NIAGARA FALLS - INTRODUCTION Niagara Falls (city, Canada), city in the Regional Municipality of Niagara, south-eastern Ontario, Canada, a port on the Niagara River opposite Niagara Falls, New York. Overlooking the Canadian, or Horseshoe, Falls cataract of Niagara Falls, the city is a popular tourist destination; the crescent-shaped cataract is 49 m (161 ft) high and carries nine times more water than its United States counterpart. It also serves as a major source of electricity for Ontario. The city is connected to the US side of the falls by several bridges, including the Rainbow and Whirlpool Rapids bridges. Factories here produce processed food, machinery, abrasives, chemicals, silverware, metal goods, and alcoholic beverages. Storage, warehousing, and telephone call centres are also important to the city’s economy. Points of interest include Queen Victoria Park, adjacent to the Canadian Falls, which contains the Oakes Garden Theatre; Niagara Falls Museum (1827), one of the oldest museums in North America, featuring displays of art and historical materials; the historical museum at Lundy's Lane, site of a brutal battle between American and British forces in 1814, which includes exhibits on local history; Marineland, with an aquatic theatre and a game farm; and the Niagara International Centre, which contains Skylon, a tall tower with an observation deck overlooking the falls. Mount Carmel College and the Niagara Parks School of Horticulture are here. Originally called Elgin, the community merged with Clifton in 1856, was renamed in 1881, and was incorporated as a city in 1904. In 1963 the city was greatly expanded when it merged with Stamford township. Niagara Falls has continued to grow commercially and culturally, in part due to its flourishing tourist industry. Population 76,917 (1996).