A surprising neighborhood in Canada has just been named one of the coolest in the world.
People really seem to enjoy downtown St. Catharines in Ontario, which is why the hospitality media group Time Out has ranked it among the top 10 coolest neighborhoods worldwide for 2026.
Located about 100 kilometers from Toronto’s busy atmosphere, St. Catharines is the largest city in the Niagara Region and is often called the “Garden City” due to its abundance of gardens, parks, and walking trails.
Time Out highlights that what sets downtown St. Catharines apart includes its local art scene, vintage shops and record stores, fantastic restaurants, and a deep-rooted community history.
The city also played a significant role in the Underground Railroad, with its downtown area reflecting the contributions of Black communities that helped shape its past.
This year’s Emancipation Day celebrations particularly mark 175 years since American abolitionist Harriet Tubman arrived in St. Catharines, where she lived for nearly ten years starting in 1851.
Another reason downtown St. Catharines shines is that it boasts over 100 heritage buildings throughout the neighborhood, some dating back to the early 19th century.
Additionally, there’s Montebello Park-one of the few Canadian landscapes designed by Frederick Law Olmsted, who also created New York City’s famous Central Park.
With a population around 144,829 people, St. Catharines is quite sizable and according to Time Out, it’s “emerging as one of Canada’s coolest city escapes” while “challenging Niagara-on-the-Lake for the region’s cultural spotlight.”
Perhaps ’90s supermodel Linda Evangelista, singer-songwriter Dallas Green, and Hunting Wives actress Malin Akerman would agree since they are just a few celebrities born or raised in this city.
While Garden City performed well this year on the ranking list, Vancouver’s historic Mount Pleasant neighborhood was second and also made it onto this list at number 34.
Here’s Time Out’s top 10 coolest neighborhoods around the globe:
Jongno 3-ga in Seoul, South Korea L’Ocean District in Rabat, Morocco Neos Kosmos in Athens, Greece Chinatown in Los Angeles, U. S. Govanhill in Glasgow, Scotland Kitakagaya in Osaka, Japan Chapinero Alto in Bogotá, Colombia Koenji in Tokyo, Japan Downtown in St. Catharines, Canada Esquilino in Rome, Italy
Visit Time Out’s website for more details on their full ranking.
