I'm from Ottawa. I live in Kanata (west end). parker24 pretty much summed it up for areas to avoid. Kanata isn't bad, but the commute by bus is horrible (1 1/2 hours to go pretty much anywhere in the rest of the city.) The east end is great if you speak French, but if you don't, you might have a hard time finding work. If you don't speak French at all, this city isn't the place to come to look for jobs. Most jobs go to bilingual people regardless of qualifications (look at the public service). Prices for places to live can vary whether you are looking for a house/townhouse or apartment. The Glebe is nice is if you can get a place there, but it's $$. New Edinburgh area is nice too, prices vary, but you can find something relatively affordable and your neighbors are bound to be pretty good.
The bus services is um....ok I guess. There's good days and bad days. The buses usually show up when they show up and the service can be iffy. There's express buses to Barrhaven, Kanata and the East end to Orleans.
There isn't much fun here. If you spend the first week checking out museums and the local parks, that's about it to be seen. Canada Day is a blast but Ottawa is known as the city where fun forgot. We don't get as many bands as we'd like, but we do have blues fest in the summer. Winterlude is fun in the winter, but again, once you see it once, that's all there is. Schools are relatively good, crime isn't that bad and it's somewhat safe. The market is fun in the summer and there's lots of bars if you're into that sort of thing. Shopping is meh, but we're close enough to the border (1 hours drive).
Meeting people in Ottawa is quite different than anywhere else I've lived in Canada. People have cliques here and usually stick with the people they grow up with. You'll find it's hard to meet new people unless you get a good group say like at your job. People tend to keep to themselves and their group. It's not the most friendly city, but it's pretty good if you want to be left alone. The bike/walking paths are second to none. Huge amount of trails throughout the greenbelt and they've put in bike paths in the downtown core if you so choose that.
A lot of jobs are through placement agencies. If you're looking for government work, well, this isn't the best city for that right now, but there are job postings. Again, must be bilingual. From past job hunting, I can say it's a nightmare unless you have a trade or are a skilled worker with a degree. Employers post a job and they get flooded with hundreds of applicants so that says alot.
I've lived here for almost 30 years and I've also lived all around Canada and I would honestly say that this isn't my first choice for a place to live. I can't move because I have joint custody of my son and his dad wouldn't allow us to move anywhere else. If I had a choice, I would be Alberta bound tomorrow.
