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Windsor is the southernmost city in Canada. It lies at the western end of the heavily populated Quebec City-Windsor Corridor, is the second largest city in Southwestern Ontario (after London), and the largest community in Essex County. Windsor is located directly south of Detroit and is separated from that city by the Detroit River. The city has spectacular views of the Detroit skyline. The Windsor-Detroit border crossing is the busiest commerical border crossing in North America. The region marks the only border crossing where entering the mainland United States from Canada involves traveling north. The current mayor of Windsor is Eddie Francis.
History
Image:Mackenziehall.jpg Mackenzie Hall Windsor was first settled in 1748 as a French agricultural settlement, making it the oldest continually inhabited settlement in Canada west of Montreal. The area was first named Petite Côte (Little Coast), and later became known as La Côte de Misère (Poverty Coast) because of the sandy soils near LaSalle. Windsor's French heritage is reflected in many French street names, such as Ouellette, Pelissier, Marentette and Lauzon. There is a significant French speaking minority in Windsor and the surrounding areas. Many of them are in the Lakeshore area. The current street system of Windsor (grid with elongated blocks) reflects the French method of agricultural land division where the farms were long and narrow, fronting along the river. Image:Housesandwich.jpg Duff-Baby House
Windsor was established as a village in 1854 (the same year the village was connected to the rest of Canada, by the Grand Trunk Railway/CN Rail), then a town in 1858, and ultimately gained city status in 1892. Image:WindsorSuperiorCourtofJusticeOntario.JPG Ontario Superior Court of Justice at Windsor. The city's growth in the twentieth century was spurred by annexations, which included Walkerville, Sandwich, Ontario (Now neighbourhood of Sandwich Towne), Ford City, Ojibway, Riverside, Ontario, and parts of Township of Sandwich West. What's in a name?The Windsor Star Centennial Edition in 1992 covered the city's past, its heyday as a railroading centre, and its contributions to World War I and World War II. It also recalled the naming controversy in 1892, when the town of Windsor wanted to become a city. The most popular names listed in the naming controversy were "South Detroit", "The Ferry" (from the ferries that linked Windsor to Detroit), Richmond (the runner-up in popularity), and Windsor (which won out over the others). Windsor was chosen over the others, because of its English name (to promote the heritage of many English settlers in the city), and so that it would be named after Windsor Castle in Berkshire, England. However, Richmond was a popular name used until the Second World War, mainly by the local Post Office. (Note: Richmond was later used for a town in Eastern Ontario.) Amalgamations
Ford City was officially incorporated as a village in 1912. It became a town in 1915, and became a city in 1929. It only lasted a few years, as it was amalgamated into Windsor in 1935, along with several other nearby villages. Walkerville was incorporated as a town in 1890, and was merged into Windsor with Sandwich and Ford City in 1935. Sandwich was established in 1817 as a town with no municipal status. It was incorporated as a town in 1858 (the same time as neighbouring Windsor was incorporated as a town). It lasted until 1935. The nearby village of Ojibway was incorporated as a town in 1913, and was annexed by the City of Windsor in 1966, at the same time as the town of Riverside. Riverside was incorporated in 1921, and was merged into Windsor in 1966. [1] DemographicsImage:WindsorBldgwithAfricanCanadians.JPG McDougal and Wyndotte celebrates Windsor's historical diversity.
In the 2006 Canadian census, the city had a population of 218,473 and its official metropolitan area (consisting of Windsor, Tecumseh, Amherstburg, LaSalle and Lakeshore) had a population of 323,342[2]. The 2005 projectory census indicated a population of 340,000 inhabitants growing at an average 1.4% annually. In March 2007, Statistics Canada released the latest census info and Windsor's population had grown 7.3% in 2001[3]. Windsor attracts many immigrants from around the world. It is the fourth most diverse city in Canada with over 20% of its residents being classified as foreign-born. According to the 2001 census, the Windsor metropolitan area had a population of 307,877 people, 49.3% male and 50.7% female. Children under five accounted for approximately 6.3% of the resident population of Windsor, compared to 5.8% in Ontario and almost 5.6% for Canada overall. Persons of retirement age (65 and over for males and female) accounted for 14.1% of the resident population in Windsor compared with 12.9% for Canada overall. The average age in Windsor is 36.0 years compared to 37.6 years for all of Canada. The population density of Windsor is 1728 people per square kilometre, compared with an average of 12.6 for Ontario. GovernmentCurrently, Windsor's Mayor is Eddie Francis, a Lebanese-Canadian, and long-time resident. Windsor is governed by its City Council. The city is divided into five wards, with two councillors per ward. They are: Ward 1 (Downtown), 2 (West Side), 3 (Riverside/East End), 4 (South Windsor), and 5 (Forest Glade, Far East End). Provincial and federal representationOn the provincial and federal levels, Windsor is divided into two ridings: Windsor West and Windsor—Tecumseh. Windsor is currently represented in the Legislative Assembly of Ontario by two Liberal members, Member of Provincial Parliament Sandra Pupatello (Windsor West), and Dwight Duncan (representing Windsor—Tecumseh). Federally, Windsor has typically voted liberal, but has recently begun to support the New Democratic Party (NDP). The two NDP members that represent Windsor in the Canadian House of Commons are Members of Parliamenmmt Brian Masse (Windsor West), and Joe Comartin (Windsor—Tecumseh). Windsor has long been a Liberal strong hold on both provincial and federal levels, but recently, Windsor has swung more towards supporting the NDP (at least federally), as it is also a stronghold for trade unions. EconomyImage:WindsorAssembelyPlant1.jpg The DaimlerChrysler Assembly plant Windsor competes with Oshawa, Ontario for the title of automotive capital of Canada (but now going bust due to the rising cost of fossel fuels which is causing a lot of job losses in the auto industries and manufacturing plants), with Windsor housing the DaimlerChrysler Canadian headquarters, and Oshawa housing the General Motors Canadian Headquarters. Industries include the DaimlerChrysler mini-van assembly plant, several Ford Motor Company engine and casting plants, the General Motors transmission plant and the Hiram Walker Canadian Club plant, along with a number of smaller tool and die and parts manufacturers that supply the larger plants. Windsor is also known as a global leader in the building of molds for the plastic injection. Labour union membership is traditionally very high in Windsor, (currently around 25%); and both of the city's current federal Members of Parliament are members of the New Democratic Party. The Canadian Auto Workers union has a strong and influential presence in the city. Windsor is also home to the Great Lakes Regional Office of the International Joint Commission, which is housed in the Bank of Commerce Building, a 15-storey tall bank tower owned by the Canadian Imperial Bank of Commerce. TransportationImage:AmbassadorBridgesunsetting1.jpg The Ambassador Bridge at sunset. Image:Ouelletteave.jpg Ouellette Avenue
Windsor is the western terminus of both Ontario Highway 401, Canada's busiest highway, and of VIA Rail's Quebec City-Windsor Corridor. The city is served by Windsor Airport with regular, scheduled commuter air service and heavy general aviation traffic. The Detroit Metropolitan Wayne County Airport is located across the river in Michigan. Windsor is also located on the St. Lawrence Seaway, and is accessible to ocean-going vessels. Image:WindsorBusstation.JPG Windsor's bus station is a block north of the Tunnel. Local transportation is handled by Transit Windsor, the city-owned bus company, which shares its downtown depot with Greyhound Lines. Windsor has completed a municipal highway, E.C. Row Expressway, running from east-west through the city. Consisting of 15.7 kilometres (10 mi) of highway and nine interchanges, the expressway is the fastest way for commuters to travel across the city. E.C. Row Expressway is actually in the Guinness Book of Records as the shortest freeway that took the longest to build. It is only 11 miles long but took more than 15 years to complete. Some will argue that it is not yet complete. The city is connected to Essex and Leamington via Highway 3, and is well connected to the other municipalities and communities throughout Essex County via the county road network. Windsor is linked to the United States by the Ambassador Bridge, the Detroit-Windsor Tunnel, a Canadian Pacific Railway tunnel, and the Detroit-Windsor Truck Ferry. The Ambassador Bridge is North America's #1 international border crossing in terms of goods volume: 27% of all trade between Canada and the United States crosses at the Ambassador Bridge. A current issue in Windsor is traffic around the Ambassador Bridge. The number of vehicles crossing the bridge has doubled in the past fifteen years (since [[1990) and, since the September 11, 2001 attacks, travelling through customs on the U.S. side takes much longer. The only way to access the bridge or tunnel is from two municipal roads: Huron Church Road (Bridge) and Goyeau Street (Tunnel). A large portion of the traffic is 18-wheeler trucks. There have been at times a wall of trucks up to eight kilometres (five miles) long on Huron Church Road. This road cuts through the west end of the city and the trucks are the source of many complaints about noise, pollution and pedestrian hazards. While in a very good state of repair in most sections, it had the distinction of being number 17 on a list of Canada's worst roads, due to the sheer volume of truck traffic. Windsor paid world famous traffic consultant Sam Schwartz to produce a proposal for a solution to this traffic problem. The city councillors have overwhelmingly endorsed the proposal and it was presented to the federal government as the solution that the city officially approves. Unfortunately, not all of the surrounding residents support the plan the city paid for. The problem with the plan is that the proposed roadway would cut through protected green space such as Ojibway Park. The federal government wasn't expecting the city to be able to agree upon a proposal of any sort and are now pushing for short term, cheaper solutions. On November 14, 2005, the joint Canadian-American committee studying the options for expanding the border crossing announced that its preferred option was to directly extend Highway 401 westward, using a new bridge or tunnel to cross the Detroit River and interchange with Interstate 75 somewhere between the existing Ambassador Bridge span and Wyandotte. The exact route of this new highway connection has not yet been determined. [4] Though usually considered as part of its park system, Windsor also has a fairly extensive bike trail network. Three trails in particular have been built and extended (Riverfront Bike Trail, Ganatchio Bike Trail, and Little River Extension), and have proven to reduce traffic, road wear, and repair costs, when people have the option to walk or ride their bicycles to work or wherever they need to go. This is most evident in the traffic-clogged downtown, where people ride their bikes (which is quicker than driving a car at times), thus lowering exhaust emissions, gasoline usage, traffic, and wear on the roads (as well as lowering the cost to fix roads), while keeping in shape at the same time. This is also seen in the summer along the Little River Extension, which acts as a major arterial bike path connecting Forest Glade with Sandpoint Beach and the Ganatchio Trail. EducationImage:Dillon Hall.jpg Dillon Hall, University of Windsor Image:Windsorplmainbranch.JPG Windsor Public Library offers literacy tutors. Windsor is home to the University of Windsor, which is Canada's southernmost university. It is a research oriented, comprehensive university. It has a student population of over 15,000 full-time and part-time undergraduate students and over 1000 graduate students. The university is just east of the Ambassador Bridge, south of the Detroit River. Windsor is also home to St. Clair College, a community college. Windsor is home to two International Baccalaureate recognized schools, Assumption College School, a Catholic high school, and Académie Ste. Cécile International School, a private school. Residents attend schools in the Greater Essex County District School Board, and the Windsor-Essex Catholic District School Board. Independent faith-based schools include Maranatha Christian Academy (JK-12), First Lutheran Christian Academy (preschool-8), and Académie Ste. Cécile International School (JK-12, including International Baccalaureate), and Windsor Adventist Elementary School. Windsor Public Library offers education, entertainment and community history materials, programs and services. The main branch coordinates a literacy programs for adults needing functional literacy upgrading. AttractionsImage:WindsorCasinohotel.JPG Casino Windsor's hotel. Image:CasinoWindsorgamingfloor.JPG Casino Windsor's gaming floor. Windsor tourist attractions include Casino Windsor, a lively downtown, Little Italy, the Art Gallery of Windsor, the Odette Sculpture Park, Ojibway Park, and nearby Point Pelee National Park. Windsor was a major entry point into Canada for refugees from slavery via the Underground Railroad and a major source of liquor during American Prohibition. The Capital Theatre in downtown Windsor had been a venue for feature films, plays and other attractions since 1929, until it declared bankruptcy on March 14, 2007. Windsor's nickname is the "Rose City" or "The City of Roses" and the city is noted for its several large parks and gardens found on its waterfront. The Queen Elizabeth II Sunken Garden is located at Jackson Park in the central part of the city. A WWII era Lancaster Bomber was displayed on a stand in the middle of Jackson Park for over four decades, but has since been removed for restoration. This park is now home to a mounted Spitfire replica and a Hurricane replica. Of the parks along Windsor's waterfront, the largest is the five-kilometre (three mile) stretch overlooking the Detroit skyline. It stretches from the Ambassador Bridge to the Hiram Walker Distillery. The western portion of the park contains the Odette Sculpture Park which features over 30 large-scale contemporary sculptures for public viewing, along with the Canadian Vietnam Veterans Memorial. The central portion contains Dieppe Gardens, Civic Terrace and Festival Plaza, and the eastern portion is home to the Bert Weeks Memorial Gardens. Further east along the waterfront is Coventry Gardens, across from Detroit's Belle Isle. The focal point of this park is the Charles Brooks Memorial Peace Fountain which actually floats in the Detroit River and has a coloured light display at night. The fountain is the largest of its kind in North America and symbolizes the peaceful relationship between Canada and the United States. Image:Artgallerywindsor.jpg Art Gallery of Windsor overlooking riverfront rock gardens Every summer Windsor co-hosts the two-week-long Windsor-Detroit International Freedom Festival, which culminates in a gigantic fireworks display that celebrates Canada Day and the American Independence Day. The fireworks display is among the world's largest and is held on the final Wednesday in June on the Detroit River between the two downtowns. Each year, the event attracts over a million spectators to both sides of the riverfront. Image:Windsortwoindustriescarsandsex.JPG Reputations for cars (see DaimlerChrysler HQs) and 'sin' come together in one picture. Image:Dcxbuilding.jpg The DaimlerChrysler Canada HQ in downtown Windsor, as seen from Dieppe Gardens along the riverfront. Windsor has also been the place where many metro Detroiters find what is forbidden in the United States. With the minimum legal drinking age at twenty-one in Michigan and nineteen in Ontario, a number of nineteen and twenty year-old Americans frequent Windsor's bars. The city also became a gaming attraction with Casino Windsor's opening in 1994, five years before casinos opened in Detroit. In addition, one can purchase Cuban cigars, less-costly prescription drugs, certain imported foods, and other items not available in the US. Often dubbed Sin City, Windsor is also known for its vast array of adult entertainment establishments. Some of the more popular "retreats" are Cheatah's, Jason's, Studio 4, Silvers, The Million Dollar Saloon, and for the women - Danny's. Windsor is also home to many great restaurants. Windsor is known for its great pizza. Another local legend is the Chicken Delight served up at a local greasy spoon type sports pub named "The Penalty Box". A good, up to date guide, complete with menus, reviews, profiles and event listings, can be found at WindsorEats.com. A complete listing of local events and festivals can be found in The Windsor & Essex County Events Directory.
Parks and recreationImage:WindsorAmbassadorPlaza.JPG Windsor's Riverside Drive and Riverfront Bike Trail from Dieppe Gardens. Image:WindsorSculptrewalkandbiketrail.jpg Art lines Windsor's river bike trail. Windsor's Department of Parks and Recreation[4] maintains 3,000 acres (12 km²) of green space, 180 parks, 40 miles (64 km) of trails, 22 miles (35 km) of sidewalk, 60 parking lots, vacant lands, natural areas and forest cover within the city of Windsor, as well as the bike trails, bike lanes, and bike-friendly streets. The largest park is Mic Mac Park, which can accommodate many different activities including baseball, soccer, biking, playground for children, and even a couple of water slides. Windsor has numerous bike trails that criss-cross the city, the largest being the Ganatchio Trail on Windsor's far east side. In recent years, city council has pushed for the addition of bicycle lanes on city streets to provide links throughout the existing trail network. The Windsor trail network is also linked to LaSalle, Ontario's trail network ("LaSalle Trail") in the west end, and will eventually be linked up to the Chrysler Canada Greenway (part of the Trans Canada Trail), with a second branch to the trail via LaSalle within the next 10-15 years. As a direct result from the city's portion of casino revenues, an upgraded landscaped trail has been filled with various modern and post-modern sculptures from artists in Essex County. Families of elephants (see picture), penguins and horses, among other themes intersect the trail. ClimateImage:Fallsunsetwindsor.jpg Overlooking the Ambassador Bridge from Windsor during fall, near dusk Windsor has a humid continental climate (Koppen climate classification Dfa) with four distinct seasons. The yearly average temperature is 9°C (48°F), the coldest month being January with an average high of -2°C (29°F) and the warmest being July with an average high of 29°C (84°F). The winters are cold and wet with an average of 130 cm (51 inches) of snow and temperatures typically somewhat below 0°C (32°F), with temperatures dipping at times to as low as -25°C (-13°F). Windsor is one of the cities receiving the least amount of snow in eastern and central Canada [5] (other cities with relatively little snow include Toronto and Sarnia), though there are frequent occasions when the city gets a heavy snowfall. As is the case with many cities in southern Ontario, the snow cover is not continuous; it comes and goes in the winter due to occasional temperature rises. In the year 2005, Windsor received almost 256 cm (101 inches) of snow, making it one of the snowiest years ever[6]. Image:Nightsnowwindsor.jpg Snowstorm in December, Windsor Image:Detroitskyline fromwindsor.jpg Detroit as seen from Windsor Summers are hot and humid with temperatures regularly reaching highs above 32°C (90°F) and sudden making it hard for most people to breath from time to time, frequent serve thunderstorms that are on rise which [environment canada] stated will only become increasing worse in the years to come due to large amounts of humidity and C2O emissions from human devolopment. Windsor is Canada's leader in lightning days, haze, humidity, and days over 30°C (86°F). Overall, summers in Windsor are the warmest in Canada, with a mean July temperature of about 23°C (73°F). The summer high temperature reaches as high as 38°C (100°F) from time to time. Having a continental climate region, Windsor's annual precipitation is 750-1000 mm (30-40 inches), making its annual precipitation described as moderate (or heavy in some circumstances, see a chart for details). TornadoesThe strongest tornado to hit Windsor was an F4 in 1946. It was also the deadliest. Windsor was also the only Canadian city to be hit by a tornado during the Super Outbreak of 1974, an F3 which killed nine people at the Windsor Curling Club. Windsor was also grazed in 1997 by the Southeast Michigan Tornado Outbreak, with one tornado (an F1) forming east of the city, and caused some local street flooding. The waters of Lake Erie, The Detroit River, and Lake St. Clair act as a slight natural deterrent to tornadoes but also add humidity and instability in the warm summer air, to fuel strong thunderstorms. Tornadoes have been recorded to cross the Detroit River (in 1946 and in 1997), and waterspouts are regularly seen over Lake St. Clair and Lake Erie in the fall and becoming very common because of the rapid weather change due to the effects of global warming. For the weather records that have been set in Windsor, see Weather Records in Windsor, Ontario. MediaImage:WindsorAChannel61Ouelettestreet.JPG A Channel studio on Ouelette Street. Image:WindsorStarofficeChathamstreet.JPG Windsor Star offices on Ferry Street, in downtown. Because of Windsor's proximity to the Detroit media market, radio and television broadcasters in Windsor are accorded a special status by the Canadian Radio-television and Telecommunications Commission exempting them from many of the Canadian content ("CanCon") requirements most broadcasters in Canada are required to follow. The CanCon requirements are sometimes blamed in part for the decline in popularity of Windsor radio station CKLW, a 50,000 watt AM radio station that in the late 1960s (prior to the advent of CanCon) had been the number one radio station not only in Detroit and Windsor, but also in the Toledo and Cleveland markets. Windsor is also exempt from concentration of media ownership rules: all of its commercial broadcast outlets are owned by a single company, CHUM Limited, although Blackburn Radio-owned CKUE-FM has a broadcast translator on 100.7 FM in Windsor, as well as an office on the east end (soon to be located in Walkerville, near downtown).
Radio
See also AM and FM radio stations in the Detroit market. Television
See also TV stations in the Detroit, Toledo, and Cleveland markets. Windsor and most of Essex County, Ontario also receive television stations from Toledo, Ohio (WTOL, WTVG, WNWO, WGTE, and WUPW), and the southern part of the county receives some of Cleveland, Ohio's television stations (WKYC-TV, WEWS, WJW-TV, WOIO, and WUAB). Only WTOL, WTVG, and WNWO are carried on cable services. There are times that WILX-TV channel 10 from Onondaga, Michigan (near Lansing) can be seen, albeit weakly, in Windsor, much in the same manner as CKCO-TV's translator in Sarnia, and CIII-TV, CHCH-TV, and CFMT-TV, all from London. In March 2007, Stephen Colbert made reference to Windsor as being the worst place on Earth.[5] Windsor and its surrounding area is served by the Windsor Star, a daily newspaper operated by CanWest Global Communications. Alternatively, upfront magazine, established in 1995 by Anis Elkassem, provides a voice to the underground arts, music and culture scene. Biz X Magazine, the only international border city publication, serves both Windsor and Detroit. On the Entertainment front, Windsor Social Magazine, which is an affiliate of Canada Social Magazine is aimed and viewed by a 18-35 year old demographic. FilmThe 2000 film Borderline Normal, featuring Robin Dunne, Stephanie Zimbalist, Corbin Bernsen and Michael Ironside, is set in Windsor. Many exterior locations, such as Ouellette Avenue, Dieppe Park and the Ambassador Bridge were featured. The 2007 film "Baby Blues" starting Jenny Levine, Sean O'Neil, Melanie Scrofano, and Michie Mee was shot throughout Windsor, Ontario. The film is scheduled for a Canadian theatrical release and will be in the 2007-2008 festival circuit. Sister citiesWindsor has several sister cities in the world, with dates in parentheses: This list is incomplete; you can help by expanding it.
Windsor also has a very close relationship with fellow Motor City: Sports teamsImage:Windsorarena.jpg Windsor Arena Windsor's sports fans tend to support the major professional sports league teams in nearby Detroit, but the city itself is home to the following youth, minor league, post-secondary and professional teams: | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
