Windsor

Windsor (42°18′N 83°01′W; EST), the southernmost city in Canada, lies at the western end of the heavily-populated Quebec City-Windsor Corridor. It lies across the Detroit River and Lake St Clair from Detroit, Michigan, to which Windsor is linked by bridge and tunnels. Windsor's motto is "The river and the land sustain us." Windsor, Ontario is located south of Detroit, and is the only major city in Canada where entering the United States involves travelling north.

In the 2001 Canadian census, the city had a population of 208,402 and its metropolitan area (consisting of Windsor, Tecumseh, Amherstburg, LaSalle and Lakeshore) had a population of 307,877.

Windsor was first settled in 1749 after farms started getting too far from the protection of a fort in Detroit making it the oldest continually inhabited European city in Canada, west of the Quebec border. The area was first named Petite Côte (Little Coast), and the site later became known as La Côte de Misère (Misery Coast) because of the sandy soils near LaSalle. Windsor's French heritage is reflected in many French street names, such as Ouellette, Pelissier, Marentette and Lauzon. There is a significant French speaking minority in Windsor and the surrounding areas. Many of them are in the Stoney Point area.

In 1794, after the American Revolution, the settlement of Sandwich was founded here. It was later renamed to Windsor, after the town in Berkshire, England.

Windsor's nickname is the "City of Roses" and is home to the University of Windsor and St. Clair College. The university campus is just east of the Ambassador Bridge, and the college campus is situated along the main artery between the Ambassador Bridge and Highway 401. Windsor has several large parks on the waterfront and the Queen Elizabeth II Sunken Garden at Jackson Park. Jackson Park had an actual Lancaster Bomber mounted on a concrete pedestal. It was taken off its pedestal after 40 years on May 26, 2005. The plane will be restored and in its place are mounted a Spitfire replica and a Hurricane replica.

Of the large parks along Windsor's waterfront, the largest is the 5km stretch downtown overlooking the Detroit skyline. It stretches from the Ambassador Bridge to the Hiram Walker Distillery. The western portion of the park contains the Odette Sculpture Park which features over 32 large-scale contemporary sculptures for public viewing, along with the Canadian Vietnam Veterans Memorial. The central portion contains Dieppe Gardens, Civic Terrace and Festival Plaza and the eastern portion has the Bert Weeks Memorial Gardens. The second largest is Coventry Gardens across from Belle Isle. The focal point of this park is the Peace Fountain which actually floats in the Detroit River and has a coloured light display at night.

Windsor competes with Oshawa, Ontario for the title of automotive capital of Canada, due in large part to its proximity to Detroit. Its industries include DaimlerChrysler's minivan assembly plant, several Ford Motor Company engine and casting plants, General Motors' transmission plant and Hiram Walker's Canadian Club plant, along with a myriad of smaller manufacturers that supply the larger plants. Windsor is also very well known as a global leader in the building of molds for the plastic injection industry. Windsor tourist attractions include Casino Windsor, a lively downtown, the Odette Sculpture Park, Ojibway Park, and nearby Point Pelee National Park. Windsor was a major entry point into Canada for refugees from slavery via the Underground Railroad and a major source of liquor during American Prohibition.