St. Catharines

St. Catharines, city in Niagara Regional Municipality, in southeastern Ontario, Canada. It is on Lake Ontario, at the northern end of the Welland Ship Canal. St. Catharines is a port city, as well as a commercial and manufacturing center. It is located in a fertile fruit-growing area. Major products include transportation equipment, fabricated metal, paper, ships, processed food, and wine. Emerging areas of economic importance in St. Catharines include medical, computer, and call center services.

The city is the site of Brock University, where the Brock Centre for the Arts is located. Other attractions are the St. Catharines Museum, located at the Welland Canals Centre; the Rodman Hall Arts Centre, which features displays of contemporary Canadian art; the Walker Botanical Gardens; and Happy Rolph Bird Sanctuary. Trails in the city include the Freedom Trail, which traces the flight of African American slaves along the Underground Railroad, and the Wine Route, which leads to many of the area’s wineries. Annual events include the Folk Arts Festival in late spring, the Royal Canadian Henley Regatta in summer, and the Niagara Grape and Wine Festival in September.

St. Catharines was settled by United Empire Loyalists in the late 18th century. Originally called The Twelve, and then Shipman’s Corner, the community took its present name from the wife of a prominent businessman. The area prospered economically after the Welland Ship Canal was built in 1829, and major manufacturing plants, shipyards, and mills were constructed. Incorporated as a city in 1876, St. Catharines became the largest city on the canal. In recent years, the economy of St. Catharines has diversified, but the manufacturing sector has remained important.

St. Catharines covers a land area of 94.4 sq km (36.5 sq mi). Population 129,300 (1991); 129,170 (2001).