Third Stop: St. Catherine

6/3/2011

I am in St. Catherine, Ontario. I am so excited to see those rowers rowing hard in the Canadian Secondary School Rowing Association.

(St. Catharine is right below Lake Ontario)

 It lies in Southern Ontario 51 kilometers (32 mi) south of Toronto across Lake Ontario, and is 19 kilometers (12 mi) inland from the international boundary with the United States along the Niagara River. (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/St._Catharines)
**By the way, it's called "The Garden City" because of its 1,000 acres ( around 4 km²) of meticulously groomed parks, gardens and trails.**

It's position is at 79° 15', W and 43° 10', N. I feel the breeze from Lake Ontario. The water is so clear. I can see some rowers practicing hard on the lake. Hopefully I will be able to see the Brentwood rowers^^ Even though it's beside the lake, it's still a humid continental climate region since it's in the middle of North America. But it has a unique micro-climate because of the moderating influence of Lake Ontario and Lake Erie and the sheltering effect of the Niagara Escarpment to the south. It's in Great Lake St. Lawrence Lowland so there are no mountains around; therefore, it had a precipitation of convection--mainly cause by the difference of the temperature.Here are the climate data of this peaceful place:

During my car drive, I find out that this isn't a really big city. It's not as huge as Toronto or Ottawa. It's the largest city in Canada's Niagara Region but is only the sixth largest urban area in Ontario, Canada, with 97.11 square kilometers of land.
**interesting fact: Residents of St. Catharines are known as St. Catharinites.

It has many small canals since the city is right beside the river. The lakeside is very beautiful. I often see many people jogging or chilling underneath the trees beside the lake. Lake Ontario is vast! I can't really see the edge of it. The water is glittering and the wind is puffing mildly. So nice. I hear the cheering of the visitors along the lakeside for the rowers in the race. I should walk my way there and take a look^^
The city isn't like New York or other cities; it's not full with lots of people. It has a similarly complex soil stratigraphy in the area occupied by the city because of the complex and extensive glacial history of the Niagara Peninsula. St. Catharines was once at the base of a glacial lake known as Glacial Lake Iroquois, which deposited thick layers of clay between the Escarpment and Lake Ontario. The city's soil is particularly conducive to fruit growing and is capable of producing grapes that are used to make award-winning wines. (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/St._Catharines) I see a few agricultural growing centers located outside the city!
Since the opening of the first Welland Canal in 1829, the city has seen four different canal systems, whether modified or newly constructed, carved into its geographical landscape. The canals are now cleaned and allow ships or boats to pass through.
This is the Welland Canal I pass by. It  is a ship canal in Canada that extends 42 km (27.0 miles) from Port Weller, Ontario, on Lake Ontario, to Port Colborne, Ontario, on Lake Erie. This canal enables ships to ascend and descend the Niagara Escarpment and to bypass the Niagara Falls.

I am now in the Montebello Park in the city. It is a public park in downtown. It's designed by Frederick Law Olmsted. It has a commemorative rose garden with over 1,300 bushes in 25 varieties is the city's largest rose collection and an ornamental fountain. The focal point of the park is a historic band shell and pavilion used for festivals. The park is designated under the Ontario Heritage Act, which allows municipalities and the provincial government to designate individual properties and districts in the Province of Ontario, Canada. (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/St._Catharines) I look closely at the roses, whether it's white or red. They are as beautiful as the angels. I also visit the band shell.

It looks quite funny eh? After the visit of this park, I then go to the Ministry of Transportation Headquarter just for the fun of it. There is nothing but a tall building. Kind of lame~~Also, I visit the Old Courthouse. It looks like a church with a dome on the top of it. It's abandoned, sadly. There are some old court documents in this "museum." See the picture below:

It's afternoon now, I am going to watch those rowers now^^ Speak to this, I need to introduce what's CSSRA (Canadian Secondary School Rowing Association)
It is an organization which governs high school rowing in Canada. The CSSRA has hosted the main high school rowing event, known as the CSSRA Championships (also known as "Schoolboy") since 1945. Schoolboy is held annually the first weekend of June (Friday through Sunday) in St. Catharines at the Royal Canadian Henley Regatta course. The event is the largest high school regatta in Ontario, as well as Canada, and possibly North America.The CSSRA Championships are hosted by the St. Catharines rowing club. (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/CSSRA) The total distance of the race is about 2000m~ wow, so long.
On the lake, thousands of rowers are preparing for their big races. I see the Brentwood crew with red and white uni-suits. Unfortunately I don't see them rowing at all, probably because the wind is too big@@ It's a bit windy. This is a rowing event that is way bigger than the Brentwood regatta. I am amazed by how manyn people come.

I catch one picture of this rowing event^^

There's one thing St. Catherine needs to take care of:
*It's a bit too close to both lakes, if there's a huge storm a big flooding might occur.*
I know it hasn't happened yet, but it's just a prediction.

I would say this city is based on not natural resources but a agricultural and service economy. The land is very fertile since it is in the Lowland region! And thousands of people come to visit each year so the income from tourism is quite large.
 In nineteen century, this land was full of tribes and local communities of English speaking people. They farmed here and formed  a small community. Gradually, more people come in because of the wonderful view and the fertile land. The city then formed.

Speak to all these people, the population of this city is around 390,317 (not that big). But it is the sixth largest city in Ontario! (imagine the whole northern part of Ontario is empty.....)

The population has grown a lot in the past century!
the population around this region is actually quite spread out. Many people choose to grow vine and other vegetation in more rural areas rather than staying in the city. Also many people decide to live around the Great Lakes too. So the population is less dense in St. Catherine than that in Toronto or Ottawa^^

It's time for bed now.
Hope those rowers will do well in the races this weekend
:)))
Let's visit the great Niagara Fall tomorrow!





Source: wikipedia, google engine (pictures), www.statcan.ca