Location
The Town is located on the south side of Lake Ontario close to the lake's western point almost directly south of Toronto. Niagara-on-the-Lake is just off the Queen Elizabeth Highway (QEW) approximately 125 kilometers (90 minutes) south west of Toronto. It is 20 kilometers (25 minutes) from Niagara Falls, Ontario and the U.S. border is just about a 20 minute drive away. Niagara-on the-Lake is bounded by the Niagara River, Lake Ontario, the City of St. Catharines, and the City of Niagara Falls and occupies 31,131 acres (or 12,599 hectares). In summer the average daytime high temperature is 26°C and in winter it is 1°C.
Healthcare and Services
Niagara-on-the-Lake is serviced by the Niagara Health System. It is comprised of six hospital sites and an ambulatory care centre and is Ontario's largest multi-site hospital group. It is supported by a medical staff of over 500 physicians throughout the Regional Municipality of Niagara. The Niagara-on-the-Lake Hospital Site is a hospital-based primary health care centre which includes a team of family physicians, nurse practitioners and an internist. It houses a 22-bed combined Complex Continuing Care and Acute Care Unit.
Seniors Services
211 is a telephone number that connects people to a full range of non-emergency social, health and government services in the community twenty-four hours a day, seven days a week.
There are three care facilities in Niagara-on-the-Lake:
- Chateau Gardens Niagara
: a 124 bed, fully accredited Long Term Care Facility committed to providing compassionate professional care in a homelike setting
- Pleasant Manor Retirement Village: independent living apartments for seniors, supportive housing and long-term care (nursing home) espousing the Mennonite philosophy,
 Upper Canada Lodge Long Term Care Facility: Upper Canada Lodge offers an Adult Day Program a support service which provides individual programming for adults, assisting them to achieve and maintain their maximum level of functioning to prevent premature and inappropriate institutionalization and to provide respite and information to caregivers.
There are numerous services in the area to assist seniors:
Seniors Information Groups and Clubs
The diverse population of Niagara-on-the-Lake is active in a variety of Service Clubs (Community Information Online Consortium)
In addition you will find:
- Amnesty International
- Beta Sigma Phi International
- Niagara-on-the-Lake Horticultural Society
- St. Davids/Queenston Senior Citizens Club
- University Women in Niagara-on-the-Lake (UWIN)
- Virgil Women's Institute Branch of Federated Women's Institute of Ontario
- The Golden Age Club
History
 Niagara-on-the-Lake, originally named Newark, was the first capital of Upper Canada which later became Ontario. Soon after, it was named Niagara and eventually it was changed to Niagara-on-the-Lake so as not to be confused with Niagara Falls. In 2004 the Historic Old Town was declared a National Historic Site and the quaint early nineteenth century historical characteristics are still visible on the Town's streets. Special web sites to visit include:
Culture and Tourism
Niagara-on-the-Lake residents belong to a variety of churches and places of worship.  Theatre and art lovers, history buffs as well as shoppers flock to the Town.The Shaw Festival delights theatre goers with the plays of George Bernard Shaw and his contemporaries held at three distinctive theatres.
Historical sites abound: Fort George, Brock's Monument at Queenston Heights, the Laura Secord homestead and many others too numerous to list in addition to the historical homes in the Old Town of Niagara-on-the-Lake. The town has a thriving community of artists and art galleries.
Each season features a variety of festivals to delight young and old alike from the Chamber Music Festival, to the Virgil Stampede and the St. Davids Lions Festival. Residents and visitors enjoy the Town's Peach Festival, the strawberry and cherry festivals, the equestrian festival and of course the plentiful wine festivals. To initiate the Christmas season townsfolk and guests assemble at the Court House for the Candlelight Stroll which includes entertainment and caroling.
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