Lower Town (also spelled "Lowertown" (French: la Basse-Ville) is a neighbourhood in Rideau-Vanier Ward in central Ottawa, Ontario, Canada, to the east of downtown.

It was historically French Canadian and Irish (as opposed to English and Scottish Upper Town, a term no longer in use) and is to this day home to many Franco-Ontarian families, businesses and institutions.

[4] According to the City of Ottawa website, there are roughly 4,180 native English-speakers in Lower Town, 3,530 Francophones, and 2,235 with other mother tongues.

[citation needed] The Francophone population of Lower Town has declined significantly since the end of World War II.

Byward Market and Lower Town have been and are usually ranked among the top neighbourhoods for repeated calls for services and resources from the city.

This period saw major upheaval in the area as dozens of city blocks and hundreds of historic homes were systematically demolished to make way for expanded roads and new development.

For many years, Rideau Street was one of Ottawa's primary retail thoroughfares, containing department stores such as Freimans, Ogilvy's, Woolworth, Caplan's and Metropolitan.

[11] The transit shelters underwent another major change during this time, including their relocation and modernization, as construction of Rideau Station, one of 13 stops announced as part of O-Train Line 1, named Confederation Line, began in August 2013, as part of Ottawa's existing light-rail system built and operated by OC Transpo.