St. Catharines
St. Catharines is the most populous city in Canada's Niagara Region, the eighth largest urban area in the province of Ontario. As of 2017, St. Catharines has an area of 96.13 square kilometres (37.12 sq mi) and 140,370 residents. It lies in Southern Ontario, 51 kilometres (32 mi) south of Toronto across Lake Ontario, and is 19 kilometres (12 mi) inland from the international boundary with the United States along the Niagara River. It is the northern entrance of the Welland Canal. Residents of St. Catharines are known as St. Catharinites. St. Catharines carries the official nickname "The Garden City" due to its 1,000 acres (4 km2) of parks, gardens, and trails.
St. Catharines | |
|---|---|
| City of St. Catharines | |
Downtown St. Catharines | |
| Nickname(s): The Garden City, St. Kitts, St. Cats, The Kitts | |
| Motto(s): Industry and Liberality | |
Location of St. Catharines and its census metropolitan area in Ontario | |
St. Catharines Location of St. Catharines in Southern Ontario | |
| Coordinates: 43°09′30″N 79°14′45″W | |
| Country | Canada |
| Province | Ontario |
| Region | Niagara |
| Settled | 1779 |
| Incorporated (town) | 1845 |
| Incorporated (city) | 1876 |
| Government | |
| • Mayor | Mat Siscoe |
| • Governing body | St. Catharines City Council |
| • MPs | Chris Bittle, Vance Badawey, Dean Allison |
| • MPPs | Jennie Stevens, Jeff Burch, Sam Oosterhoff |
| Area | |
| • Land | 96.13 km2 (37.12 sq mi) |
| Elevation | 97.80 m (320.87 ft) |
| Population (2017) | |
| • Total | 140,370 (Ranked 42nd) |
| Time zone | UTC−5 (Eastern (EST)) |
| • Summer (DST) | UTC−4 (EDT) |
| Forward Sortation Area | |
| Area code(s) | 905, 289, 365, and 742 |
| Highways | Queen Elizabeth Way Highway 406 Highway 58 |
| GDP (St. Catharines–Niagara CMA) | CA$15.2 billion (2016) |
| GDP per capita (St. Catharines–Niagara CMA) | CA$37,505 (2016) |
| Website | stcatharines |
St. Catharines is between the Greater Toronto and Hamilton Area (GTHA) and the Canada–U.S. border at Fort Erie. Manufacturing was the city's dominant industry, as noted by the heraldic motto, "Industry and Liberality". General Motors of Canada, Ltd., the Canadian subsidiary of General Motors, was the city's largest employer, a distinction now held by the District School Board of Niagara. THK Rhythm Automotive, formerly TRW, operates a plant in the city, although in recent years, employment there has shifted from heavy industry and manufacturing to services.
St. Catharines lies on one of the main telecommunications backbones between Canada and the United States, and as a result a number of call centres operate in the city. It is designated an Urban Growth Centre by the Growth Plan for the Greater Golden Horseshoe, intended to achieve a minimum density target of 150 jobs and residents combined per hectare by 2032 or earlier.