Old Ottawa East is an Ottawa core community sandwiched between the Rideau Canal and the Rideau River which form its western and eastern boundaries, respectively. The Queensway and Nicholas Street form the northern border with Avenue Road marking the southern border. The community borders Old Ottawa South, the Glebe, Alta Vista, and Sandy Hill, and The Mainstreeter is also read by residents in each of these communities.

Approximately 8,600 people live in Old Ottawa East, with the population having grown by almost 15% since 2016 (Source: Canada Census of Population 2021).

Three key factors fuel this growth:

• • The Greystone Village housing development that has seen some 1500 new homes, condos and apartments completed or under construction,
  • The transformation of Main Street into a ‘complete street’ which gives as much preference to pedestrians and cyclists as it does to cars, and
  • The recently built Flora Footbridge over the Rideau Canal connecting Old Ottawa East to the Glebe.

The average Old Ottawa East resident is affluent and highly educated. Average household income is $104,609 while 77% of residents hold a bachelor’s degree or higher, compared to 45% in Ottawa as a whole.  Households are split between owners and renters.

Old Ottawa East is home to Saint Paul University, University of Ottawa (Lees Avenue Campus), Lady Evelyn Alternative School, Au Coeur d’Ottawa elementary school, and Immaculata High School.