Regional municipality in Ontario, Canada
Niagara Region
Regional Municipality of Niagara
Flag
Seal
Motto(s): Unity, Responsibility, Loyalty
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] Country Canada
Province
Ontario Formed 1970 (from
Welland and
Lincoln Counties) Seat
Thorold • Chair
Jim Bradley • Governing body
Niagara Regional Council •
MPs
Dean Allison ,
Chris Bittle ,
Vance Badawey ,
Tony Baldinelli •
MPPs
Jeff Burch ,
Wayne Gates ,
Sam Oosterhoff ,
Jennie Stevens • Land 1,854.23 km2 (715.92 sq mi) • Total 447,888 • Density 241.5/km2 (625/sq mi) • St. Catharines – Niagara
CMA
CA$ 17.4 billion (2020)
[3]
Time zone
UTC−05:00 (
EST ) • Summer (
DST )
UTC−04:00 (EDT) Website
www.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 Falls
City
Welland
94,415
Port Colborne
City
Welland
20,033
St. Catharines
City
Lincoln
136,803
Thorold
City
Welland
23,816
Welland
City
Welland
55,750
Fort Erie
Town
Welland
32,901
Grimsby
Town
Lincoln
28,883
Lincoln
Town
Lincoln
25,719
Niagara-on-the-Lake
Town
Lincoln
19,088
Pelham
Town
Welland
18,192
Wainfleet
Township
Welland
6,887
West Lincoln
Township
Lincoln
15,454
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
Population 477,941 (+6.7% from 2016) 447,888 (+3.8% from 2011) 431,346 (+0.9% from 2006)
Land area 1,852.82 km2 (715.38 sq mi) 1,854.23 km2 (715.92 sq mi) 1,854.25 km2 (715.93 sq mi)
Population density 258/km2 (670/sq mi) 241.5/km2 (625/sq mi) 232.6/km2 (602/sq mi)
Median age 46 (M: 44, F: 47.2) 45.7 (M: 44.4, F: 46.9)
Private dwellings 195,915 (total) 196,241 (total) 188,877 (total)
Median household income $65,086
Historic populations:
[10]
[11]
Population in 2001: 410,574
Population in 1996: 403,504
Religion
Religious profile
[9]
Ethnicity
Top ten largest ethnicities
[9]
Canadian - 121,660
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
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
[a]
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
[b]
9,715
2.07%
5,950
1.36%
4,525
1.07%
4,310
1.02%
2,580
0.64%
East Asian
[c]
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
[d]
4,610
0.98%
3,430
0.78%
2,230
0.53%
2,120
0.5%
1,485
0.37%
Other
[e]
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
Paul Bissonnette , former
NHL player
James Cameron , film director
Linda Evangelista , fashion supermodel
Daniel Girardi , former NHL player
Dallas Green , musician and producer known as "City and Colour"
Tim Hicks , musician
Nathan Horton , 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 (1952–2020), drummer for the band
Rush
Laura Secord , heroine of
War of 1812
Joel Thomas Zimmerman, musician known as "
Deadmau5 "
Imane Anys, Twitch streamer who goes by the name "
Pokimane "
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
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
Niagara Glen Nature Reserve
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
^ Statistic includes all persons that did not make up part of a visible minority or an indigenous identity.
^ Statistic includes total responses of "Filipino" and "Southeast Asian" under visible minority section on census.
^ Statistic includes total responses of "Chinese", "Korean", and "Japanese" under visible minority section on census.
^ Statistic includes total responses of "West Asian" and "Arab" under visible minority section on census.
^ Statistic includes total responses of "Visible minority,
n.i.e. " and "Multiple visible minorities" under visible minority section on census.
References
^
"Regional Municipality of Niagara" .
Geographical Names Data Base .
Natural Resources Canada .
^
a
b
"Census Profile, 2016 Census Niagara, Regional municipality" . Statistics Canada. Retrieved July 2, 2019 .
^
"Gross domestic product (GDP) at basic prices, by census metropolitan area (CMA)" . statcan.gc.ca .
^
"Subject: Updated Land Acknowledgement Statements" . Regional Municipality of Niagara publications . August 26, 2021. Retrieved May 8, 2023 .
^
"Population and dwelling counts: Canada and census divisions" .
Statistics Canada . February 9, 2022. Retrieved April 2, 2022 .
^
"2021 Community Profiles" .
2021 Canadian Census . Statistics Canada. February 4, 2022. Retrieved April 27, 2022 .
^
"2016 Community Profiles" .
2016 Canadian Census . Statistics Canada. August 12, 2021. Retrieved July 2, 2019 .
^
"2011 Community Profiles" .
2011 Canadian Census . Statistics Canada. March 21, 2019. Retrieved March 27, 2012 .
^
a
b
c
"2006 Community Profiles" .
2006 Canadian Census . Statistics Canada. August 20, 2019.
^
a
b
"2001 Community Profiles" .
2001 Canadian Census . Statistics Canada. July 18, 2021.
^
"Niagara Regional Municipality census profile" .
2011 Census of Population . Statistics Canada. Retrieved March 27, 2012 .
^ Government of Canada, Statistics Canada (October 26, 2022).
"Census Profile, 2021 Census of Population" . www12.statcan.gc.ca . Retrieved February 27, 2023 .
^ Government of Canada, Statistics Canada (October 27, 2021).
"Census Profile, 2016 Census" . www12.statcan.gc.ca . Retrieved February 27, 2023 .
^ Government of Canada, Statistics Canada (November 27, 2015).
"NHS Profile" . www12.statcan.gc.ca . Retrieved February 27, 2023 .
^ Government of Canada, Statistics Canada (August 20, 2019).
"2006 Community Profiles" . www12.statcan.gc.ca . Retrieved February 27, 2023 .
^ Government of Canada, Statistics Canada (July 2, 2019).
"2001 Community Profiles" . www12.statcan.gc.ca . Retrieved February 27, 2023 .
External links
Places adjacent to Regional Municipality of Niagara
Toronto ,
ON
Montreal ,
QC
Vancouver ,
BC
Ottawa-Gatineau , ON/QC
Calgary ,
AB
Edmonton , AB
Quebec City , QC
Winnipeg ,
MB
Hamilton , ON
Kitchener-Cambridge-Waterloo , ON
London , ON
Halifax ,
NS
St. Catharines-Niagara , ON
Windsor , ON
Oshawa , ON
Victoria , BC
Saskatoon ,
SK
Regina , SK
Sherbrooke , QC
Kelowna , BC
Barrie , ON
St. John's ,
NL
Abbotsford , BC
Kingston , ON
Greater Sudbury , ON
Guelph , ON
Saguenay , QC
Trois-Rivières , QC
Moncton ,
NB
Brantford , ON
Saint John , NB
Peterborough , ON
Lethbridge , AB
Thunder Bay , ON
Nanaimo , BC
Kamloops , BC
Chilliwack , BC
Belleville –
Quinte West , ON
Fredericton , NB
Drummondville , QC
Red Deer , AB
Includes all metropolitan areas that have a population of 150,000 or greater according to the most recent national census.
Great Lakes region cities Surrounding cities Cities of states south of region Other metro-regions