Welcome to Niagara Region
About Niagara Region
The Niagara region is home to over 500,000 people and includes mid sized cities and smaller towns. Nestled between Lake Erie and Lake Ontario, the Niagara region is seeing established cities of St. Catharines and Niagara Falls see further growth and quaint sleepy towns such as Grimsby, Lincoln and Niagara-on-the-lake getting a boost in development over the last decade with over 100 wineries flourishing in the area, bringing employment and tourism. To keep with growing demand, new residential subdivisions are been built and continued expansion of GO train services, will bolster population growth in the coming years.
The town of Niagara-on-the-Lake epitomizes small town charm, it is situated in the heart of wine country and attracts theatre goers, tourists from the U.S and locals throughout the year.
St. Catharines is a mid-sized town which has also seen a transformation, has a thriving economy, and is home to many small and mid-sized employers. Brock University, with close to 20,000 students, is also propelling development in surrounding towns to keep up with the growing demand for housing.
With 14 million tourists to the Niagara region each year, tourism in the town of Niagara Falls has seen a revival and the town will soon offer greater connectivity with GO service from Niagara Falls on Lakeshore Line west all the way up to downtown Toronto.
Grimsby and Lincoln are beautiful and growing towns set between Lake Ontario and the Niagara escarpment, in the heart of Niagara wine region.
History
The Iroquois originally inhabited the region and the European explorers arrived in the 17th century. The war of 1812 between the U.S. and Canada is commemorated through heritage sites near Fort Erie in the Niagara region. With the construction of the Welland canal and the first of its kind Niagara Railway Suspension bridge (amongst other bridges), movement of goods was facilitated throughout the region. Tourism to the Falls began to develop in the 1820s and has built up to over 14 million each year. It continues to be one of the world’s natural wonders.
People and Lifestyle
Since the 1820s, the main attraction to the Niagara region was the Niagara Falls. Although it continues to be a quintessential experience as a global attraction for visitors each year, the landscape of the region is undergoing changes as many cities in the Niagara region are attracting multitudes of families looking to live and work here. There is a large retirement community as this region offers a mix of rural and urban lifestyle. With St. Catharines, Niagara Falls and Hamilton being big hubs for employment, the region offers the right proximity and lifestyle match for families.
Niagara-on-the-Lake has been attractive to retirees with its beautiful downtown that offers a serene and picturesque setting and an abundance of parks and restaurants. It offers idyllic strolls along Main St. with the historic Tudor hotel and Art Deco theatre and is home to the Shaw theatre festival. With the flourishing wine industry, it brings thousands of tourists, with wine tours and festivals hosted in the warmer months and the Ice Wine festival during wintertime.
For younger families, Grimsby and Lincoln offer affordable housing, minutes from QEW and transit. For nature lovers, being at the foot of the Niagara escarpment and minutes from Lake Ontario, it offers hiking and outdoor opportunities, and has a multitude of fruit farms within the area with a thriving farmer’s market.
Addtional Links to Check out:
http://grimsbyfarmersmarket.ca/
https://www.downtownbenchbeamsville.com/events-farmers-market.php