Niagara Region | |
|---|---|
| Regional Municipality of Niagara | |
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 Flag | |
| Motto: Unity, Responsibility, Loyalty | |
 Location of Niagara within Ontario | |
| Coordinates:43°02′33″N79°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 (fromWelland andLincoln Counties) |
| Seat | Thorold |
| Government | |
| • Chair | Jim Bradley |
| • Governing body | Niagara Regional Council |
| • MPs | Dean Allison,Chris Bittle,Fred Davies,Tony Baldinelli |
| • MPPs | Jeff Burch,Wayne Gates,Sam Oosterhoff,Jennie Stevens |
| Area | |
| • Land | 1,852.82 km2 (715.38 sq mi) |
| Population (2021)[2] | |
• Total | 477,941 |
| • Density | 258/km2 (670/sq mi) |
| Gross Metropolitan Product | |
| • St. Catharines – NiagaraCMA | CA$17.4 billion (2020)[3] |
| Time zone | UTC−05:00 (EST) |
| • Summer (DST) | UTC−04:00 (EDT) |
| Website | www |
TheRegional Municipality of Niagara, also colloquially known as theNiagara Region orRegion of Niagara, is aregional municipality insouthern Ontario, Canada, which occupies most of theNiagara Peninsula. As of 2024, the region had an estimated population of 539,180.[4]St. Catharines is the region's largest city, while the regional seat is located inThorold.
The Niagara Region is bounded to the north byLake Ontario and to the south byLake Erie. The region is bordered in the west byHaldimand County and the City ofHamilton, with its eastern boundary at theNiagara River, which is also theinternational border with theUS state ofNew York. The Niagara Region is the southernmost part of theGolden Horseshoe, the most populated region of Ontario.
Unique natural landscapes make the Niagara Region an important centre foragriculture andtourism in Canada. The most important agricultural enterprise in Niagara isviticulture, or winemaking. TheNiagara Wine Route, which connects visitors to dozens of wineries, is a growing tourism draw while the internationally renownedNiagara Falls is one of Canada's major tourist attractions. Along withShaw Festival, held annually inNiagara-on-the-Lake, and theWelland Canal, the Regional Municipality of Niagara receives up to 12 million visitors each year. The Niagara Region has been populated by First Nations such asthe Neutral,the Haudenosaunee, andthe Anishinaabe, including theMississaugas of the Credit First Nation.[5]
| 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 |
As acensus division in the2021 Census of Population conducted byStatistics Canada, the Regional Municipality of Niagara had a population of477,941 living in195,914 of its207,926 total private dwellings, a change of6.7% from its 2016 population of447,888. With a land area of 1,852.82 km2 (715.38 sq mi), it had a population density of258.0/km2 (668.1/sq mi) in 2021.[2]
| 2021 | 2016 | 2011 | |
|---|---|---|---|
| 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 | 258.0/km2 (668/sq mi) | 241.5/km2 (625/sq mi) | 232.6/km2 (602/sq mi) |
| Median age | 46.0 (M: 44.0, F: 47.2) | 45.7 (M: 44.4, F: 46.9) | |
| Private dwellings | 207,926 (total) 195,914 (occupied) | 196,241 (total) | 188,877 (total) |
| Median household income | $79,000 | $65,086 |
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| Source: Statistics Canada[2][9][10] | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
Religious profile (2021):[2]
| Panethnic group | 2021[2] | 2016[11] | 2011[9] | 2006[12] | 2001[10] | |||||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 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 | ||||||||||||||
The area has a higher concentration ofhuman trafficking compared to other regions in Canada, with 3% of recorded incidents taking place within it. The Niagara Region's proximity to the border and large amounts of hotels are considered to be contributing factors to this issue.[13]
Niagara Region contains three airports used primarily forgeneral aviation:
Aside from scheduled commuter flights between Niagara District Airport and Toronto City withFlyGTA, for commercial flights Niagara residents useToronto Pearson International Airport,Billy Bishop Toronto City Airport, orJohn C. Munro Hamilton International Airport in theGreater Toronto and Hamilton Area; as well as crossing the border to useBuffalo Niagara International Airport orNiagara Falls International Airport inUpstate New York.
Public transit within Niagara Region is provided byNiagara 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 theNiagara 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 theGreater Toronto and Hamilton Area.
VIA Rail serves Grimsby, St. Catharines and Niagara Falls stations as part of theMaple Leaf intercity train between Toronto and New York City, jointly operated withAmtrak.
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 includeFlixbus,Megabus, Equinox,Greyhound, andTrailways.
400-series expressways:
Other highways:
Places adjacent to Regional Municipality of Niagara | ||||||||||||||||
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