Niagara Falls, Ontario
| Niagara Falls | |||
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 Niagara Falls, Ontario Skyline (2008) |
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| Location in Ontario | |||
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| State : |
 Canada
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| Province : | Ontario | ||
| Regional Municipality : | Niagara | ||
| Coordinates : | 43 ° 5 ′ N , 79 ° 6 ′ W | ||
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Inhabitants : - Metropolitan Area : |
82,997 (status: 2011) 390,317 (status: 2006) |
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| Time zone : | Eastern Time ( UTC − 5 ) | ||
| Municipality number: | 905, 289, 365 | ||
| Postal code : | L2E-L2J, L0S | ||
| Foundation : | June 12, 1903 | ||
| Mayor : | Jim Diodati | ||
| Website : | www.niagarafalls.ca | ||
Niagara Falls [ naɪ̯ˈjægɹəˌfɑlz ] is a Canadian city in the province of Ontario with a population of 82,997 inhabitants (2011). It is located on the Niagara River across from the American city of the same name, Niagara Falls in New York State . The next major city is St. Catharines .
The city is dominated by Niagara Falls and benefits from the fact that the American and Canadian parts of the falls are best seen from the Canadian shore. The city is one of the main tourist destinations in North America. The immediate vicinity of the falls is dominated by numerous hotel skyscrapers, observation towers, souvenir shops, casinos and other amusement facilities, almost all of which have colorful neon signs.
history
The region around Niagara Falls had been settled regularly since the 17th century , first by the Iroquois , then by European immigrants, who founded the town of Clifton here . The older city center was built around Queen Street in the early 19th century, not far from the railway line that still operates today.
1903 rose Niagara Falls as a result of a merger with the slightly south Drummondville to the city (city). At that time, heavy industry was an important part of Niagara Falls. Tourism to the falls, which began as early as the 19th century, has been the main source of income for the city of Niagara Falls since the decline of industry in the 1970s. As a result of tourism, the city now has an above-average number of hotels. Business life has shifted right in front of the falls with the advent of tourism.
economy
Originally, many electrochemical and electro-metallurgy companies had settled in the city due to the high levels of energy generated by the Niagara Falls. These two industries moved away during the great recession of 1970-1980. Since then, tourism has become the city's main source of income. Niagara Falls on the Canadian side is more popular than on the American side because the view over the Niagara Falls on the Canadian side is better. Furthermore, a favorable exchange rate between the US dollar and the Canadian dollar play a major role. In Canada, it is legal to drink alcohol from the age of 19. In contrast, US laws only allow people over the age of 21, which has made Niagara Falls a popular travel destination, especially for young Americans.
In mid-1990, the Ontario provincial government approved legal gambling, which resulted in Casino Niagara opening a short time later . Due to the tourist boom at the end of 1990, a large number of new luxury hotels and other attractions were built. In 2004 a second casino was opened, known as the Niagara Fallsview Casino Resort . The casino is still very successful today, but is in competition with the Seneca Niagara Casino on the US side. Still, Niagara Falls are more popular on the Canadian side than those on the US side. In addition to the better view, this can also be attributed to the fact that on the Canadian side there are more sights, rides such as B. a ferris wheel and other entertainment shops are available.
In addition to tourism, the manufacturing industry is also an important economic sector. The larger companies include a. Power Canada Inc. and International Home Foods (Canada) Inc . The larger chemical companies are u. a. Cytec Canada Inc. and Oxy Vinyls Canada Inc. Some of the larger metal processing companies include a. ES Fox Ltd. and Myer Salit Ltd.
Clifton Hill and the Fallsview area have been revitalized. Major modernization and renovation projects are being carried out in the downtown area of Niagara Falls (Queen Street). In the historic district of Niagara there are several galleries, shops, cafes and the completely renovated Seneca Theater.
Attractions
Direct Niagara Falls attractions
- Maid of the Mist Niagara Falls Boat Tour
- Journey Behind the Falls - tours behind the Niagara Falls
- Skylon Tower - 160 meters high tower with a viewing deck and revolving restaurant
- Weekly fireworks over Niagara Falls - Weekly fireworks celebration
- Nightly illumination of Niagara Falls
- National Helicopters
- Niagara Helicopters
- Niagara Skywheel
- Queen Street Arts & Culture District
Attractions on the Niagara River
- Niagara Botanical Gardens - Botanical Garden
- Floral clock
- Spanish Aerocar
- White Water Walk at the Niagara River rapids
- Winter Festival of Lights
- Niagara Parks Butterfly Conservatory
- Niagara Heritage Trail
- Dufferin Islands
- Niagara Parks School of Horticulture
- Niagara River Recreation Trail
- Whirlpool Jetboat tours of the Niagara Gorge
- Numerous parkway golf courses
- The Rainbow Carillon, with music from the Rainbow Tower
Tourist entertainment attractions
- Clifton Hill, Niagara Falls - tourist promenade with Ripley's Believe It Or Not Museum , arcades, five ghost trains, four wax figure museums and the like. a. with Louis Tussauds Wax Museum, various restaurants
- MarineLand - marine theme park
- Casinos — Casino Niagara and Niagara Fallsview Casino Resort overlooking Niagara Falls
- Many restaurants and cafes etc. a. Jimmy Buffett's Margaritaville, Rainforest Cafe, and Hard Rock Cafe
- IMAX cinema with a museum
- Greg Frewin Theater / Las Vegas Style Magic Show
- Fallsview Tourist Area - popular tourist area
- Fallsview Indoor Waterpark - adventure pool
- MGM Studios Plaza - MGM Studios - Guided Tours
- Queen Street Arts & Culture District - Arts and Culture District
- Konica Minolta Tower Center - the second skyscraper in Niagara Falls
traffic
Train connections
Niagara Falls has a train station near Whirlpool Bridge with train connections to Toronto operated by VIA Rail Canada and the long-distance train The Maple Leaf to New York City operated jointly by VIA Rail and Amtrak .
Highway connections
Niagara Falls, Canada and Niagara Falls, New York are connected by major highways between the United States and Canada. The Queen Elizabeth Way is the main route between Toronto and Buffalo.
- Highway 3A ends at the Whirlpool Rapids Bridge on River Road
- Highway 8 ends at Whirlpool Rapids Bridge at Bridge Street
- Highway 20 ends at the Honeymoon Bridge
- Highway 420, formerly Queen Elizabeth Way
Local / long-distance bus services
- Niagara Transit is the urban public transportation operator.
- Under the name WEGO , the city council and the Niagara Parks Commission operate four bus routes for tourists as a connection between hotels and attractions.
- Greyhound Canada operates multiple trips to and from Toronto and Buffalo daily.
- Coach Canada operates multiple trips to and from Toronto and Buffalo every day.
- Megabus operates multiple daily trips from Toronto via Niagara Falls to New York City.
- GO Transit offers daily bus services between Niagara Falls and Burlington GO Station.
The Rainbow Bridge , located in the immediate vicinity of Niagara Falls, allows pedestrians and drivers to cross the border to the USA.
Personalities
- Geoffrey Ballard (1932–2008), geophysicist and businessman
- Karl Kaiser (1941–2017), Austrian-Canadian winemaker
- Gordon Singleton (born 1956), cyclist
- Vanity (1959-2016), singer
- Shelley Gautier (* 1968), paracycler
- Deadmau5 (* 1981), disc jockey and music producer
- Frank Dancevic (* 1984), tennis player
- Sara Kovac (* 1997), volleyball player
Web links
- City of Niagara Falls (English)
- WEGO bus routes for tourists (English)