Southwestern Ontario, Geographic region in Ontario, Canada
Southwestern Ontario is a geographic region in Ontario, Canada, covering the southwestern portion of the peninsula between Lake Huron and Lake Erie. It contains cities like London, Windsor, and Kitchener alongside farmland, forests, and shoreline along three sides of the Great Lakes.
Indigenous peoples including the Anishinaabe, Haudenosaunee, and Wendat lived here for thousands of years before European contact. French traders and British settlers arrived starting in the 17th century, with the area growing rapidly after the American Revolutionary War brought loyalist refugees north.
Churches and cemeteries in towns like Chatham and Windsor mark the communities founded by formerly enslaved people who crossed into Canada during the 19th century. Their descendants still live in the area, keeping the memory of this refuge alive through local museums and heritage sites.
Highways and regional roads connect the cities in this area, which stretches several hours of driving from east to west. Airports in London, Windsor, and Kitchener as well as ports on Lake Huron and Lake Erie offer additional ways to arrive.
The Bruce Nuclear Station on Lake Huron ranks as the largest nuclear facility worldwide by output and supplies much of the province with electricity. At the same time, Oxford County leads Canada in dairy production, shaping the rural landscape with its farms.
The community of curious travelers
AroundUs brings together thousands of curated places, local tips, and hidden gems, enriched daily by 60,000 contributors worldwide.
