Niagara Falls is a Canadian city of 82,184 residents on the Niagara River in the Golden Horseshoe region of south-central Ontario. It lies across the river from Niagara Falls, New York, and was incorporated on June 12, 1903. It is commonly referred to as the City of Champions or The Honeymoon Capital of the World.

The city is dominated by the Niagara Falls waterfalls on the Niagara River and benefits from the fact, that both falls, American Falls and Horseshoe Falls, can be best seen from the Canadian side thus presenting the city one of the major tourist attractions of the world. The natural spectacle brings in millions of tourists yearly. The city permitted the development of a tourist area along the falls and the gorge. This area which stretches along the Niagara River parkway and tourist promenade is particularly concentrated at the brink of the falls and, apart from the natural attractions along the river, includes huge parking lots, souvenir shops, observation towers, high-rise-hotels, casinos and theatres, mostly with colorful neon billboards and advertisements. Further to the north or south there are golf courses alongside historic sites from the War of 1812.

Country - Canada
Province - Ontario
Region - Niagara
Incorporated June 12, 1903
Government
- Mayor Ted Salci
- Governing body Niagara Falls City Council
- MP Rob Nicholson
- MPP Kim Craitor
Area
- Total 209.58 km² (80.9 sq mi)
Population (2006)
- Total 82,181 (Ranked 60th)
- Density 392.14/km² (1,015.6/sq mi)
Time zone EST (UTC-5)
- Summer (DST) EDT (UTC-4)
Postal Code L2E-L2J, L0S
Area code (s) 905/289

Government
Niagara Falls City Council is comprised of 8 councilors and 1 Mayor. City elections take place every 4 years with the next election in November 2010. Council is responsible for policy and decision making, monitoring the operation and performance of the city, analyzing and approving budgets and determining spending priorities.

Economy
Niagara Falls, Ontario. The hub of tourism, including the casinos, are now in the Fallsview area shown in the background With a plentiful and inexpensive source of hydroelectric power via the waterfalls, many electro-chemical and electro-metallurgical industries located here in the early to mid-20th century.

Industry began moving out of the city in the 1970s and 80s because of recession and increasing global competition in the manufacturing sector. Tourism tightened its grip as the city's most important economic engine. It is a more popular destination than Niagara Falls, New York, in part due to the better view of the falls from the Canadian side. Also, Ontario's drinking age of 19 (compared to the 21 drinking age in the United States) attracts many 19 and 20-year-olds from the United States to the bars on the Canadian side.

In the mid-1990s the Ontario government introduced legal wagering to the local economy with Casino Niagara. The late-1990s witnessed an economic boom as numerous luxury hotels and tourist attractions were built. The first casino was followed in 2004 by the larger Niagara Fallsview Casino Resort. Upon launching, the casino business was successful in attracting American tourists due to the then lower Canadian dollar. However, with the United States Dollar now lower than parity, the Seneca Niagara Casino open on the American side, and a casino facility coming to Buffalo, New York, as well as impending passport requirements on the American side, the local tourist economy is not without potential problems.

The recent development has been almost completely centered on the Clifton Hill and Fallsview areas. The Niagara Falls downtown strip continues to suffer considerable decay, with much of the Queen Street retail area now vacant. The downtown area was a major centre for local commerce and night life up until the 1970s, when the development of the Niagara Square shopping mall began to draw away crowds and retailers. In 2006, New York City based developer Aaron Lichtman proposed a major investment in the area to encourage new retail development; the proposal, titled Historic Niagara, remains dependent on government funding of complementary services. As of February 2007, the project appeared stalled

History
The Niagara Falls area has seen continuous settlement since the 17th century, first by the Iroquois and then by Europeans who were drawn to the immense falls. Louis Hennepin, a French priest, is regarded as the first European to visit the area in the 1670s.

Tourism started in the early 19th century and has been a vital part of the local economy since that time. As well as the obvious attractions of the falls, Niagara Falls markets itself as a honeymoon destination and is self-proclaimed as the honeymoon capital of the world.

With the creation of a Niagara regional government in 1970, the city amalgamated with the village of Chippawa and surrounding Willoughby, Crowland, and Stamford Townships, creating the present-day municipal boundaries.


Geography and Climate
Niagara Falls, Ontario is 130 kilometres (81 mi) from Toronto by road. The area of the Niagara Region is 1800 square kilometres (718 sq mi). The city sits at 43°7′N, 79°4′W.

Topography
The city is built along the Niagara Falls waterfalls and the Niagara Gorge on the Niagara River which flows from Lake Erie to Lake Ontario.

Climate
The weather and climate for the Niagara Region of Ontario is moderate to extreme in both summer and winter. There are considerable extremes in either temperature or the type of weather that might be associated with locations that are in close proximity to a landmass such as the bodies of water surrounding the region.[3]

Niagara Falls climate normals from Environment Canada

                                        Jan Feb Mar Apr May Jun Jul Aug Sep Oct Nov Dec
Avg. temp. (°C)                -4.5 -4.1 1 7.3 14 19.1 22.3 21.4 16.9 10.6 4.7 -1.4
Avg high temp. (°C)         -1 -0.5 5.1 12.2 19.3 24.2 27.2 26 21.3 14.7 8 1.9
Avg low temp. (°C)          -7.9 -7.7 -3.2 2.4 8.6 13.9 17.2 16.7 12.5 6.4 1.3 -4.7
Precipitation (millimeters) 69.5 67.4 75.5 75.5 76.5 87.5 75.4 81.6 95.2 84.3 91 90.7


Transportation

Highways
Niagara Falls and Niagara Falls, New York are linked to major highways in Canada and the United States respectively, with the 400-Series highway the Queen Elizabeth Way acting as a major artery between Toronto, Ontario and Buffalo, New York. Highway 420 is also another highway in the city. Niagara Parkway is a road operated under the Niagara Parks Commission.

Regional Airports
Buffalo Niagara International Airport in Cheektowaga, New York.
Toronto Pearson International Airport in Mississauga, Ontario.
Hamilton/John C. Munro International Airport in Mount Hope, Ontario.
Niagara Falls International Airport in Niagara Falls, New York
Niagara District Airport in Niagara on the Lake, Ontario.
Shuttle bus services connect the city with all three airports.

Rail
VIA Rail runs out of the Niagara Falls station
Amtrak also has trains connecting it to Toronto and New York City

Bus
Niagara Transit is the public transit operator in the city.
Greyhound Canada has daily runs to and from Toronto and Buffalo, New York.
Coach Canada has daily runs to and from Toronto and Buffalo, New York.

Cabs and Shuttle buses
Niagara Livery Service is a shuttle bus operator for Casino Niagara.
5-0 is a local cab service. A taxi shuttle provides transfers to airports from Buffalo, New York to Niagara Falls, Ontario and Toronto, Ontario.

Media
Niagara Falls is served by two main local newspapers, three radio stations and a community television channel. All other media is regional based, as well from Hamilton, Toronto and nearby Buffalo, New York.

Niagara Falls is considered part of the Toronto television market rather than the Buffalo television market. While Niagara Falls is directly across the Niagara River from the American side of the Buffalo area, Toronto is an hour and a half northwest. However, it is considered part of the Buffalo radio market.

Newspapers
Due to its proximity to Toronto and Buffalo, the local media is dominated by Toronto and Buffalo outlets. Local residents have easy access to the papers like the Toronto Star and the Toronto Sun. The Buffalo News is also widely available.

Local newspapers are:
Niagara this Week Canada's Largest community newspaper
Niagara Falls Review

Radio
101.1 FM - CKEY, "Z101" urban CHR
105.1 FM - CFLZ, "105.1 The River" hot adult contemporary
710 AM - CJRN-AM, "710 CJRN" Tourist information

Television
TV Cogeco is a community channel serving Niagara Falls.
CIII-TV55, a Global transmitter from nearby Fort Erie
CHCH from Hamilton, Ontario and serves the Niagara Region.