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Location

The city is located on the Niagara River, on the border between Ontario, Canada and New York State in the USA. Niagara Falls is about 130 km south of Toronto via the QEW Queen Elizabeth Way (70 km away by air), and about 25 miles north of Bufalo, NY. The city is at 43 degrees 15 minutes North latitude and 79 degrees 04 min. West longitude, and lies 618 feet above sea level. We are in Eastern standard time, the same as Toronto and New York, and 6 hours earlier than western Europe.

Name

Niagara originates from the Neutral Indian name "Ongniaahra" meaning "Thunder of Waters".

Population

The Niagara Falls area has populations on both the Canada & US sides of the Niagara River. Niagara Falls, Ontario (the city) has a population of 79,000 while the Niagara Regional Municipality (which includes St Catharines & Welland) has a population of 410,000. Niagara Falls, New York has a population of 55,000 and Niagara Falls County has a population of 218,000.

Ontario is the most populous of Canada's provinces, and was one of the original provinces in Canada’s Confederation in 1867. Ontario has 11 million residents in its 1,100,000 square kilometres (413,000 sq miles).

New York state was one of England's first 13 American colonies, which collectively achieved independence from Britain in 1783. New York's capital is Albany, and largest city is New York City, both on the Hudson River, and the state has a total population of 18,976,000 in its 47,214 sq miles (122,277 sq km)

Industries

The major industries in Niagara Falls reflects are tourism & agriculture, reflecting its position location as the "Honeymoon Capital of the World" and on the fertile and temperate Niagara Penninsula.

Weather

It boasts an average of 2,059 hours of sunshine annually but because of its northern climate can expect snow in any month with an "R" in it.. Average temperature in January is -13°C .. Summer is hot and humid warm and dry with average temperatures of 18°C. Average annual rainfall is 861 mm (about 34 inches), and average monthly summer rainfall is less than 83 cm (3 inches), with September being the wettest month. In the summer time, you can generally expect hot and sunny weather, with occasional precipitation. In the fall and spring time, expect cooler weather and cloud. The winters are typical of northern Canada, being both continuous and generally cold. Travellers should wear sweaters in fall, and appropriate warm coats and boots in the winter.

The average daily temperatures for Niagara Falls are:

Tipping

Some hotels include tips or gratuities with group programs to simplify bookkeeping. This will usually include gratuities for housekeeping, bell service and food service. In a hotel, bell service should be tipped about $1 per bag, and housekeeping $1 to $5 dollars a day (in proportion to your room rate). Visitors should know that the standard tip in restaurants is 10%-15% (on restaurant bills, an average tip will be 50% higher the GST & tax), with 20% (about double the GST & tax) for very outstanding service. This is especially important for visitors from countries where tipping on meals is not done: here the waitering staff depend on tips for a significant portion of their incomes. Tip taxis about 10%, and a dollar a bag they carry for you (not just unload), or at the very least round fares up to the nearest dollar.

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