It's conveniently and strategically located about an hour's drive west of London, Ontario, and about an hour northeast of Detroit, Michigan. The community grew steadily over the years and in 1856 was incorporated as a town. Sarnia became a prominent deep water port during the 1920's when many of the shipping facilities that exist today were constructed. Sarnia is capable of accommodating ships from all over the world. The waterway between Detroit and Sarnia is the busiest in the world with one 100 million tons of shipping passing along this route each year.
Ships pass up and down the river at the rate of about one every seven minutes.
The arrival of The Great Western Railway in 1858 And the Grand Trunk Railway in 1859. These rail lines were later linked directly to the United States by the opening of a rail tunnel under the St. Clair River at Sarnia in 1891. A second tunnel opened in1995 which accommodates double decked rail cars. A convenient link for vehicular traffic was provided when the Bluewater Bridge was opened in 1938 connecting Sarnia with Port Huron Michigan. A second span was completed in 1997.