Kingston was a town incorporated by Thomas Kirkpatrick, the first mayor of Kingston in the year 1838. Then during the year 1846, the town was incorporated as a city. Kingston city remained an important Great Lakes port and the hub for locomotive manufacturing and shipbuilding, throughout the late 19th century and the early 20th century. And even until now, due to its strategic location at the mouth of the Cataraqui River and at the head of the St. Lawrence River beside the border with the US, Kingston is an essential spot of vital military importance.
Kingston claims to be ice hockey's birthplace. It is home to the oldest continuing hockey competition in the globe played between Queen's University and the Royal Military College of Canada. Anybody who goes to Kingston would also realize that the place is conducive to numerous recreational and sports activities. People who love the outdoors can go skating together with their friends, do some hiking, windsurfing, kayaking, cross-county skiing and cycling. Water lovers can also go to Lake Ontario for some scuba diving or water sports. Individuals into golf will find the city a haven for public golf courses, since it is ranked the number one city for the most number of golf courses per capita and the 5th best city within Canada to play golf in.
For people who love to enjoy the outdoor sights and sounds of the natural world, will have lots of wildlife parks and areas to visit. The more popular parks within Kingston comprise: Sharbot Lake Prov Park, Bon Echo Prov Park, Gould Lake Cons. Area, Frontenac Prov Park, Charleston Lake Prov Park, Rideau River Prov Park, Lemoine Point C.A., Stoco Fen Prov Nature Reserve, Lake Ontario Park, St. Lawrence Islands National Park, Sandbanks Prov Park, Lake Ontario, and Adirondack Park, New York.
The main bulk of Kingston's financial system is in its public sector institutions and establishments. Among its most notable businesses consist of health care, education (Queen's University and the Royal Military College of Canada), culture and tourism, manufacturing, government (correctional services and the military), research and development. The top ten largest companies of the city include: Queen's University, Canadian Forces Base Kingston, Limestone District School Board, Kingston General Hospital, Correctional Service of Canada, StarTek, Invista Canada (formerly DuPont), Kingston City, Hotel Dieu Hospital, and Providence Continuing Care Centre.