The Regional Municipality of Niagara, also colloquially known as the Niagara Region or Region of Niagara, is a regional municipality comprising twelve municipalities of

Southern Ontario Southern Ontario is a primary region of the province of Ontario, Canada, the other primary region being Northern Ontario. It is the most densely populated and southernmost region in Canada. The exact northern boundary of Southern Ontario is disp ...

, Canada. The regional seat is in

Thorold Thorold is a city in Ontario, Canada, located on the Niagara Escarpment. It is also the seat of the Regional Municipality of Niagara. The Welland Canal passes through the city, featuring lock 7 and the Twin Flight Locks. History The first s ...

. It is the southern end of the

Golden Horseshoe The Golden Horseshoe is a secondary region of Southern Ontario, Canada, which lies at the western end of Lake Ontario, with outer boundaries stretching south to Lake Erie and north to Lake Scugog, Lake Simcoe and Georgian Bay of Lake Huron. The ...

, the largest

megalopolis A megalopolis () or a supercity, also called a megaregion, is a group of metropolitan areas which are perceived as a continuous urban area through common systems of transport, economy, resources, ecology, and so on. They are integrated enoug ...

in Canada. The region occupies most of the Niagara Peninsula. Its eastern boundary is the Niagara River, which is also the border with the US State of New York. It is bounded on the north by

Lake Ontario Lake Ontario is one of the five Great Lakes of North America. It is bounded on the north, west, and southwest by the Canadian province of Ontario, and on the south and east by the U.S. state of New York. The Canada–United States border ...

and on the south by

Lake Erie Lake Erie ( "eerie") is the fourth largest lake by surface area of the five Great Lakes in North America and the eleventh-largest globally. It is the southernmost, shallowest, and smallest by volume of the Great Lakes and therefore also h ...

. Unique natural landscapes make the Niagara Region an important centre for

agriculture Agriculture or farming is the practice of cultivating plants and livestock. Agriculture was the key development in the rise of sedentary human civilization, whereby farming of domesticated species created food surpluses that enabled people t ...

and

tourism Tourism is travel for pleasure or business; also the theory and practice of touring, the business of attracting, accommodating, and entertaining tourists, and the business of operating tours. The World Tourism Organization defines tourism mor ...

in Canada. The most important agricultural enterprise in Niagara is

viticulture Viticulture (from the Latin word for '' vine'') or winegrowing (wine growing) is the cultivation and harvesting of grapes. It is a branch of the science of horticulture. While the native territory of '' Vitis vinifera'', the common grape vine, ...

, or winemaking. The Niagara Wine Route, which connects visitors to dozens of wineries, is a growing tourism draw while the internationally renowned

Niagara Falls Niagara Falls () is a group of three waterfalls at the southern end of Niagara Gorge, spanning the border between the province of Ontario in Canada and the state of New York in the United States. The largest of the three is Horseshoe Fall ...

is one of Canada's major tourist attractions. Along with

Shaw Festival The Shaw Festival is a not-for-profit theatre festival in Niagara-on-the-Lake, Ontario, Canada. It is the second largest repertory theatre company in North America. The Shaw Festival was founded in 1962. Originally, it only featured productio ...

, held annually in Niagara-on-the-Lake, and the

Welland Canal The Welland Canal is a ship canal in Ontario, Canada, connecting Lake Ontario and Lake Erie. It forms a key section of the St. Lawrence Seaway and Great Lakes Waterway. Traversing the Niagara Peninsula from Port Weller in St. Catharines ...

, the Regional Municipality of Niagara receives up to 12 million visitors each year.

Administrative divisions

Demographics

As a census division in the

2021 Census of Population The 2021 Canadian census was a detailed enumeration of the Canadian population with a reference date of May 11, 2021. It follows the 2016 Canadian census, which recorded a population of 35,151,728. The overall response rate was 98%, which is sli ...

conducted by Statistics Canada, the Regional Municipality of Niagara had a population of living in of its total private dwellings, a change of from its 2016 population of . With a land area of , it had a population density of in 2021. Historic populations: * Population in 2001: 410,574 * Population in 1996: 403,504 Racial groups *

White White is the lightest color and is achromatic (having no hue). It is the color of objects such as snow, chalk, and milk, and is the opposite of black. White objects fully reflect and scatter all the visible wavelengths of light. White o ...

: 388,415 or 92.1% *

Black Black is a color which results from the absence or complete absorption of visible light. It is an achromatic color, without hue, like white and grey. It is often used symbolically or figuratively to represent darkness. Black and white ...

: 5,210 or 1.2% * Multiracial: 845 or 0.2% * Chinese: 3,760 or 0.9% * Other Asian: 12,045 or 2.9% *(based on single responses) Religious profile *43.2%

Protestant Protestantism is a branch of Christianity that follows the theological tenets of the Protestant Reformation, a movement that began seeking to reform the Catholic Church from within in the 16th century against what its followers perceived to b ...

*36.4%

Roman Catholic Roman or Romans most often refers to: *Rome, the capital city of Italy * Ancient Rome, Roman civilization from 8th century BC to 5th century AD * Roman people, the people of ancient Rome *'' Epistle to the Romans'', shortened to ''Romans'', a let ...

*14.6%

Non-religious Irreligion or nonreligion is the absence or rejection of religion, or indifference to it. Irreligion takes many forms, ranging from the casual and unaware to full-fledged philosophies such as atheism and agnosticism, secular humanism and ant ...

*3.8% other Christian *0.9% Muslim Top ten largest ethnicities *

Canadian Canadians (french: Canadiens) are people identified with the country of Canada. This connection may be residential, legal, historical or cultural. For most Canadians, many (or all) of these connections exist and are collectively the source of ...

- 121,660 * English - 108,425 * Scottish - 66,385 *

Irish Irish may refer to: Common meanings * Someone or something of, from, or related to: ** Ireland, an island situated off the north-western coast of continental Europe ***Éire, Irish language name for the isle ** Northern Ireland, a constituent unit ...

- 56,640 * German - 49,435 * French - 48,155 *

Italian Italian(s) may refer to: * Anything of, from, or related to the people of Italy over the centuries ** Italians, an ethnic group or simply a citizen of the Italian Republic or Italian Kingdom ** Italian language, a Romance language *** Regional Ita ...

- 44,645 *

Dutch Dutch commonly refers to: * Something of, from, or related to the Netherlands * Dutch people () * Dutch language () Dutch may also refer to: Places * Dutch, West Virginia, a community in the United States * Pennsylvania Dutch Country People E ...

- 23,805 * Ukrainian - 16,735 * Polish - 16,295

Features

Education

Brock University Brock University is a public research university in St. Catharines, Ontario, Canada. It is the only university in Canada in a UNESCO Biosphere Reserve, at the centre of Canada's Niagara Peninsula on the Niagara Escarpment. The university bears t ...

(St. Catharines) * Conseil Scolaire Viamonde - French Public * District School Board of Niagara - Public * Niagara Catholic District School Board - Separate *

Niagara College The Niagara College of Applied Arts and Technology (frequently shortened to Niagara College and branded as Niagara College Canada) is a public College of Applied Arts and Technology within the Niagara Region and the city of Toronto in Southe ...

(Niagara-on-the-Lake, Welland) * Niagara Parks School of Horticulture (Niagara Falls, Ontario)

Festivals and major events

Canada Games The Canada Games (french: Jeux du Canada) is a multi-sport event held every two years, alternating between the Canada Winter Games and the Canada Summer Games. They represent the highest level of national competition for Canadian athletes. Two ...

- 2022 * Canal Days (Port Colborne) *Festival of Lights * FISA

World Rowing Championships The World Rowing Championships is an international rowing regatta organized by FISA (the International Rowing Federation). It is a week-long event held at the end of the northern hemisphere summer and in non-Olympic years is the highlight of th ...

- 1970 & 1999 *

*Niagara Pumphouse Arts Centre
Art at the Pumphouse
(August Civic Holiday weekend) *Niagara Folk Arts Festival (St. Catharines) *Niagara Grape and Wine Festival *Niagara Greek Festival *Music Niagara Series (NOTL) *New Year's Eve at Niagara Falls *Twenty Valley Winter Winefest *Niagara Food & Wine Expo (Niagara Falls) *Niagara Icewine Festival (NOTL) *Niagara Integrated Film Festival (NOTL) *Niagara New Vintage Festival (NOTL) *Niagara Parks - Coca-Cola Concert Series (Niagara Falls) *Rib fest *Jazz Festival *SCENE Music Festival *Buskerfest *Royal Canadian Henley Regatta *St. Catharines Wine Tasting of 2005 *Niagara-on-the-lake Peach Festival *Friendship Festival (Fort Erie) *Bravo Niagara Festival of Arts (NOTL) *Marshville Heritage Festival (Wainfleet) *Serbian Day (Vidovdan) *NOTL Ghost Walks *Niagara Falls Comic Con (Niagara Falls) *Welland FloatFest *Welland Zombie Walk *West Niagara Fair

Health care services

Hotel Dieu Shaver Health and Rehabilitation Centre Hotel Dieu Shaver Health and Rehabilitation Centre is Niagara's only specialty rehabilitation hospital, located in the south-end of St. Catharines, Ontario. Its mandate is to provide complex continuing care and rehabilitation services to patien ...

* Niagara Health System

History and trails

* Bruce Trail * Fort George National Historic Site (Niagara-on-the-Lake) *Annual Fife & Drum Muster and Soldiers Field Days - Fort George * Fort Mississauga National Historic Site (Niagara-on-the-Lake) *Niagara Parks - Siege of Fort Erie Re-enactment *Chippawa Battlefield Park *Greater Niagara Circle Route *Merritt Island (Welland) * Morningstar Mill (St. Catharines) *

Navy Island Navy Island is a small, uninhabited island in the Niagara River in the province of Ontario, managed by Parks Canada as a National Historic Site of Canada. It is located about upstream from Horseshoe Falls, and has an area of roughly . It is acr ...

National Historic Site (Niagara Falls) * Niagara Parkway * Niagara Wine Route * Old Fort Erie ( Fort Erie) * Queenston Heights National Historic Site (Niagara-on-the-Lake) *Old Ivy Walk *Waterfront Trail *Friendship Trail *

Parkway *Balls Falls Conservation Area (Thanksgiving Festival) *Niagara Botanical Gardens *Daredevil Exhibit *Drummond Hill Cemetery * Dufferin Islands *Battle Ground Hotel Museum *Niagara Falls Museum *Niagara Historical Society Museum *Niagara Falls Underground Railroad Heritage Centre *Fort Erie Museums *Graffiti Alley *Bertie Hall

Notable people

* Paul Bissonnette, former NHL player * James Cameron, film director * Daniel Girardi, former NHL player * Dallas Green, musician and producer known as "City and Colour" * Tim Hicks, musician *

Nathan Horton Nathan Russell Horton (born May 29, 1985) is a Canadian former professional ice hockey player. During his career, Horton played for the Florida Panthers, Boston Bruins and Columbus Blue Jackets. He was drafted third overall by the Panthers in the ...

, former NHL player * Stephan Moccio, Grammy and Academy award-winning musician and composer * Jordan Nolan, former NHL player * Daniel Paille, former NHL player *

Neil Peart Neil Ellwood Peart OC (; September 12, 1952 – January 7, 2020) was a Canadian-American musician, best known as the drummer and primary lyricist of the rock band Rush. Peart earned numerous awards for his musical performances, including an ...

(1952-2020), drummer for the band Rush *Joel Thomas Zimmerman, musician known as "

Deadmau5 Joel Thomas Zimmerman (born January 5, 1981), known professionally as Deadmau5 (stylized as deadmau5; pronounced "dead-mouse"), is a Canadian electronic music producer and DJ. He mainly produces progressive house music, though he also produce ...

" *Imane Anys, Twitch streamer who goes by the name "

Pokimane Imane Anys (; Arabic: إِيمَان أَنِيس, born 14 May 1996), better known as Pokimane ( or ), is a Moroccan-Canadian Twitch streamer and YouTuber. She is best known for her live streams on Twitch, broadcasting video game content, mos ...

Other

Scotiabank Convention Centre The Niagara Falls Convention Centre is a convention centre located in Niagara Falls, Ontario, Canada, along Stanley Avenue and Dunn Street. It was previously known as the Scotiabank Convention Centre from 2011 to 2021 and was renamed after Scotia ...

(Niagara Falls) * Clifton Hill (Niagara Falls) *Lundy's Lane Tourist District (Niagara Falls) *Niagara Olde Town (Niagara-on-the-Lake) *

Port Dalhousie Port Dalhousie is a community in St. Catharines, Ontario, Canada. Known for its waterfront appeal, it is home to the Royal Canadian Henley Regatta and is historically significant as the terminus for the first three (19th century) routes of the ...

(St. Catharines) * Safari Niagara (Fort Erie) *Victoria Ave (Niagara Falls) *Welland Canal Centre (St. Catharines) *Howell Family Pumpkin Farm (Fonthill)

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 Beamer Memorial Conservation Area is located on the Niagara Escarpment in Grimsby, Ontario, Grimsby, Ontario, Canada, and is owned and operated by the Niagara Peninsula Conservation Authority. It is noted for being the best location on the Niagara ...

*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 *

Niagara Glen Nature Reserve Niagara Glen Nature Reserve is a nature reserve located near the Niagara Whirlpool along the Canadian side of the Niagara Gorge. It is one of the best preserved remaining example of Southern Ontario's original Carolinian forest. The park is oper ...

Wineries

West Niagara *Cave Spring Cellars * Fielding * Flatrock * Henry of Pelham Family Estate Winery - St. Catharines, Ontario c. 1980s * Hernder Estate Wines *Peninsula Ridge *Vineland Estate East Niagara *Chateau des Charmes *Coyote's Run *Hillebrand Winery -

Niagara-on-the-Lake, Ontario Niagara-on-the-Lake is a town in Ontario, Canada. It is located on the Niagara Peninsula at the point where the Niagara River meets Lake Ontario, across the river from New York, United States. Niagara-on-the-Lake is in the Niagara Region of On ...

c.1979 * Inniskillin -

c.1974 *Marynissen *Pillitteri Estates Winery See also

Niagara Peninsula wineries The Niagara Peninsula is an area of land lying between the southwestern shore of Lake Ontario and the northeastern shore of Lake Erie, in Ontario, Canada. Technically an isthmus rather than a peninsula, it stretches from the Niagara River in the ...

Transportation

Airports

Niagara Region contains three airports used primarily for

general aviation General aviation (GA) is defined by the International Civil Aviation Organization (ICAO) as all civil aviation aircraft operations with the exception of commercial air transport or aerial work, which is defined as specialized aviation services ...

: * St. Catharines/Niagara District Airport (Niagara-on-the-Lake) * Welland/Niagara Central Airport (Welland) * Niagara Falls/Niagara South Airport (Niagara Falls) Aside from scheduled commuter flights between Niagara District Airport and Toronto City with FlyGTA, for commercial flights Niagara residents use

Toronto Pearson International Airport Lester B. Pearson International Airport , commonly known as Toronto Pearson International Airport, is an international airport located in Mississauga, Ontario, Canada. It is the main airport serving Toronto, its metropolitan area, and the surr ...

Billy Bishop Toronto City Airport Billy Bishop Toronto City Airport is a regional airport located on the Toronto Islands in Toronto, Ontario, Canada. It is often referred to as Toronto Island Airport and was previously known as ''Port George VI Island Airport'' and ''Toronto ...

, or John C. Munro Hamilton International Airport in the

Greater Toronto and Hamilton Area The Greater Toronto and Hamilton Area (GTHA) is a contiguous urban region that is composed of some of the largest cities and metropolitan areas by population in the Canadian province of Ontario. The GTHA consists of the Greater Toronto Area (GTA) ...

; as well as crossing the border to use

Buffalo Niagara International Airport Buffalo Niagara International Airport is in Cheektowaga, New York. The airport serves Buffalo, New York and Niagara Falls, New York United States, and the southern Golden Horseshoe region of Ontario, Canada. It is the third-busiest airport i ...

or Niagara Falls International Airport in

Upstate New York Upstate New York is a geographic region consisting of the area of New York State that lies north and northwest of the New York City metropolitan area. Although the precise boundary is debated, Upstate New York excludes New York City and Long Is ...

Public Transport

Niagara Region is served by GO Transit and Niagara Region Transit, as well as the following local bus operators: * Niagara Falls Transit * St. Catharines Transit (also serves Thorold) * Welland Transit (also serves Port Colborne) * Fort Erie Transit * Niagara-on-the-Lake Transit Grimsby, Pelham, Wainfleet, Lincoln and West Lincoln do not have local transit systems.

Highways

400-Series expressways: * Ontario 405

Highway 405 Route 405 or Highway 405 may refer to: Canada * Manitoba Provincial Road 405 * Newfoundland and Labrador Route 405 * Ontario Highway 405 Costa Rica * National Route 405 (Costa Rica), National Route 405 Japan * Japan National Route 405 United Ki ...

Highway 406 * Ontario 420

Highway 420 * Ontario QEW

Queen Elizabeth Way The Queen Elizabeth Way (QEW) is a 400-series highway in the Canadian province of Ontario linking Toronto with the Niagara Peninsula and Buffalo, New York. The freeway begins at the Peace Bridge in Fort Erie and travels around the western ...

(QEW) Other highways: * Ontario 3

Highway 3 * Ontario 20

Highway 20 * Ontario 58

Highway 58 * Ontario 58A

Highway 58A * Ontario 140

Highway 140

References

External links

* {{authority control Niagara Populated places on Lake Erie in Canada