St. Catharines

"Canada's Garden City", population 132,000, was originally settled by Loyalists, including refugees from the American Revolution and disbanded members of the Butler's Rangers, in the 1780s.

St. Catharines was originally known as "The Twelve" because it was located on Twelve Mile Creek. It was later named "Shipman's" and "Shipman's Corners" after a tavern called "The Corners" and its keeper, Paul Shipman. The town was renamed St. Catharines around 1796, for the wife of merchant Robert Hamilton, who donated land and money for the first church and school of the area. Catharine and Robert Hamilton are the parents of George Hamilton, for which the nearby city of Hamilton, Ontario is named.

The Welland Canal section of the St. Lawrence Seaway was built here in 1829; on average, about 37 million tonnes of cargo are handled each year. The Welland Canal links the Great lakes with the St. Lawrence Seaway's passage to the Atlantic Ocean. Through a series of eight locks, ships are lifted up 99.5 metres or 326.5 feet between Lake Ontario and Lake Erie. The Welland Canal Centre at Lock 3 provides the best vantage point to watch massive freighters from around the globe pass through a lock in the system, which lists them up the Niagara Escarpment.

This city is located in the Niagara Fruit Belt and produces half of the province's fresh fruit. There are also many wineries in the area. As it is situated along a creek, as well as Lake Ontario, water sports are naturally part of the summer agenda, particularly the Dragon Boat Races and the Royal Canadian Henley Regatta, which started in 1903.

Manufacturing was once the dominant economic force in this city; today services employ more people.

To find out more about St. Catharines you can visit their website. Or you can visit the St. Catharines tourism information page.