Regional Municipality of Niagara

Regional Municipality of Niagara, Ontario
—  Region  —
Flag
Motto: Unity, Responsibility, Loyalty
Location of Niagara within Ontario
Country	Canada
Province	Ontario
Formed	1970 (from Welland and Lincoln Counties)
Government
• Chair	Gary Burroughs
• Governing body	Niagara Regional Council
• MPs	Dean Allison, Rick Dykstra, Malcolm Allen, Rob Nicholson
• MPPs	Jim Bradley, Kim Craitor, Tim Hudak, Peter Kormos
Area
• Total	1,852 km2 (715.1 sq mi)
Population (2006)
• Total	427,421
• Density	223.5/km2 (578.9/sq mi)
Time zone	Eastern (EST) (UTC-5)
Website	Regional Niagara

The Regional Municipality of Niagara (2006 population: 427,421), also known as the Niagara Region, or, colloquially, "Regional Niagara", is a regional municipality comprising twelve municipalities of Southern Ontario, Canada.

The region occupies most of the Niagara Peninsula. Its eastern boundary is the Niagara River, which is also the border with the United States. It is bounded on the north by Lake Ontario and on the south by Lake Erie.

Unique natural landscapes make the Niagara Region an important centre for agriculture and tourism in Canada. The most important agricultural enterprise in Niagara is viticulture, or winemaking. The Niagara Wine Route, which connects visitors to dozens of wineries, is a growing tourism draw while the internationally-renowned Niagara Falls is one of Canada's major tourist attractions. Along with Shaw Festival, held annually in Niagara-on-the-Lake, and the Welland Canal, the Regional Municipality of Niagara receives up to 12 million visitors each year.

Geography

Cities

• Niagara Falls
• Port Colborne
• St. Catharines
• Thorold
• Welland

Towns

• Fort Erie
• Grimsby
• Lincoln
• Niagara-on-the-Lake
• Pelham

Townships

• Wainfleet
• West Lincoln

In total, the region has an area of 1850 square kilometres. The regional seat is in Thorold, where the Niagara Regional Council meets.

Demographics

Data from the Canada 2006 Census.

Racial groups

• White: 349,390 or 95.9%
• Black: 2,990 or 0.8%
• Multiracial: 2,665 or 0.7%
• Chinese: 2,345 or 0.6%
• Other Asian: 2,320 or 0.6%
• (based on single responses)

Religious profile

• 43.2% Protestant
• 36.4% Roman Catholic
• 14.6% Non-religious
• 3.8% other Christian
• 0.9% Muslim

Top ten largest ethnicities

• Canadian - 121,660 (those who are most likely of British/French origin whose ancestors have been in Canada for many generations)
• English - 108,425
• Scottish - 66,385
• Irish - 56,640
• German - 49,435
• French - 48,155
• Italian - 44,645
• Dutch - 23,805
• Ukrainian - 16,735
• Polish - 16,295

Features

Airports

• St. Catharines/Niagara District Airport (Niagara-on-the-Lake)
• Welland/Niagara Central Airport (Welland)
• Niagara Falls/Niagara South Airport (Niagara Falls)

Education

• Brock University (St. Catharines)
• Niagara College (Niagara-on-the-Lake, Niagara Falls, Welland)
• Niagara Catholic District School Board - Separate
• District School Board of Niagara - Public
• Conseil scolaire du Niagara Sud

Festivals and major events

• Festival of Lights
• Niagara Food Festival
• Niagara Grape and Wine Festival
• Serbian Day (Vidov Dan)
• FISA World Rowing Championships - 1970 & 1999
• St. Catharines Wine Tasting of 2005
• Canal Days
• Niagara Folk Arts Festival
• Royal Canadian Henley Regatta
• Shaw Festival

Health care services

• Niagara Health System
• Hotel Dieu Shaver Health and Rehabilitation Centre p

History and trails

• Bruce Trail
• Fort George National Historic Site (Niagara-on-the-Lake)
• Fort Mississauga National Historic Site (Niagara-on-the-Lake)
• Greater Niagara Circle Route
• Navy Island National Historic Site (Niagara Falls)
• Niagara Parkway
• Niagara Wine Route
• Old Fort Erie (Fort Erie)
• Queenston Heights National Historic Site (Niagara-on-the-Lake)
• Waterfront Trial
• Welland Canal Parkway
• Morningstar Mill (St. Catharines)

Other

• Clifton Hill (Niagara Falls)
• Lundy's Lane Tourist District (Niagara Falls)
• Niagara Olde Town (Niagara-on-the-Lake)
• Welland Canal Centre (St. Catharines)

Protected areas

• Short Hills Provincial Park
• Wainfleet Bog Provincial Wildlife Preserve
• Ball's Falls Conservation Area
• Chippawa Creek Conservation Area
• Long Beach Conservation Area
• Morgan's Point Conservation Area
• Cave Springs Conservation Area
• St. John's Conservation Area
• Rockway Conservation Area
• Louth Conservation Area
• Mountainview Conservation Area
• Beamer Memorial Conservation Area
• Woodend Conservation Area

• Woolverton Conservation Area
• Wainfleet Wetlands
• Humberstone & Willoughby Wetlands
• Mud Lake Wetlands
• E.C. Brown Conservation Area
• United Empire Loyalist Conservation Area
• Port Davidson Weir Conservation Area
• Sugar Bush Conservation Area
• Stevensville Conservation Area
• Virgil Dams Conservation Area
• Happy Rolph's Bird Sanctuary

Wineries

West Niagara

• Cave Spring Cellars
• Fielding
• Flatrock
• Henry of Pelham Family Estate Winery
• Hernder Estate Wines
• Peninsula Ridge
• Vineland Estate

East Niagara

• Chateau des Charmes
• Coyote's Run
• Hillebrand
• Inniskillin
• Marynissen
• Pillitteri Estates Winery

Highways

400-Series expressways

• Highway 405
• Highway 406
• Highway 420
• Queen Elizabeth Way (QEW)

Other highways

• Highway 3
• Highway 20
• Highway 58
• Highway 58A
• Highway 140

Surrounding census divisions

• Hamilton, Ontario
• Haldimand County, Ontario
• Niagara County, New York
• Erie County, New York

External links

• The Regional Municipality of Niagara
• Information on the historic bridges of the Niagara Region, including some bridges of the Welland Canal
• Information and Events for the Niagara Region