholic) Immaculata High School - G7-G12.

Sandy Hill is a community focused on health and wellness. There are plenty of places within the small limits of this neighbourhood for assistance, teamwork, and enrichment for the community.

A full list of Sandy Hill Community Centres and Community Enrichment Programs:

• Sandy Hill Community Centre

  • 250 Somerset St E

  • Offers meeting rooms, patio, computers, and a park with an outdoor rink in the winter, and pool in the summer!

• Sandy Hill Community Health Centre

  • 221 Nelson St

  • Addressing all types of health issues including environmental triggers.

• Action Sandy Hill

  • 250 Somerset Street E

Yes! Sandy Hill has access to a number of nearby dog parks, and all parks in the area are dog friendly.

Plenty of people in the area have pets and you will see a number of dogs out and about on any given day.

Pet Stores

Sandy Hill Pet and People Food Co-Op

• 304 Wilbrod

Vets

The closest vet to Sandy Hill is right across the Rideau River in Vanier.

Vanier Animal Hospital

• 23-C Selkirk St

Dog-Friendly Parks

Because of Sandy Hill’s small borders, this list includes parks just outside the border as well!

• Besserer Park

• Dutchie’s Hole Park

• Saint Germain Park

• Strathcona Park

• Riverain Fenced Dog Park

• Borderleau Park

• MacDonald Gardens Park

• Riverside Memorial Park

Sandy Hill is a great area for kids - with supervision.

There are plenty of amazing parks in the area, many homes come with large front and back yards, and there are plenty of kids in the area to befriend!

Some of the highlights of the area:

• Sandy Hill Community Centre

  • Includes a pool. park, feild, and programming.

• Youville Centre

  • Youville Centre is a non-profit charity that helps adolscent mothers and their children.

• Sandy Hill Arena

  • The Sandy Hill arena has a skating rink and plenty of kids programming.

• Sandy Hill Dental Centre

  • With young kids, a local dentist is a must! Sandy Hill Dental Centre is right in the middle of Sandy Hill at 222 Daly St.

• Strathcona Park

  • A local park with plenty of space to run around, near the Rideau River.

• Parent Preschool Resource Centre

  • This resource center offers playgroups, a parent support line, virtual activities, and more.

• CAFCO

  • Bilingual health assistance for Ottawa families. Assessments and individual/group therapy for children and adolescents.

• Cuddles Home Daycare

  • Daycare for 1-4 year olds.

• Dutchie’s Hole Wading Pool

  • Small wading pool and park near the Rideau River

• Bettye Hyde Cooperative Early Learning

  • Child care

Sandy Hill is not a shopping area and only has a few shopping options - primarily for food.

There are a few convenience stores, a co-op, and a few coffee shops in the area.

In addition, there are a few book stores for students and the general public, including Benjamin Books and Barely Bruised Books.

Some individual stores:

• Verve Moderns (Furniture)

  • 10 Blackburn

• Daryel Fashion Store (Clothes)

  • 109 Mann

• May Court Bargain Box (Thrift)

  • 228 Laurier E

For more shopping, a short walk to the Byward Market or Centretown area will offer plenty of options!

You can also take a short bus ride to the St Laurent Mall or Bayshore Shopping Centre.

Sandy Hill is filled with a rich history and is one of the oldest areas in Ottawa.

In the 19th and early 20th centuries, Sandy Hill was an incredibly wealthy neighbourhood. When Ottawa became Canada’s capital, Sandy Hill had plenty of important historical figures live in the area, including Prime Ministers!

As the area grew and expanded, many of these historic houses became embassies and museums.

Some of the great historic landmarks in the area:

• Laurier House National Historic Site

• Laurier Avenue Bridge

• The Rideau Canal

• University of Ottawa

• Heritage Museum

• Amnesty International Canadian Headquarters

• All Saints Anglican Church

Sandy Hill is not a hot shopping area, so there are only a few food stores in the area. For a major grocery store, you will want to head into Byward Market or Vanier.

Sandy Hill Pet and People Food Co Op 304 Wilbrod

Quickie 287 Somerset St E

Safi Fine Food 296 Somerset E

Food Frenz 275 Laurier E

Sandy Hill is a hot spot in the evenings for small gatherings. There are no ‘night clubs’ in the area, but there is a great variety of student-bars and restaurants that are frequented by locals and often very busy!

Sandy Hill Lounge and Grill

• 321 Somerset E

Father & Sons

• 112 Osgoode

University Tavern

• 196 Somerset E

For a more authentic nightlife experience, most residents will head down to Byward Market or Centretown.

Sandy Hill has a ton of unique restaurants in the area, as well as being ideally located near the Byward Market and Centretown - two hot areas for restaurants!

Sandy Hill Restaurants

• O-Frango

  • Fried Chicken

  • 151 Laurier Ave

• Cadena Spanish Restaurant

  • 323 Somerset E

• Working Title Kitchen + Cafe

  • Pastries and Sandwiches

  • 330 Laurier Ave E

• Sugar & Slice

  • 107 Mann

• Dainty Kitchen

  • 322 Somerset E

• Flour Kitchen

  • 25 UVP

• Govinda’s

  • Vegetarian and Vegan

  • 212 Somerset E

• Sandy Hill Subs

  • 112 Osgoode

• Father and Sons

  • Tavern for burgers and beer

  • 112 Osgoode

• Quesada Burritos and Tacos

  • 800 King Edward

• Sushiman

  • 275 Laurier E

• Jerkies Chicken

  • 105 Mann

• No Forks Given

  • Burgers, fries, sandwiches.

  • 191 Somserset

• Rideau Pizza and Fries

  • 600 Rideau

Sandy Hill is home to all types of homes.

As mentioned in the Sandy Hill culture section, Sandy Hill is split between a student/rental section and a more affluent area along the Rideau River.

In the section of Sandy Hill closer to the university, you will find a large number of 2-3 storey older buildings split up into rental units. There are also a number of newer builds for rentals appearing in the area as landlords buy up old properties and renovate them into student-centred apartments.

Closer to the river, you will find a number of large, historic, and unique single family homes. This section of Sandy Hill is more family-oriented and is home to a number of higher-income families.

Regardless of where you are in Sandy Hill, you are sure to find a unique and historic building to live in - as they are nearly everywhere!

Sandy Hill is filled with outdoor space, one of the many reasons it makes such a good home!

A full list of parks in the Sandy Hill area:

• Saint Germain Park

• Dutchie’s Hole Park

  • 154 Mann

• Strathcona Park

  • 25 Range

• Sir Wilfred Laurier Park

  • 288 Chapel St

• Besserer Park

  • 232 Fountain

• Sandy Hill Community Centre

  • 250 Somerset E

• Sandy Hill Arena

  • 60 Mann