Chicago, Illinois: Yerkes Observatories (Observatories around the World)

http://astro.uchicago.edu/yerkes/ Yerkes Observatory is an astronomical observatory operated by the University of Chicago in Williams Bay, Wisconsin. The observatory, which calls itself "the birthplace of modern astrophysics," was founded in 1897 by George Ellery Hale and financed by Charles T. Yerkes. It represented a shift in the thinking about observatories, from their being mere housing for telescopes and observers, to the modern concept of observation equipment integrated with laboratory space for physics and chemistry.

The Observatory has the largest refracting telescope successfully used for astronomy and has a collection of over 100,000 photographic plates. The present (2010) director of the observatory is Dr. Kyle M. Cudworth.

Telescopes
Yerkes Observatory is most famous for its 102 cm (40 inch) refracting telescope built by the master optician Alvan Clark. This is the largest refracting telescope used for scientific research (a larger demonstration refractor, the Great Paris Exhibition Telescope of 1900, was exhibited at the Paris Universal Exhibition of 1900). The 40-inch telescope was exhibited at the 1893 World's Columbian Exposition in Chicago before being installed in the observatory.

In addition to the Yerkes refractor, the observatory also houses 102 cm (40 inch, referred to as the "41 inch" to prevent confusion) and 61 cm (24 inch) reflecting telescopes. Several smaller telescopes are used for educational outreach purposes.

Current Research
Present research activity includes work on the interstellar medium, globular cluster formation, infrared astronomy, and near-Earth objects. Additionally, the University of Chicago maintains an engineering center in the observatory, dedicated to making and maintaining scientific instruments. As of 2011, the engineers are working on the High-resolution Airborne Wideband Camera (HAWC), which will be an integral part of Stratospheric Observatory for Infrared Astronomy (SOFIA). Research is also done utilizing Yerkes' collection of over 150,000 archival photographic plates that date back to the 1890's.

Development and preservation plans In March 2005, the University of Chicago announced plans to sell the observatory and its land on the shore of Geneva Lake. Initial reports had two purchasers interested, Mirbeau, an east coast developer who wanted to build luxury homes, and Aurora University, which has a campus straddling the Williams Bay property.

The Geneva Lake Conservancy, a regional conservation and land trust organization, took the position that it was critical to save the historic Yerkes Observatory structures and telescopes for education and research, as well as to conserve the rare undeveloped, wooded lakefront and deep forest sections of the 77-acre (310,000 m2) site.

On June 7, 2006, the University announced it would sell the facility to Mirbeau for US$8 million with stipulations to preserve the observatory, the surrounding 30 acres (120,000 m2), and the entire shoreline of the site. Under the Mirbeau plan, a 100-room resort with a large spa operation and attendant parking and support facilities was to be located on the 9-acre (36,000 m2) virgin wooded Yerkes land on the lakeshore -- the last such undeveloped, natural site on Geneva Lake's 21-mile (34 km) shoreline.

About seventy homes were to be developed on the upper Yerkes property, surrounding the historic observatory. These grounds were designed more than 100 years ago by John Olmsted, the brother of famed landscape architect Frederick Law Olmsted, designer of New York's Central Park.

In view of the public controversy surrounding the development proposals, the university suspended these plans in January 2007. The university's department of astronomy and astrophysics then formed a study group, including representatives from the faculty and observatory and a wide range of other involved parties, to plan for the operation of a regional center for science education at the observatory. The study group began its work in February 2007 and its final report was issued November 30, 2007. Ultimately, Williams Bay's refusal to change the zoning from education to residential caused Mirbeau to abandon its development plans.

Popular culture
Yerkes Observatory is the setting for about seven minutes of the 1996 movie Chain Reaction. One of the principal characters, Maggie McDermott, is first seen looking through the big refractor. The movie features a gunfight on the roof of Yerkes Observatory and an airboat chase across frozen Geneva Lake.

Geography candidates to speak March 29 through April 9 at MSU

From Montana State University: Geography candidates to speak March 29 through April 9 at MSU
BOZEMAN -- Four candidates for the position of assistant professor of geography at Montana State University are scheduled to give seminar talks from March 29 through April 9.

Tim Baird from the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill will speak on "Conservation as Disturbance: Economic Diversification and Social Networks in Northern Tanzania" at noon Thursday, March 29, in Cheever 214.

Ryan Bergstrom from Kansas State University will speak on "Sustainability in Amenity-based Communities of the Greater Yellowstone Ecosystem" at noon Monday, April 2, in Gaines Hall 243.

Molly Boaka-Cannon from University of Nebraska, Lincoln will speak at noon Wednesday, April 4, in Cheever 212. The topic will be announced later.

John All from Western Kentucky University will speak on "People, Mountains, and Climate Change - Buildings Bridges through the AAC Climber Science Program" at noon Monday, April 9, in Gaines Hall.

Capital Cities of the World: Mexico CIty part 1

Mexico City, also known as México D.F., or simply D.F.) is the Federal District (Distrito Federal), capital of Mexico and seat of the federal powers of the Mexican Union. It is a federal entity within Mexico which is not part of any one of the 31 Mexican states but belongs to the federation as a whole. Mexico City is the country's largest city as well as its most important political, cultural, educational and financial center.

As an "alpha" global city, Mexico City is one of the most important financial centers in North America. It is located in the Valley of Mexico (Valle de México), a large valley in the high plateaus at the center of Mexico, at an altitude of 2,240 metres (7,350 ft). The city consists of sixteen boroughs.

The 2009 estimated population for the city proper was around 8.84 million people, and has a land area of 1,485 square kilometres (573 sq mi). According to the most recent definition agreed upon by the federal and state governments, the Mexico City metropolitan area population is 21.2 million people, making it the largest metropolitan area in the western hemisphere and the fifth largest agglomeration in the world.

Mexico City has a gross domestic product (GDP) of $390 billion US$ in 2008, making Mexico City the eighth richest city in the world. The city was responsible for generating 21% of Mexico's Gross Domestic Product and the metropolitan area accounted for 34% of total national GDP.

The city was originally built on an island of Lake Texcoco by the Aztecs in 1325 as Tenochtitlan, which was almost completely destroyed in the 1521 siege of Tenochtitlan, and subsequently redesigned and rebuilt in accordance with the Spanish urban standards. In 1524, the municipality of Mexico City was established, known as México Tenochtitlán, and as of 1585 it was officially known as La Ciudad de México (Mexico City). Mexico City served as the political, administrative and financial center of a major part of the Spanish colonial empire. After independence from Spain was achieved, the Federal District was created in 1824.

After years of demanding greater political autonomy, residents were given the right to directly elect the Head of Government and the representatives of the unicameral Legislative Assembly by popular vote in 1997. Ever since, the left-wing Party of the Democratic Revolution (PRD) has controlled both of them. In recent years, the local government has passed a wave of liberal policies, such as abortion on request to any woman up to 12 weeks into a pregnancy, a limited form of euthanasia, no-fault divorce and same-sex marriage.

History of Mexico City
Aztec period
Tenochtitlan
The city now known as Mexico City was founded by the Mexica people, later known as the Aztecs, in 1325. The old Mexica city is now referred to as Tenochtitlan. The Mexica were one of the last of the Nahuatl-speaking peoples who migrated to this part of the Valley of Mexico after the fall of the Toltec Empire. Their presence was resisted by the peoples who were already in the valley, but the Mexica were able to establish a city on a small island on the western side of Lake Texcoco.

The Mexica themselves had a story about how their city was founded, after being led to the island by their principal god, Huitzilopochtli. According to the story, the god indicated the site where they were to build their home with a sign - an eagle perched on a nopal cactus with a snake in its beak. Between 1325 and 1521, Tenochtitlan grew in size and strength, eventually dominating the other city-states around Lake Texcoco, and in the Valley of Mexico. When the Spaniards arrived, the Aztec Empire reached much of Mesoamerica, touching both the Gulf of Mexico and the Pacific Ocean. Scholars estimate that between 200,000 and 250,000 people lived in Tenochtitlan in 1500, more than four times the population of London at that time.

Spanish conquest of Tenochtitlán
After landing in Veracruz, Hernán Cortés heard about the great city and the long-standing rivalries and grievances against it. Although Cortés came to Mexico with a very small army, he was able to persuade many of the other native peoples to help him destroy Tenochtitlan. Cortés first saw Tenochtitlán on November 8, 1519 Upon viewing it for the first time, Cortés and his men were stunned by its beauty and size. The Spaniards marched along the causeway leading into the city from Iztapalapa. Although Montezuma came out from the center of Tenochtitlán to greet them and exchange gifts, the camaraderie did not last long.

Cortés put Montezuma under house arrest, hoping to rule through him. Tensions increased until, on the night of June 30, 1520 – during a struggle commonly known as "La Noche Triste" – the Aztec revolted against the Spanish intrusion and managed to capture or drive out the Europeans and their Tlaxcalan allies. Cortés regrouped at Tlaxcala. The Aztecs thought the Spaniards were permanently gone. They elected a new king, Cuitláhuac, but he died after a few months due to smallpox; the next king was Cuauhtémoc.

Cortés decided to lay siege to Tenochtitlán in May 1521. For three months, the city suffered from the lack of food and water as well as the spread of smallpox brought by the Europeans. Cortés and his allies landed their forces in the south of the island and fought their way through the city, street by street, and house by house.[26] Finally, Cuauhtémoc had to surrender in August 1521.

The rebuilding of the city as Mexico City
The Spaniards practically razed Tenochtitlán. Cortés first settled in Coyoacán, but decided to rebuild the Aztec site to erase all traces of the old order.[21] Cortés did not establish an independent, conquered territory under his own personal rule, but remained loyal to the Spanish crown. The first viceroy of the new domain arrived in Mexico City fourteen years later. By that time, the city had again become a city-state, having power that extended far beyond the city's established borders. Although the Spanish preserved Tenochtitlán's basic layout, they built Catholic churches over the old Aztec temples and claimed the imperial palaces for themselves. Tenochtitlán was renamed "Mexico", its alternative form name, only because the Spanish found this easier to say.

The future geography of breakthrough innovation

From The Guardian (UK): The future geography of breakthrough innovation
What do rankings of the most admired and most innovative companies tell us about the future of breakthrough innovation? John Elkington predicts spikes in some unlikely places

In preparation for a work session on Breakthrough Capitalism, I read three things on a flight to Barcelona this week: Fortune's annual list of the world's most admired companies; Fast Company's ranking of the world's 50 most innovative companies; and several chapters of a new book from the Economist, Megachange: The World in 2050.

Fortune's survey, the 15th in the series, polled 3,855 US executives, directors and analysts. Tech companies lead this year, with Apple taking the No 1 spot. Since the survey began, only three companies – GE, Berkshire Hathaway and Proctor & Gamble – have ranked first in their industry every year. More striking still, a record 30 companies supplanted last year's industry leaders at the top of their categories. The previous record was 2011, when 23 companies elbowed their way into the top slots. Fortune's conclusion? "The tumult in the business world continues."

No question. So, given the critical role of innovation in all of this, let's flip to Fast Company. Here four tech companies compete for the top spot: Amazon, Apple, Facebook and Google. "Yet each company has fallen victim to hubris," the editors note, "causing public relations firestorms and some sloppy products." Apple wins the top slot here, too, despite its supply chain headaches. And the magazine warns that: "In a month or two, one of these firms will surely disrupt everything again."

But what really grabbed my interest was the bubbling-under world. Ranked seventh is the Occupy movement. "Disruptive. Small-d democratic. Transparent. Tech savvy. Design savvy. Local and global. Nimble. Values driven." Indeed, many of the characteristics marking out some of the most innovative companies. A key principle, as Occupy Wall Street's philosopher-in-residence Shen Tong puts it, is "managed chaos."

But for a deeper sense of where breakthrough innovation is headed, move down the rankings a bit. To electric carmaker Tesla at 13, or Airbnb at 19, which turns people's spare rooms into the world's "hottest hotel chain." Then push deeper still and you turn up some of the heavyweights-in-transition that may well have the biggest impact, including Germany's "mammoth" Siemens at 21, developing scalable solutions in such areas as energy, transportation and health care.

Then there are beginning-to-pulse-on-the-radar-screen players, including Liquid Robotics at 31 (which aims to radically cut the cost of ocean acidification monitoring, for example), Bug Agentes Biologicos at 33 (working on ways to spray predatory wasp larvae, rather than insecticides, over large-scale crops), Narayana Hrudayalaya Hospitals at 36 (combining Wal-Mart with Mother Teresa, providing low-cost, high-quality health care to the masses) and Recyclebank at 37 (evolving ways to incentivise behaviour change at scale: interest declared, I am on their advisory board).

Two other organisations, both of which I already knew of, resonated powerfully. One was SoundCloud at 42 ("for giving the Internet a voice," and raising the question how we give the future a stronger voice), and Y Combinator at 50 (which co-founder Jessica Livingston describes as "a supercondensed version of Silicon Valley"). It's hard not to feel impact-envy in relation to all of Fast Company's stars, but Y Combinator is probably the one I most want to emulate.

And then there's Megachange. When I attended the Nesta launch event for the book, co-author John Andrews signed a copy for me, saying: "Happy reading for the next four decades!" I'm sure he says that to all the girls – and I'm also sure people will read the book in 2050 with amazement (the things it gets broadly right) and disbelief (the things it failed to see).

My question for the panel would have been this: given the Delphi Oracle survived for 800-900 years, what future do the Megachange team foresee for forecasting itself? I know what Will Self thinks regarding Megachange, having read his scathing piece in The Observer. Panglossian was one of the kinder adjectives.

In these twittery days, it's harder to read non-fiction books cover-to-cover, so I settled for the introduction (Daniel Franklin) and essays on war (Matthew Symonds), the economist Joseph Schumpeter (Adrian Wooldridge) and more for less (the last essay, by Matt Ridley, that Panglossian of Panglossians). Although I'm sure Ridley would see me as part of what he derides as "the Armageddon industry," on certain assumptions (which we will probe at our 17 April event) I can see a real possibility that 2050 will, as Franklin sums it up, "be richer, healthier, more connected, more sustainable, more productive, more innovative, better educated, with less inequality between rich and poor and between men and women, and with more opportunity for billions of people."

But it's a humongous leap of faith to believe that there is anything inevitable about Wooldridge's last line: "The storms of creative destruction are blowing us to a better place." As a fan of Schumpeter's thinking for almost 50 years, I agree with those who argue that Schumpeter (who died in 1950) could be this century's most important economist.

The future geography of breakthrough innovation will spike in some unlikely places – a point the Economist's Schumpeter column routinely hammers home. In a world where the Megachangers tell us that wine glasses will tell us when we have had too much to drink, Wooldridge sees truly breakthrough innovation increasingly coming from the emerging economies. And by God (sorry Anthony Gottlieb, who believes the world will have more believers in 2050, but that the secular will eventually inherit Earth) we will need it.

The phrase that sticks in my mind came from Oliver Morton, who wrote the provocative climate chapter. At the Nesta launch last week he noted that if you turn up the gas under a saucepan not a lot happens, thanks to thermal inertia, but then it begins to bubble and then boil. Our atmosphere, he concludes, is moving beyond the thermal inertia stage. Yes, a boiling planet will be a great opportunity to sell air-conditioners, but I wonder just how many systemic black swans are shuffling in the wings, just beyond the view of the Megachangers' self-confessedly rose-tinted crystal balls?

GEOQUIZ: Which U.S. state has the most national parks?

Answer:
With eight each, the honors are shared by Alaska (Denali, Gates of the Arctic, Glacier Bay, Katmai, Kenai Fjords, Kobuk Valley, Lake Clark, Wrangell-St. Elias,) and California (Channel Islands, Death Valley, Joshua Tree, Kings Canyon, Lassen Volcanic, Redwood, Sequoia, Yosemite).

Maine students travel around the world in 33 feet

From Kennebec Journal: Maine students travel around the world in 33 feet
READFIELD -- The students started in the Horn of Africa, the region identified as the birthplace of humanity.

Maranacook Community High School freshman cross a giant map of Asia at the Readfield school.

From East Africa, they traveled through the Middle East and across Asia, with detours into Europe and Australia, until they reached the site of the land bridge that once connected Russia and Alaska.

It took the earliest humans tens of thousands of years to complete the journey of many, many miles. For Maranacook Community Middle School students, it was a matter of a few minutes and dozens of steps to traverse a 26-by-33-foot vinyl map of Asia.

Students traced the path of human migration for Mary Ellen Tracy's core class on immigration, culture and food. Her class was one of several to use the map for activities during its two weeks at the school.

One of Tracy's students, eighth grader Zack Godbout, admitted he didn't know a lot about Asia's geography before walking across a map of Earth's largest continent.

"It's a lot easier to see how far it is from one point to another," he said.

That sort of connection between spatial experience and greater understanding of geography is just what social studies teacher Carrie Emmerson had in mind when she asked for one of National Geographic's traveling maps to come to Regional School Unit 38.

The National Geographic map cost $480 for two weeks, and students in every school in the district -- Manchester, Mount Vernon, Readfield and Wayne -- came for activities.

The sophomores in Emmerson's AP world history course used it to inform essays they wrote about trade patterns in the Indian Ocean and on the silk roads crossing Asia.

"They were able to actually walk the trade routes that people have been traveling for thousands of years, carrying placards for the different goods," Emmerson said. "One carried the plague across Asia to Europe. I have to think that is going to stick in their heads."

A science teacher at Maranacook Community High School used the map to talk about the plate tectonics, the scientific theory that describes the movement of the plates that make up Earth's surface.

Other classes took tours of Asia's major sights, examined population density and distribution or played games such as an exploration game modeled after Simon Says.

"We encourage them to physically move a lot on the map and to play games on the map and to interact, either competitively or collaboratively," said Dan Beaupré, director of education partnerships for National Geographic. "But we want them to really interact with geography in a way that's immersive and fun. It's meaningful and memorable."

National Geographic has 17 maps, which also include Africa, South America, North America and the Pacific Ocean. They travel to about 900 schools a year, reaching about 450,000 students, Beaupré said. People also bring them to libraries, resorts, state fairs and festivals.

Education is one of the major missions of the National Geographic Society. Dan Beaupré said geographic literacy is more important than ever in an interconnected world.

In 2006, a National Geographic survey of Americans ages 18 to 24 revealed that only 12 percent could locate Afghanistan on a map of Asia, and only 37 percent could find Iraq on a Middle East map.

Those respondents fared poorly even on domestic geography -- only 43 percent could locate New York on a U.S. map.

Many standardized tests, including the Maine High School Assessment and the New England Common Assessment Program used in Maine, do not include geography or other social studies topics.

Geography goes beyond capitals and boundaries on a map; it also includes culture, religion, economics and climate.

Emmerson said a knowledge of geography will help students understand history, politics and current events, and that it's critical to developing a competitive workforce.

"Geography is interwoven into everything we do, in particular global geography," she said. "When I think about the world we live in today -- the skills the kids need in terms of who we're going to be interacting with or any kind of business they're doing -- I think it's crucial for kids to know where things are in the world and how things interact."

Ottawa pt 3

Navigable waterways
Ottawa sits at the confluence of three major rivers: the Ottawa River, the Gatineau River and the Rideau River. The Ottawa and Gatineau rivers were historically important in the logging and lumber industries and the Rideau as part of the Rideau Canal system for military, commercial and, subsequently, recreational purposes. The Rideau Canal, connecting the Ottawa River and the Saint Lawrence River at Kingston, Ontario, by-passes unnavigable sections of the Rideau River as it winds its way through the city. Rideau is a French word that means 'Curtain' in English, and the Rideau Falls resemble a curtain, thusly named by the early French canoeists. During part of the winter season the frozen waters of the canal form the world's largest skating rink thereby providing both a recreational venue and a 7.8 kilometres (4.8 mi) transportation path to downtown for ice skaters (from Carleton University and Dow's Lake to the Rideau Centre and National Arts Centre).

Demographics
In 2006, the populations of the City of Ottawa and the Ottawa-Gatineau census metropolitan area (CMA) were 812,129 and 1,130,761 respectively, while the Ottawa-Gatineau urban area had a population of 860,928. The city had a population density of 1,680.5 persons per km2 in 2006, while the CMA had a population density of 197.8 persons per km2. The estimated population of the National Capital Region is 1,451,415. The pre-amalgamated city population was 337,031 in 2001.

Ottawa's median age of 36.7, as well as its percentage of seniors are both below the provincial average and the national average, while those under 15 exceed Canadian percentages.

The vast majority of the population growth is attributable to relocations to the city, and over 20 percent of the city's population is foreign-born. Around 75% describe themselves as Christian, with Catholics accounting for 43.3% of the population and members of Protestant churches was 27.6%.

Bilingualism became official policy for the conduct of municipal business in 2002, and 37% of the population can speak both languages, making it the largest city in Canada with both English and French as co-official languages.Mother tongue was listed as 62.8% English, 14.9% French and 21.6% list languages other than English and French as their mother tongue.

Local government and politics
Ottawa is a single-tier municipality, meaning it is in itself a census division and has no county or regional municipality government above it. As a single tier municipality, Ottawa has responsibility for all municipal services, including fire, ambulatory, police, parks, roads, sidewalks, public transit, drinking water, stormwater, sanitary sewage and solid waste. Ottawa is governed by the 24-member Ottawa City Council consisting of 23 councillors each representing one ward and the mayor, currently Jim Watson, elected in a citywide vote.

Along with being the capital of Canada, Ottawa is politically diverse in local politics. Most of the city has traditionally supported the Liberal Party. Perhaps the safest areas for the Liberals are the ones dominated by Francophones, especially in Vanier and central Gloucester. Central Ottawa is usually more left-leaning, and the New Democratic Party can win ridings there as government unions and activist groups are fairly strong. Some of Ottawa's suburbs are swing areas, notably central Nepean and, despite its Francophone population, Orléans. The southern and western parts of the old city of Ottawa are generally moderate and swing to the Conservative Party. The farther one goes outside the city centre like to Kanata and Barrhaven and rural areas, the voters tend to be increasingly conservative, both fiscally and socially. This is especially true in the former Townships of West Carleton, Goulbourn, Rideau and Osgoode, which are more in line with the conservative areas in the surrounding counties. However not all rural areas support the Conservative Party. Rural parts of the former township of Cumberland, with a large number of Francophones, traditionally support the Liberal Party, though their support has recently weakened.

Education
Ottawa is known as one of the most educated cities in Canada, with over half the population having graduated from College and/or university.Ottawa has the highest per capita concentration of engineers, scientists, and residents with PhDs in Canada.

The city has two main public universities Carleton University and University of Ottawa, and two main public colleges Algonquin College and La Cité collégiale. It also has two Christian universities Dominican University College and Saint Paul University. There is also the University of Quebec en Outaouais, Cégep de l'Outaouais, and Heritage College in the neighbouring City of Gatineau.

There are four main public school boards in Ottawa: English, English-Catholic, French, and French-Catholic. The Ottawa-Carleton District School Board (OCDSB) is the largest board with 147 schools, followed by the Ottawa Catholic School Board with 85 schools. The two French language boards are the Conseil des écoles catholiques du Centre-Est with 49 schools, and the Conseil des écoles publiques de l'Est de l'Ontario with 37 schools. The Ottawa Public Library was created in 1906 as part of the famed Carnegie library system. The library system had 2.3 million items as of 2008.

Economy
Ottawa's primary employers are the Public Service of Canada and the high-tech industry. The city has a high standard of living and low unemployment. Ottawa had the fourth highest growth rate among major Canadian cities in 2007 with a 2.7% GDP growth rate, which exceeded the Canadian average of 2.4%. It is estimated that the National Capital Region attracts around seven million tourists annually who spend about 1.3 billion dollars.

The region of Ottawa-Gatineau has the third highest income of all major Canadian cities. The average gross income in the region amounted to $40,078, an increase of 4.9% compared to the previous year. The annual cost of living rate in 2007 was 1.9%.

Developed in the early 1950s, Tunney's Pasture is an area that is exclusively reserved for various federal government buildings.

The Federal government is the city's largest employer, employing over 110,000 individuals from the National Capital region. Ottawa is also an important technology centre; its 1800 companies employ approximately 80,000 people. The concentration of companies in this industry earned the city the nickname of "Silicon Valley North." Most of these companies specialize in telecommunications, software development and environmental technology. Large technology companies such as Nortel, Corel, Mitel, Cognos and JDS Uniphase were founded in the city. Ottawa also has regional locations for 3M, Adobe Systems, Bell Canada, IBM, Alcatel-Lucent and Hewlett-Packard. Many of the telecommunications and new technology are located in the western part of the city (formerly Kanata).

Another major employer is the health sector, which employs over 18,000 people. Nordion, i-Stat as well as the National Research Council of Canada and OHRI are part of the growing life science sector. Business, finance, administration, and sales and service occupations rank high among types of occupations. Approximately ten percent of Ottawa's GDP is derived from finance, insurance, real estate whereas employment is in goods-producing industries is only half the national average. The City of Ottawa is the second largest employer with over 15,000 employees.

In 2006, Ottawa experienced an increase of 40,000 jobs over 2001 with a five-year average growth that was relative slower than in the late 1990s. While the number of employees in the federal government stagnated, the high-technology industry grew by 2.4%. The overall growth of jobs in Ottawa-Gatineau was 1.3% compared to the previous year, down to sixth place among Canada's largest cities. The unemployment rate in Ottawa-Gatineau was 5.2% (only in Ottawa: 5.1%), which was below the national average of 6.0%. The economic downturn resulted in an increase in the unemployment rate between April 2008 and April 2009 from 4.7 to 6.3%. In the province, however, this rate increased over the same period from 6.4 to 9.1%.

Culture
Traditionally the ByWard Market (in Lower Town), Parliament Hill and the Golden Triangle (both in Centretown - Downtown) have been the focal points of the cultural scenes in Ottawa. Modern thoroughfares such as Wellington Street, Rideau Street, Sussex Drive, Elgin Street, Bank Street, Somerset Street, Preston Street and Sparks Street; are home to many boutiques, museums, theaters, galleries, landmarks and memorials, while dominated by eating establishments, cafes, bars and nightclubs.

Ottawa's hosts a variety of annual seasonal activities — such as Winterlude, the largest festival in Canada, and Canada Day celebrations on Parliament Hill and surrounding downtown area, as well as Bluesfest, Canadian Tulip Festival, Ottawa Dragon Boat Festival, Ottawa International Jazz Festival, Fringe Festival and Folk Music Festival, that have grown to become some of the largest festivals of their kind in the world. In 2010, Ottawa's Festival industry received the IFEA "World Festival and Event City Award" for the category of North American cities with a population between 500,000 and 1,000,000.

As Canada's capital, Ottawa has played host to a number of significant cultural events in Canadian history, including the first visit of the reigning Canadian sovereign—King George VI, with his consort, Queen Elizabeth—to his parliament, on 19 May 1939. VE Day was marked with a large celebration on 8 May 1945, the first raising of the country's new national flag took place on 15 February 1965, and the centennial of Confederation was celebrated on 1 July 1967. Elizabeth II was in Ottawa on 17 April 1982, to issue a royal proclamation of the enactment of the Constitution Act. In 1983, Prince Charles and Diana Princess of Wales came to Ottawa for a state dinner hosted by then Prime Minister Pierre Trudeau. In 2011, Ottawa was selected as the first city to receive Prince William, Duke of Cambridge, and Catherine, Duchess of Cambridge during their Royal tour of Canada.