Even if you are from Niagara, you may not realize how awesome our region has become.
Niagara is a hot real-estate market, according to many delighted new homeowners, and the Canadian Real Estate Association.
In January, 2017, the average price of a home sold in Canada was $470,253. In Toronto, the average was higher, at $770,745, while in Hamilton-Burlington, the average was $516,128. In Niagara, however, the average sale price for the same period was just $345,294. (Source, CREA stats)
Aside from awesome home prices, there are benefits to living in Niagara, where 12 communities come together to offer services, balanced government and beauty that can’t be measured. Let’s talk specifically about one of these: St. Catharines, the region’s largest city.
With a population of 131,400, St. Catharines houses almost a third of Niagara’s inhabitants.
The city’s varied multicultural neighbourhoods offer residents multiple choices of living quarters, from rental apartments in older homes to new high-rise buildings; from single-family bungalows to freehold townhomes, condominiums and even executive-style homes on larger properties.
The Garden City, as it is nicknamed, is also a beautiful place to live, with parks, green spaces and treed properties aplenty. The city even offers its own forestry service, caring for resident trees and ensuring the continuation of their health and beauty.
For sports enthusiasts, St. Catharines is centrally located in Niagara Region and offers easy access to trails that invite hikers, cyclists, walkers, runners and families just taking a stroll to get out and get active. To learn more about trails, visit the city’s website, HERE.
If you are a golfer, you’re in luck: Niagara boasts about 50 golf courses, with seven of the top courses in nearby towns easily accessible by highway. To learn more about Niagara’s Golf Trail, visit the Golf Trail website, HERE.
Like to kayak or row? There are places for water sports, too! There are three major beaches, offering great places for fun in the sun. All have parking adjacent or nearby, and all are supported by services such as playgrounds and picnic areas.
The city’s Green Ribbon Trail also offers opportunities for canoeing and kayaking, ice skating in winter, and is a class one wetland dedicated to missing children.
City living sometimes isn’t great for dogs - but in St. Catharines, there are two leash-free dog parks, where well-socialized pets can roam, chase toys and get lots of exercise with other dogs. The two parks offer dawn-to-dusk services, and one park even offers an enclosure for smaller dogs.
Niagara Health in St. Catharines has you covered when it comes to medical help. The city’s health services were boosted in 2013 with the opening of a new St. Catharines Site hospital and regional cancer treatment centre. This site serves as a community hospital for St. Catharines, Thorold, Niagara-on-the-Lake and surrounding areas; it also offers emergency and urgent care services in one location.
Complete dental and medical services are available at various sites around the city, or in nearby communities easily accessible by highway. To learn more about the city’s various hospitals and clinics, visit the Niagara Health website, HERE.
New to Canada? It’s smart to settle in Niagara and St. Catharines, where the Niagara Folk Arts Multicultural Centre offers settlement services for newcomers to Canada. The Niagara Folk Arts Festival, which takes place annually each May from its base in St. Catharines, celebrates the cultures, traditions, art, music and food of Niagara’s communities.
St. Catharines truly has it all: It’s a multicultural city filled with services; industry and manufacturing; job opportunities; opportunities for worship; great shopping; awesome public transit; service clubs and charitable organizations, and a council that honours and respects the people for whom it works.
To learn more about the Garden City’s municipal government and services, visit the St. Catharines website, HERE. Then, come visit this friendly, charming metropolis and see for yourself what an awesome place our Niagara has become.
Sally McGarr Realty Corp. agents know Niagara; they love Niagara, and they want you to come love it, too. If you are ready to start searching, give our office a call at 905-468-9229 in Niagara-on-the-Lake, or 905-687-9229 in St. Catharines. Reach us via the contact page on our website, HERE.
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