About Our City

St. Catharines is the largest city in the Niagara region, located in south-central Ontario. Also known as "The Garden City," St. Catharines is renowned for its lush parks, gardens and trails.

Residents and visitors alike enjoy a wealth of activities in the city.  Whether it be visiting our world-class wineries, sampling our fabulous dining, experiencing our many wonderful festivals and vibrant nightlife, or exploring our city's history and picturesque harbour front village of Port Dalhousie - there's something for everyone.  The city is also home to the Welland Canal, one of the world's greatest engineering feats, where enormous freighters climb the Niagara Escarpment on a stairway of water.

St. Catharines has a thriving arts and culture scene, which can be experienced at the city's many art galleries, theatres, classical and contemporary music events, public art displays and more.

St. Catharines enjoys a unique microclimate because of the moderating influence of Lake Erie and Lake Ontario and the sheltering effect of the Niagara Escarpment.  As a result of its mild climate, Niagara is known as the fruit basket of Canada, with St. Catharines lying at Niagara's heart. From early spring, when acres of orchards are in full bloom, until the grape harvest in late fall, St. Catharines and its surrounding countryside beckon visitors with the brilliant colours of its fields and flowers.

Location

Situated 111 kilometres (70 miles) from Toronto and 19 kilometres (12 miles) from Niagara Falls and the United States border, St. Catharines is strategically located and offers excellent access to the major markets of both Canada and the United States.  The major urban centres of Toronto, Hamilton, Buffalo and Rochester, which contain approximately 10 million people, are all located within a 160 kilometre (100 mile) radius of St. Catharines.  Windsor, London, Syracuse, Cleveland, Detroit and Pittsburgh are all less than 460 kilometres (250 miles) away.  New York City is less than 726 kilometres (450 miles) from St. Catharines.

As part of the Regional Municipality of Niagara, St. Catharines is bordered by the City of Hamilton to the west and the American border to the east. The total area of the region is 1,851 square kilometres (715 square miles). St. Catharines occupies 95 square kilometres (37 square miles) of Niagara's total area.

The Niagara region has 12 member municipalities.  They are: St. Catharines, Niagara Falls, Welland, Fort Erie, Port Colborne, Grimsby, Thorold, Lincoln, Pelham, Niagara-on-the-Lake, West Lincoln, and Wainfleet.