Niagara Peninsula

The Niagara Peninsula is actually an isthmus in Ontario, Canada, positioned between Lake Ontario’s southwest shore and Lake Erie’s northeast shore. It runs from the Niagara River in the east to Hamilton in the west. Across the Niagara River and Lake Erie, in New York State, lies the area called the Niagara Frontier.

Most of the peninsula is governed as the Regional Municipality of Niagara. Its cities include St. Catharines, Niagara Falls, Thorold, Port Colborne, and Welland. Towns in the region are Niagara-on-the-Lake, Lincoln, Pelham, Grimsby, and Fort Erie, along with the townships of Wainfleet and West Lincoln. Parts of Hamilton and Haldimand County also fall within the peninsula.

Before European contact, the area was home to the Neutral people, a First Nations group who got their name from trading flint arrowhead blanks with both the Wyandot and the Iroquois, who were at odds. Around 1650, the Iroquois wiped out the Neutrals during the Beaver Wars, as they tried to expand their fur-trapping territory. After that, until United Empire Loyalists arrived following the American War of Independence, the region had only occasional inhabitants, since the Iroquois didn’t set up permanent settlements there.

In the late 1700s, the Niagara Peninsula became one of the first parts of Upper Canada settled by British Loyalists. The colony’s capital was initially at Niagara-on-the-Lake, then called Newark. Many English and Irish immigrants came, but by the 1800s, Italian and German immigrants made up the largest groups, followed by French, Polish, and other Central Europeans.

After an agricultural period, the area grew into an important industrial hub. Water-powered mills appeared, later joined by hydro-electric power generation in Niagara Falls and electricity-heavy industry in both Niagara Falls and St. Catharines. Farming—especially fruit growing along Lake Ontario’s shore—remained important, but the 19th century brought industrial growth. A series of canals, including the Welland Canal, were built to connect the upper Great Lakes’ markets and resources with the St. Lawrence Seaway. General Motors set up auto plants and a foundry in St. Catharines, attracting auto-parts manufacturers. Dry docks were also built at Port Weller on Lake Ontario.

In the 21st century, heavy industry has declined, mainly due to the slowdown of North American auto manufacturers. Thousands of jobs have been lost at longtime employers like General Motors, Thompson Products, Deere & Company, Dana Canada Corp, Port Weller Drydocks, Domtar Papers, and Gallagher Thorold Paper. As a result, local municipalities have had to seek new, diversified opportunities to prevent a loss of skilled workers.

Tourism and hospitality have drawn visitors for over 150 years, largely because of Niagara Falls. Starting in the mid-1990s, new development sparked an upscale hospitality boom across the peninsula. Today, over 14 million guests come each year to see the Falls and the Niagara Parks. Ecotourism has grown, with more people exploring places like the Niagara Escarpment, which UNESCO named a World Biosphere Reserve in 1990.

The grape and wine industry has seen major tourism growth over the past thirty years. The Niagara Peninsula is one of four recognized viticultural areas under the VQA in Ontario’s wine industry. European-style wineries and vineyards attract visitors seeking a unique cultural experience. Most local wineries offer tours, and some pair Canadian cuisine with their VQA wines. World-class chefs may use fresh, seasonal ingredients from local farms. In summer, wineries often host live music and theater in the vineyards. During the coldest months (December to February), visitors can watch grape varieties being harvested and pressed outdoors to make sweet, high-value ice wines. Some Niagara Peninsula wineries have won top international awards for their ice wines, which may only be available directly from the vintner.

An official Wine Routes Guide is available for self-driving, and transportation companies run wine tours from major hotels and bed-and-breakfasts in Niagara Falls, Niagara-on-the-Lake, and Toronto. Driving from downtown Toronto to the wine region takes about two hours.

In Niagara-on-the-Lake, the Shaw Festival Theatre, named for playwright George Bernard Shaw, is a major cultural draw. A resident repertory company uses three theaters over a six-month season. The town also has Fort George, a British-built fort occupied during the War of 1812, rebuilt for the public in the 1960s and open in summer. Other nearby historical sites include Brock’s Monument, the Laura Secord Monument, and the battlefields of the Battle of Queenston Heights.