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The city is located on the Niagara River, on the border between Ontario, Canada and New York State in the USA. Niagara Falls is about 130 km south of Toronto via the QEW Queen Elizabeth Way (70 km away by air), and about 25 miles north of Buffalo, NY. The Niagara Region has populations on both the Canada & US sides of the Niagara River. Niagara Falls, Ontario (the city) has a population of 79,000 while the Niagara Regional Municipality (which includes St Catharines & Welland) has a population of 410,000. Niagara Falls, New York has a population of 55,000 and Niagara Falls County has a population of 218,000
Niagara Falls's weather ranges dramatically over the seasons. In the summer, it hot & sticky (the humidity comes from the Gulf of Mexico, not Lake Ontario as is commonly believed) with warm nights, and in the winter it is cold, with snow lasting from end of November until mid-April. Winter snowstorms can come quickly and often bury cars overnight (locals consider any snowfall under a foot a "dusting"). Spring comes quickly as the snowdrifts melt and tulips pop up into bloom. In the fall, as nights get longer, the leaves turn into a brilliant range of colours, as sap returns to the roots with declining overnight temperatures.
Niagara's name originates from the Neutral Indian name "Ongniaahra" meaning "Thunder of Waters", the noise these towering waterfalls make, as water drains from the Upper Great Lakes via the Niagara River.
The major industries in Niagara Falls reflects are tourism & agriculture, reflecting its position location as the "Honeymoon Capital of the World" and on the fertile and temperate Niagara Penninsula. The manufacturing sector is also strong, reflecting St Catharine's position on the Welland Canal portion of the St Lawrence Seaway, a well as the region's proximity to Buffalo, New York.
The Niagara Region covers the area between the Niagara River and Hamilton, and covers a number of large communities like Niagara Falls,
and St Catherines, and several smaller comununities like Niagara on the Lake, Fort Erie, Port Colborne, Thorold, Welland, and Grimsby.
More about Niagara, from  .
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