Windsor Is A Winner With Seniors

Olde Walkerville Neighborhood

Windsor, the southernmost city in Canada is located in south western Ontario at the western end of the heavily populated Quebec City–Windsor Corridor, looking north to the United States. Encompassing 46 square miles, Windsor is home to over 208,000 people. Its residents are predominantly English speaking, but Windsor is a multicultural city, playing host to senior visitors from all over the globe.

Known as “The City of Roses”, Windsor’s residents are known as Windsorites.  Just across the Ambassador Bridge from Detroit, Windsor is one friendly town that offers a plethora of activities, from casino gambling to duty-free shopping, historic sites to manicured parks. What’s more: the U.S. dollars goes further in Canada. U.S. citizens are now required to have a valid passport for travel to Canada.

Seniors Enjoy ‘Garden Community’

The Dieppe Gardens are just one major attraction that draws seniors from all across the country. Olde Walkerville Neighborhood ranks second for visitors. And wow, just look at all those beautiful old mansions. Windsor is a perfect example of a ‘garden community’. The former town was the visionary development of one of Ontario’s prominent 19th century entrepreneurs, Hiram Walker, the founder of the famous “Canadian Club Whiskey.”

Agriculture is important to this region… grapes for wines grow easily in the benign climate. In addition to wineries depending on the land, local beer breweries rely on the high-quality hops and barley from nearby fields. I have only seen one hops field, in Alsace-Lorraine.  Amazing to me how they grow up those high supports.

For decades a section of Windsor was simply known as Ford City. The climate in the Windsor area lends itself to a picturesque environment. Just imagine, seniors, the natural beauty of having water on three sides of your city. Such is the case in Windsor, surrounded by Lake Erie, Lake St. Clair and the Detroit River.

Senior hikers – be sure you pack your walking shoes. Windsor is proud of their three miles of walking paths along the Detroit River featuring unique sculptures, beautiful gardens and streets lined with stores, clubs and restaurants. Another one-stop URL as I label them, is this complete vacation, recreation and tourism information link.

Windsor’s Long History

Windsor,founded in the 1830′s, and Detroit lie in an area first settled by the French at the turn of the 18th century. A trading post established by Antoine de Lamothe de Cadillac in 1701 on the north side of the Detroit River quickly became the regional center for the French fur trade before being captured by the British in 1760 and later handed over to the Americans after the War of Independence.

Interested in a little more history? Try this. In 1854, a Village; in 1858, a Town; in 1892, a City. That’s quite a transformation folks. Enjoy your vacation in Windsor.  jeb