Amalgamation

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St. Catharines, the largest city in the Niagara Region, is synonymous with festivals, sporting events, heritage and wine country.

The current urban boundary of St. Catharines was created out of an amalgamation of the communities of St. Catharines, Merritton, Port Dalhousie, and a portion of Grantham Township up to the fourth Welland Canal and including Port Weller.

The merger of these four communities was contentious and bitterly fought at times. Despite this, amalgamation became official on January 1st, 1961, doubling the population of the community and making the new city the sixth largest urban centre in Ontario at the time.

Amalgamation required the renaming and renumbering of many streets around the city as duplicate street names created confusion. The new boundaries also required expanded services including additional fire, police, and infrastructure to support new growth.

In 1970, the former Counties of Lincoln and Welland were amalgamated into the Regional Municipality of Niagara, which includes all 12 municipalities in the region, including St. Catharines.

Each of the neighbourhoods in St. Catharines offer multi-cultural dining, beautiful parks, and unique retail.