What States Border Lake Ontario?
- Only one American state borders Lake Ontario. The southern and eastern shores of the lake border the American state of New York. Unlike the Canadian side, the American shore of Lake Ontario is not very heavily settled. The city of Rochester and the towns of Oswego and Sacket's Harbor are the only major settlements on the New York shore of the lake. The nearest large city is Syracuse, located about 40 miles inland from the lake.
- The Canadian shore of Lake Ontario is far more heavily settled than the American shore. The city of Toronto, capital of the province of Ontario, is located at sheltered Toronto Bay on the lake's western shore. The city of Hamilton is another major city located on the western shore. Between the two major cities is a heavily urbanized area referred to as the Golden Horseshoe. Over a quarter of Canada's population lives along the shores of Lake Ontario.
- The American shore of Lake Ontario was inhabited prior to European settlement by a number of Native American tribes. These included the Onondaga, one of the nations of the Iroquois Confederacy. Beginning in the 18th century, British settlers began to move gradually into the area, establishing military bases and trading posts such as Fort Oswego, established in 1727. Following the American Revolution, the Iroquois tribes, who had allied with the British, were forced from the area. Europeans settled the area as part of the state of New York.
- The climate of the Lake Ontario region is cool and damp. In the winter, snowfall caused by lake evaporation, known as lake-effect snow, can be heavy. The Rochester area is home to a large number of orchards. Lake pollution was severe during the 1960s and 1970s, but intensive cleanup programs have improved the situation. Other environmental threats include invasive species such as zebra mussels, which arrived in the lake on the hulls of ships and threaten native species.