About St. Catharines
Known as the Garden City for its parks, tree-lined streets and 1,000+ hectares of green space, St. Catharines is the cultural, educational and commercial hub of the Niagara Region. With roughly 140,000 residents, it's the biggest city between Hamilton and the US border — and the one most travellers underestimate.
The Welland Canal runs right through it. At the Welland Canal Centre at Lock 3, you can stand metres from 225-metre cargo ships as they're lifted or lowered between Lake Ontario and Lake Erie — a free, mesmerizing piece of working industrial heritage. The St. Catharines Museum on site tells the canal's 190-year story.
Downtown has been transformed over the past decade. The FirstOntario Performing Arts Centre, Meridian Centre arena and Marilyn I. Walker School of Fine and Performing Arts have brought theatre, IceDogs hockey, concerts and a steady stream of evening life to St. Paul Street. Add Brock University on the Escarpment, Port Dalhousie's historic harbour and carousel on Lake Ontario, and you have a city that's equal parts cultural anchor and outdoor base camp for exploring the rest of Niagara.
From the community
St. Catharines through your lens
What makes St. Catharines unique
Local character
Confident mid-size city with a strong arts and university scene, deep canal heritage, and a friendly, walkable downtown.
Historic significance
Heart of the Welland Canal system since 1829, with four canals built through the city; also a key terminus of the Underground Railroad.
Tourism style
Culture, live music and theatre, working industrial heritage, lakeside neighbourhoods and a great base for exploring wineries and Niagara Falls.