Welland, ON
Welland sits in the middle of the Niagara region in Southern Ontario, with both the Welland Canal and the Welland River cutting right through it. The waterways have played a big part in the city’s development, both of which have are significant in Canada’s history. It also has a long railway history, acting as a buffer between Toronto and Buffalo, New York. Today, Welland’s main industry is in manufacturing, particularly in steel. It is also a bilingual city, which means there are a lot of call centres.
In terms of a place to live, Welland is a lovely city with a thriving art community. Most of this is situated within Downton Welland, which is also where most people will say has the best nightlife. It is also a popular area of the city to live in, as is the northwest part of the city. This is due to the fact that it is where the Niagara College of Applied Arts and Technology happens to be, which is the only post-secondary institution in the city. Students flock to this area not only for school, but also to live, drink and eat.
There are a large population of Francophones living in Welland, which makes it a great place to raise kids. There are also an abundance of French-language schools all over the city, although the majority of schools in Welland do teach in English. Numerous businesses also operate in French, as it is the mother tongue of over 23% of the population. There are also a lot of people with an Italian, Scottish or Irish heritage living in the city, as well as those from a few Eastern European countries.
Many residents of Welland commute to Niagara Falls, St. Catharines, Niagara-on-the-Lake or Port Colborne for work. Some even go as far as Buffalo, New York! This is mostly because of the city’s great railway links, though it is also easy to get to any of these other cities by car. When you are within the city itself, there are buses that travel along main routes between 7am and 6:30pm. There are also some great trails in the city that make it easy to walk or cycle around. Any Welland local will say to take a stroll along the canal, as well as the Welland Canal Parkway Trail that runs from St. Catherine’s to Port Colborne. A few other notable things to do include enjoying watersports along the canal, canoeing along the river, sampling food at the annual Niagara Food festival or spending a Saturday at the Farmers' Market.