Discover Kingston

Downtown Kingston sign

Kingston is a home-away-from-home not only for students from Queen’s, but also for those attending the Royal Military College and St. Lawrence College - nearly 30,000 in all!

Described by students as both “quaint” and “eclectic,” Kingston is big enough to provide all the conveniences of modern life, and small enough for students, staff, and faculty to feel instantly comfortable and at home.

In 2012, Kingston ranked as the third best place to live in Canada. (Source: moneysense.ca)

A Little History

Founded in 1673 on a First Nation site called Katarokwi, the settlement was eventually referred to as "the King's Town" in honour of King George III, with the name shortening to "Kingston" by 1788. Kingston is also nicknamed the "Limestone City" because of the many historic buildings built with local limestone.

Kingston has a storied military and political history. Kingston was chosen as the first capital of Canada on February 15, 1841, and served in that role until 1844. Kingston was also the home of Canada's first Prime Minister, Sir John A. Macdonald.

There are 21 National Historic Sites of Canada located in Kingston, and in 2007, the Rideau Canal, along with the fortifications at Kingston, was designated a World Heritage Site.

Kingston Historical Society

Where

The City of Kingston is located in eastern Ontario, where Lake Ontario flows into the St. Lawrence River, about 200 km from Canada's capital city of Ottawa, about 250 km from the centre of our provincial capital of Toronto, and about 300 km from Montréal, Québec.

Residents enjoying Movies in the Square

Shops on Princess Street in downtown Kingston

Kingston lakeside in the summer

Produce at the Farmer's Market in Springer Market Square

Kingston City Hall

Sailing by the Kingston Yacht Club

Water fountain in Confederation Park

Confederation Park in downtown Kingston

A memorial by Lake Ontario

Time Sculpture at Breakwater Park, Kingston, Ontario

Shops on Princess Street in downtown Kingston

Kingston waterfront in Fall

Kingston waterfront just steps away from campus

Plants at the Farmer's Market in Springer Market Square

Pump House Steam Museum by the lake

Kingston Yacht Club

Confederation Tour Trolley in downtown Kingston

Weather

Kingston is also one of the most consistently windy cities in Canada (take note, sailors!). While temperatures have been known to reach upwards of 34 degrees Celsius in the summer and as low as -34 degrees Celsius in the winter, on most days Lake Ontario has quite a moderating effect on Kingston weather:

an average January day charts a low temperature of -12° and a high of -3°;
an average July day charts a low of +16° and a high of +25°;
over the course of the year, Kingston sees a lot more rain than snow

Queen's has its own weather station too. The Faculty of Engineering and Applied Science has been measuring temperature, humidity, wind speed and direction, and solar radiation since the spring of 2004 from the top of Walter Light Hall.

Current weather conditions: Environment Canada

Government and Economy

Mayor	Mark Gerretsen	Find Mark Gerretsen on Facebook...
Member of Provincial Parliament for Kingston and the Islands	John Gerretsen	Go to John Gerretsen's website...
Federal Member of Parliament for Kingston and the Islands	Ted Hsu	Go to Ted Hsu's website...

Kingston's most important sectors are: health care; education; government (including the military and correctional services); tourism; culture; and industry.

Kingston Economic Development Corporation (KEDCO)