As the first (very short lived) capital of Canada, Kingston was originally settled in 1673 as Fort Frontenac. Today, Kingston is one of the most historic cities in Canada with numerous churches, old buildings, pictorial neighborhoods, and 19th century fortifications. The city provide venues for nightlife such as clubbing and pubbing, and provides weekend escapes for people living in the neighboring cities of Ottawa, Montreal and Toronto. There are ample historic sites and museums to visit, as well as many lively summer events.
Kingston is the home of two universities, Queen's University and Royal Military College, and one college, St. Lawrence College. Along with tourism, these educational institutes and the students they attract provide much to the city's local economy. Kingston is also the home to a number of prisons.
Get in
Kingston is fully accessible by road, air and water.
Driving into Kingston is usually done on the Highway 401. Times from major cities are below.
Buses (Coach Canada) run Toronto-Kingston-Montréal several times daily and one bus (Voyageur) visits Ottawa twice daily. Buses usually take longer from each city and will drop you off on John Counter Boulevard (a converted trucking company warehouse in an industrial park) at the north side of town.
Kingston is also served by Train (Via Rail Canada), also located on John Counter Boulevard at what was the western edge of town. Local city bus service to these points is limited (one bus may turn up once or twice an hour, with evening and weekend service rather limited). The best option for getting downtown from the bus or the train is by taking a taxi, which will run you under $15.
Also available is air service (Air Canada) from Norman Rogers Municipal Airport. This is located west of Portsmouth and west of the suburbs around Kingston, on Front Road. Scheduled connections from YGK (Kingston) are to Toronto only, (YYZ Toronto-Malton) and this tends to be the most expensive option by far. However, it may be reasonably priced if a connection is involved (eg. you fly Vancouver to Kingston via Toronto). There are no local city buses that reach this tiny airport.
There are no scheduled connections by bus, train or air to any point on the US side from Kingston, despite its proximity (50km) to Interstate-81.
The Rideau Canal goes from Kingston to Ottawa. Quite a few people travel it in various pleasure craft. Kingston is also the starting point of the St Lawrence River and the eastern endpoint of the Great Lakes, a strategic position which has afforded it a key military vocation since 1673.
Get around
The most interesting area in Kingston for out-of-town visitors is near the downtown core of the city, which includes Queen's University and the waterfront. As such, the "best" areas of the city are better seen on foot or by bicycle.
Taxi fare from the Kingston Bus Station and Train Station are approximately $10-15 depending on the number of passengers per car as well as luggage stowage.
Public transport in the form of buses, is reliable and clean. However, it is infrequent, running at most, once every 15 minutes or half hour, depending on the route.
Should you get a parking ticket during your visit, you are able to get the ticket waivered provided that you provide proof that you are not a Kingston resident.
See
Do
The city also hosts events in summer and fall such as the Jazz Festival, Blues Festival, and Buskers' Rendezvous.
Buy
Eat
Kingston has one of the highest restaurants per capita of any city in Canada, with restaurants to fit anyone's budget.
Budget
Midrange
Higher
Splurge
Drink
Coffee
Alcohol
There is a relatively healthy pub scene in Kingston with many high quality establishments. All pubs in Kingston are non-smoking.
Sleep
Downtown
The area near the downtown waterfront is the most favourable location (as many but not all activities are within walking distance) but also the most expensive by far. Accommodations range from large chain hotels with full facilities (Holiday Inn, Radisson, Sheraton) and smaller historic properties, such as the Prince George, to a niche market of small but upscale bed-and-breakfast style inns. There is plenty of good accommodation to be had in the downtown and waterfront area if one is willing to pay top dollar.
The Plaza Hotel on Montreal St, as home of Kingston's only remaining stripper bar, is best avoided for accommodations as the area does attract certain undesirable elements.
West of downtown
Kingston's downtown area runs from the waterfront at Ontario Street one mile west/northwest to Division Street. The majority of upscale properties are in the lower (easternmost) part of downtown, near the waterfront area. Continue westward into the land of the endless used-car lots and the choices initally are limited and disappointing at best. A few of these properties (such as Rest Inn and Super 8) have had to ban all visitors after 11pm or 12pm due to problems caused by the local riff-raff, others (such as Conway's Inn) turn a blind eye and let them run rampant. Best to give this a miss if at all possible.
Continue further westward and there are a few hotels of better standing, starting with the Peachtree and the Best Western fireside inn among a few serving an otherwise awkwardly-located train station west/northwest of the city. The largest of these hotels is the Ambassador convention centre, which offers extensive indoor athletic and recreational facilities. Others in this immediate area include a Comfort Inn (no restaurant on site) and the Lasalle (a Travelodge with full hotel facilities).
Continue further west and the selection is dominated by motels, many of them independent or low-end properties.
Near the highway
If you stick near the 401, and it may not make sense to do so if you want to see Kingston itself, your choices are adequate but severely limited. Kingston was built around the Lake Ontario and St. Lawrence River waterfront and around Princess Street (old Highway 2, as the main street in town). Unlike London, where newer development has grown around the newer highway, Highway 401 in Kingston pulls well too far north of the local urbanised area in order to cross the Rideau Canal near Kingston Mills, effectively bypassing the city entirely.
There are a few moderately-priced chains (Days Inn, Choice Hotels, FirstCanada Inns) located amongst the endless fast-food emporiums at Division & 401 (exit 617) but nothing uniquely Kingstonian to see in this part of town. To the west is industrial park, to the east housing projects.
West of the city
There are several low-priced (or at least under-$100) motels on the old Highway 2 as it comes in from the west of the city, but the choices do seem to be limited to the low-end of the market with many small independent operators. Almost all of these stretch out along the one road, continuing well into suburbia.
East of the city
Kingston is separated from CFB Kingston and Old Fort Henry in the east by the Cataraqui River and Rideau Canal. The city itself is west. There are a few small motels along the old 2 and 15 highways intended primarily serve to serve visitors to the Fort, but these tend to be low-end in price and quality.
Continue 30km further east into Gananoque, a town of just over 5000 people near the centre of the 1000 Islands region, and a wider selection (ranging from small B&B's to hotel/motel chains) becomes available.
Get out
Kingston, Ontario, is a Canadian city located at the eastern end of Lake Ontario, where the lake runs into the St. Lawrence River and the Thousand Islands begin.
Kingston is the county seat of Frontenac County. According to the
2006 Canadian census, the population of the city proper was 117,207, while the population of the metropolitan area as a whole was 152,358.
Kingston is nicknamed the "Limestone City" because of the many historic buildings built from limestone.
History
The French originally settled upon a traditional Mississaugas First Nation site called Katerokwi (Cataraqui in the common transliteration which uses French pronunciation rules, is pronounced CAT - AH - RAH - KWAY) in 1673 and established Fort Cataraqui, later to be called Fort Frontenac. The fort was captured and destroyed by the British in the Battle of Fort Frontenac near the end of the Seven Years' War in 1758. A receiving centre for fleeing refugees from the American Revolution, it became the primary community of south-eastern Upper Canada.
New settlement from the United Empire Loyalists (UEL) and Mohawks from the Six Nations in New York, led by Molly Brant (the sister of Six Nations Leader Joseph Brant - Thayendanegea), formed a significant part of an expanding population in the area at the end of the 18th century.
During the War of 1812, Kingston was the base for the Lake Ontario division of the Great Lakes British naval fleet which engaged in a vigorous arms race with the American fleet based at Sackett's Harbor, New York for control of Lake Ontario. After the war, Britain built Fort Henry and a series of distinctive Martello towers to guard the entrance to the Rideau Canal. Fort Henry still stands and is a popular tourist destination.
Kingston's location at the Rideau Canal entrance to Lake Ontario, after canal construction was completed in 1832, made it the primary military and economic centre of Upper Canada. Incorporated as a town in 1838, Kingston had the largest population of any centre in Upper Canada until the 1840s. Kingston was incorporated as a city in 1846.
Kingston was the first capital of the united Canadas before Confederation from 1841 to 1844, and hosted the first meeting of the Parliament of the United Canadas on June 13, 1841. The city was considered too small and lacking in amenities, however, and its location made it vulnerable to American attack. Consequently, the capital was moved to alternating locations in Montreal and Toronto, and then later to Ottawa in 1857. Subsequently, Kingston's growth slowed considerably and its national importance declined.
Kingston was the home of Canada's first Prime Minister, Sir John A. Macdonald.
During the late nineteenth and early twentieth centuries, Kingston remained an important Great Lakes port and a centre for shipbuilding and locomotive manufacturing, including the Canadian Locomotive Company, at one time the largest locomotive works in the British Empire. Most heavy industry has now left the city, and employment is now primarily in the institutional, military, and service/retail sectors.
Kingston grew moderately through the 20th century through a series of annexations of lands in adjacent Kingston Township, including a 1951 annexation which encompassed areas west to the Little Cataraqui creek (including the village of Portsmouth) where a number of large residential subdivisions were built in the late 1950s and early '60s.
Municipal governance had been a topic of discussion since the mid-1970s due to financial imbalance between the city and the surrounding townships, which now had large residential areas and a population approaching that of the city proper. On January 1, 1998, the City was amalgamated with the Townships of Kingston and Pittsburgh to form a new City of Kingston. The city's boundaries now encompass large rural areas north of Highway 401 and east of the Cataraqui River.
The term "Cataraqui", from the original native name for Kingston, today refers to an area around the intersection of Princess Street and Sydenham Road where a village of that name was located. Cataraqui is also the name of a municipal electoral ward.
Economy
Kingston's economy relies heavily on public sector institutions and establishments. The most important sectors are related to health care, education, government (including the military and correctional services), tourism and culture, manufacturing, and research and development. Of Kingston's major industrial employers of the 20th century, the Canadian Locomotive Company and Davis Drydock are long closed, and the former Alcan and DuPont operations employ far fewer persons than in the past.
General
According to the Kingston Economic Development Corporation, in a 2004 report, the 20 largest employers in Kingston were:
:Source: http://business.kingstoncanada.com/communityprofile/resources/Economic.pdf
CFB Kingston
Canadian Forces Base Kingston (CFB Kingston) houses CFSCE (Canadian Forces School of Communications and Electronics), the Canadian Forces' military communications training centre. CFB Kingston, the region's largest employer, is located east of downtown, and is comprised of the Vimy(residential) and MacNaughton (operations) Barracks. Kingston, with its strategic location at the head of the St. Lawrence River as this drains the Great Lakes, near the border with the United States, has been a site of vital military importance since its founding in 1673 as Fort Frontenac. The establishment of the Royal Military College in 1876 further emphasized Kingston's central role. A large wooded operational training area is part of the MacNaughton Barracks. The Garrison Golf and Curling Club, also on MacNaughton, is the Base's primary recreational outlet.
Corrections Canada
Kingston has the largest concentration of federal correctional facilities in Canada. Of the nine institutions located in the Kingston area, seven of them are located within the municipal boundaries of the city.
Millhaven Institution (maximum security), and Bath Institution (minimum security), are located in the nearby village of Bath.
Until 2000, Canada's only federal correctional facility for women, the Prison For Women (nicknamed "P4W") was also located in Kingston. In 1995, Louise Arbour was appointed to lead the Commission of Inquiry into Certain Events at the Prison for Women in Kingston. As a result of the commission's report, the facility was closed in 2000.
Culture
Kingston has developed a thriving artistic and entertainment life. The city hosts several festivals during the year, including the Limestone City Blues Festival, the Kingston Canadian Film Festival, Fanfayr, the Kingston Buskers' Rendezvous, Kingston Sheep Dog Trials, Kingston Jazz Festival, Kingston Dragon Boat Festival, Canada DanceSport, Reelout Queer Film Festival , the Festival of Trees, Feb Fest, the Limestone Classic, and the Chilifest.
The Kingston Symphony Orchestra performs at Kingston's Grand Theatre, as do several amateur and semi-professional theatre groups. (Following a successful fundraising campaign, the Grand Theatre has been closed for renovations and will reopen in the spring of 2008. ) Also in the city is Theatre Kingston (formerly Theatre Beyond), a professional company.
The city has spawned several musicians and musical groups, most of whom are known mainly within Canada, but a few of whom have achieved international success. These include John Kay, lead singer, harmonica player, and occasional guitarist of the heavy metal late 60s/early 70s band Steppenwolf, members of The Tragically Hip, The Mahones, jazz singer Andy Poole, Bedouin Soundclash, Sarah Harmer, The Arrogant Worms, The Headstones, The Inbreds, David Usher (formerly of Moist), and Kingston is the birth place of Bryan Adams. Singer Avril Lavigne, from nearby Napanee, began her career after gaining notice singing at a Kingston fair and bookstore. The first winner of the television series Canadian Idol was Kingston native Ryan Malcolm.
Poet Michael Andre was raised in Kingston, and actor Dan Aykroyd makes his home near Kingston.
Media
Queen's University campus radio, CFRC-FM, is one of the oldest stations in the world, having been founded in 1922. In addition to local outlets, radio and television stations from New York state (especially the Watertown market) are readily available in Kingston. One such station, WBDR in Cape Vincent, New York broadcasting on 102.7 FM with the brand name "Kix 102.7", promotes itself as a Kingston station — and operates from studios in Kingston — despite being officially licensed to an American community.
Radio
Television
The city's daily newspaper is the Kingston Whig-Standard, Canada's oldest daily newspaper, founded in 1834, owned by Osprey Media.
Smaller local publications include the following:
Sports
Hockey
Although contested, Kingston lays claim to being the birthplace of ice hockey. This claim arises from a game played in 1886 between Queen's University and the Royal Military College of Canada, and is recognized by the Canadian Amateur Hockey Association. The rivalry between Queen's and RMC is the world's oldest in hockey.
Kingston is represented in the OHL by the Kingston Frontenacs, and in OPJHL by the Kingston Voyageurs.
The International Hockey Hall of Fame, established in 1943 and erected in 1965, is located in Kingston, near the Kingston Memorial Centre. This is the oldest hockey Hall of Fame in the world. Currently under construction is the Kingston Sports and Entertainment Centre, located in the downtown core; completion is scheduled for early 2008.
Several NHL players, coaches and personalities have been associated with Kingston including:
Sailing
The city is famous for its fresh-water sailing, and hosted the sailing events for the 1976 Summer Olympics. CORK — Canadian Olympic-training Regatta, Kingston — now hosted by CORK/Sail Kingston Inc. is still held every August. Kingston is listed by a panel of experts among the top yacht racing venues in the USA, even though Kingston is, of course, in Canada.
Here is a list of major regattas hosted by Kingston over the years.
Kingston sits amid excellent cruising and boating territory, with easy access to Lake Ontario, the St. Lawrence River, and the Thousand Islands including the St. Lawrence Islands National Park.
Kingston is also home to the youth sail training ship called the st-lawrence 2.
Diving
Kingston is a well-known destination for fresh-water wreck diving. Some of Kingston's wrecks can be classed among the best fresh water wrecks in the world. Kingston's wrecks are well preserved by its cool fresh water, and the recent zebra mussel invasion has caused a drastic improvement in water clarity that has enhanced the quality of diving in the area.
Here's a catalog of diveable wrecks in the Kingston region; another source is here.
Golf
The Kingston area is well known for its fine golf courses and for the many strong players it has produced. The Kingston Golf Club, established in 1884, was a founding member of the Royal Canadian Golf Association in 1895. The first winner of the Amateur Canadian Golf Championship that same year was Kingstonian Thomas Harley, a Scottish emigre longshoreman. Dick Green was the longtime club professional for nearly 40 years at Cataraqui Golf and Country Club, which has one of Canada's top courses (designed by Stanley Thompson). Green, a superb player and teacher, also designed several courses in Eastern Ontario, including Smiths Falls, Glen Lawrence, Amherstview, Garrison, Rivendell, and Colonnade. Matt McQuillan, now a professional player on the Canadian Tour, was born and raised in Kingston, and developed his game at the Garrison Golf and Curling Club. McQuillan won the 2005 Telus Edmonton Open.
Curling
The Royal Kingston Curling Club is one of Canada's oldest. It was founded in 1820, and was granted Royal patronage in 1993. In 2006, the RKCC moved to a new facility, to make way for the construction of a new complex at Queen's University, the Queen's Centre.
Demographics
According to the mid-2001 census, there were 146,838 people residing in the Kingston Census Metropolitan Area, of whom 49.1% were male and 50.9% were female. Children under five accounted for approximately 5.1% of the resident population of Kingston. This compares with 5.8% in Ontario, and almost 5.6% for Canada overall.
In mid-2001, 14.1% of the resident population in Kingston were of retirement age (65 and over for males and females) compared with 13.2% in Canada. As a result, the average age is 38.1 years of age as compared to 37.6 years of age for all of Canada. Kingston has a reputation as a suitable place for retirees to settle.
In the five years between 1996 and 2001, the population of Kingston grew by 1.6%, compared with an increase of 6.1% for Ontario as a whole. Population density of Kingston averaged 77.0 people per square kilometre, compared with an average of 12.6, for Ontario altogether.
The population of Kingston shows significant turnover because of its relatively large student population (about 10%) and the number of military residents associated with Canadian Forces Base Kingston.
Religious belief
Education
Post-Secondary
Kingston is the site of two highly-respected universities, Queen's University and the Royal Military College of Canada (RMC), and a major community college, St. Lawrence College.
RMC is Canada's only military university and provides academic and officer training to cadets who will be members of Canada's armed forces.
St. Lawrence College offers Baccalaureate Degree programs at its Kingston campus, in Behavioural Psychology, Microelectronics and Nursing.
Queen's University
Queen's University is one of Canada's oldest universities and offers a variety of degree programs. One of the oldest radio stations in the world, CFRC, broadcasts from the university. The university was founded in 1841 under Royal Charter from Queen Victoria. It currently has an enrollment of more than 15,000 students.
Primary and secondary
The Limestone District School Board serves students in the counties of Frontenac and Lennox and Addington. Along with the Limestone School of Community Education, which provides adult education and training programs, approximately 23,000 students attend 56 elementary and 12 secondary schools. The Algonquin and Lakeshore Catholic District School Board serves students of the Roman Catholic faith. Approximately 15,000 students attend 36 elementary schools and 5 secondary schools in this school district. The francophone community is served by two school boards, the Conseil des écoles publique de l'est de l'Ontario and the Conseil des écoles catholique de langue française du centre-est, each providing one secondary school in the area.
Local secondary schools:
Waterfront
Kingston has a rich and beautiful waterfront. Major features include Flora MacDonald Confederation Basin, Portsmouth Olympic Harbour, Collins Bay, Wolfe Island, Garden Island, the Cataraqui River (including Kingston, Ontario Inner Harbour and, within that, Anglin Bay.)
Notable residents
Geography and climate
Geography
Kingston is located at (44.22, -76.48).
The central part of the city is located between the Cataraqui River to the east and the Little Cataraqui Creek to the West, with outlying areas extending in both directions.
Because of its proximity to Lake Ontario, Kingston typically enjoys less extreme temperatures than areas inland.
Cities and towns nearby
North West | ^ Elginburg 10 km | North East Ottawa 150 km |
< West | KINGSTON | East >
|
Picton 58 km South West
| Lake Ontario South | Wolfe Island 5 km South East |
Major parks nearby
North West Frontenac Provincial Park | ^ | North East Charleston Lake Provincial Park |
< West Stoco Fen Provincial Nature Reserve | KINGSTON | East > St. Lawrence Islands National Park |
Lake On The Mountain Provincial Recreation Park South West | Lake Ontario South | Adirondack Park, New York South East |
Sister cities
Related Wikipedia articles
External links
Community information
