The History of Niagara's Economic Development

The Niagara Community Observatory and Brock University are excited to partner with the Wilson Foundation to tell the story of Niagara’s economic development from pre-1900 to the present day.

The history of economic growth and development of large cities and regions worldwide is well documented. However, midsized regions are often overlooked in the extant literature.  This project rests on the central premise that our current understanding of economic development trends in midsized regions like Niagara and insight into the underlying forces that shape their economic resilience, adaptability, growth and development is still inadequate. Yet these midsized regions have emerged over the past few decades as dynamic centres exhibiting the most potential for adaptive and nimble economic reinvention in an age of breakneck industrial restructuring. This project sheds light on trends and transformations in Niagara from the early 1800s to the present day against the backdrop of global tectonic shifts in technologies, markets, human migration and ideas. 

Our interdisciplinary team produced three culminating papers, examined six key economic sectors across hundreds of years, and provided important supplementary information that influences everything:

As the papers in the project reveal, the general history of Niagara is the story of a region that has punched well above its weight in helping to shape and enrich Canada into the nation we know today. The papers also shed light on how the region has adapted (to varying degrees of success) to the shifting currents of change, thanks to its border location, natural resources, economic and institutional assets and most of all, its creative and hardworking residents. 

The Niagara Frontier - 1818 Map

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