Sandy Hill is a bilingual neighborhood located just east of downtown. It is bordered on the west by the Rideau Canal and on the east by the Rideau River. It stretches North to Rideau Street and the Byward Market area while to the south it is bordered by the Queensway .
Some would say that Sandy Hill is a community of extremes. On one side you’ll find elegant embassies and stately mansions; on the other you’ll see student and rooming houses. Even though it is one of Ottawa’s oldest communities, Sandy Hill includes some of the youngest and most transient residents in the city – thousands of students from the University of Ottawa.
The area is known for diverse architectural styles. The arrival of many wealthy home-buyers of mixed cultural backgrounds, along with the presence of a skilled workforce with good local resources led to the varied housing in the area.