The Windsor-Essex Region has it all…
The Windsor-Essex Region is truly a “Community of Communities”. The Region is made up of the eight municipalities, encompassing a total area of 1,851 square kilometres. The Region occupies the extreme southwestern tip of Ontario, and is in fact a peninsula, surrounded by water on three sides and where the United States lies to the north (Michigan), south (Ohio) and west (Michigan).
Location Advantages
1/2 of North America’s Population Within An 8 Hour Drive
One of the most obvious advantages of the Windsor-Essex Region is our location, at the heart of the richest consumer market in the world, where more than half of the North American population lives within an 8-hour drive. In fact, the 10th largest market in the U.S., Metropolitan Detroit with its 4.5 million people, is less than one mile away across the Detroit River.
Distance to Major Centres
| Metropolitan Area | Centres Distance (km) | Driving Time (Hours) | Population |
|---|---|---|---|
| Detroit | 1.6 | 0.1 | 4,296,250 |
| Toledo | 95 | 1.0 | 651,409 |
| Cleveland | 300 | 3.0 | 2,250,871 |
| Toronto | 340 | 4.0 | 5,583,064 |
| Chicago | 460 | 4.5 | 9,461,105 |
| Buffalo, New York | 420 | 4.5 | 1,135,509 |
| Washington DC | 850 | 8.5 | 5,580,000 |
| Ottawa | 810 | 8.5 | 1,236,324 |
| New York | 990 | 9.0 | 18,897,109 |
| Montreal | 885 | 9.5 | 3,824,221 |
| Philadelphia | 940 | 9.5 | 5,965,343 |
Source: Yahoo Maps, Statistics Canada, US Census Bureau Note: U.S. population figures are estimates from 2010 or 2011 data, Canadian population figures are from the 2011 Census.
The Busiest Canada – U.S. Border Crossing
The United States and Canada have the largest bilateral trading relationship in the world. Approximately 30% of total trade between the U.S. and Canada crossed the Detroit-Windsor border. Daily total two-way goods trade between Ontario and the U.S. is valued over $800 million. The Detroit-Windsor border is the busiest border crossing along the entire Canada-U.S. border.
There are five surface border crossing points in Windsor-Detroit:
- The Ambassador Bridge (which handles the majority of the truck traffic),
- The Detroit-Windsor Tunnel (which runs under the Detroit River),
- The Detroit-Windsor Truck Ferry (which handles hazardous materials that are prohibited from crossing via the Bridge or Tunnel),
- A Railway tunnel, and
- The Port of Windsor
In the Windsor-Essex Region, you will enjoy the safety and security of a small community, with big city amenities just a few miles away. Furthermore, all major league sports and concert events are just a few minutes away in Detroit.
Source: WEEDC