Kingston Ontario : Ask Biography

Administration

Full name

Kingston

Settlement type

City

Motto

Where history and innovation thrive.

Country

Canada

Province

County

Frontenac

Established

1673 (as Fort Cataraqui; later renamed Fort Frontenac)

Incorporated

1838 (as town); 1846 (as city)

Amalgamated

1998 (with Kingston and Pittsburgh Twps)

Government

City Mayor

Mark Gerretsen

Governing Body

Kingston City Council

MPs

Ted Hsu (LPC)

MPPs

John Gerretsen (OLP)

Geography

Total Area

173.9 sq mi (450.39 km2)

Metro Area

736 sq mi (1906.82 km2)

Elevation

230 � 360 ft (70.1 m)

Demography

Total Population

117207 (2006)

Density (pop.)

260.0/km² (673.4/sq mi)

Metro (pop.)

152358

Other information

Time zone

Eastern (EST) (UTC−5)

- Summer (DST)

Eastern (EDT) (UTC−4)

Postal code span

K7K through K7P

Area code

613 343

Home | City | Kingston Ontario

Kingston, Ontario is a Canadian city located in Eastern Ontario where the St. Lawrence River flows out of Lake Ontario. Originally a First Nations settlement called "Katarowki," (Ga-ta-row-key), growing European exploration in the 17th Century made it an important trading post. In order to control the fur trade, French explorer LaSalle founded Fort Frontenac in 1673.

Located midway between Toronto and Montreal, Kingston was named the first capital of the Province of Canada on February 15, 1841, by Governor Lord Sydenham. While its time as a political centre was short, Kingston remained an important military installation.

Kingston is the county seat of Frontenac County. According to the

2006 Canadian census, the population of the city proper was 117,207, while the population of the metropolitan area was 152,358.

Kingston is nicknamed the "Limestone City" because of the many historic buildings built from the local limestone.