Discover Kingston
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.
- In 2012, Kingston ranked as the 3rd best place to live in Canada (and in 2015, the 6th best place to retire!), according to moneysense.ca.
- In 2013, the BBC listed Kingston as one of the top five university towns in the world.
- According to Instagram in 2014, Kingston is the happiest city in Canada.
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.
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
Marinas
Portsmouth Olympic Harbour | Confederation Basin | Collins Bay | Treasure Island
Historic Walking Tours and Activities
Self-guided Tours | Haunted Walk
Museums, Galleries, and Historic Sites
Fort Henry National Historic Site | Bellevue House | Penitentiary Museum | Pump House Steam Museum
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 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
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.
Government and Economy
Mayor | Bryan Paterson |
Member of Provincial Parliament for Kingston and the Islands | Ian Arthur |
Federal Member of Parliament for Kingston and the Islands | Mark Gerretsen |
Kingston's most important sectors are: health care; education; government (including the military and correctional services); tourism; culture; and industry.