Niagara Region
Regional municipality (upper-tier)
Regional Municipality of Niagara
Niagara Falls (Horseshoe Falls), the Welland Canal in Port Colborne, and Downtown St. Catharines.
Flag of Niagara Region
Flag
Official seal of Niagara Region
Seal
Motto(s): 
Unity, Responsibility, Loyalty
Location of Niagara within Ontario
Location of Niagara within Ontario
Coordinates: 43°02′33″N 79°18′02″W / 43.04250°N 79.30056°W / 43.04250; -79.30056 (St. Catharines – Niagara (Regional Municipality of Niagara))[1]
CountryCanada
ProvinceOntario
Formed1970 (from Welland and Lincoln Counties)
SeatThorold
Government
 • ChairJim Bradley
 • Governing bodyNiagara Regional Council
 • MPsDean Allison, Chris Bittle, Vance Badawey, Tony Baldinelli
 • MPPsJeff Burch, Wayne Gates, Sam Oosterhoff, Jennie Stevens
Area
[2]
 • Land1,854.23 km2 (715.92 sq mi)
Population
 (2016)[2]
 • Total447,888
 • Density241.5/km2 (625/sq mi)
Gross Metropolitan Product
 • St. Catharines – Niagara CMACA$17.4 billion (2020)[3]
Time zoneUTC−05:00 (EST)
 • Summer (DST)UTC−04:00 (EDT)
Websitewww.niagararegion.ca

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, Canada. The regional seat is in Thorold. It is the southern end of the Golden Horseshoe, the largest megalopolis 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 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.

Niagara Region is situated on treaty land. This land has a rich history of First Nations such as the Neutral, the Haudenosaunee, and the Anishinaabe, including the Mississaugas of the Credit First Nation.[4] There are many First Nations, Métis, and Inuit people from across Turtle Island that continue to live and work in Niagara today.

Administrative divisions

Map of the Regional Municipality of Niagara, showing its component municipalities.
Name Type Sub-region Population
Niagara FallsCityWelland94,415
Port ColborneCityWelland20,033
St. CatharinesCityLincoln136,803
ThoroldCityWelland23,816
WellandCityWelland55,750
Fort ErieTownWelland32,901
GrimsbyTownLincoln28,883
LincolnTownLincoln25,719
Niagara-on-the-LakeTownLincoln19,088
PelhamTownWelland18,192
WainfleetTownshipWelland6,887
West LincolnTownshipLincoln15,454

Demographics

As a census division in the 2021 Census of Population conducted by Statistics Canada, the Regional Municipality of Niagara had a population of 477,941 living in 195,914 of its 207,926 total private dwellings, a change of 6.7% from its 2016 population of 447,888. With a land area of 1,852.82 km2 (715.38 sq mi), it had a population density of 258.0/km2 (668.1/sq mi) in 2021.[5]

Canada census – Regional Municipality of Niagara community profile
202120162011
Population477,941 (+6.7% from 2016)447,888 (+3.8% from 2011)431,346 (+0.9% from 2006)
Land area1,852.82 km2 (715.38 sq mi)1,854.23 km2 (715.92 sq mi)1,854.25 km2 (715.93 sq mi)
Population density258/km2 (670/sq mi)241.5/km2 (625/sq mi)232.6/km2 (602/sq mi)
Median age46 (M: 44, F: 47.2)45.7 (M: 44.4, F: 46.9)
Private dwellings195,915 (total)  196,241 (total)  188,877 (total) 
Median household income$65,086
References: 2021[6] 2016[7] 2011[8] earlier[9][10]

Historic populations:[10][11]

  • Population in 2001: 410,574
  • Population in 1996: 403,504

Religion

Religious profile[9]

Ethnicity

Top ten largest ethnicities[9]

Panethnic groups in the Regional Municipality of Niagara (2001−2021)
Panethnic
group		 2021[12] 2016[13] 2011[14] 2006[15] 2001[16]
Pop. % Pop. % Pop. % Pop. % Pop. %
European[lower-alpha 1] 393,100 83.74% 387,095 88.35% 385,785 91.24% 388,415 92.1% 382,050 94.43%
Indigenous 13,960 2.97% 12,250 2.8% 9,055 2.14% 6,930 1.64% 5,185 1.28%
South Asian 13,845 2.95% 6,170 1.41% 3,450 0.82% 3,805 0.9% 2,585 0.64%
African 13,305 2.83% 7,970 1.82% 6,485 1.53% 5,210 1.24% 3,960 0.98%
Southeast Asian[lower-alpha 2] 9,715 2.07% 5,950 1.36% 4,525 1.07% 4,310 1.02% 2,580 0.64%
East Asian[lower-alpha 3] 9,365 1.99% 8,230 1.88% 5,835 1.38% 5,570 1.32% 4,370 1.08%
Latin American 6,975 1.49% 4,620 1.05% 3,895 0.92% 4,260 1.01% 1,570 0.39%
Middle Eastern[lower-alpha 4] 4,610 0.98% 3,430 0.78% 2,230 0.53% 2,120 0.5% 1,485 0.37%
Other[lower-alpha 5] 4,575 0.97% 2,455 0.56% 1,550 0.37% 1,130 0.27% 810 0.2%
Total responses 469,455 98.22% 438,160 97.83% 422,805 98.02% 421,750 98.67% 404,590 98.54%
Total population 477,941 100% 447,888 100% 431,346 100% 427,421 100% 410,574 100%
Note: Totals greater than 100% due to multiple origin responses

Features

Education

Festivals and major events

  • Canada Games - 2022
  • Canal Days (Port Colborne)
  • Festival of Lights
  • FISA World Rowing Championships - 1970 & 1999
  • Shaw Festival
  • 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

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 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
  • Welland Canal 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

Other

  • Scotiabank Convention Centre (Niagara Falls)
  • Clifton Hill (Niagara Falls)
  • Lundy's Lane Tourist District (Niagara Falls)
  • Niagara Olde Town (Niagara-on-the-Lake)
  • Port Dalhousie (St. Catharines)
  • Safari Niagara (Fort Erie)
  • Victoria Ave (Niagara Falls)
  • Welland Canal Centre (St. Catharines)
  • Howell Family Pumpkin Farm (Fonthill)

Protected areas

Wineries

West Niagara

East Niagara

This list is not complete and changes every season, see also Niagara Peninsula wineries for more information.

Transportation

Airports

Niagara Region contains three airports used primarily for general aviation:

Aside from scheduled commuter flights between Niagara District Airport and Toronto City with FlyGTA, for commercial flights Niagara residents use Toronto Pearson International Airport, Billy Bishop Toronto City Airport, or John C. Munro Hamilton International Airport in the Greater Toronto and Hamilton Area; as well as crossing the border to use Buffalo Niagara International Airport or Niagara Falls International Airport in Upstate New York.

Public Transport

Public transit within Niagara Region is provided by Niagara Region Transit, including scheduled local bus service within Niagara Falls, St. Catharines, Thorold and Welland, on-demand transit service in other portions of the Region, and regional bus service between communities in the region.

WEGO is an additional local bus network within Niagara Falls, targeted at visitors rather than residents. The WEGO Green Line is operated by the Niagara Parks Commission and requires separate WEGO tickets, while the remainder of WEGO routes are operated by Niagara Region Transit and accept both Niagara Region Transit and WEGO tickets.

GO Transit provides regional train and bus services from Niagara Falls and St. Catharines to the Greater Toronto and Hamilton Area.

VIA Rail serves Grimsby, St. Catharines and Niagara Falls stations as part of the Maple Leaf intercity train between Toronto and New York City, jointly operated with Amtrak.

Many private bus operators operate intercity services to Niagara Region on routes connecting to cities such as Toronto, Buffalo and New York. As of 2023, private bus operators in Niagara Region include Flixbus, Megabus, Equinox, Greyhound, and Trailways.

Highways

400-series expressways:

Other highways:

See also

Notes

  1. ↑ Statistic includes all persons that did not make up part of a visible minority or an indigenous identity.
  2. ↑ Statistic includes total responses of "Filipino" and "Southeast Asian" under visible minority section on census.
  3. ↑ Statistic includes total responses of "Chinese", "Korean", and "Japanese" under visible minority section on census.
  4. ↑ Statistic includes total responses of "West Asian" and "Arab" under visible minority section on census.
  5. ↑ Statistic includes total responses of "Visible minority, n.i.e." and "Multiple visible minorities" under visible minority section on census.

References

  1. ↑ "Regional Municipality of Niagara". Geographical Names Data Base. Natural Resources Canada.
  2. 1 2 "Census Profile, 2016 Census Niagara, Regional municipality". Statistics Canada. Retrieved July 2, 2019.
  3. ↑ "Gross domestic product (GDP) at basic prices, by census metropolitan area (CMA)". statcan.gc.ca.
  4. ↑ "Subject: Updated Land Acknowledgement Statements". Regional Municipality of Niagara publications. August 26, 2021. Retrieved May 8, 2023.
  5. ↑ "Population and dwelling counts: Canada and census divisions". Statistics Canada. February 9, 2022. Retrieved April 2, 2022.
  6. ↑ "2021 Community Profiles". 2021 Canadian Census. Statistics Canada. February 4, 2022. Retrieved April 27, 2022.
  7. ↑ "2016 Community Profiles". 2016 Canadian Census. Statistics Canada. August 12, 2021. Retrieved July 2, 2019.
  8. ↑ "2011 Community Profiles". 2011 Canadian Census. Statistics Canada. March 21, 2019. Retrieved March 27, 2012.
  9. 1 2 3 "2006 Community Profiles". 2006 Canadian Census. Statistics Canada. August 20, 2019.
  10. 1 2 "2001 Community Profiles". 2001 Canadian Census. Statistics Canada. July 18, 2021.
  11. ↑ "Niagara Regional Municipality census profile". 2011 Census of Population. Statistics Canada. Retrieved March 27, 2012.
  12. ↑ Government of Canada, Statistics Canada (October 26, 2022). "Census Profile, 2021 Census of Population". www12.statcan.gc.ca. Retrieved February 27, 2023.
  13. ↑ Government of Canada, Statistics Canada (October 27, 2021). "Census Profile, 2016 Census". www12.statcan.gc.ca. Retrieved February 27, 2023.
  14. ↑ Government of Canada, Statistics Canada (November 27, 2015). "NHS Profile". www12.statcan.gc.ca. Retrieved February 27, 2023.
  15. ↑ Government of Canada, Statistics Canada (August 20, 2019). "2006 Community Profiles". www12.statcan.gc.ca. Retrieved February 27, 2023.
  16. ↑ Government of Canada, Statistics Canada (July 2, 2019). "2001 Community Profiles". www12.statcan.gc.ca. Retrieved February 27, 2023.
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