Western Hill Suburban development is located in the neighborhood of Western Hill. The broad boundaries that differentiate Western Hill from other neighborhoods in St. Catherines are First Street Louth, Highway 406 and the Twelve Mile creek. Originally known as the 'West District', the neighborhood of Western Hill was founded by John Hainer, a soldier from the American Revolutionary War who saw potential for the area due to the close proximity of Twelve Mile creek, which was home of 'Shickluna's Shipyards', a popular shipyard that employed a relatively large population. These workers developed the area surrounding the creek into a residential and commercial area. By taking a drive through this neighborhood it is evident that even to this day, Western Hill remains a commercial area with numerous small businesses as well as some newer chains expanding there as well. By taking a walk on the west side of Western Hill, there is a visible difference in the residential aspect. While taking a walk on the eastern side of this neighborhood (the side closest to the river) stood older, smaller, unique businesses and houses, clearly from around the same timeframe when the neighborhood first started booming with residents. Getting closer to the west side, you are greeted with new 'cookie cutter' homes, built within the past decade marking a clear divide between old and new. The expansion of this neighborhood to the west was quite controversial due to the abundance of agricultural land it provided for the community. As this once tight small knit community expands, the landscape deteriorates and newer neighborhoods develop, the reputation of Western Hill has crumbled. In hopes of reviving life back into this historic neighborhood, there has been a boom in suburban development and community engagement within the past couple years.
Municipality: St. Catharines
Local area name: Western Hill
Other identifying names or descriptions: Industrial, Commercial and Residential neighbourhood
Latitude and longitude: 43.1371 N, 79.2620 W
Physical Dimensions:
Length: N/A
Width: N/A
Surface Area: N/A
Elevation: 112m / 367 feet
Western Hill Suburban development is located in the neighborhood of Western Hill in St. Catharines, Ontario, Canada. With a population of nearly 7000, Western Hill is one of the oldest neighborhoods in St. Catharines. Once a bustling industrial and residential area, in the years following the development of Western Hill, the city of St. Catharines continued to expand and new neighborhoods were created, drawing away from the older ones. The expansion of the city continuously drew citizens away from the businesses and housing market in Western Hill which in turn forced many businesses in the neighborhood to shut down and many houses became neglected, giving Western Hill an unpleasant image. However, in recent years many lifelong residents of the neighborhood have come together with the City of St. Catharines to develop and implement plans and strategies to resurrect the neighborhood, one of these strategies being the construction of new housing to attract residents and thus Western Hill Suburban Development was created.
Map 1: Overview of Western Hill Neighborhood via Google Maps
When discussing plant species in the Western Hill area it is important to note, in the 1700s, the first European settlers in the Niagara Region deemed the region an excellent place for an agricultural industry and thus began planting a variety of crops that were not necessarily native to the land in addition to the existing crops such as wild grapes and cherries which the Indigenous peoples had been cultivating for centuries. From this came one of the modern region's most popular agricultural products; tender fruits. From1880 until present day the Niagara Peninsula remains Ontario's largest tender fruit growing region. Tender fruits include peaches, nectarines, pears, grapes and cherries. Tender fruit farms became common in the Niagara Peninsula, which includes their expansion into St. Catharines countryside. The land outside of St. Catharines were commonly used as tender fruit farms until recent years when there was a call for new housing development in Western Hill which required many tender fruit fields/orchards to be cleared in order for the Western Hill Suburban Development to occur. In present time, when walking the streets of the Suburban development in Western Hill the most common type of vegetation other than domestic garden flowers would be trees. These infant trees planted in recent years include Niagara's common species such as sassafras, dogwood, walnut and oak. It is also important to note that the most Western side of Western Hill borders the Green Belt and is known as a 'Specialty Crop Area' within the Green Belt. Meaning that land is seen as valuable, reserved by the government solely for the purpose of growing crops, altering any plans for expansion to the West of the Western Hill neighborhood in the future.
Animal species commonly found in the Western Hill neighborhood commonly include mammals such as squirrels, skunks, rabbits and racoons.
Centuries ago it was not uncommon to spot the occasional black bear or mountain lion in the region, however those animals have since been eradicated in the region. A rare or uncommon site in the Western Hill neighborhood in the present day could be a deer or fox.
Human agricultural activities in the region have resulted in the creation of tender fruit farms centuries ago and now demolition of tender fruit land in order to create more space for residential expansion in a neighborhood that's human population is attempting to grow. Marzluff et al. (2008) explain that, "Nearly all the species groups decline with decreasing surface area and increasing recreational use, this disappearance may take place gradually, in other cases it may happen unevenly and abruptly" (p. 287). Meaning that due to human expansion that inevitably acquires more surface area, the population of all animal species, even common ones, decline.
The domestic gardens seen in front of houses and located in parks in the Western Hill neighborhood are a perfect example of what Hough (2004), describes as, "... the ideal of nature under control." (p. 92), where, "... plants are moulded and shaped, admired for their flower, leaves, unusual character or uniform repetition." (Hough, p. 92), thus creating a, "Humanized landscape" (Hough,p. 92). Meaning humans create gardens and landscapes to their ideals, a visual appeal and not necessarily in a natural sense.
Laying at the bottom of the Niagara Escarpment, the landscape of the Western Hill neighborhood is relatively flat. The only significant change is when heading North at the intersection of Louth Street and St. Paul Street West, there is an ever so slight slope down Louth Street.
Since the land that Western Hill Suburban development is located on was once farm land, it requires many processes performed by humans in order to make it residential. One of these processes is what Wessolek (2008) refers to as "Sealing" which he describes as, "... the covering and paving of soil surfaces mostly in urban areas" (Wessolek, 161). The type of soil in Western Hill is a mix of sand, gravel, clay and loam. Sealing in the context of an urban development such as the residential and industrial neighborhoods of Western Hill would include the paving of streets, driveways, sidewalks and parking lots. Though the process of sealing sounds nothing but beneficial, Wessolek argues that there are significant consequences to consider as well, such as loss of vegetation and irregulating the natural water and climate balance.
The most significant hydrogeological feature of the Western Hill neighborhood is Twelve Mile creek which separates the East side of the Western Hill neighborhood from the West side of Old Glenridge neighborhood. Twelve Mile Creek flows up into Port Dalhousie into Lake Ontario. According to a study done on Twelve Mile Creek by the Niagara Peninsula Conservation Authority in 2012, this creek is home to up to 59 various types of fish, is the only cold water stream in the Niagara area and is home to the only Brook Trout population in the region.
When discussing significant creeks and rivers in an urban setting, it is important to define and discuss the ever so common ecologic features of watersheds. Watersheds are visible run offs of the main body of water, according to Alberti (2008), "They capture, store, use and clean water and cycle nutrients, while also regulating water movement, controlling floods and providing habitat for aquatic and terrestrial organisms." (p. 137). Therefore, watersheds are not solely beneficial in one way or another but rather have multiple benefits for multiple spheres.
Focusing primarily on the Twelve Mile Creek watersheds, the report done by the NPCA states that close to 97% of the municipal population uses these watersheds for municipal water supply, with 3% of the population using private water sources (2012).
Alberti (2008) explains that, "Humans are fundamentally altering hydrologic processes through a range of behaviors: we are consuming more water, changing land cover, building artificial infrastructures…" (p. 144). This altering of the natural hydrologic process gravely affects watersheds, weakening their ability to store water for humans as well as altering their geomorphic state that constitutes a sufficient habitat for aquatic species.
Connecting Alberti's explanation of humans altering hydrological processes to Western Hill Suburban Development, it is possible to conclude that the development of this neighborhood has been centered around the creek as opposed to covering or building infrastructure over. It is however, important to note that some human induced changes to the landscape have occurred, such as the continuation of Glendale Ave., Highway 406 and St. Paul Street over the Twelve Mile Creek in bridge form.
As for Twelve Mile Creek's watersheds, the NPCA concluded in their 2012 report that organizations and community members continue to take an active stance in conservation methods, which includes, "Watershed landowners have completed 19 water and habitat improvement projects", "26 elementary schools within the 12 Mile Creek Watershed Area participated in the NPCA's ECO School schoolyard naturalization program" and "Several garbage clean ups have taken place on properties managed by the Bruce Trail Conservancy" (2012).
Finally it is also important to note the significance that the Twelve Mile Creek played in the creation of the Western Hill neighborhood. With the close proximity to the creek that was home to Shickluna's Shipyard, the area close by was regarded as a convenient location for both the residential and industrial needs for the workers of that shipyard and thus the Western Hill neighborhood was born.
The climate in Western Hill is adjacent to the climate of the whole Niagara Region. The area of the Niagara Peninsula is particularly interesting because it lies between two large bodies of water, Lake Ontario and Lake Erie. As Hough (2004) states, "Large bodies of water absorb and store a high percentage of solar energy. They heat up and cool down much more slowly than land masses and so act as moderators of temperature on land through the ventilation of onshore breezes." (p. 190). Meaning, the Niagara Peninsula experiences high temperature from the solar energy and storage given by both surrounding lakes as well as reduced air temperatures that act as a natural coolant.
With any expanding urban community there are many human-induced changes that occur ecologically, one of the most impacted changes being the climate of that specific region. In an ideal world, the climate of a geographical location would not differ due to human activity. However, it is unrealistic to think that the climate in the modern suburban development that we see today is the exact same climate that was present as recently as when it was tender fruit farm land. Focusing, particularly on suburban development such as Western Hill suburban development, Hough (2004) notes that low-lying uniform buildings such as suburban housing and surrounding businesses results in a lower wind gradient at ground level as oppose to a more central urban development where there is a combination of tall and low buildings, causing the flow pattern to change, creating unpredictably turbulent wind conditions on ground level. Though these two different types of wind conditions are visible, their consequences usually are not. Hough (2004) suggests that annual heating costs for residents that live in a more 'sheltered' development where buildings are uniform and low to the ground, such as Western Hill suburban development, are reduced.
Furthermore, Hough (2004) explains that large roadscape areas such as suburban development, contribute significantly to heat buildup in that area due to the fact that sun easily absorbs the roof's dark colour in addition to the close proximity of each house, creating a massive, growing chain of heat.
Additionally, Hough (2004) states, "Thus, gasoline consumption and air quality are essentially linked to urban form in the low-density suburban and fringe areas of the city, and reinforce the dominant role of the automobile in Western society" (p. 206). Meaning, the air quality of suburban areas is directly affected by the gasoline consumption that is needed in order to be mobile.
Archaeological Influences
Sadly, there is an insufficient amount of written historical evidence that can be used to describe the Indigenous and pre-European settlement of Western Hill specifically. Lack of physical historical evidence is due largely in part to the traditional oral fashion in which the Indigenous peoples passed down their knowledge and history from generation to generation. Much of their history and knowledge was deemed unimportant or irrelevant to European settlers who recorded their own history but failed to do so as well for the Indigenous peoples. Nevertheless, focusing on a general history in the region, the first documentation published that acknowledges the relationship between Indigenous peoples in the Niagara Region and the European settlers is the 'Two Row Wampum agreement', created in 1613. This agreement is the oldest recorded agreement in what we now know today as the Niagara/St. Catharines region. (Niagara Region, 2021). It is important to recognize a few of the Nations that share lands in present day Niagara Region include the Mississaugas of the credit First Nation, the Six Nations of the Grand River First Nation and the Haudenosaunee Confederacy.
Land Use History
In order to understand the history of the Western Hill neighborhood located in the city of St. Catharines, it is important to paint a brief historical picture of the city and municipality that is now St. Catherines. Before the War of 1812, St. Catharines was known as 'Shipman's Corners', nicknamed after the owner of a local tavern that played a huge role as a stagecoach transfer point. Surviving the war of 1812, Shipman's Corners caught the attention of businessman William Hamilton Merritt in 1815. Merritt began to implement the construction of several lumber and grist mills along Twelve Mile Creek (the creek which now borders the East side of Western Hill neighborhood), making Shipman's Corner a central hub for milling in the Niagara Region. Around this time, the name 'St. Catharines' came from the first name of Merritt's wife and remained ever since.
For the European settlers, St. Catharines' abundant access to waterways and potential water structures such as the Welland Canal ,was crucial in the commercial, industrial and residential development of the city. In 1845, St. Catharines was officially declared a town, 1854 saw a South Western expansion of the town into what is now the North East part of Western Hill. Finally, in the year of 1961 came the final substantial expansion of the new city, this period of expansion made up most of the Western Hill neighbourhood. The most recent development in the Western Hill neighborhood within the last decade would be the suburban development that has taken place on the outskirts of the neighbourhood.
(The images below display an aerial progression of Western Hill. From years 1934 until 2000 no aerial images were available, failing to document the housing boom in the area between the 1960s - 1970s.)
Education / Interpretation
Due to the fact that the Western Hill area continues to expand to this day, there are no museums, exhibitions or interpretive centres dedicated solely to this neighborhood. However, if one wishes to seek more information regarding the history or future initiations of possible development, they are to contact the City of St. Catharines for scheduled town council meetings, the St. Catharines library for any historical information as well as use social media. Though Western Hill has no physical building that houses the history of the neighborhood, long time residents have kept their own records and developed a modern way of displaying them to the public using social media, particularly Facebook. One quick search of "Western Hill St. Catharines" on Facebook will lead to a whole page full of Facebook groups that discuss the Western Hill neighborhood, experiences and sense of community. Some group titles include, "Living in Western Hill", "Growing up in Western Hill" and "Helping Families in Western Hill". Information found in these groups is not the same as what you would find at a formal historical setting such as a museum or exhibition but rather real, raw experiences lived by the people who share their stories. No editing or bias involved.Architectural Heritage
Western Hill is home to a wide range of built environments and buildings, both residential and commercial. Baeker and Hanna (2009) discuss 'cultural mapping' and how urban planners meticulously plan out urban spaces in order to attract what kind of people they would like in that area. Cultural mapping is evident in the Western Hill neighborhood through built environments such as parks. When planning the development of the neighborhood, urban developers had the vision of creating a family friendly neighborhood where middle class families would reside in raising their family, keeping the children of these families in mind, urban developers implemented several parks in Western Hill that include; Parker Street Park, Bailey Street Park, West Park, Shauna Park, Vintage Park, Walkinshaw Park, Cameron Park, Westland Park, Power Glen Park, Lincoln Park and Rotary Park. These recreational parks along with educational institutions such as DSBN Academy, Westdale Public School, Power Glen Public School, Edith Cavell Public School and Ridley College help build a strong sense of community, attracting young families to the neighborhood. In addition, Western Hill is home to a wide variety of commercial businesses that include locally owned small businesses as well as popular retail and restaurant chains.Recreational Uses
One of Western Hill's most valuable assets is the Seymour-Hannah Sport and Entertainment Centre with the attached Kiwanis Field. Located at 240 St. Paul St W., built in 2005, the Seymour-Hannah Arena was named by businessman Ward Seymour in 2005 after his late father Dick Seymour and their good family friend Bob Hannah. Owned and ran by the City of St. Catharines, this arena offers, "four NHL size ice pads, alongside the Wormald, Masse, Keen and Lopinski Mini Rink; Parks, Recreation and Culture Services administration offices; the Lookout Sports Lounge; concession booths; a sports store; and a sports clinic" (City of St. Catharines, 2005). Moreover, this arena is home to both the mens and womens hockey teams at Brock University as well as recreational teams such as the 'Junior Badgers'.
Bordering the Green Belt and being a neighborhood of the City of St. Catharines, it is also implied that the city also has jurisdiction and ownership of the land in the Western Hill neighborhood and development. This jurisdiction holds great influence on the way the landscape looks due to the fact that historically this land has been sold off to developers and transformed into a suburban neighbourhood full of businesses, residential sectors and recreational possibilities.
It is important to note that the city of St. Catharines is composed of multiple neighbourhoods just like Western Hill, that connect in order to create the city as a whole. To name a few, these neighbourhoods include; North End St. Catharines, Vansickle, Downtown, Haig, Merritton, Glenridge, Second Woods, Queenston, Port Dalhousie and Lakeshore. Adjacent to Western Hill is the neighborhood of Glenridge, these two neighbourhoods are divided by the Twelve Mile Creek and are joined by Glendale Ave, which extends in the form of a bridge, connecting both neighbourhoods. When comparing these two neighbourhoods from an aerial view, it is clear that they appear similar. Alberti (2008) proposes that there are four elements/dimensions that help to determine relations within urban development; Form, Density, Heterogeneity and Connectivity. When discussing the element of density Alberti (2008) discusses that the density of a metropolitan area is determined by the biophysical factors of that same area. Continuing, Zielinski (1979) states that, "... the prevalence of open water and non-buildable land is important in understanding the relationship between urban pattern and land development processes" (p. 109). This real life example of open water and non-buildable land is evident along Twelve Mile Creek between Glenridge neighbourhood and Western Hill. Through understanding this land development process, it is possible to acknowledge the significance waterways have in shaping the development and boundaries of a landscape.
City of St. Catharines Town Hall
50 Church St., St. Catharines, ON, Canada, L2R 7C2
(905) 688-5600
Alberti, marina. (2008). Advances in Urban Ecology Integrating Humans and Ecological Processes in Urban Ecosystems (1st ed. 2008.). Springer US. https://doi.org/10.1007/978-0-387-75510-6
Areavibes. (n.d.). Western Hill, St. Catharines, on Demographics. Western Hill, Ontario Population & Demographics. Retrieved November 6, 2021, from https://www.areavibes.com/st.+catharines-on/western+hill/demographics/.
Ascenzo, D. (2019, February 21). Niagara's history unveiled: Tender Fruits. Niagara Now. Retrieved November 6, 2021, from https://www.niagaranow.com/entertainment.phtml/1510-niagaras-history-unveiled-tender-fruits.
Barker, G. Hanna, J. (2009). Culture, Authenticity, Place: Connecting Cultural Mapping and Place Branding. Retrieved November 6th, 2021, from https://lms.brocku.ca/access/content/group/f94a28c8-f5f8-4382-beb3-e155913935cf/Additional%20Course%20Readings/Baeker%20and%20Hanna%202009%20-%20Culture%2C%20Authenticity%2C%20Place%20-%20Municipal%20World.pdf
Farina, A. (2006). Principles and methods in landscape ecology : towards a science of landscapes (2nd ed.). Springer.
Four pad now has proper name. NiagaraThisWeek.com. (2005, December 2). Retrieved November 6, 2021, from https://www.niagarathisweek.com/news-story/3303368-four-pad-now-has-proper-name/.
Higgs, A. (2020, April 1). The amazing wildlife of Niagara falls - grown-up travel guide.com. Grown. Retrieved November 6, 2021, from https://grownuptravelguide.com/amazing-wildlife-niagara-falls/.
History of the city. St. Catharines. (n.d.). Retrieved November 6, 2021, from https://www.stcatharines.ca/en/governin/historyofthecity.asp.
Hough, M. (2004). Cities and natural process : A basis for sustainability. Taylor & Francis Group.
Hughes, A. (2008). The Evolution of St. Catharines as a municipality. Retrieved from https://brocku.ca/social-sciences/geography/wp-content/uploads/sites/152/The-Evolution-of-St.-Catharines-as-a-Municipality.pdf.
Indigenous engagement. Indigenous Engagement - Niagara Region, Ontario. (2021, September 28). Retrieved November 6, 2021, from https://www.niagararegion.ca/health/equity/indigenous-engagement.aspx.
Marzluff, J. M. (2008). Urban ecology an international perspective on the interaction between humans and nature . Springer.
Seymour-Hannah Sports & Entertainment Centre. Ice Hockey Wiki. (n.d.). Retrieved November 6, 2021, from https://icehockey.fandom.com/wiki/Seymour-Hannah_Sports_%26_Entertainment_Centre.
View maps of the Ontario Greenbelt. Greenbelt Foundation. (n.d.). Retrieved November 6, 2021, from https://www.greenbelt.ca/maps.
Images Cited
Greenbelt Foundation. (n.d.). Greenbelt Map. Retrieved from https://www.greenbelt.ca/maps. (Image 2 and 3)
Niagara Region. Niagara Navigator. Retrieved from https://maps.niagararegion.ca/Navigator/ (Image 4,5 & 6)
Government of Ontario (2014, December 22). Archived - Pre-Games training site: Seymour-Hannah Sport & Entertainment Centre. Retrieved from https://www.ontario.ca/page/pre-games-training-sit... (Image 8)
*All other images were taken by author C. Farquharson on November 7th, 2021*
This Local Landscape Report was prepared by Claire Farquharson for the Brock University course TMGT 2P94: Human Dominated Ecosystems on November 7th, 2021.
All copyrights for cited material rest with the original copyright owners.
Accessible
TripClips
Call before visiting