​Discover Kingston

The City of 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 – more than 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.

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.

Tourism and Culture

There is a lot to do and see in Kingston. Here are just a few links to get you started:

• Rideau Canal National Historic Site of Canada: a UNESCO world heritage site
• Thousand Islands Region
• Kingston Public Market: the oldest continually running market in Canada
• Wolfe Island Ferry: find a schedule

Museums, Galleries, Historic Sites, Walking Tours

Fort Henry National Historic Site | Bellevue House | Penitentiary Museum | Pump House Steam Museum | Kingston Association of Museums, Art Galleries | Self-guided Tours | Haunted Walk

Marinas

Portsmouth Olympic Harbour | Confederation Basin | Collins Bay | Treasure Island

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.

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 UNESCO World Heritage Site.

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

Government and Economy

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