Ottawa Serviced Apartments

Ottawa gets its identity from two major sources—its geographic location at the confluence of the Ottawa and Rideau Rivers, and the fact that it is the seat of power for the entire nation. For centuries the area that overlooks the two rivers was the meeting grounds for the First Nations tribe the Algonquin Indians, who were indigenous to this part of central Canada. 

Immediately after Queen Victoria had selected Ottawa as the colony's new capital, construction began on the neo-gothic Parliament Hill. In 1867 the provinces of Nova Scotia, New Brunswick, Quebec and Ontario decided to form a confederation and the Dominion of Canada was born, with Ottawa designated as the fledgling nation's capital.  Completed that same year, the Parliament buildings were dubbed the "Westminster in the Wilderness."

At the beginning of the 20th century, the Canadian government concluded that if Ottawa were to be a worthy capital some planning was in order. A wholesale restructuring of the city ensued with the creation of several scenic boulevards, an extensive park system beginning with Major's Hill Park.

It was not until the 1970s and the birth of the high-tech sector that Ottawa began to slowly transform from a government town into something much greater. Ironically, the transformation was lead by a small cabal of former government computer scientists who started companies such as Digital, Mitel and Northern Telecom. Soon Ottawa was being called by another name—"Silicon Valley North"—and highly skilled workers from all over the world began to flock to the area. Today, Ottawa is one of the leading computer telecommunications centers of the world, with most of the industry located in the city's western suburb of Kanata.