48 Facts About Kingston Ontario

1.

Kingston Ontario is located nearby the Thousand Islands tourist region to the east and the Prince Edward County tourist region to the west.

FactSnippet No. 960,247
2.

Kingston Ontario is nicknamed the "Limestone City" because of the many heritage buildings constructed using local limestone.

FactSnippet No. 960,248
3.

Kingston Ontario was the county seat of Frontenac County until 1998.

FactSnippet No. 960,249
4.

Kingston Ontario is a separate municipality from the County of Frontenac.

FactSnippet No. 960,250
5.

Kingston's location at the Rideau Canal entrance to Lake Ontario made it the primary military and economic centre of Upper Canada after canal construction was completed in 1832.

FactSnippet No. 960,251
6.

Kingston Ontario had the largest population of any centre in Upper Canada until the 1840s.

FactSnippet No. 960,252
7.

Kingston Ontario became an important port as businesses relating to transshipment, or forwarding, grew.

FactSnippet No. 960,253
8.

Since Kingston was at the junction of the St Lawrence River and Lake Ontario, commodities shipped along the lake from the west such as wheat, flour, meat, and potash were unloaded and stored at Kingston to await transfer to vessels that could navigate the risky St Lawrence.

FactSnippet No. 960,254
9.

Several more prisons would be established in later years in the greater Kingston Ontario area, including the federal Prison for Women, Millhaven Penitentiary, Collins Bay, Frontenac, and Joyceville Institutions.

FactSnippet No. 960,255
10.

Subsequently, Kingston Ontario's growth slowed considerably and its national importance declined.

FactSnippet No. 960,256
11.

Kingston Ontario became an important rail centre, for both passengers and cargo, due to difficulty travelling by ship through the rapids-and-shoal-filled river.

FactSnippet No. 960,257
12.

Kingston Ontario won his first election to Kingston City Council in 1843, and would later represent the city for nearly 50 years at the national level, both before and after Confederation in 1867.

FactSnippet No. 960,258
13.

One of his residences in Kingston Ontario, Bellevue House, is a popular National Historic Site of Canada open to the public, and depicting the house as it would have been in the 1840s when he lived there.

FactSnippet No. 960,259
14.

Kingston Ontario is a regional health care centre, anchored by Kingston Ontario General Hospital and the medical school at Queen's.

FactSnippet No. 960,260
15.

Kingston Ontario, being strategically located at the head of the St Lawrence River and at the mouth of the Cataraqui River near the border with the United States, has been a site of military importance since Fort Frontenac was built in 1673.

FactSnippet No. 960,261
16.

Major military facilities supported by CFB Kingston Ontario include Fort Frontenac, on the site of the original fort, and the Royal Military College of Canada.

FactSnippet No. 960,262
17.

Kingston Ontario is known for its historic properties, as reflected in the city's motto of "where history and innovation thrive".

FactSnippet No. 960,263
18.

In 2007, the Rideau Canal, along with the fortifications at Kingston Ontario, was designated a World Heritage Site, one of only 15 such sites in Canada.

FactSnippet No. 960,264
19.

Newer churches in the city like Reunion Kingston Ontario, tend to seek rental options rather than building new physical spaces.

FactSnippet No. 960,265
20.

Kingston Ontario's economy relies heavily on public sector institutions and establishments.

FactSnippet No. 960,266
21.

The first sections of the highway in the Kingston Ontario area were opened in 1958, although it was not fully completed for another ten years.

FactSnippet No. 960,267
22.

Seasonal ferry service from Cape Vincent, New York, via Wolfe Island, into downtown Kingston Ontario is an alternate route to and from the United States.

FactSnippet No. 960,268
23.

Kingston Ontario is a regular stop on train services operating between Toronto and Ottawa and between Toronto and Montreal.

FactSnippet No. 960,269
24.

Shuttle Kingston Ontario was reported in 2013 to connect to Watertown and Syracuse.

FactSnippet No. 960,270
25.

The downtown area of Kingston Ontario is known as the central business district, and is the gathering place for various events including the Kingston Ontario Buskers Rendezvous, FebFest, the 1000 Islands Poker Run and The Limestone City Blues Festival.

FactSnippet No. 960,271
26.

Kingston Ontario is home to many artists who work in visual arts, media arts, literature, and a growing number who work in other time-based disciplines such as performance art.

FactSnippet No. 960,272
27.

Alternative venues for the presentation of exhibition programs in Kingston Ontario include the Union Gallery, Verb Gallery, Open Studio 22, the Kingston Ontario Arts Council gallery, The Artel: Arts Accommodations and Venue, and the Tett Centre for Creativity and Learning.

FactSnippet No. 960,273
28.

Writers who are or have been residents of Kingston Ontario include Steven Heighton, Bronwen Wallace, Helen Humphreys, Michael Ondaatje, Diane Schoemperlen, Michael Crummey, Mark Sinnett, Mary Alice Downie, Robertson Davies, Wayne Grady, Merilyn Simonds, Alec Ross, Jamie Swift and Carolyn Smart.

FactSnippet No. 960,274
29.

Comedian and actor Dan Aykroyd has a residence just north of Kingston Ontario and is a frequent face in town.

FactSnippet No. 960,275
30.

Kingston Ontario was briefly a minor partner in a restaurant called Aykroyd's Ghetto House Cafe on upper Princess Street during the 1990s which prominently featured a Blues Brothers' car projecting out from the second story wall.

FactSnippet No. 960,276
31.

Kingston Ontario is the site of two universities, Queen's University and the Royal Military College of Canada, and a community college, St Lawrence College.

FactSnippet No. 960,277
32.

Queen's Main Campus is rather self-contained, but is within close walking distance of downtown Kingston Ontario, making it a pedestrian-friendly university for students and faculty alike.

FactSnippet No. 960,278
33.

The Catholic high schools in the immediate Kingston Ontario area include Regiopolis Notre-Dame and Holy Cross Catholic High School.

FactSnippet No. 960,279
34.

Kingston Ontario has the largest concentration of federal correctional facilities in Canada.

FactSnippet No. 960,280
35.

Kingston Ontario is within the Mixedwood Plains Ecozone, and is dominated in the Kingston Ontario area by a mixture of deciduous and coniferous tree species and abundant water resources.

FactSnippet No. 960,281
36.

Major features of Kingston Ontario's waterfront include Flora MacDonald Confederation Basin, Portsmouth Olympic Harbour, Collins Bay, Wolfe Island, Garden Island, the Cataraqui River .

FactSnippet No. 960,282
37.

Kingston Ontario lays claim to being the birthplace of ice hockey, though this is contested.

FactSnippet No. 960,283
38.

Since 1972, Kingston Ontario has hosted more than 40 World and Olympic sailing championships.

FactSnippet No. 960,284
39.

Kingston Ontario is listed by a panel of experts among the best yacht racing venues in the US, even though Kingston Ontario is in Canada.

FactSnippet No. 960,285
40.

Kingston Ontario is home to the youth sail training ship called the St Lawrence II.

FactSnippet No. 960,286
41.

Kingston Ontario's shipwrecks are well preserved by its cool fresh water, and the recent zebra mussel invasion has caused a dramatic improvement in water clarity that has enhanced the quality of diving in the area.

FactSnippet No. 960,287
42.

Kingston Ontario area has eight golf courses, two of which are entirely public.

FactSnippet No. 960,288
43.

The Kingston Ontario Golf Club, established in 1884, was a founding member of the Royal Canadian Golf Association in 1895; however, this club ceased operating in the mid-1920s.

FactSnippet No. 960,289
44.

Green helped design several courses in eastern Kingston Ontario, including Smiths Falls, Glen Lawrence, Rideau Lakes, Amherstview, Garrison, Evergreen, Belle Park Fairways, Rivendell, and Colonnade .

FactSnippet No. 960,290
45.

Matt McQuillan, a professional player on the PGA Tour for the 2011 and 2012 seasons, was born and raised in Kingston Ontario, and developed his game at the Garrison Golf and Curling Club.

FactSnippet No. 960,291
46.

The Royal Kingston Ontario Curling Club was founded in 1820, and was granted Royal patronage in 1993.

FactSnippet No. 960,292
47.

In 2020, Kingston Ontario hosted the Tim Hortons Brier, the national men's curling championship.

FactSnippet No. 960,293
48.

In 2013, Kingston Ontario hosted the Scotties Tournament of Hearts, the national women's curling championship.

FactSnippet No. 960,294