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Kingston, Ontario, is a city in Canada located at the eastern end of Lake Ontario, where the lake runs into the St. Lawrence River and the Thousand Islands begin. The central part of the city is located between the Cataraqui River to the east and the Little Cataraqui Creek to the West, with outlying areas extending in both directions. Kingston is the county seat of Frontenac County. According to the 2001 Canadian census, the population of the city proper was 114,195, while the population of the metropolitan area as a whole was 146,838 in 2001. Kingston is nicknamed the "Limestone City" because of the many historic buildings built from limestone. Canadian Forces Base Kingston (CFB Kingston) houses CFSCE (Canadian Forces School of Communications and Electronics), the Canadian Armed Forces' military communications training centre. Canada's largest group of federal prisons, including Kingston Penitentiary, is located in the immediate area of the city.
History
Economy Kingston's economy relies heavily on public sector institutions and establishments. The most important sectors are related to health care, education, government (including the military and correctional services), tourism and culture, manufacturing, and research and development. Of Kingston's major industrial employers of the 20th century, the Canadian Locomotive Company and Davis Drydock are long closed, and the former Alcan and Dupont operations employ far fewer persons than in the past. According to the Kingston Economic Development Corporation, in a 2004 report, the 20 largest employers in Kingston were: Source: http://business.kingstoncanada.com/communityprofile/resources/Economic.pdf Culture Kingston has developed a thriving artistic and entertainment life. The city hosts several festivals during the year, including the Limestone City Blues Festival, the Kingston Canadian Film Festival, Fanfayr, the Kingston Busker's Rendezvous, Kingston Sheep Dog Trials, Kingston Jazz Festival, Kingston Dragon Boat Festival, Canada DanceSport, the Festival of Trees, Feb Fest, the Limestone Classic, and the Chilifest. The Kingston Symphony Orchestra performs at Kingston's Grand Theatre, as do several amateur and semi-professional theatre groups. (Following a successful fundraising campaign, the Grand Theatre has been closed for renovations and will reopen in the fall of 2006. *) Also in the city is Theatre Kingston (formerly Theatre Beyond), a professional company. The city has spawned several musicians and musical groups, most of whom are known mainly within Canada, but few of whom have achieved international success. These include members of The Tragically Hip, The Mahones, jazz singer Andy Poole, Bedouin Soundclash, Sarah Harmer, The Arrogant Worms, The Headstones, The Inbreds, David Usher (formerly of Moist), and Kingston is the birth place of Bryan Adams. Singer Avril Lavigne, from nearby Napanee, began her career after gaining notice singing at a Kingston fair and bookstore. The first winner of the television series Canadian Idol was Kingston native Ryan Malcolm. Poet Michael Andre was raised in Kingston, and actor Dan Aykroyd makes his home near Kingston. Media In addition to local outlets, radio and television stations from New York (especially the Watertown market) are readily available in Kingston. Radio Television The city's daily newspaper is the Kingston Whig-Standard, owned by Osprey Media. Smaller local publications include Kingston This Week, Heritage, Kingston Eye-Opener and Independent Voice. Hockey Although contested, Kingston lays claim to being the birthplace of ice hockey. This claim arises from a game played in 1886 between Queen's University and the Royal Military College of Canada and is recognised by the Canadian Amateur Hockey Association. Kingston is represented in the OHL by the Kingston Frontenacs, and in OPJHL by the Kingston Voyageurs. The International Hockey Hall of Fame, established in 1943 and erected in 1965, is located in Kingston, near the Kingston Memorial Centre. Currently under construction is th Kingston Sports and Entertainment Centre located in the downtown core. Several NHL players, coaches and personalities have been associated with Kingston including: Sailing The city is famous for its fresh-water sailing, and hosted the sailing events for the 1976 Summer Olympics. CORK — Canadian Olympic-training Regatta, Kingston — now hosted by CORK/Sail Kingston Inc. is still held every August. Kingston is listed by a panel of experts among the best yacht racing venues in the USA, even though Kingston is, of course, in Canada. Here's a list of major regattas hosted by Kingston over the years. Kingston sits amid great cruising and boating territory, with easy access to Lake Ontario, the St. Lawrence River, and the Thousand Islands including the St. Lawrence Islands National Park. Diving Kingston is a well-known destination for fresh-water wreck diving. Some of Kingston's wrecks can be classed among the best fresh water wrecks in the world. Kingston's wrecks are well preserved by its cool fresh water, and the recent zebra mussel invasion has caused a drastic improvement in water clarity that has enhanced the quality of diving in the area. Here's a catalog of diveable wrecks in the Kingston region, another source is here. Demographics According to the mid-2001 census, there were 146,838 people residing in the greater Kingston area, of whom 49.1 % were male and 50.9 % were female. Children under five accounted for approximately 5.1 % of the resident population of Kingston. This compares with 5.8 % in Ontario, and almost 5.6 % for Canada overall. In mid-2001, 14.1 % of the resident population in Kingston were of retirement age (65 and over for males and females) compared with 13.2 % in Canada. As a result, the average age is 38.1 years of age as compared to 37.6 years of age for all of Canada. Kingston has a reputation as a suitable place for retirees to settle. In the five years between 1996 and 2001, the population of Kingston grew by 1.6 %, compared with an increase of 6.1 % for Ontario as a whole. Population density of Kingston averaged 77.0 people per square kilometre, compared with an average of 12.6, for Ontario altogether. The population of Kingston shows significant turnover because of its relatively large student population (about 10%) and the number of military residents associated with Canadian Forces Base Kingston. Racial constitution Religious belief Post-Secondary Kingston is the site of two highly-respected universities, Queen's University and the Royal Military College of Canada (RMC), and a major community college, St. Lawrence College. Queen's University is one of Canada's oldest universities and offers a variety of degree programs. One of the oldest radio stations in the world, CFRC, broadcasts from the university. RMC is Canada's only military university and provides academic and officer training to cadets who will be members of Canada's armed forces. St. Lawrence College offers programs in business, information technology, tourism, communications, health, and the trades. Primary and secondary The Limestone District School Board serves students in the counties of Frontenac and Lennox and Addington. Along with the Limestone School of Community Education, which provides adult education and training programs, approximately 23,000 students attend 56 elementary and 12 secondary schools. The Algonquin and Lakeshore Catholic District School Board serves students of the Roman Catholic faith. Approximately 15,000 students attend 36 elementary schools and 5 secondary schools in this school district. The francophone community is served by two school boards, the Conseil des écoles publique de l'est de l'Ontario and the Conseil des écoles catholique de langue française du centre-est, each providing one secondary school in the area. Local secondary schools: Waterfront Kingston has a rich and beautiful waterfront. Major features include Flora MacDonald Confederation Basin, Portsmouth Olympic Harbour, Collins Bay, Wolfe Island, Garden Island, the Cataraqui River (including Kingston, Ontario Inner Harbour and, within that, Anglin Bay.) Notables Sister cities Kingston is twinned with both Scottsdale, Arizona and Cienfuegos, Cuba Cities and towns nearby
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