kingston, ontario

Kingston, Ontario, with a population of approximately 146,838¹ people, is located in the Quebec City-Windsor Corridor at the eastern end of Lake Ontario, where the lake runs into the St. Lawrence River and the Thousand Islands begin. Kingston is nicknamed the "Limestone City" because of the many historical buildings made from the local material which still stand. 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 beyond in both directions. It is the county seat of Frontenac County. Kingston is roughly half way between Toronto, Ontario and Montreal, Quebec along the three major east-west transporation routes in Central Canada: the Saint Lawrence Seaway, Ontario Highway 401 (the Macdonald-Cartier Freeway, which turns into Quebec Autoroute 20), and Canadian National Railways' Windsor to Qubec City Corridor. Kingston also lies at the south end of the Rideau Canal, originally built to connect Lake Ontario with the Ottawa River in order to provide a safe transportation route far from the American border. Kingston's airport, Norman Rogers Airport (CYGK), has regularly-scheduled air service to Toronto. Kingston is the site of two universities, the Royal Military College of Canada and Queen's University, as well as St. Lawrence College. One of the oldest radio stations in the world, CFRC broadcasts from Queen's. Canadian Forces Base Kingston (CFB Kingston) houses CFSCE (Canadian Forces School of Communications and Electronics), the Canadian Armed Forces' military communications training centre. Canada's largest group of federal prisons, including Kingston Penitentiary, are located within the city or in the immediate area.

History

  The French originally settled upon a traditional Mississaugas First Nation site called Kateracoui (Cataroqui in the common transliteration which uses French pronunciation rules, it is pronounced CAT - AH - RAH - KWAY) in 1673 and established 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, lead by Molly Brant, formed a signficant 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 and 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 (the fort is still standing and is a popular tourist destination).

Kingston was one of the contenders for the capital of the united Canadas before Confederation, but after a brief stint as the capital from 1841 to 1844, it lost out to an alternating location of Montreal and Toronto, and then later to Ottawa where it has resided since. Kingston was, however, the home of Canada's first Prime Minister, Sir John A. Macdonald and on June 13 1841 was the site of the first meeting of the Parliament of Canada. During the late nineteenth and early twentieth centuries, Kingston was an important Great Lakes port and a center for shipbuilding and locomotive building, including the largest locomotive works in the British Empire (the Canadian Locomotive Company - later Fairbanks-Morse - closed in 1969), but most heavy industry has now left the city and employment is now primarily in the institutional, military, and service/retail sectors. The term "Cataraqui", from the original native name for Kingston, applies generally to regions Northward and Westward of present-day downtown Kingston.

Business

According to the Kingston Economic Development Corporation, in a 2002 report, the largest employers in Kingston in 1999 were:

Canadian Forces Base Kingston 5,200
Queen's University 4,200
Kingston General Hospital 2,811
Limestone District School Board 2,720
Correctional Services of Canada 2,670
DuPont Canada Inc. 1,400
City of Kingston 1,397
StarTek 1,018
Hotel Dieu Hospital 1,007
Providence Continuing Care Centre 1,000
Ontario Ministry of Transportation 998
Royal Military College of Canada 575
Bell Canada 500
Empire Financial Group 400
Novelis (formerly Alcan) (Rolled Products and R&D Centre) 373
Bombardier Mass Transit 360
NORCOM / CDT 300 (Ceased operating in 2003)
Bombardier Transit System 200
DuPont Canada Inc. R & D Centre 173
T-Line Service Ltd. 143

Culture

The city hosts several festivals during the year, including the Limestone City Blues Festival, the Kingston Canadian Film Festival, Fanfayr, Kingston Busker's Rendezvous, Kingston Sheep Dog Trials, Kingston Jazz Festival, Kingston Dragon Boat Festival, Canada DanceSport, the Festival of Trees, and the Chilifest. The Kingston Symphony Orchestra performs at Kingston's Grand Theatre, as do several amateur and semi-professional theatre groups. 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 members of The Tragically Hip, The Mahones, Betablokka, Sarah Harmer, The Arrogant Worms, Hugh Dillon of The Headstones and David Usher (formerly of Moist). 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. Actor Dan Aykroyd makes his home near Kingston.

Waterfront

Kingston has a rich and beautiful waterfront. Major features include Confederation Basin, Portsmouth Olympic Harbour, Collins Bay, Wolfe Island, Garden Island, the Cataraqui River. Here's an external link to an overview of marinas, harbours, anchorages in and around Kingston.

Sports

Hockey

Kingston is represented in the Ontario Hockey League by the Kingston Frontenacs. The International Hockey Hall of Fame, established in 1943 and erected in 1965, is located in Kingston. Several NHL players, coaches and personalities have been associated with Kingston including: Bill Cook, Bun Cook, Flat Walsh, Lorne Ferguson, Bob Murray, Wayne Cashman, Rick Smith, Ken Linseman, Dick & Don Cherry, Fred O'Donnell, Doug Gilmour, Kirk Muller, Jay McKee and Brian Allen.

Sailing

The city is famous for its fresh-water sailing (it hosted the sailing events for the 1976 Summer Olympics). CORK - Canadian Olympic Regatta Kingston - is still held every August. Kingston is listed by a panel of experts among the best yacht racing venues in the USA, even though Kingston is, of course, in Canada. Kingston is also sits amid great 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.