Port Colborne

Port Colborne is a city of 20,000 people (2021) in Ontario's Niagara Region on the northern shore of Lake Erie and the southern end of the Niagara Peninsula.

Understand
The City of Port Colborne has plenty of great weather, ample beach front, and cultural attractions. Port Colborne has great historic shopping districts, a variety of restaurants, and good natural attractions and recreation facilities.

The original settlement, known as Gravelly Bay, dates from 1832 and was renamed after Sir John Colborne, a British war hero and the Lieutenant Governor of Upper Canada at the time of the opening of the (new) southern terminus of the First Welland Canal in 1833.

History
In pre-colonial times, the Neutral Indians lived in the area, due in part to the ready availability of flint and chert from outcroppings on the Onondaga Escarpment. This advantage was diminished by the introduction of firearms by European traders, and they were driven out by the Iroquois around 1650 as part of the Beaver Wars.

Founded as Gravelly Bay, after the shallow, bedrock-floored bay upon which it sits, the modern City of Port Colborne traces its roots back to the United Empire Loyalist settlements that grew up in the area following the American Revolution. Growth became focused around the southern terminus of the Welland Canal after it was extended to reach Lake Erie in 1833.

Sometime during the 1880s, American tourists from the Southern states began building vacation homes on the lakeshore of the Western edge of the town. Before long, an entire gated community of vacationers from the South called Port Colborne their home during the summer months. Today, the picturesque street of Tennessee Avenue is still home to many of these original vacation homes and buildings, as well as the original stone and wrought iron resort gates. The street boasts some immaculately maintained examples of late 19th- and early 20th-century Southern architecture.

Visitor information

 * City of Port Colborne
 * Niagara South Coast Tourism Association

By plane
Buffalo-Niagara International Airport in Buffalo, New York is about a 45-minute drive away.
 * Buffalo Airport Shuttle, 716-685-2550, offers service from the Buffalo-Niagara airport to Port Colborne.  A group of up to 4 can expect to pay approximately $95 each way and the drivers often have great tips on where to go and what to avoid.

Hamilton John C. Munro International Airport in Hamilton, Ontario is about a 75-minute drive away.

Toronto Pearson International Airport in Toronto is about a 1½-hour drive away.

By car
Port Colborne, being on the south end of the Niagara Peninsula, is primarily accessed from the Queen Elizabeth Way highway. Visitors can head south from the QEW via Victoria Ave (Hwy 24), or via Highway 406/140 to reach the town. The drive south from the QEW usually takes between 25-40 minutes depending on traffic conditions.

Visitors already on the south end of the peninsula can access Port Colborne by following Hwy 3 which passes directly through the center of town.

By car
Traffic is typically very light within the town. A minor annoyance are the three lift bridges that cross the Welland Canal. Delays of 15-25 minutes can arise when a ship passes under a bridge, although there are usually alternate routes available to get over the canal at other points in the city.

By bus
Public transit options are somewhat limited in Port Colborne. A regional bus runs between Port Colborne and Welland, Monday through Friday. Otherwise, on-demand transit services are provided by Niagara Region Transit.

See