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Niagara Falls, Ontario

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Location of Niagara Falls in the Niagara Region
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Location of Niagara Falls in the Niagara Region

Niagara Falls, Ontario (2001 population 78,815) is a city on the Niagara River, in the Golden Horseshoe region. It lies across the river from Niagara Falls, New York, and was incorporated on June 12, 1903.

The city is dominated by the Niagara Falls waterfalls on the Niagara River connecting Lake Ontario and Lake Erie. The natural spectacle brings in hundreds of thousands of tourists to the city yearly. The city has built a tourist area surrounding the falls to increase the city's appeal as a vacation destination and prolong stay times. These attractions include viewing and observation based activities like the Maid of the Mist, Journey Behind the Falls and the Skylon Tower observation deck. Other attractions include the Clifton Hill tourist area, casinos Casino Niagara and the Fallsview Casino, natural attractions like the Niagara Gorge, as well as historic sites from the War of 1812.

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History

The Niagara Falls area has seen continuous settlement since the 17th century, first by the Iroquois and then by Europeans who were drawn to the immense falls. Louis Hennepin, a French priest, is regarded as the first European to visit the area in the 1670s.

Tourism started in the early 19th century and has been a vital part of the local economy since that time. As well as the obvious attractions of the falls, Niagara Falls markets itself as a honeymoon destination and is self-proclaimed as the honeymoon capital of the world.

With the creation of a Niagara regional government in 1970, the city amalgamated with the village of Chippawa and surrounding Willoughby, Crowland, and Stamford Townships, creating the present-day municipal boundaries.

Economy

With a plentiful and inexpensive source of hydroelectric power via the waterfalls, many electro-chemical and electro-metallurgical industries located here in the early to mid-20th century.

Industry began moving out of the city in the 1970s and 80s because of recession and increasing global competition in the manufacturing sector. Tourism tightened its grip as the city's most important economic engine. It is a more popular destination than Niagara Falls, New York, in part due to the better view of the falls from the Canadian side.

In the mid-1990s the Ontario government introduced legal wagering to the local economy with Casino Niagara. The late-1990s witnessed an economic boom as numerous luxury hotels and tourist attractions were built. The first casino was followed in 2004 by the larger Niagara Fallsview Casino Resort. The casino business has been successful in attracting American tourists with the currently lower Canadian dollar.

Transportation

Niagara Falls and Niagara Falls, New York are linked to major highways in Canada and the United States respectively, with the 400-Series highway the Queen Elizabeth Way acting as a major artery between Toronto, Ontario and Buffalo, New York. Highway 420 is also another highway in the city. Niagara Parkway is a road operated under the Niagara Parks Commission.

The Niagara area is served by several airports, including Buffalo Niagara International Airport in Cheektowaga, New York, Toronto Pearson International Airport in Toronto, Ontario and Hamilton/John C. Munro International Airport in Hamilton, Ontario.

Shuttle bus services connect the city with both airports.

Niagara Falls station is served by VIA Rail and Amtrak trains connecting it to Toronto and New York City.

Niagara Transit is the public transit operator in the city. Niagara Livery Service is a shuttle bus operator for Casino Niagara.

Taxis are also available. The 5-0 is a local cab service. A taxi shuttle provides transfers to airports from Buffalo, New York to Niagara Falls, Ontario and Toronto, Ontario.

Demographics

In between 1996 to 2001, the population of the city grew by 2.5 per cent, lower than the provincial and national average. The population of Niagara Falls is older than Canada by means of age structure, as many retirees move to Niagara Falls. The number of those under 14 years of age is 18.1 per cent while those over 65 constitute 17 per cent.[link] The city has also done a good job of attracting immigrants into the area.

Racial make-up

The Top 5 ethnic origins in Niagara Falls are English: 29.3%, Italian: 19.7%, Scottish: 17.8%, Irish: 14.3%, and French: 11.1%.

Religious make-up

Area Attractions

Horseshoe Falls
The Niagara Falls tourist sector is centred around the waterfalls and follows the from Lake Erie to Lake Ontario. As much of the land adjoined to the river is parkland under the watch of the Niagara Parks Commission many attractions based on the local natural environment have been created. To prolong visitor stays the city of Niagara Falls has a number of additional attractions in close proximity but not related to the natural features, including casinos and entertainment complexes. The Niagara Peninsula is also a significant wine-growing area, with winery tours and festivals becoming a significant area of growth in the local economy.

Falls observation related attractions

Niagara River and parkway attractions:
The Niagara Falls Hard Rock Cafe
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The Niagara Falls Hard Rock Cafe

Tourist sector entertainment:

Communities

Local media

Due to its proximity to Toronto, the local media is dominated by Toronto based organizations. Local residents have easy access to the papers like the Toronto Star and the Toronto Sun, as well as the television and radio stations from the Greater Toronto Area.

Newspapers

Radio

In addition, numerous tourist and travel advisory stations are available off-air in the Niagara area.

External links

 Niagara-on-the-Lake

Thorold, Welland


  Niagara Falls  


 Niagara River
Port Colborne, Fort Erie

[http://encycl.opentopia.com/ edit ]
Regional Municipality of Niagara
Cities: Niagara Falls · Port Colborne · St. Catharines · Thorold · Welland
Towns: Fort Erie · Grimsby · Lincoln · Niagara-on-the-Lake · Pelham
Townships: Wainfleet · West Lincoln

 

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All text is available under the terms of the GNU Free Documentation License See Wikipedia Copyrights for details.

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