page_title: St. Catharines
section_title: Communities and development
hierarchical_section_title: St. Catharines / Communities and development
caption_attribution_description: English: Port Dalhousie Yacht Club West Docks, Waterfront Trail
context_page_description: St. Catharines is the largest city in Canada's Niagara Region and the sixth largest urban area in the province of Ontario, with 96.13 square kilometres of land and 133,113 residents in 2016. It lies in Southern Ontario, 51 kilometres south of Toronto across Lake Ontario, and is 19 kilometres inland from the international boundary with the United States along the Niagara River. It is the northern entrance of the Welland Canal. Residents of St. Catharines are known as St. Cathariners. St. Catharines carries the official nickname "The Garden City" due to its 1,000 acres of parks, gardens, and trails.
  St. Catharines is between the Greater Toronto and Hamilton Area and the Canada–U.S. border at Fort Erie. Manufacturing is the city's dominant industry, as noted by the heraldic motto, "Industry and Liberality". General Motors of Canada, Ltd., the Canadian subsidiary of General Motors, was the city's largest employer, a distinction now held by the District School Board of Niagara. THK Rhythm Automotive, formerly TRW, operates a plant in the city, though in recent years employment there has shifted from heavy industry and manufacturing to services.
  St.
context_section_description: St. Catharines' development history has resulted in a number of unique and distinct communities within the city. The historical area of St. Catharines consisted of nothing more than what is now the downtown core, with the remaining land being part of Louth Township on the west and Grantham Township on the east. St. Catharines continued to steadily grow through the late 19th and early 20th centuries, eventually annexing land to the southwest that would become Western Hill and Old Glenridge, and to the east and north that would collectively become the central part of St. Catharines. In addition to the growth of St. Catharines, the Town of Merritton and the Town of Port Dalhousie existed as separate municipalities to the South and North of the city, each slowly growing their own residential base.
  Along with the rest of Ontario, St. Catharines experienced explosive growth after World War II. St. Catharines continued to annex Grantham Township as development continued, including the large swaths of land to the north known now as "The North End". St. Catharines would also absorb Merritton and Port Dalhousie in 1961, making them part of the city. During this time, St. Catharines nearly tripled in population.
  With the formation of the Regional Municipality of Niagara in 1970, the portion of Louth Township east of Fifteen Mile Creek was transferred to the City of St. Catharines. This included the eastern portion of the Hamlet of Rockway, as well as the Hamlet of Power Glen. The few remaining portions of Grantham Township in the Northeast corner of the area, including Port Weller, were also transferred to the city. With the new Louth Township lands belonging to the city, St. Catharines would begin two developments in the west end — Martindale in 1983, and Vansickle in 1987. These developments are nearing completion. There was also a push to continue further expansion to the west in the late 1990s, but this has since been halted by Ontario Greenbelt legislation.
  The following distinct communities exist within St. Catharines:
  North
  Bunting
  Facer
  Lancaster
  Michigan Beach
  The North End
  Port Dalhousie
  Port Weller
  St. George's Point
  Central
  Fitzgerald
  Haig
  Orchard Park
  Queenston
  Downtown St. Catharines
  West
  Martindale
  Power Glen
  Vansickle
  Western Hill
  East
  Kernahan
  Lock 3
  Merritton
  Oakdale
  Secord Woods
  South
  Barbican Heights
  Brockview
  Burleigh Hill
  Glenridge
  Marsdale
  Riverview
  Louth Agricultural Lands
caption: Port Dalhousie Yacht Club West Docks, Waterfront Trail
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