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Niagara Falls, Ontario

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Niagara Falls, Ontario
Skyline of Niagara Falls, Canada, as seen from the Embassy Suites hotel. The Fallsview Casino dominates the view, blocking out the larger Skylon Tower. The thick fog is a result of the mist from Horseshoe Falls.
Skyline of Niagara Falls, Canada, as seen from the Embassy Suites hotel. The Fallsview Casino dominates the view, blocking out the larger Skylon Tower. The thick fog is a result of the mist from Horseshoe Falls.
Location of Niagara Falls in the Niagara Region
Location of Niagara Falls in the Niagara Region
CountryCanada
ProvinceOntario
MunicipalityNiagara
Time zoneUTC-5 (EST)
 • Summer (DST)UTC-4 (EDT)
Niagara Falls, Ontario from Niagara Falls State Park in winter


Niagara Falls, Ontario (2001 population 78,815) is a city on the Niagara River, in the Golden Horseshoe region. It lies across the river from Niagara Falls, New York, and was incorporated on June 12, 1903.

The city is dominated by the Niagara Falls waterfalls on the Niagara River connecting Lake Ontario and Lake Erie. The natural spectacle brings in millions of tourists to the city yearly. The city has built a tourist area surrounding the falls to increase the city's appeal as a vacation destination and prolong stay times. These attractions include viewing and observation based activities like the Maid of the Mist, Journey Behind the Falls, Skywheel and the Skylon Tower observation deck. Other attractions include the Clifton Hill tourist area, casinos Casino Niagara and the Fallsview Casino, Cirque Niagara, Dinner Theaters (Greg Frewin, Oh! Canada Eh?, Grand Niagara) natural attractions like the Butterfly Conservatory and Botanical Gardens, Bird Kingdom, Niagara Gorge, as well as historic sites from the War of 1812.


History

The Niagara Falls area has seen continuous settlement since the 17th century, first by the Iroquois and then by Europeans who were drawn to the immense falls. Louis Hennepin, a French priest, is regarded as the first European to visit the area in the 1670s.

Tourism started in the early 19th century and has been a vital part of the local economy since that time. As well as the obvious attractions of the falls, Niagara Falls markets itself as a honeymoon destination and is self-proclaimed as the honeymoon capital of the world.

With the creation of a Niagara regional government in 1970, the city amalgamated with the village of Chippawa and surrounding Willoughby, Crowland, and Stamford Townships, creating the present-day municipal boundaries.

Geography and Climate

Niagara Falls, Ontario is 130 kilometres (81 mi) from Toronto by road. The area of the Niagara Region is 1800 square kilometres (718 sq mi). The city sits at 43°7′N 79°4′W / 43.117°N 79.067°W / 43.117; -79.067.

Topography

The city is built around the Niagara Falls waterfalls and the Niagara Gorge on the Niagara River which are connected to Lake Ontario and Lake Erie.

Climate

The weather and climate for the Niagara Region of Ontario is moderate to extreme in both summer and winter. There are considerable extremes in either temperature or the type of weather that might be associated with locations that are in close proximity to a landmass such as the bodies of water surrounding the region. Detailed averages of weather is found here.

Economy

Niagara Falls, Ontario. The hub of tourism, including the casinos, are now in the Clifton Hill area shown in the background

With a plentiful and inexpensive source of hydroelectric power via the waterfalls, many electro-chemical and electro-metallurgical industries located here in the early to mid-20th century.

Industry began moving out of the city in the 1970s and 80s because of recession and increasing global competition in the manufacturing sector. Tourism tightened its grip as the city's most important economic engine. It is a more popular destination than Niagara Falls, New York, in part due to the better view of the falls from the Canadian side. Also, Ontario's drinking age of 19 (compared to the 21 drinking age in the United States) attracts many 19 and 20-year-olds from the United States to the many bars on Clifton Hill.

In the mid-1990s the Ontario government introduced legal wagering to the local economy with Casino Niagara. The late-1990s witnessed an economic boom as numerous luxury hotels and tourist attractions were built. The first casino was followed in 2004 by the larger Niagara Fallsview Casino Resort. The casino business has been successful in attracting American tourists with the Canadian dollar lower than parity.

Some of the many vacant buildings in the Queen Street downtown area

The recent development has been almost completely centered on the Clifton Hill and Fallsview areas. The Niagara Falls downtown strip continues to suffer considerable decay, with much of the Queen Street retail area now vacant. The downtown area was a major centre for local commerce and night life up until the 1970s, when the development of the Niagara Square shopping mall began to draw away crowds and retailers. In 2006, New York City based developer Aaron Lichtman proposed a major investment in the area to encourage new retail development; the proposal, titled Historic Niagara, remains dependent on government funding of complementary services. The local government is currently seeking part of this funding from higher governmental tiers [2].

Demographics

Ethnic Origin Population Percent
English 22,880 29.32%
Italian 15,425 19.77%
Scottish 13,910 17.82%
Irish 11,200 14.35%
French 8,710 11.16%

[3] Between 1996 and 2001 the population of the city grew by 2.5 percent, lower than the provincial and national average. The population of Niagara Falls is older than Canada by means of age structure. The proportion of those under 14 years of age is 18.1 percent while those over 65 constitute 17 percent.[4] The city has also done a good job of attracting immigrants into the area. Some 5.5% percent of the population declared themselves as visible minorities (non-white).

According to the 2001 Statistics Canada Census, 83.97% of Niagara Falls city residents self-identified with Christian denominations. The largest denominations consist of Roman Catholic (41.99%), Protestant (36.80%), and 5.18% other Christian mostly Orthodox[5], 14.10% stating no religion, and minor religions (1.93%) including Jewish, Buddhist, Hindu, and Muslim.

Education

Niagara Falls has two post-secondary institutions as well is served by the Niagara District School Board and the Niagara Catholic District School Board which operate elementary and secondary schools in the region. There are also numerous private institutions offer alternatives to the traditional education systems.

Post Secondary

High Schools

  • Stamford Collegiate Secondary School
  • Westlane Secondary School
  • A N Myer Secondary School
  • Saint Paul Catholic High School
  • Saint Michael Catholic High School

Library

Niagara Falls is also served by a growing library system composed of four branches, a main branch located in the downtown. It is visited by over 10,000 people weekly, the Niagara Falls Public Library system's goals include preserving and indexing public materials relating to the history of Niagara Falls.

Politics

Niagara Falls City Council is comprised of 8 councilors and 1 Mayor. City elections take place every 4 years with the next election in November 2010. Council is responsible for policy and decision making, monitoring the operation and performance of the city, analyzing and approving budgets and determining spending priorities.

Media

Niagara Falls is served by four main newspapers, three radio stations and a community television channel. All other media is regional based, as well from Hamilton, Toronto and nearby Buffalo, New York.

Newspapers

Due to its proximity to Toronto, the local media is dominated by Toronto-based organizations. Local residents have easy access to the papers like the Toronto Star and the Toronto Sun.

Local newspapers are:

Radio

Television

  • Cogeco-TV is a community channel serving Niagara Falls.
  • CHCH from Hamilton, Ontario and serves the Niagara Region.

Transportation

Highways

Niagara Falls and Niagara Falls, New York are linked to major highways in Canada and the United States respectively, with the 400-Series highway the Queen Elizabeth Way acting as a major artery between Toronto, Ontario and Buffalo, New York. Highway 420 is also another highway in the city. Niagara Parkway is a road operated under the Niagara Parks Commission.

Regional Airports

Shuttle bus services connect the city with all three airports.

Rail

Bus

Cabs and Shuttlebuses

Sports Teams

Sports teams of Niagara Falls
Club League Sport Venue Established Championships
Niagara Falls Canucks Golden Horseshoe Junior B Hockey League Hockey Niagara Falls Memorial Arena 1979
2

Niagara Falls attractions

Horseshoe Falls

The Niagara Falls tourist sector is centred around the waterfalls and follows the from Lake Erie to Lake Ontario. As much of the land adjoined to the river is parkland under the watch of the Niagara Parks Commission many attractions based on the local natural environment have been created. To prolong visitor stays the city of Niagara Falls has a number of additional attractions in close proximity but not related to the natural features, including casinos and entertainment complexes. The Niagara Peninsula is also a significant wine-growing area, with winery tours and festivals becoming a significant area of growth in the local economy.

Niagara River and parkway attractions

  • Niagara Botanical Gardens
  • Floral Clock
  • Spanish Aerocar over the Niagara River whirlpool
  • White Water Walk at the Niagara River rapids
  • Winter Festival of Lights
  • Butterfly conservatory
  • Niagara heritage trail
  • Dufferin Islands
  • Niagara Parks School of Horticulture
The Niagara Falls Hard Rock Cafe

Tourist sector entertainment

Great Canadian Midway [Clifton Hill]

Communities

References

  1. ^ [1]

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