Everything about The Niagara Peninsula totally explained
The
Niagara Peninsula is the portion of
Ontario,
Canada lying on the south shore of
Lake Ontario. It stretches from the
Niagara River in the east to
Hamilton, Ontario in the west.
Lake Ontario lies to the north and
Lake Erie to the south. The region directly across the Niagara River and Lake Erie in
New York State is known as the
Niagara Frontier. Together with
Western New York, the area forms a part of the broader
Buffalo Niagara Region.
Government
The greater part of the peninsula is incorporated as the
Regional Municipality of Niagara. Cities in the region include
St. Catharines,
Niagara Falls,
Thorold,
Port Colborne and
Welland. Towns include
Niagara-on-the-Lake,
Lincoln,
Pelham,
Grimsby and
Fort Erie, as well as the township of
West Lincoln.
History
The area was originally inhabited by a
First Nations people called the "
Neutrals", so named for their practice of trading goods such as flint arrowhead blanks with both of the feuding regional powers, the
Wyandot and
Iroquois. The Neutrals were wiped out by the Iroquois c. 1650 as the latter sought to expand their fur-trapping territory. From this point until the arrival of
United Empire Loyalists following the
American War of Independence, the region was only sporadically inhabited, as the Iroquois didn't establish permanent settlements in the area.
The Niagara Peninsula then became one of the first areas settled in
Upper Canada by British Loyalists in the late
18th century. The capital of the new colony was established with the founding of
Niagara-on-the-Lake. Many
English and
Irish immigrants settled in the peninsula, but by the 1800s,
Italian and
German immigrants heavily populated the peninsula and were the chief sources of immigrants followed by
French,
Polish, and other
Eastern Europeans.
Following the agricultural period of
European settlement, the Niagara area became an important industrial centre, with water-powered mills joined later by hydro-electric power generation in
Niagara Falls and electricity-intensive industry in both Niagara Falls and
St. Catharines. While agriculture – especially fruit farming along the shore of Lake Ontario – remains important to this day, it was joined in the
19th century by industrial developments. A succession of
canals were built to connect the markets and mineral resources of the upper
Great Lakes with the
St. Lawrence Seaway (See also
Welland Canal).
General Motors built a considerable presence in St. Catharines with auto plants and a foundry, and a number of auto-parts manafucturers followed. Dry docks were also built at
Port Weller on Lake Ontario.
21st Century
Heavy industry has been diminishing for the past decade or more primarily due to the slow-down of the North American automotive manufacturers. Thousands of jobs have been lost at long time area employers such as
General Motors, Dana Canada Corp, Port Weller Drydocks, Domtar Papers and Gallagher Thorold Paper. Because of this, local municipalities have been forced to look at new and diversified opportunities to prevent an exodus of well trained staff.
Visiting
Hospitality and
tourism has attracted numerous visitors to the area for more than 150 years primarily thanks to
Niagara Falls. New development beginning during the mid 1990's has spun off an upscale hospitality boom throughout the whole Niagara Peninsula.
Today, more than 10 million guests visit the peninsula annually to see the beauty of the Falls and the
Niagara Parks.
Ecotourism has become more popular with more people finding and exploring out of the way places such as the
Niagara Escarpment, named a world
Biosphere Reserve by
UNESCO in 1990.
Another area of major tourism growth in the past thirty years has been the expansion of the grape and wine industry. The many European style
wineries and
vineyards have played a major role in attracting visitors seeking a unique cultural experience. Most of the local wineries offer full tours of their facilities with a few offering onsite dining featuring unique Canadian cuisine paired with their own
VQA vintages. It is common for many of these wineries' world class chefs to use fresh ingredients that are grown or acquired from local farms in season. Some wineries also feature live music and theatrical performances in the vineyard during the summer months. For the ultimate adventure, visitors come during the coldest months of the year (usually December to February) to watch some varieties of grapes being harvested and pressed outdoors in the vineyard as part of the process of creating the sweetest, and among the most expensive, wine on earth -
Ice Wine. A few Niagara Peninsula wineries have won the most prestigious international awards for their Ice Wine products, many of which are only available from the
vintner.
There is an official
(External Link
) Wine Routes Guide for those that wish to self-drive while transportation companies offering wine tours operate out of major
hotel and
bed and breakfast establishments in
Niagara Falls,
Niagara-on-the-Lake and
Toronto. (Driving from downtown Toronto to the Niagara wine region is about two hours).
Another major attraction for the well travelled looking for cultural activities is the famous
Shaw Festival Theater (named for playwright
George Bernard Shaw) located in the village of
Niagara-on-the-Lake. This is also a great place for history enthusiasts to learn about the history of
Canada as this was the seat of its first government when it was known as
Upper Canada. This is also the location of
Fort George, Ontario, a British built and occupied fort during the
War of 1812. It was rebuilt for the public during the 1960's and is open during the summer months. Other key historical locations nearby include:
Brock's Monument, the
Laura Secord Monument and the battlefield sites of
Battle of Queenston Heights,
Battle of Lundy's Lane and
Battle of Chippawa.
Living
The region's moderate year-round climate, in addition to its close proximity to the United States for easy road and air access to the southern U.S., makes it a popular retirement destination. In fact, the Niagara Peninsula has both the highest density and growth rate of seniors for any region within
Ontario. The highest percentage of seniors to the total population is located within the city of
Port Colborne, Ontario.
During the early 1990's a major telecommunications highway between metropolitan Toronto and the U.S. was upgraded to become one of North America's fastest fiber backbones. It passes through the heart of the Niagara Peninsula and enters the U.S. at
Buffalo, New York. This gave Niagara the advantage of having direct access to the backbone and attracting many new professional call centers.
Compared with the cities of
Toronto, Ontario,
Hamilton, Ontario and most Ontario municipalities with populations similar in size to the whole of the Niagara Peninsula, the average cost of living is very reasonable. The cost of housing, both owned and rented, is lower. The three major cities,
St. Catharines, Ontario,
Niagara Falls, Ontario and
Welland, Ontario are mostly urban with most needed services available locally. The remainder of the peninsula, especially to the far west and south, is either partially urban or almost entirely rural.
Centres of higher education are
Brock University and
Niagara College, both offering undergraduate and post-graduate studies in many disciplines.
Transportation
The major roadway bisecting the peninsula is the
Queen Elizabeth Way (QEW). This freeway connects
Toronto and the United States via
New York State. It is one of the major thoroughfares for the North American trucking industry and is responsible for supporting the carriage of nearly one third of all goods imported and exported. The second major roadway is
Highway 406 which begins at the QEW in west St. Catharines and ends approximately 30km south in the city of Welland. Another shorter freeway is
Highway 405, named the General Isaac Brock Parkway in 2006. It begins at the QEW in Niagara-on-the-Lake, just east of St. Catharines, and ends about 15km away at
Queenston, Ontario where it connects to an international bridge that crosses into the United States at
Lewiston, New York. This is also a major travel zone for the Canada/US trucking industry.
All cities and some towns in the peninsula have taxi services while St. Catharines, Niagara Falls and Welland all have a local transit commission. There is also one major airbus company that services Toronto, Hamilton and Buffalo airports exclusively. Most cities and some towns also have very limited inter-city bus services operated mostly by Greyhound and Coach Canada. There are no efficient inter-city public transportation operating in the peninsula, however, a specialized inter-city regional bus service, owned and operated by the Regional government, began operation in late 2006 but is restricted to those requiring transport to medical appointments throughout the region and have no other means of transportation. (Other restrictions apply). The region hopes to have a fully integrated region-level transit system by the end of the decade.
Niagara Falls, St. Catharines and Grimsby are all connected to the CN railway line. Via Rail offers limited daily commuter and weekend service between these three peninsula municipalities and Toronto and many points between.
Via Rail and
Amtrak also offer daily southbound service from Toronto to New York City with stops at the same stations.
Further Information
Get more info on 'Niagara Peninsula'.
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