View source for Kitchener, Ontario

{{Use Canadian English|date=March 2015}}
{{Use dmy dates|date=June 2015}}
{{Infobox settlement
| name               = Kitchener
| settlement_type    = [[List of cities in Ontario|City]] ([[List of municipalities in Ontario#Lower-tier municipalities|lower-tier]])
| official_name      = City of Kitchener
| image_skyline      = {{multiple image
| border                 = infobox
| total_width            = 300
| image_style            = border:1;
| perrow                 = 1/2/2
| image1 = Kitchener_Skyline_December_2021.jpg
| caption1 = Downtown Kitchener skyline
| image2 = Victoria-park-kitchener-lake.jpg
| caption2 = [[Victoria Park, Kitchener|Victoria Park]]
| image3 = Elizabeth_Witmer_taps_keg.jpg
| caption3 = [[Kitchener–Waterloo Oktoberfest|Oktoberfest]]
| image4 = The Aud.jpg
| caption4 = [[Kitchener Memorial Auditorium Complex]]
| image5 = TheMuseum-10KingStW-Kitchener.JPG
| caption5 = [[TheMuseum]]
}}
| imagesize          = 
| image_caption      = From top, left to right: Downtown Kitchener, Benton and Frederick Streets, [[Kitchener Memorial Auditorium Complex]], Oktoberfest, and [[Victoria Park, Kitchener|Victoria Park]]
| motto              = ''Ex industria prosperitas'' ({{langx|la|Prosperity through industry}})
| image_flag         = Flag of Kitchener, Ontario.svg
| image_seal         = Seal of Kitchener, Canada.svg
| image_shield       = Coat of arms of Kitchener, Canada.svg
| image_blank_emblem = Logo of Kitchener, Ontario.svg
| blank_emblem_type  = Logo
| blank_emblem_size  = 100x90px
| image_map          = 
| map_caption        = 
| pushpin_map        = Canada#Canada Southern Ontario#CAN ON Waterloo
| pushpin_map_caption = 
| subdivision_type   = [[List of sovereign states|Country]]
| subdivision_type1  = [[Provinces and territories of Canada|Province]]
| subdivision_name   = Canada
| subdivision_name1  = [[Ontario]]
| subdivision_type2  = [[Census divisions of Ontario|Region]]
| subdivision_name2  = [[Regional Municipality of Waterloo|Waterloo]]
| leader_title       = Mayor
| leader_name        = [[Berry Vrbanovic]]
| leader_title2      = Governing Body
| leader_name2       = [[Kitchener City Council]]
| established_title  = Founded
| established_date   = 1807
| established_title1 = Incorporated
| established_date1  = 1833
| established_title2 = Incorporated
| established_date2  = 1912 (city)
| area_footnotes     = 
| area_total_km2     = 136.81
| area_land_km2      = 136.81
| area_water_km2     = 
| area_urban_km2     = 269.23
| area_metro_km2     = 1,091.16
| population_as_of   = 2021
| population_footnotes = <ref name=2021Census>{{cite web |title= Census Profile, 2021 Census of Population, Kitchener | date=9 February 2022 |url= https://www12.statcan.gc.ca/census-recensement/2021/dp-pd/prof/details/page.cfm?Lang=E&SearchText=kitchener&DGUIDlist=2021A00053530013&GENDERlist=1&STATISTIClist=1&HEADERlist=0 |publisher=[[Statistics Canada]] |access-date=February 9, 2022}}</ref><ref name=2021CensusMetro>{{cite web |title= Census Profile, 2021 Census of Population, Kitchener Metro | date=9 February 2022 |url= https://www12.statcan.gc.ca/census-recensement/2021/dp-pd/prof/details/page.cfm?Lang=E&SearchText=kitchener&DGUIDlist=2021S0503541&GENDERlist=1&STATISTIClist=1&HEADERlist=0 |publisher=[[Statistics Canada]] |access-date=February 9, 2022}}</ref>
| population_total   = 256,885
| population_urban   = 470,015 ([[List of the largest municipalities in Canada by population|10th]])
| population_metro   = 575,847 ([[List of census metropolitan areas and agglomerations in Canada|10th]])
| population_density_km2 = auto
| population_density_urban_km2 = 1745.8
| population_density_metro_km2 = 480.1
| postal_code_type   = [[Canadian postal code#Forward sortation areas|Forward sortation area]]
| postal_code        = [[List of N postal codes of Canada|N2A to N2H, N2M to N2R]]
| area_codes         = [[Area codes 519, 226, 548, and 382|519, 226, 548, and 382]]
| blank_name_sec2    = GDP (Kitchener–Cambridge–Waterloo {{Abbr|CMA|Census metropolitan area}})
| blank_info_sec2    = [[Canadian dollar|CA$]]32.89 billion (2020)<ref>{{cite web | url=https://www150.statcan.gc.ca/t1/tbl1/en/tv.action?pid=3610046801 | title=Gross domestic product (GDP) at basic prices, by census metropolitan area (CMA) | date=December 6, 2023 }}</ref>
| blank1_name_sec2   = GDP per capita (Kitchener–Cambridge–Waterloo {{Abbr|CMA|Census metropolitan area}})
| blank1_info_sec2   = CA$52,484 (2016)
| timezone           = [[North American Eastern Time Zone|EST]]
| utc_offset         = −5
| coordinates        = {{coord|43|25|07|N|80|28|22|W|region:CA-ON|display=inline,title}}
| timezone_DST       = [[Eastern Daylight Time|EDT]]
| utc_offset_DST     = −4
| blank1_name        = [[Geographical Names Board of Canada|GNBC]] Code
| blank1_info        = FEBWC<ref name="GNBC">{{cite web | title = Kitchener | publisher = Natural Resources Canada | date = October 6, 2016 | url = http://www4.rncan.gc.ca/search-place-names/unique/FEBWC}}</ref>
| website            = [http://www.kitchener.ca/ www.kitchener.ca]
| footnotes          = 
| population_demonym = Kitchenerite
}}

'''Kitchener''' is a city in the Canadian province of [[Ontario]], about {{convert|100|km|mi|abbr=on}} west of [[Toronto]]. It is one of three cities that make up the [[Regional Municipality of Waterloo]] and is the regional [[Administrative centre|seat]]. Kitchener was known as '''Berlin''' until a [[Berlin to Kitchener name change|1916 referendum]] changed its name. The city covers an area of 136.86&nbsp;km<sup>2</sup>, and had a population of 256,885 at the time of the [[2021 Canadian census]].

The Regional Municipality of Waterloo has 673,910 people as of year-end 2023,<ref>{{cite web | url=https://www.regionofwaterloo.ca/en/regional-government/population.aspx | title=Population | date=8 May 2018 }}</ref> making it the 10th-largest [[census metropolitan area]] (CMA) in Canada and the fourth-largest CMA in Ontario. Kitchener and Waterloo are considered "twin cities", which are often referred to jointly as "Kitchener–Waterloo" (K–W), although they have separate [[Municipal government in Canada|municipal governments]].

==History==

===Pre-contact indigenous history and land use===

Indigenous people have long lived in and around what is today Kitchener-Waterloo. During the retreat of the last glacial maximum, the Waterloo Region was isolated by the ice to the north, east, and west and by Lake Maumee III to the south.<ref name="Arch Master Plan">{{cite web |last1=Regional Municipality of Waterloo |title=Archaeological Facilities Master Plan |url=https://www.regionofwaterloo.ca/en/exploring-the-region/resources/Documents/ARCHAEOLOGICAL_MASTER_PLAN.pdf |publisher=Regional Municipality of Waterloo |access-date=6 November 2023 |pages=109 |language=English |date=September 1989}}</ref> However once the ice retreated the landscape opened up for nomadic populations to hunt, camp, and thrive; though not many{{quantify|date=December 2024}} sites from the Paleo-Indian Period (13,000BC to 1000BC) have been documented{{by who|date=December 2024}} in the region thus far{{when|date=December 2024}}.

The Archaic Period (8,000BC to 800BC) still primarily consisted of nomadic hunter-gatherer communities spread out across the landscape. Advancements in technologies including less portable stone tools such as axes and adzes, more intricate tools made of animal bone such as fish hooks, gorges, and harpoons, and the entrance of Indigenous copper tools into the archaeological record is characteristic of this time period. More than two dozen archaeological sites from the Archaic Period have been documented in the Waterloo Region alone including campsites, tool manufacturing sites, and cemeteries.<ref name="Arch Master Plan" />

Archaeologist Gary Warrick of Wilfrid Laurier University dates the expansion of the [[Neutral people]] to the Kitchener-Waterloo area sometime in the 1300s in what is referred to as the Woodland Period (900BC to 1650AD).<ref>{{cite book |first=Warrick |last=Gary |year=2013 |chapter=The Aboriginal Population of Ontario in Late Prehistory |title=Before Ontario: The Archaeology of a Province |editor-last1=Munson |editor-first1=Marit K. |editor-last2=Jamieson |editor-first2=Susan M. |publisher=[[McGill-Queen's University Press]] |series=Native and Northern Series |isbn=978-0-7735-8919-3 |page=69}}</ref> A history states that at least two "aboriginal settlements from the 1500s can now be identified near Schneider and Strasburg Creeks" with some artifacts having been found under the city from a thousand years ago. The Iroquoian people grew crops such as corn, beans and squash.<ref>{{cite web|url=https://www.theworkingcentre.org/ideas-and-influences/2696-remembering-our-underlying-aboriginal-heritage|title=Remembering Our Underlying Aboriginal Heritage |access-date=29 March 2021}}</ref> The finds include the remains of a First Nations village, estimated to be 500 years old, discovered in 2010 in the Strasburg Creek area of Kitchener. The inhabitants are thought to be ancestors of the [[Neutral Nation]]; artifacts found include the remains of longhouses, tools made of bone and of stone and arrowheads. One archaeologist stated that they discovered "artifacts going back as far as 9,000 years".<ref>{{cite web|url=https://kitchener.ctvnews.ca/major-archaeological-find-unearthed-in-kitchener-1.566066|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20121011002619/http://kitchener.ctvnews.ca/major-archaeological-find-unearthed-in-kitchener-1.566066|url-status=dead|archive-date=11 October 2012|title=Archeological Find Unearthed in Kitchener|date=22 October 2010|access-date=29 March 2021}}</ref>

In 2020, a site at Fischer-Hallman Road was found to include artifacts from a "Late Woodland Iroquois village" that was inhabited circa 1300 to 1600. Archeologists found some 35,000 objects including stone tools and a 4,000 year old arrowhead.<ref>{{cite web|url=https://www.smithsonianmag.com/smart-news/remnants-iroquois-woodland-village-discovered-ontario-180976099/|title=Remnants of Woodland Iroquois Village Discovered in Ontario|access-date=29 March 2021}}</ref>

To date, there are more than 18 Late-Woodland Period village sites documented in the Waterloo Region.<ref name="Arch Master Plan" />

===Early European settlement===
{{See also|Waterloo County, Ontario#Early arrivals from Pennsylvania (1800–1819)}}

====German company tract====
Kitchener stands on a part of the [[Haldimand Tract]], the lands of the Grand River valley purchased in 1784 by the British from the [[Mississaugas]] in order to grant it to the [[Iroquois|Six Nations]] for their allegiance during the [[American Revolution]].<ref name=encyclopedia>{{cite encyclopedia |title=Haldimand Proclamation |encyclopedia=[[The Canadian Encyclopedia]] |date=November 10, 2020 |last=Filice |first=Michelle |publisher=[[Historica Canada]] |url=https://www.thecanadianencyclopedia.ca/en/article/haldimand-proclamation |access-date=June 9, 2021}}</ref> Between 1796 and 1798, the Six Nations sold 38,000 hectares of this land to [[Loyalist (American Revolution)|loyalist]] Colonel [[Richard Beasley (politician)|Richard Beasley]].  The portion of land that Beasley purchased was remote, but of great interest to German [[Mennonite]] farming families from [[Pennsylvania]]. They wanted to live in an area that would allow them to practice their beliefs without persecution. Eventually, the Mennonites purchased all of Beasley's unsold land, creating 160 farm tracts.

Many of the pioneers arriving from Pennsylvania, known as the [[Pennsylvania Dutch]] or Pennsilfaanisch-Deitsche (Deutsch; German-speaking mainly from Switzerland and the Palatinate, not modern Dutch), after November 1803 bought land in a 60,000-acre section of Block Two from the German Company, which was established by a group of Mennonites from [[Lancaster County, Pennsylvania]]. The tract included most of Block 2 of the previous Grand River Indian lands. Many of the first farms were least 400 acres in size.<ref name="whs pdf 1">{{cite web |url=http://www.whs.ca/wp-content/uploads/2015/11/1930.pdf |title=History |author=<!--Not stated--> |date=1930 |website=Waterloo Historical Society 1930 Annual Meeting |publisher=Waterloo Historical Society |access-date=13 March 2017 |url-status=dead |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20170227233215/http://www.whs.ca/wp-content/uploads/2015/11/1930.pdf |archive-date=27 February 2017 |df=dmy-all }}</ref><ref name="kitchener.foundlocally.com">{{cite web |url=http://kitchener.foundlocally.com/Local/Info-CityHistoryToConfederation.htm |title=Kitchener–Waterloo Ontario History – To Confederation |access-date=2017-08-28 |url-status=dead |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20170525125004/http://kitchener.foundlocally.com/Local/Info-CityHistoryToConfederation.htm |archive-date=25 May 2017 |df=dmy-all }}</ref> The German Company, represented by Daniel Erb and Samuel Bricker, had acquired the land from previous owner Richard Beasley; he had gotten into financial difficulties after buying the land in 1796 from Joseph Brant, who represented the Six Nations. The payment to Beasley, in cash, arrived from Pennsylvania in kegs, carried in a wagon surrounded by armed guards.<ref>{{cite web |url=http://www.waterlooregionmuseum.com/collections-and-research/place-names-in-waterloo-region/waterloo-township/ |title=Waterloo Township |author=<!--Not stated--> |date=2013 |website=Waterloo Region Museum Research |publisher=Region of Waterloo |access-date=13 March 2017 |quote=To correct the situation, a formal agreement was arranged between Brant and Beasley. This arrangement allowed Beasley to sell the bulk of Block Two in order to cover his mortgage obligations completely, while giving the Mennonite buyers legal title to land they had previously purchased. Subsequently, Beasley sold a 60,000 acre tract of land to the German Company of Pennsylvania represented by Daniel Erb and Samuel Bricker in November 1803. Beasley's sale to the German Company not only cleared him of a mortgage debt, but left him with 10,000 acres of Block Two land, which he continued to sell into the 1830s. |url-status=dead |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20170227143026/http://www.waterlooregionmuseum.com/collections-and-research/place-names-in-waterloo-region/waterloo-township/ |archive-date=27 February 2017 |df=dmy-all }}</ref><ref>{{cite web|url=https://www.kitchener.ca/en/resourcesGeneral/Documents/DSD_PLAN-Schoerg-Barn.pdf|title=Schoerg farmstead: first permanent European settlement Two families from Franklin County, Pennsylvania, bought land along the Grand River from m Beasley, establishing the first permanent European settlement in inland Upper Canada|access-date=29 March 2021}}{{Dead link|date=May 2021 |bot=InternetArchiveBot |fix-attempted=yes }}</ref>

[[File:Waterloo Pioneer Memorial Tower, crop 2.jpg|thumb|upright|[[Waterloo Pioneer Memorial Tower]]. Built in 1926, it is dedicated to the Pennsylvania-German pioneers who arrived between 1800 and 1803.]]

The first settlers in the area of what would become the village of [[Doon, Ontario|Doon]] (now a suburb of Kitchener) arrived in 1800. They were two Mennonites from [[Franklin County, Pennsylvania]] who were also brothers in law, Joseph Schoerg (later called Sherk) and Samuel Betzner Jr.<ref>{{cite web|url=https://www.waterlooregionmuseum.ca/en/exhibits/past-and-present-inductees.aspx|title=Joseph (Schoerg) Sherk and Samuel D. Betzner|access-date=29 March 2021|archive-date=17 November 2019|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20191117082303/https://www.waterlooregionmuseum.ca/en/exhibits/past-and-present-inductees.aspx|url-status=dead}}</ref> Joseph Schoerg and his wife settled on Lot 11, B.F. Beasley Black, S.R., on the bank of the Grand River opposite Doon, and Betzner and his wife settled on the west bank of the Grand, on a farm near the village of Blair.<ref>{{cite web|url=https://www.kitchener.ca/en/resourcesGeneral/Documents/DSD_PLAN-Schoerg-Barn.pdf|title=Schoerg farmstead: first permanent European settlement Two families from Franklin County, Pennsylvania, bought land along the Grand River from m Beasley, establishing the first permanent European settlement in inland Upper Canada, which later became Waterloo County|access-date=29 March 2021}}{{Dead link|date=May 2021 |bot=InternetArchiveBot |fix-attempted=yes }}</ref>

The homes built by the next generation of these families still stand as of March 2021, on what is now Pioneer Tower Road in Kitchener and have been listed as historically important; the John Betzner homestead (restored)<ref>{{cite web|url=https://www.therecord.com/news/waterloo-region/2021/03/28/kitchener-council-allows-heritage-homeowner-to-build-a-detached-garage.html|title=Kitchener council allows heritage homeowner to build a detached garage|date=28 March 2021|access-date=29 March 2021}}</ref> and the David Schoerg farmstead (not yet restored)<ref>{{cite web|url=https://www.therecord.com/news/waterloo-region/2021/03/30/empty-for-years-home-to-one-of-waterloo-regions-earliest-mennonite-settlers-gets-makeover.html|title=Empty for years, home to one of Waterloo Region's earliest Mennonite settlers gets makeover|date=30 March 2021|access-date=30 March 2021}}</ref> were erected circa 1830.<ref>{{cite web|url=https://www.historicplaces.ca/en/rep-reg/place-lieu.aspx?id=9069|title=Betzner Farmstead 437, Pioneer Tower Road, City of Kitchener, Ontario, N2P, Canada|access-date=29 March 2021}}</ref><ref>{{cite web|url=https://www.historicplaces.ca/en/rep-reg/place-lieu.aspx?id=9898|title=Schoerg Homestead 381, Pioneer Tower Road, City of Kitchener, Ontario, N2P, Canada|access-date=29 March 2021}}</ref>

[[File:Schneider Haus, front view with outbuildings.jpg|thumb|[[Schneider Haus]], built in 1816, is now a museum and National Historic Site.]]

By 1800, the first buildings in Berlin had been built,<ref>{{cite web |url=http://cityofkitchener.icreate.kitchener.ca/en/livinginkitchener/AboutKitchener.asp |title=City of Kitchener |publisher=Kitchener.ca |access-date=26 May 2012 |url-status=dead |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20100712113505/http://cityofkitchener.icreate.kitchener.ca/en/livinginkitchener/AboutKitchener.asp |archive-date=12 July 2010 |df=dmy-all }}</ref> and over the next decade, several families made the difficult trip north to what was then known as the Sandhills.  One of these Mennonite families, arriving in 1807, was the Schneiders, [[Schneider Haus|whose restored 1816 home]] (the oldest building in the city) is now a [[National Historic Sites of Canada|National Historic Site]] and museum in the heart of Kitchener.<ref>{{cite web |url=http://www.regionofwaterloo.ca/en/discoveringtheregion/josephschneiderhaus.asp |title=Joseph Schneider Haus |website=Region of Waterloo |access-date=2012-05-26 |url-status=dead |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20120523205256/http://www.regionofwaterloo.ca/en/discoveringTheRegion/josephschneiderhaus.asp |archive-date=23 May 2012 |df=dmy-all }}.</ref> Other families whose names can still be found in local place names were the Bechtels, the Ebys, the Erbs, the Webers, the Cressmans, and the Brubachers. In 1816, the government of Upper Canada designated the settlement the Township of Waterloo.

Much of the land, made up of [[moraine]]s and swampland interspersed with rivers and streams, was converted to farmland and roads. [[Passenger pigeon|Wild pigeons]], which once swarmed by the tens of thousands, were driven from the area. Apple trees were introduced to the region by John Eby in the 1830s, and several [[gristmill]]s and [[saw mill|sawmills]] were erected throughout the area, most notably Joseph Schneider's 1816 sawmill, John and [[Abraham Erb]]'s grist- and sawmills, Jacob Shantz's sawmill,<ref name=early-mills>{{cite news |url=https://www.therecord.com/life/2019/02/22/flash-from-the-past-early-mills-of-berlin-kitchener.html |title=Flash From the Past: Early mills of Berlin/Kitchener |first=Rych |last=Mills|date=22 February 2019 |orig-date=Updated 13 April 2020 |newspaper=[[Waterloo Region Record]]}}</ref> and Eby's cider mill. Schneider built Berlin's first road, from his home to the corner of King Street and Queen Street (then known as Walper Corner). The settlers raised $1,000 to extend the road from Walper Corner to Huether Corner, where the Huether Brewery was built and the [[Huether Hotel]] now stands in the city of Waterloo; a petition to the government for $100 to assist in completing the project was denied.{{citation needed|date=June 2022}}

====Settlement before Ebytown (1804–1806)====

Members of the Eby family, most notably [[Benjamin Eby]], began migrating to the German Company Tract lands in the first decade of the 19th century. The Ebys were an old [[Swiss people|Swiss]] [[Mennonite]] family with an association with religious non-conformist movements in Europe going back possibly as far as the [[Middle Ages]], and who were early followers of [[Anabaptism]].<ref name=eby-family />{{rp|3}} Jacob Eby, an ancestor of the Ebys who migrated to Upper Canada, was a Mennonite bishop in the Swiss canton of [[Zürich]] in 1683.<ref name=eby-family>{{cite book |last=Eby |first=Ezra E. |date=1889 |title=A Biographical History of the Eby Family |location=Berlin, Ontario |publisher=Hett & Eby |url=https://archive.org/details/cu31924029840695}}</ref>{{rp|4}} The family first migrated to [[Palatinate (region)|the Palatinate]], then to [[Pennsylvania]], settling in [[Lancaster County, Pennsylvania|Lancaster County]]. In Lancaster County, members of the family, such as Peter Eby (1765–1843), continued to act as Mennonite religious leaders.<ref name=eby-family />{{rp|10–12}} The Ebys became involved in early land settlement of the German Company Tract, with a number arriving between 1804 and 1807 and taking up farming plots.

Two brothers, George and Samuel ("Indian Sam") Eby, arrived in 1804 and settled on Lot 1 of the German Company Tract, near the area of what would become downtown Kitchener.<ref name=ebybook />{{rp|587}} George Eby's farmstead was located one mile southeast from the future Berlin town core.<ref name=ebybook>{{cite book |last=Eby |first=Ezra E. |date=1895 |title=A biographical history of Waterloo township and other townships of the county |location=Berlin, Ontario |isbn=9780665100192 |url=https://archive.org/details/cihm_10019}}</ref>{{rp|31}} It was later owned by [[Jacob Yost Shantz]], who built a large farmhouse there in 1856 at what became the corner of Maurice and Ottawa Streets.<ref>{{cite web |last=Steiner |first=Sam |title=Jacob Y. Shantz home at 5 Maurice St (corner of Maurice & Ottawa St. in Kitchener in 1983. Built in 1856. |url=https://archives.mhsc.ca/jacob-y-shantz-home-at-5-maurice-st-corner-of}}</ref> Samuel Eby settled on the northwest part of Lot 1 and soon became a close associate of the [[Mississaugas]] who lived in the area, selling whisky to them.

====Ebytown to Berlin (1806–1852)====

Later named the founder of Berlin, [[Benjamin Eby]] (made Mennonite preacher in 1809, and bishop in 1812) arrived from Lancaster County, Pennsylvania, in 1806, and purchased a large tract of land consisting of much of what would become the village of Berlin, so named in 1833). The settlement was initially called Ebytown, and was at the south-east side of what later became Queen Street. Eby was also responsible for the growth of the Mennonite church in Waterloo County.<ref name="whs pdf 1"/><ref name=waynecook>{{cite web |first=Wayne |last=Cook |url=http://www.waynecook.com/awaterloo.html|title=Historical Plaques of Waterloo County|url-status=unfit|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20170312051921/http://www.waynecook.com/awaterloo.html|archive-date=2017-03-12|access-date=2025-06-21}}</ref> By 1811, Eby had built a log Mennonite meeting house first used as a school house, but later also housing religious services. A new meeting house, known as Eby's Versammlungshaus, near Stirling Avenue, replaced the log house in 1834, while a schoolhouse was built on Frederick Street about the same time.<ref>{{cite news |url=https://www.therecord.com/living-story/7022105--benchi-bishop-benjamin-eby-was-a-builder-and-berlin-booster/ |title='Benchi' – Bishop Benjamin Eby was a builder and Berlin booster |date=17 December 2016 |first=Rych |last=Mills |work=Waterloo Region Record |access-date=2017-06-12 |url-status=dead |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20180328004435/https://www.therecord.com/living-story/7022105--benchi-bishop-benjamin-eby-was-a-builder-and-berlin-booster/ |archive-date=28 March 2018 |df=dmy-all }}</ref>

Benjamin Eby encouraged manufacturers and craftsmen to relocate to Ebytown. Jacob Hoffman came in 1829 or 1830, and started the first furniture factory. John Eby, druggist and chemist, arrived from Pennsylvania in about 1820, and opened a shop to the west of what would later be Eby Street. At the time, settlers commonly formed a building "bee" to help newcomers erect a log home.<ref name="whs pdf 1"/> Immigration from Lancaster County continued heavily in the 1820s because of a severe agricultural depression there.<ref>{{cite web |url=http://www.waterlooregionmuseum.com/collections-and-research/place-names-in-waterloo-region/waterloo-township/ |title=Waterloo Township |author=<!--Not stated--> |date=2013 |website=Waterloo Region Museum Research |publisher=Region of Waterloo |access-date=13 March 2017 |url-status=dead |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20170227143026/http://www.waterlooregionmuseum.com/collections-and-research/place-names-in-waterloo-region/waterloo-township/ |archive-date=27 February 2017 |df=dmy-all }}</ref> Joseph Schneider, from that area, built a frame house in 1820 on the south side of the future Queen Street after clearing a farm and creating a rough road; a small settlement formed around "Schneider's Road", which became the nucleus of Berlin. The home was renovated over a century later and still stands.<ref name=waynecook />

The village centre of Ebytown was established in 1830 by Phineas Varnum, who leased land from Joseph Schneider and opened a blacksmith shop on the site where a hotel would be built many years later, the Walper House. A tavern was also established here at the same time, and a store was opened.<ref name="whs pdf 1"/> At the time, the settlement of Ebytown was still considered to be a [[hamlet (place)|hamlet]].<ref name="kitchener.foundlocally.com"/>

[[Friedrich Gaukel]], another prominent early local figure, purchased the Varnum tavern site in the early 1830s, along with other lands around the growing village. In a November 1833 transaction, he purchased lands located along the village's main street (later known as King Street) from Joseph Schneider. The deeds of sale for this transaction are the earliest recorded use of the name Berlin to refer to the community.<ref>{{Cite DCB |last=Wust |first=Klaus |title=GAUKEL, FRIEDRICH |volume=8 |url=http://www.biographi.ca/en/bio/gaukel_friedrich_8E.html}}</ref>

The [[1826–1837 cholera pandemic]] affected Bridgeport in 1832 and Berlin in 1834. [[Hamilton, Ontario|Hamilton]], then a significant port of entry for immigrants to Canada, was linked to the 1832 outbreak, which also affected other nearby settlements such as Guelph and Brantford. At Bridgeport, two English families who had recently arrived from [[Suffolk]] contracted the disease after passing through Hamilton, and several died after arriving at the community. They also spread it to an already-settled family, the Hemblings, a number of whom also died, including adults. Orphaned children from these families were later adopted by local Mennonites.<ref>{{cite report |last=Burtt |first=Bob |chapter=Three Ring Circus of Death |title=Waterloo Historical Society Annual Report |location=Kitchener, Ontario |publisher=Waterloo Historical Society |volume=100 |date=April 2013}}</ref>{{rp|190}}

The ''Smith's Canadian Gazetteer'' of 1846 describes Berlin as: "... contains about 400 inhabitants, who are principally Germans. A newspaper is printed here, called [[Der Deutsche Canadier|the "''German Canadian''"]] and there is a Lutheran meeting house. Post Office, post twice a-week. Professions and Trades.—One physician and surgeon, one lawyer, three stores, one brewery, one printing office, two taverns, one pump maker, two blacksmiths."<ref name="Smith 1846 15">{{cite book |last=Smith |first=Wm. H. |date=1846 |title=SMITH'S CANADIAN GAZETTEER – STATISTICAL AND GENERAL INFORMATION RESPECTING ALL PARTS OF THE UPPER PROVINCE, OR CANADA WEST|url=https://archive.org/details/smithscanadianga00smit |location=Toronto |publisher=H. & W. ROWSELL |page=[https://archive.org/details/smithscanadianga00smit/page/15 15]}}</ref> The Township of Waterloo (smaller than Waterloo County) consisted primarily of Pennsylvanian Mennonites and immigrants directly from Germany who had brought money with them. At the time, many did not speak English. There were eight grist and twenty saw mills in the township. In 1841, the township population count was 4,424.<ref>{{cite book |last=Smith |first=Wm. H. |date=1846 |title=SMITH'S CANADIAN GAZETTEER – STATISTICAL AND GENERAL INFORMATION RESPECTING ALL PARTS OF THE UPPER PROVINCE, OR CANADA WEST|url=https://archive.org/details/smithscanadianga00smit| pages=[https://archive.org/details/smithscanadianga00smit/page/205 205]–206 |location=Toronto |publisher=H. & W. ROWSELL}}</ref>

The first cemetery in the city was the one next to Pioneer Tower in Doon; the first recorded burial at that location was in 1806. The cemetery at First Mennonite church is not as old, but contains the graves of some notable citizens, including Bishop Benjamin Eby, who died in 1853, Joseph Schneider, and Rev. Joseph Cramer, founder of the House of Friendship social service agency.<ref>{{cite news |url=https://www.therecord.com/news-story/6257126-mennonite-cemetery-offers-glimpse-into-kitchener-s-earliest-days/ |title=Mennonite cemetery offers glimpse into Kitchener's earliest days |date=31 January 2016 |first=Catherine |last=Thompson |work=Waterloo Region Record |access-date=2017-10-11 |url-status=dead |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20160202211037/http://www.therecord.com/news-story/6257126-mennonite-cemetery-offers-glimpse-into-kitchener-s-earliest-days/ |archive-date=2 February 2016 |df=dmy-all }}</ref>

====County seat (1853)====
[[File:Waterloo County Jail and Governor's House.jpg|thumb|Waterloo County Jail and Governor's House, Kitchener, built 1852]]

Previously part of the United County of Waterloo, Wellington, and Grey, Waterloo became a separate entity in 1853 with Berlin as [[county seat]]. Some contentious debate had existed between Galt and Berlin as to where the seat would be located; one of the requirements for founding was the construction of a [[courthouse]] and jail. When local merchant Joseph Gaukel donated a small parcel of land he owned (at the current Queen and [[Weber Street]]s), this sealed the deal for Berlin, which was still a small community compared to Galt. The courthouse at the corner of the later Queen Street North and Weber Street and the [[Waterloo County Gaol|gaol]] were built within a few months. The first county council meeting was held in the new facility on 24 January 1853, as the county officially began operations.<ref>{{cite web|url=https://www.guelphmercury.com/living-story/7420397-flash-from-the-past-seven-meetings-that-decided-waterloo-county/|title=Flash from the Past: Seven meetings that decided Waterloo County|first=Rych|last=Mills|date=July 14, 2017|website=Therecord.com|access-date=November 14, 2020}}</ref><ref name="hist places 1">{{cite web |url= http://www.historicplaces.ca/en/rep-reg/place-lieu.aspx?id=9216 |title= Waterloo County Jail and Governor's House |author= <!--Staff writer(s); no by-line.--> |website= Canada's Historic Places |access-date= July 1, 2015 |url-status= dead |archive-url= https://web.archive.org/web/20150713055721/http://www.historicplaces.ca/en/rep-reg/place-lieu.aspx?id=9216 |archive-date= 13 July 2015 |df= dmy-all }}</ref>

The Waterloo County Gaol is the oldest government building in the Region of Waterloo.<ref name="hist places 1"/> The Governor's House, home of the "gaoler", in a mid-Victorian Italian Villa style, was added in 1878. Both have been extensively restored and are on the [[Canadian Register of Historic Places]].<ref name="hist places 1"/><ref>{{cite web |url=http://www.regionofwaterloo.ca/en/discoveringTheRegion/resources/Kitchener.pdf |title=Discovering the Region |author=<!--Not stated--> |date=2015 |website=Doors Open, Region of Waterloo |publisher=Region of Waterloo |access-date=23 March 2017 |url-status=dead |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20130829164706/http://www.regionofwaterloo.ca/en/discoveringTheRegion/resources/Kitchener.pdf |archive-date=29 August 2013 |df=dmy-all }}</ref>

==="Busy Berlin" (late 19th century)===
====Arrival of the railways====

The extension of the [[Grand Trunk Railway]] from Sarnia to Toronto (and hence through Berlin) in July 1856 was a major boon to the community, helping to improve industrialization in the area.  Immigrants from Germany, mostly Lutheran and Catholic, dominated the city after 1850, and developed their own newer German celebrations and influences, such as the [[Turners|Turner societies]], gymnastics, and band music.<ref name="kitchener.ca">[http://www.kitchener.ca/en/livinginkitchener/aboutkitchener.asp About Kitchener] {{webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20170206203014/http://www.kitchener.ca/en/livinginkitchener/AboutKitchener.asp |date=6 February 2017 }}</ref> In 1869, Berlin had a population of 3000.<ref>{{cite book |url=https://archive.org/stream/provinceontario00mcevgoog#page/n66/mode/2up |title=The Province of Ontario Gazetteer and Directory |first=Henry |last=McEvoy |date=1869 |publisher=Robertson and Cook |oclc=8348177 |isbn=9780665094125 |page=54}}</ref>

In the late 1880s, the idea of a [[street railway]] connection to Waterloo was promoted, resulting in the construction of the [[Berlin and Waterloo Street Railway]] in 1888.<ref name=elso-kwsr>{{cite web |url=http://www.trainweb.org/elso/kw_st_ry.htm |title=Kitchener & Waterloo Street Railway |website=Electric Lines in Southern Ontario |first=William E. |last=Miller |date=4 February 2007 |access-date=15 March 2021}}</ref> It was electrified in 1895, making it the first [[electric railway]] in Berlin, though not the first in the county, as the [[Galt and Preston Street Railway]] had opened with electric operation in 1894. This was followed by the construction of the [[Preston and Berlin Street Railway]] in 1904, which connected Berlin to [[Preston, Ontario|Preston]] (now a part of Cambridge) to the southeast.<ref>{{cite web |url=http://www.explorewaterlooregion.com/2017/01/railway-history/ |title=CAMBRIDGE AND ITS INFLUENCE ON WATERLOO REGION'S LIGHT RAIL TRANSIT |author=<!--Not stated--> |date=19 January 2017 |website=Waterloo Region |access-date=10 March 2017 |url-status=dead |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20170312053020/http://www.explorewaterlooregion.com/2017/01/railway-history/ |archive-date=12 March 2017 |df=dmy-all }}</ref><ref>{{cite news |last=Mills |first=Rych |date=10 January 2017 |title=Flash From the Past: Preston Car and Coach goes up in smoke |url=http://www.therecord.com/living-story/7058983-flash-from-the-past-preston-car-and-coach-goes-up-in-smoke/ |work=Record |location=Kitchener |access-date=10 March 2017 |df=dmy-all }}</ref>

====House of Industry and Refuge====
[[File:Wellington County House of Industry and Refuge National Historic Site of Canada, Between Elora and Fergus, Wellington Centre, Ontario (21652033238).jpg|thumb|The House of Industry and Refuge in nearby Wellington County has been preserved as a National Historic Site.]]

In 1869, the county government built a very large so-called [[poorhouse]] with an attached farm, the House of Industry and Refuge that accommodated some 3,200 people before being closed in 1951; the building was later demolished. It was on Frederick St. in Kitchener, behind the now Frederick Street Mall, and was intended to minimize the number of people begging, living on the streets, or being incarcerated at a time before social-welfare programmes. A 2009 report by the ''[[Toronto Star]]'' explains, "pauperism was considered a moral failing that could be erased through order and hard work".<ref>{{cite news |last=Tyler |first=Tracey |date=January 3, 2009 |title=When 'poorhouse' wasn't only an expression |url=https://www.thestar.com/news/2009/01/03/when_poorhouse_wasnt_only_an_expression.html |work=Toronto Star |location=Toronto |access-date=March 13, 2017 |url-status=live |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20170314153422/https://www.thestar.com/news/2009/01/03/when_poorhouse_wasnt_only_an_expression.html |archive-date=14 March 2017 |df=dmy-all }}</ref>

A research project by the Laurier School of Social Work has amassed all available data about the house and its residents, digitized it, and made the archive available online.<ref>[http://waterloohouseofrefuge.ca/ Waterloo County House of Industry and Refuge] {{webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20170317124857/http://waterloohouseofrefuge.ca/ |date=17 March 2017 }}</ref> According to Sandy Hoy, a director of research projects, the "inmates" included not only the poor, but also those with disabilities, women, and children. Some were single women who had been servants and became pregnant. Since there were no social services, they were sent to the House. "We saw a lot of young, single mothers in the records," said Laura Coakley, a research co-ordinator.<ref>{{cite news |last=Mercer |first=Greg |date=12 March 2017 |title=A virtual museum for the 'poorhouse' |url=http://m.therecord.com/news-story/7186322-a-virtual-museum-for-the-poorhouse- |work=Record |location=Kitchener |access-date=13 March 2017 |url-status=dead |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20170314064209/http://m.therecord.com/news-story/7186322-a-virtual-museum-for-the-poorhouse- |archive-date=14 March 2017 |df=dmy-all }}</ref> The archives also indicate that in addition to food and shelter for "inmates", in return for labour in the house and on the attached farm, the house also donated food, clothing, and money for train tickets to enable the poor to reach family that might be able to support them.<ref>{{cite web |url=http://waterloohouseofrefuge.ca/home-slider/header-for-featured-content/ |title=Waterloo County House of Industry and Refuge |author=<!--Not stated--> |date=March 2017 |website=Waterloo House of Refuge |publisher=Social Innovation Research Group |access-date=13 March 2017 |quote=The poorhouse was one of the earliest forms of social welfare available to people without other options for food, shelter, or the care needed for their survival. The poorhouse became the place to send people who were very poor, desperate, distressed, disabled, pregnant without support, old, or ill so that they were outside the view of other citizens. |url-status=dead |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20170314071416/http://waterloohouseofrefuge.ca/home-slider/header-for-featured-content/ |archive-date=14 March 2017 |df=dmy-all }}</ref> Two cemeteries for the poor also were nearby, including "inmates" of the house who had died.<ref>{{cite news |url=http://www.therecord.com/news-story/5273274-searching-for-kitchener-s-lost-graveyards/ |title=Searching for Kitchener's lost graveyards |date=25 January 2015 |work=Waterloo Region Record |first=Greg |last=Mercer |access-date=2017-03-25 |url-status=dead |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20170314094416/http://www.therecord.com/news-story/5273274-searching-for-kitchener-s-lost-graveyards/ |archive-date=14 March 2017 |df=dmy-all }}</ref>

====Civic institutions====

[[File:City Hall Clock Tower Victoria Park Kitchener.jpg|thumb|The old City Hall clock tower in Victoria Park]]

On 9 June 1912, Berlin was designated a city.<ref name="kitchener.ca"/> At this time, the City Hall was in the two-story building at King and Frederick Streets that had also been used as the Berlin town hall, completed in 1869 by builder [[Jacob Yost Shantz|Jacob Y. Shantz]]. During its tenure, the structure was also used as a library, theatre, post/telegraph office, market, and jail. That building was demolished in 1924 and replaced by a new structure behind it, designed by architects William Schmalz and Bernal Jones, featuring a classical-revival style and a large civic square in front.<ref>{{cite web |url=https://uwaterloo.ca/heritage-resources-centre/blog/post/protecting-municipally-owned-heritage-part-two |title=Protecting municipally-owned Heritage(part two)|date=27 July 2015 |publisher=University of Wisconsin |access-date=24 March 2019 |quote=the splendid 1920s classical revival-style city hall was demolished in 1973. The building presided over a great civic square, which was also lost — both replaced with a non-descript mall.}}</ref> Demolished in 1973, and replaced by an office tower and the [[Market Square Shopping Centre (Kitchener)|Market Square shopping mall]], the old City Hall's clock tower was later (1995) erected in Victoria Park. The building was not replaced by the current [[Kitchener City Hall]] on King Street until 1993; the architect for the latter was [[Bruce Kuwabara]].<ref>{{cite news|title=Flash from the Past: Berlin's market building also housed post office, council chamber |date=17 September 2018 |url=https://www.therecord.com/news-story/8907635-kitchener-celebrates-its-world-class-welcoming-city-hall/ |work=Waterloo Region Record |access-date=24 March 2019}}</ref> During the interim years, the city had occupied leased premises on Frederick Street.<ref>{{cite news|title=Flash From the Past: Controversy and Kitchener's city halls seem to go together |date=22 March 2019|url=https://www.therecord.com/living-story/9235390-flash-from-the-past-controversy-and-kitchener-s-city-halls-seem-to-go-together/|work=Waterloo Region Record |access-date=24 March 2019}}</ref><ref>{{cite news |title=Flash from the Past: Berlin's market building also housed post office, council chamber |date=16 June 2015 |url=https://www.therecord.com/living-story/5661552-flash-from-the-past-berlin-s-market-building-also-housed-post-office-council-chamber |work=Waterloo Region Record |access-date=24 March 2019 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20190324121648/https://www.therecord.com/living-story/5661552-flash-from-the-past-berlin-s-market-building-also-housed-post-office-council-chamber/ |archive-date=24 March 2019 |url-status=dead }}</ref>

Kitchener was in many cases within Ontario the earliest adopter, or one of the earliest adopters, of many municipal institutions which later became commonplace. These institutions included library boards, planning boards, and conservation authorities. Known collectively as the agencies, boards, and commissions (ABCs), these special-purpose bodies became a characteristic element of Canadian governance.<ref>{{cite journal |last=Lucas |first=Jack |date=2013 |title=Hidden in Plain View: Local Agencies, Boards, and Commissions in Canada |journal=IMFG Perspectives |publisher=Institute on Municipal Finance and Governance |number=4 |url=https://tspace.library.utoronto.ca/bitstream/1807/82711/1/imfg_perspectives_4_hidden_in_plain_view_lucas_2013.pdf |archive-url=https://ghostarchive.org/archive/20221009/https://tspace.library.utoronto.ca/bitstream/1807/82711/1/imfg_perspectives_4_hidden_in_plain_view_lucas_2013.pdf |archive-date=2022-10-09 |url-status=live}}</ref>{{rp|2}} The ABCs movement in Kitchener began in the 1890s with the passage of the 1894 ''Public Parks Act'' transferring management of the town's parkland from a committee of the town council to a parks board, an initiative which ultimately led to the creation of [[Victoria Park, Kitchener|Victoria Park]]. A prominent supporter of this movement was [[John Richard Eden]],<ref name=lucas-berlin-abcs>{{cite journal |last=Lucas |first=Jack |date=Spring 2013 |title=Berlin, Ontario, in the Age of the ABC |journal=Urban History Review |publisher=[[University of Toronto Press]] |volume=41 |number=2 |pages=19–29 |doi=10.3138/uhr.41.02.02 |jstor=43560359}}</ref>{{rp|20}} who would later become mayor of the town in 1899.<ref>{{cite book |author=Canadian Press Syndicate |year=1902 |title=Album of Canadian Mayors |url=https://archive.org/details/albumofcanadianm00cana |pages=21−22|publisher=Montreal }}</ref> The parks board was followed in 1899 by a water commission, whose creation was heavily supported by local industrialists following a devastating fire at a local factory in 1896, as well as due to the need by many industries for a reliable water supply.<ref name=lucas-berlin-abcs />{{rp|21}} The town's local gas plant and electric utility was similarly [[municipalization|municipalized]] in 1903,<ref name=lucas-berlin-abcs />{{rp|21}} resulting in the creation of the Berlin Light Commission.

Facing a mounting sewage problem, especially as a result of effluent from the town's industrial [[tannery|tanneries]], local leaders in Berlin campaigned at a provincial level to be allowed to create a sewage commission, for which there was no provision in provincial legislation. Ultimately, a private bill was passed, allowing Berlin to create the first sewage commission in Canada in 1904.<ref name=lucas-berlin-abcs />{{rp|22}} The [[Berlin and Waterloo Street Railway]] was soon also taken over and municipalized. Kitchener was the first city in Ontario to get hydroelectric power in long-distance transmission lines from Niagara Falls, on October 11, 1910.<ref>{{cite news |url=https://www.therecord.com/news-story/2568202-power-for-the-people-power-flowed-100-years-ago-this-month/ |title=Power for the people: Power flowed 100 years ago this month |first=Terry |last=Pender |date=10 October 2010 |work=Waterloo Region Record |access-date=7 August 2018}}</ref> The growing roster of public utilities managed by the Light Commission led to its reorganization into the [[Kitchener Public Utilities Commission]] in 1924,<ref>{{cite book |last=Sandwell |first=R. W. |date=2016 |title=Powering Up Canada: A History of Power, Fuel, and Energy from 1600 |publisher=McGill–Queen's University Press}}</ref> which operated as the municipal gas, electric, and light utility, as well as the local street railway operator.

====Berlin-to-Kitchener name change====
{{main|Berlin-to-Kitchener name change}}
[[File:118th Battalion soldiers in Victoria Park, Berlin, Ontario.webp|thumb|alt=A crowd of soldiers are gathered around a pedestal, the top of which is visible under a vertical banner. The banner bears the phrase "Berlin will be Berlin No Longer". Two soldiers standing below and to the left of the bottom of the banner hold medallions showing the likenesses of Bismark and Von Moltke.|A day after raiding a local German social club, soldiers of the local [[118th (North Waterloo) Battalion, CEF|118th Battalion]] gather around the 1897 Peace Memorial in Victoria Park with a banner bearing the phrase "Berlin will be Berlin No Longer", 16 February 1916.]]

Berlin's character had been predominantly German since Waterloo Township's settlement by [[Pennsylvania Dutch]] pioneers in the early 19th century, and its urban growth and industrialization was bolstered in large part by Germans and other peoples from [[Central Europe|Central]] and [[Eastern Europe]], who brought with them skills, tools, and machinery, as well as diverse religious and social customs. The outbreak of the [[First World War]] pitted the [[British Empire]] (and by extension, Canada) against the [[German Empire|German]], [[Austro-Hungarian Empire|Austro-Hungarian]], and [[Ottoman Empire|Ottoman]] empires, and led to a wave of suspicion, exclusion, and discriminatory measures against people whose ethnic origins were associated with these states. Thousands of [[Ukrainian people|Ukrainians]], Germans, [[Turkish people|Turks]], and [[Bulgarian people|Bulgarians]] were forcibly placed into internment camps by the Dominion government under the ''[[War Measures Act]]'', which was passed in August 1914. Internees had their property confiscated and many of them were subjected to [[forced labour]]. Tens of thousands of others were subjected to government surveillance.<ref>{{cite encyclopedia |title=Internment in Canada |encyclopedia=[[The Canadian Encyclopedia]] |last=Roy |first=Patricia E. |date=11 June 2020 |url=https://www.thecanadianencyclopedia.ca/en/article/internment}}</ref>

In Berlin, [[anti-German sentiment]] slowly escalated throughout the war, beginning with the vandalizing of the statue of [[Kaiser Wilhelm I]] in Victoria Park in 1914. Despite pronouncements of loyalty and commitment to the war effort, the city's German community was subjected to physical violence and attacks on property by soldiers of the [[118th (North Waterloo) Battalion, CEF|118th Battalion]] of the [[Canadian Expeditionary Force]].<ref name=allemang>{{cite news|title=One hundred years after disappearing, Berlin (Ontario) shows signs of revival|date=26 August 2016|url=https://www.theglobeandmail.com/news/national/enduring-spirit-the-rejuvenation-of-berlin-ontario/article31576065/ |first=John |last=Allemang |work=Globe and Mail |access-date=19 March 2019|quote=The declaration of war marked the beginning of vicious, violent antagonism on an international scale, and Berliners became collateral damage through a simple seismic shift of global alliances.}}</ref> In [[Berlin to Kitchener name change|a set of referendums in 1916]], Berlin was renamed to Kitchener, after [[Herbert Kitchener, 1st Earl Kitchener]], a British [[Field marshal (United Kingdom)|field marshal]]. The first referendum vote in May, to change the name from Berlin, was characterized by the historian Adam Crerar as being influenced by [[Electoral fraud#Intimidation|voter intimidation]], with soldiers of the 118th Battalion keeping potential name change opponents away from the polls;<ref name=crerar>{{cite book |last1=Crerar |first1=Adam |editor1-last=MacKenzie |editor1-first=David |title=Canada and the First World War: Essays in Honour of Robert Craig Brown |date=2005 |publisher=[[University of Toronto Press]] |location=Toronto |isbn=0-8020-8445-1 |pages=230–271 |chapter=Ontario and the Great War |chapter-url=https://archive.org/details/canadafirstworld0000unse/page/230/ |chapter-url-access=registration}}</ref>{{rp|256}} the referendum passed by a narrow margin. A second referendum in June, to choose the new name, saw the name "Kitchener" chosen with only 346 votes.<ref>{{cite news|title=June 28, 1916: Exactly 346 people voted for Berlin to be renamed Kitchener |date=27 June 2016|url=https://www.therecord.com/news-story/6743079-june-28-1916-exactly-346-people-voted-for-berlin-to-be-renamed-kitchener/ |first=Jeff |last=Outhit |work=Waterloo Region Record |access-date=19 March 2019}}</ref> In September, the city of 19,000<ref name=allemang /> people was renamed.

===German culture===
{{see also|Berlin-to-Kitchener name change}}

Of the cities that are now part of Waterloo Region, Berlin, now Kitchener, has the strongest German heritage because of the high levels of settlement in this area by German-speaking immigrants.

While those from Pennsylvania were the most numerous until about 1840, a few Germans from Europe began arriving in 1819, including Fredrick Gaukel, a hotel keeper, being one of the first. He built what later became the Walper House in Berlin. Two streets in present-day Kitchener, Frederick and Gaukel Streets, are named after him. Other German-speaking immigrants from Europe arrived during the 1830s to 1850s, bringing with them their language, religion, and cultural traditions. The German community became industrial and political leaders, and created a German-Canadian society unlike any other found in Canada at the time. They established German public schools and German-language churches.

Both the immigrants from Germany and the Mennonites from Pennsylvania spoke German, though with different dialects such as Low German or the incorrectly called [[Pennsylvania Dutch]], actually Pennsilfaanisch ''Deitsch'' (German, not modern Dutch).<ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.canadianmennonite.org/stories/10-things-know-about-mennonites-canada|title=10 things to know about Mennonites in Canada|url-status=dead|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20170314064249/http://www.canadianmennonite.org/stories/10-things-know-about-mennonites-canada|archive-date=14 March 2017|df=dmy-all|access-date=23 March 2017}}</ref> (This dialect is different from [[Standard German]] with a simplified grammatical structure, some differences in vocabulary and pronunciation and a greater influence of English.) The combination of various types of German-speaking groups was a notable factor in the history of Waterloo County. The two groups spoke similar dialects and were able to understand each other quite easily<ref>{{cite web |url=http://www.mhso.org/sites/default/files/publications/Ontmennohistory15-2.pdf |archive-url=https://ghostarchive.org/archive/20221009/http://www.mhso.org/sites/default/files/publications/Ontmennohistory15-2.pdf |archive-date=2022-10-09 |url-status=live |title=Building Community on the Frontier – the Mennonite contribution to shaping the Waterloo settlement to 1861 |publisher=Mennonite Historical Society of Ontario|access-date=2018-11-11 }}</ref> and there was no apparent conflict between the Germans from Europe and those who came from Pennsylvania.<ref>{{cite web |url=http://waterlooregionww1.uwaterloo.ca/category/pre-1914/ |title=Religion in Waterloo North (Pre 1911) |author=<!--Not stated--> |date=2015 |website=Waterloo Region |access-date=21 March 2017 |url-status=dead |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20170321084940/http://waterlooregionww1.uwaterloo.ca/category/pre-1914/ |archive-date=21 March 2017 |df=dmy-all }}</ref>

Some sources estimate that roughly 50,000 Germans directly from Europe settled in and around Waterloo County, between the 1830s and 1850s.<ref>{{cite web |url=http://www.thecanadianencyclopedia.ca/en/article/german-canadians/ |title=German Canadians |author=<!--Not stated--> |date=2016 |website=The Canadian Encyclopedia |access-date=13 March 2017 |url-status=live |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20170202051340/http://www.thecanadianencyclopedia.ca/en/article/german-canadians/ |archive-date=2 February 2017 |df=dmy-all }}</ref> Unlike the predominantly Mennonite settlers from Pennsylvania, the majority of Germans from Europe were of other denominations: most in the first groups were Catholic and those who arrived later were primarily Lutheran.{{citation needed|date=May 2017}}

In 1862, German-speaking groups held the ''Sängerfest'', or "Singer Festival" concert event in Berlin that attracted an estimated 10,000 people and continued for several years.<ref name="waterlooregion1">{{cite web |url=http://waterlooregionww1.uwaterloo.ca/tag/1911/ |title=Waterloo Region 1911 |author=<!--Not stated--> |date=2015 |website=Waterloo Region WWI |publisher=University of Waterloo |access-date=20 March 2017 |url-status=dead |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20170321085010/http://waterlooregionww1.uwaterloo.ca/tag/1911/ |archive-date=21 March 2017 |df=dmy-all }}</ref> Eleven years later,
the more than 2000 Germans in Berlin, Ontario, started a new event, ''Friedensfest'', commemorating Prussian victory in the [[Franco-Prussian war]]. This annual celebration continued until the start of World War I.<ref>{{cite web |url=http://waterlooregionww1.uwaterloo.ca/1871/01/friedensfest-1871/ |title=Friedensfest (1871) |author=<!--Not stated--> |date=2015 |website=Waterloo Region WWI |publisher=University of Waterloo |access-date=20 March 2017 |url-status=dead |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20170321084420/http://waterlooregionww1.uwaterloo.ca/1871/01/friedensfest-1871/ |archive-date=21 March 2017 |df=dmy-all }}</ref> In 1897, they raised funds to erect a large monument, with a bronze bust of Kaiser Wilhelm I, in Victoria Park. The monument was destroyed by townspeople just after the start of World War I.<ref name=waynecook /> A statue of Queen Victoria was erected in the park in 1911.
[[File:Queen Victoria Monument in Victoria Park (4416768477).jpg|thumb|Queen Victoria Monument]]
By 1871, Berlin, Ontario, was a bilingual town with German being the dominant language spoken. More than one visitor commented on the necessity of speaking German in Berlin.<ref>{{cite book |last1=Lorenzkowski |first1=Barbara |title=Sounds of Ethnicity: Listening to German North America, 1850–1914 |date=1 May 2010 |publisher=Univ. of Manitoba Press |isbn=978-0-88755-301-1 |page=72 |language=en |quote=the ability to speak German was looked upon as one of the necessary qualifications of salesmen in Berlin stores}}</ref>
[[File:Victoria Park, Berlin, Ontario (HS85-10-17459).jpg|thumb|Victoria Park, Berlin, Ontario, 1906]]
Immigration from continental Germany slowed by 1880. First and second-generation descendants now comprised most of the local German population, and while they were proud of their German roots, most considered themselves loyal British subjects. The 1911 Census indicates that of the 15,196 residents in Berlin, Ontario, about 70% were identified as ethnic German but only 8.3% had been born in Germany. By the beginning of the First World War in 1914, Berlin and Waterloo County were still considered to be predominantly German by people across Canada. This would prove to have a profound impact on local citizens during the war years. During the first few months of the war, services and activities at Lutheran churches in Waterloo County continued. As anti-German sentiment increased throughout Waterloo County, many of the churches decided to stop holding services in German.<ref name="auto2">"City on Edge: Berlin Becomes Kitchener in 1916" Exhibit at Waterloo Region Museum, on display 2016.</ref>

The governor general of Canada, the [[Prince Arthur, Duke of Connaught and Strathearn|Duke of Connaught]], while visiting Berlin, Ontario, in May 1914, discussed the importance of [[Canadians of German ethnicity]] (regardless of their origin) in a speech: "It is of great interest to me that many of the citizens of Berlin are of German descent. I well know the admirable qualities – the thoroughness, the tenacity, and the loyalty of the great Teutonic Race, to which I am so closely related. I am sure that these inherited qualities will go far in the making of good Canadians and loyal citizens of the British Empire".<ref name="auto2"/>

[[File:First World War parade in downtown Berlin, Ontario.jpg|thumb|Military parade down King Street in Berlin.]]

In 1897, a large bronze bust of [[Kaiser Wilhelm I]], made by [[Reinhold Begas]] and shipped from Germany, was installed at [[Victoria Park, Kitchener]] to honour the region's prominent [[Canadians of German ethnicity|German-Canadian]] population.<ref name="MercerMissing" /> It was removed and thrown into the lake by vandals in August 1914 at the beginning of the [[First World War]].<ref>{{cite news |title=WWI Newsclippings - Kaiser Wilhelm bust thrown into Victoria Park lake, August 27, 1914 |url=http://images.ourontario.ca/waterloo/2821723/data?n=12 |access-date=23 October 2019 |work=images.ourontario.ca |date=27 August 1914 |language=en}}</ref> The bust was recovered from the lake and moved to the nearby Concordia club, but it was stolen again February 15, 1916, marched through the streets by a mob, made up largely of soldiers from the [[118th (North Waterloo) Battalion, CEF|118th Battalion]], and has never been seen again.<ref name="MercerMissing">{{cite news |last1=Mercer |first1=Greg |title=Missing kaiser statue 'a mystery that will never be solved' |url=https://www.therecord.com/news-story/4775742-missing-kaiser-statue-a-mystery-that-will-never-be-solved-/ |access-date=23 October 2019 |work=TheRecord.com |date=23 August 2014 |language=en-CA |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20140911122624/http://www.therecord.com/news-story/4775742-missing-kaiser-statue-a-mystery-that-will-never-be-solved-/ |archive-date=11 September 2014 |url-status=dead }}</ref> The 118th Battalion is rumoured to have melted down the bust to make napkin rings given to its members.<ref>[http://images.ourontario.ca/waterloo/46562/data Bust of Kaiser Wilhelm I, Victorial Park, Kitchener, Ontario], Waterloo Public Library</ref> A monument with a plaque outlining the story of the original bust was erected in 1996 in the location of the original bust and its stand.<ref name="Allemang">{{cite news |last1=Allemang |first1=John |title=One hundred years after disappearing, Berlin (Ontario) shows signs of revival |url=https://www.theglobeandmail.com/news/national/enduring-spirit-the-rejuvenation-of-berlin-ontario/article31576065/ |access-date=23 October 2019 |work=Globe & Mail |date=26 August 2016}}</ref><ref>{{cite web |url=https://www.goethe.de/ins/ca/en/kul/sup/dsk/dstu/fvp.html |title=PEDESTAL OF THE SOCALLED "PEACE MEMORIAL" |date=11 July 1998 |publisher=Goethe |access-date=26 November 2019 |archive-date=3 August 2020 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20200803011231/https://www.goethe.de/ins/ca/en/kul/sup/dsk/dstu/fvp.html |url-status=dead }}</ref>

As the incidents with the bust suggest, there was certainly some [[anti-German sentiment]] in Canada. Some immigrants from Germany who considered themselves Canadians but were not yet citizens, were detained in internment camps.<ref>{{cite web |url=https://www.bac-lac.gc.ca/eng/discover/politics-government/Pages/thematic-guides-internment-camps.aspx#b4 |title=Internment Camps in Canada during the First and Second World Wars|date=1 March 2012 |publisher=Government of Canada|access-date=19 March 2019 |quote=Some German citizens living in Canada were arrested and detained in internment camps. Because Canada also served as a place of detention for German prisoners of war on behalf of the British, they formed a large proportion of the internees.}}</ref> There were some cultural sanctions on German communities in Canada, and that included Berlin. However, by 1919 most of the population of what would become Kitchener, Waterloo and Elmira were "Canadian"; over 95 percent had been born in Ontario.<ref name="waterlooregion1"/> Those of the Mennonite religion were pacifists so they could not enlist, and the few who had immigrated from Germany (not born in Canada) could not morally fight against a country that was a significant part of their heritage.<ref>{{cite web|url=http://wartimecanada.ca/document/world-war-i/conscription/mennonites-and-conscription|title=Mennonites and conscription – Wartime Canada|url-status=dead|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20170315085646/http://wartimecanada.ca/document/world-war-i/conscription/mennonites-and-conscription|archive-date=15 March 2017|df=dmy-all|access-date=23 March 2017}}</ref><ref>{{cite news |last=D'Amato |first=Louisa |date=28 June 2014 |title=First World War ripped away Canada's 'age of innocence' |url=https://www.kitchenerpost.ca/news-story/4605027-first-world-war-ripped-away-canada-s-age-of-innocence-/ |work=Kitchener Post, Waterloo Region Record |location=Kitchener |access-date=14 March 2017 |url-status=dead |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20170315023707/https://www.kitchenerpost.ca/news-story/4605027-first-world-war-ripped-away-canada-s-age-of-innocence-/ |archive-date=15 March 2017 |df=dmy-all }}</ref> The anti-German sentiment was the primary reason for the [[Berlin to Kitchener name change]] in 1916. News reports indicate that "A Lutheran minister was pulled out of his house ... he was dragged through the streets. German clubs were ransacked through the course of the war. It was just a really nasty time period."<ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.cbc.ca/news/canada/kitchener-waterloo/kitchener-ontario-berlin-name-change-100-years-tom-reitz-berry-vrbanovic-1.3744212|title=Kitchener mayor notes 100th year of name change|website=Cbc.ca|url-status=live|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20170109113151/http://www.cbc.ca/news/canada/kitchener-waterloo/kitchener-ontario-berlin-name-change-100-years-tom-reitz-berry-vrbanovic-1.3744212|archive-date=9 January 2017|df=dmy-all}}</ref> Someone stole the bust of Kaiser Wilhelm from Victoria Park; soldiers vandalized German stores and ransacked Berlin's ethnic clubs. History professor Mark Humphries summarized the situation:{{blockquote|Before the war, most people in Ontario probably didn't give the German community a second thought. But it is important to remember that Canada was a society in transition – the country had absorbed massive numbers of immigrants between 1896 and the First World War, proportionately more than at any other time in our history. So there were these latent fears about foreigners ... It becomes very easy to stoke these racist, nativist fires and convince people there really is a threat. War propaganda is top-down driven, but it is effective because it re-enforces tendencies that already exist.<ref>{{cite news|title=One hundred years after disappearing, Berlin (Ontario) shows signs of revival|date=26 August 2016|url=https://www.theglobeandmail.com/news/national/enduring-spirit-the-rejuvenation-of-berlin-ontario/article31576065/
|work=Globe and Mail |access-date=19 March 2019|quote=The declaration of war marked the beginning of vicious, violent antagonism on an international scale, and Berliners became collateral damage through a simple seismic shift of global alliances.}}</ref>}}

A document in the Archives of Canada makes the following comment: "Although ludicrous to modern eyes, the whole issue of a name for Berlin highlights the effects that fear, hatred and nationalism can have upon a society in the face of war."<ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.collectionscanada.gc.ca/firstworldwar/025005-3300-e.html |title=ARCHIVED – Did You Know That… – ARCHIVED – Canada and the First World War – Library and Archives Canada |date=30 June 2016 |url-status=dead |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20160630163552/http://www.collectionscanada.gc.ca/firstworldwar/025005-3300-e.html |archive-date=30 June 2016 }}</ref>

The [[Waterloo Pioneer Memorial Tower]] built in 1926 commemorates the settlement by the Pennsylvania 'Dutch' (actually Pennsilfaanisch ''Deitsch'', or German) of the [[Grand River (Ontario)|Grand River]] area of Waterloo County.<ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.historicplaces.ca/en/rep-reg/place-lieu.aspx?id=3297|title=HistoricPlaces.ca – HistoricPlaces.ca|url-status=dead|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20170315002531/http://www.historicplaces.ca/en/rep-reg/place-lieu.aspx?id=3297|archive-date=15 March 2017|df=dmy-all|access-date=14 March 2017}}</ref>
The [[Kitchener–Waterloo Oktoberfest]] is a remembrance of the region's German heritage. The event includes beer halls and German entertainment.  The second largest Oktoberfest in the world, the event is based on the original German [[Oktoberfest]] and is billed as "Canada's Greatest [[Bavaria]]n Festival". It attracts an average of 700,000 people to the county. During the 2016 Oktoberfest parade, an estimated 150,000 people lined the streets along the route.<ref>{{cite news |url=https://www.ctvnews.ca/kitchener/article/oktoberfest-2016-comes-to-a-close/ |title=Oktoberfest 2016 comes to a close |first=Jennifer K. |last=Baker |date=16 October 2016 |work=CTV News Kitchener|access-date=2017-03-29 |url-status=live |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20170315105618/http://kitchener.ctvnews.ca/oktoberfest-2016-comes-to-a-close-1.3117493 |archive-date=15 March 2017 |df=dmy-all }}]</ref> Granted, some do not consider Oktoberfest to be indicative of German culture in general. "The fact is, Oktoberfest in Germany is a very localized festival. It really is a Munich festival. ... [Oktoberfest in Kitchener] celebrates only a 'tiny aspect' of German culture [Bavarian]", according to German studies professor James Skidmore of the [[University of Waterloo]].<ref>{{cite news|title=Oktoberfest not true celebration of German culture, says prof|date=14 October 2013 |url=https://www.cbc.ca/news/canada/kitchener-waterloo/oktoberfest-not-true-celebration-of-german-culture-says-prof-1.2053913 |work=Globe and Mail |access-date=19 March 2019|quote=Oktoberfest celebrates Bavarian, not German, culture}}</ref>

===Suburban development (20th century)===

[[File:Queen Street South, Kitchener, Ontario looking North to King Street.jpg|thumb|right|upright|Queen Street South, looking north to King Street]]

The interwar and postwar periods saw a wave of suburban development around the city. One prominent example of this was the Westmount neighbourhood. Modelled after [[Westmount, Quebec|the affluent Montreal suburb of the same name]],<ref name=mavor>{{cite book |last=Mavor |first=Susan Saunders |date=2011 |title=Westmount: The Tie That Binds the Twin Cities |publisher=University of Waterloo Library |isbn=9780920834503}}</ref>{{rp|21–22}} it was developed on the forested hills to the north of the Schneider farmstead on lands that were subdivided from it.<ref name=mavor />{{rp|23}} Kitchener's Westmount took a number of its street names from the model subdivision in Montreal, such as Belmont Avenue.<ref name=mavor />{{rp|23}} It was the brainchild of a local rubber magnate, Talmon Henry Rieder, who was heavily connected to Montreal business interests and who oversaw the 1912 construction of the [[Dominion Tire Plant]] on nearby Strange Street.<ref name=mavor />{{rp|22}} Rieder was inspired by the turn-of-the-century [[City Beautiful movement]], which was focused in large part on construction of monumental civic architecture and urban beautification; it is often associated with [[Beaux-Arts architecture]] in North America.

Rieder's own interpretation of the movement's philosophy followed a variation of the influential landscape architect [[Frederick Law Olmsted]]'s "Suburb Beautiful", with Rieder proclaiming Westmount the "Development Beautiful". It reflected an alienation from industrial cities and dense urban centres, driven by a variety of factors. These included concerns around the health impact of air pollution and desire for "country air";<ref name=mavor />{{rp|32}} the ability for people to commute longer distances being enabled by motor vehicles;<ref name=mavor />{{rp|35}} the availability of large, cheap plots of development land;<ref name=mavor />{{rp|35}} an increasing emphasis on the "restricted residential subdivision"<ref name=mavor />{{rp|36}} and [[restrictive covenants]] barring industrial and commercial development in exclusive residential neighbourhoods (an antecedent to modern [[zoning]]); and a desire by Berlin-turned-Kitchener's ethnically German business class, in the wake of the city's turmoil over its German identity during the First World War, to distance themselves from its 19th century past and the downtown area associated with it in favour of a built environment similar to wealthy Anglo-Canadians in other Canadian cities, such as Montreal and Winnipeg.<ref name=mavor />{{rp|41}} The fortunes of Rieder and other rubber industrialists were linked to the rise of the automobile industry in Canada,<ref name=mavor />{{rp|33}} and indirectly to the growth of automobile-linked suburbs. Lands formerly in the rural Waterloo Township were annexed to the city, ensuring suburban access to municipal services.<ref name=mavor />{{rp|27}} Westmount's planners distinguished the suburb from Kitchener's urban core in fundamental ways, such as the adoption of wandering, curvilinear roads combined with a more traditionally urban grid pattern.<ref name=mavor />{{rp|32}} Many streets were originally intended to be wide [[boulevard]]s, with some, such as Union Boulevard, planned to be as wide as {{convert|80|ft|m}}.<ref name=mavor />{{rp|32}} Winding streets and picturesque vistas were a significant part of advertising for the subdivision.<ref name=mavor />{{rp|35}}

==Economy==
{{see also|Economy of Ontario}}
[[File:Downtown Kitchener, Ontario 2.jpg|thumb|right|Benton and Frederick Streets (the name changes at the intersection with King Street in the foreground) form one of the most important corridors for traffic and public transit routes entering Downtown Kitchener.]]
[[File:Tannery building Kitchener Ontario 1.jpg|thumb|right|Former Lang Tannery building, now used as hub for digital media companies]]
[[File:MarketSquare-Frederick&KingStE-Kitchener.jpg|thumb|right|Market Square, on the corner of Frederick St. and King St. East]]

Kitchener's economic heritage is rooted in manufacturing. Industrial artifacts are in public places throughout the city as a celebration of its manufacturing history.<ref>{{cite web |url=http://www.kitchener.ca/en/livinginkitchener/IndustrialArtifacts.asp |title=City of Kitchener – Industrial Artifacts |publisher=City of Kitchener |access-date=6 September 2012 |url-status=dead |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20120911200210/http://www.kitchener.ca/en/livinginkitchener/IndustrialArtifacts.asp |archive-date=11 September 2012 |df=dmy-all }}</ref> While the local economy's reliance on manufacturing has decreased, in 2012, 20.36% of the labour force was employed in the manufacturing sector.<ref>{{cite web |url=http://www.kitchener.ca/en/insidecityhall/resources/2011_01_Fast_Facts.pdf |title=Fast facts about Kitchener |publisher=City of Kitchener |access-date=6 September 2012 |url-status=dead |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20121108210848/http://www.kitchener.ca/en/insidecityhall/resources/2011_01_Fast_Facts.pdf |archive-date=8 November 2012 |df=dmy-all }}</ref>

The city is home to four municipal business parks: the Bridgeport Business Park, Grand River West Business Park, Huron Business Park and Lancaster Corporate Centre. The largest, the Huron Business Park, is home to a number of industries, from seat manufacturers to furniture components.<ref>{{cite web |url=http://www.kitchener.ca/en/insidecityhall/resources/2011_01_Fast_Facts.pdf |title=City of Kitchener |publisher=City of Kitchener |access-date=6 September 2012 |url-status=dead |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20121108210848/http://www.kitchener.ca/en/insidecityhall/resources/2011_01_Fast_Facts.pdf |archive-date=8 November 2012 |df=dmy-all }}</ref> Some of the notable companies headquartered in Kitchener include: [[Waterloo Brewing Company]],<ref>{{cite web |title=Contact Us |url=https://waterloobrewing.com/contact |website=Waterloo Brewing |publisher=Waterloo Brewing LTD |access-date=21 September 2021 |archive-date=20 August 2023 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20230820052639/https://waterloobrewing.com/contact |url-status=dead }}</ref> [[D2L]],<ref>{{cite web |title=Contacts & Locations |url=https://www.d2l.com/about/locations/ |website=D2L |publisher=D2L Corporation |access-date=21 September 2021}}</ref> Vidyard,<ref>{{cite web |title=Contact Us |url=https://www.vidyard.com/contact/ |website=Vidyard |publisher=Buildscale, Inc |access-date=21 September 2021}}</ref> and [[ApplyBoard]].<ref>{{cite web |title=Contact Us |url=https://www.applyboard.com/contact |website=ApplyBoard |publisher=ApplyBoard Inc. |access-date=21 September 2021}}</ref>

Kitchener's economy has diversified to include new high-value economic clusters. In addition to Kitchener's internationally recognized finance and insurance and manufacturing clusters, digital media and health science clusters are emerging within the city.<ref>{{cite web |url=http://www.kitchener.ca/en/businessinkitchener/economicdevelopmentstrategy.asp |title=City of Kitchener |publisher=City of Kitchener |access-date=6 September 2012 |url-status=dead |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20120904003045/http://www.kitchener.ca/en/businessinkitchener/EconomicDevelopmentStrategy.asp |archive-date=4 September 2012 |df=dmy-all }}</ref>

Beginning in 2004, the City of Kitchener launched several initiatives to re-energize the downtown core. These initiatives included heavy investment, on behalf of the city and its partners, and the creation of a [[Downtown Kitchener Action Plan]].<ref>{{cite web |url=http://www.kitchener.ca/en/businessinkitchener/BuildingADynamicDowntown.asp |title=City of Kitchener |publisher=City of Kitchener |access-date=6 September 2012 |url-status=dead |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20120831000039/http://www.kitchener.ca/en/businessinkitchener/BuildingADynamicDowntown.asp |archive-date=31 August 2012 |df=dmy-all }}</ref>

The modern incarnation of its historic farmers’ market, opened in 2004. The Kitchener Market is one of the oldest consistently operating markets in Canada. The Kitchener Market features local producers, international cuisine, artisans, and craftspeople.<ref>{{cite web |url=http://www.kitchenermarket.ca/ |title=Kitchener Market |publisher=Kitchener Market |access-date=6 September 2012 |url-status=dead |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20120830141647/http://www.kitchenermarket.ca/ |archive-date=30 August 2012 |df=dmy-all }}</ref>

In 2009, the City of Kitchener began a project to reconstruct and revitalize the main street in Kitchener's downtown core, [[Waterloo Regional Road 15|King Street]]. In the reconstruction of King Street, several features were added to make the street more friendly to pedestrians. New lighting was added to the street, sidewalks were widened, and curbs were lowered. [[Bollard (traffic)|Movable bollards]] were installed to add flexibility to the streetscape, accommodating main street events and festivals. In 2010, the redesigned King Street was awarded the International Community Places Award for its flexible design intended to draw people into the downtown core.<ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.livablecities.org/awards/2010-design-awards|title=2010 Design Awards|publisher=International Making Cities Livable|access-date=6 September 2012|url-status=dead|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20120603061311/http://www.livablecities.org/awards/2010-design-awards|archive-date=3 June 2012|df=dmy-all}}</ref> In 2009, Tree Canada recognized King Street as a ''green street''.<ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.treecanada.ca/news/05-29-2008.htm|title=Tree Canada announces Green Streets Canada 2008/09 Winners|publisher=Tree Canada|access-date=6 September 2012}}{{dead link|date=March 2018 |bot=Artix Kreiger 2 |fix-attempted=yes }}</ref> The redesigned King Street features several environmentally sustainable elements such as new street trees, bike racks, planter beds that collect and filter storm water, street furnishing made primarily from recycled materials, and an improved waste management system. The street was reconstructed using recycled roadway and paving stones.<ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.kitchener.ca/en/businessinkitchener/KingStreetMasterPlan.asp|title=City of Kitchener – The New King Street|publisher=City of Kitchener|access-date=6 September 2012|url-status=dead|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20121029095456/http://www.kitchener.ca/en/businessinkitchener/KingStreetMasterPlan.asp|archive-date=29 October 2012|df=dmy-all}}</ref> In September 2012, the [[City of Toronto government]] used Kitchener's King Street as a model for Celebrate Yonge – a month-long event which reduced [[Yonge Street]] to two lanes, widening sidewalks to improve the commercial street for businesses and pedestrians.<ref>{{cite web|url=http://metronews.ca/news/kitchener/357267/kitcheners-king-street-a-model-for-yonge-street-festival/|title=Kitchener's King Street a Model for Yonge Street Festival|publisher=Metro News|access-date=6 September 2012|url-status=dead|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20120904211302/http://metronews.ca/news/kitchener/357267/kitcheners-king-street-a-model-for-yonge-street-festival/|archive-date=4 September 2012|df=dmy-all}}</ref>

The groundbreaking ceremony for the [[University of Waterloo School of Pharmacy]] and downtown health sciences campus took place on 15 March 2006, and the facility opened in spring 2009. The building is on King Street near Victoria Street, on the site of the old Epton plant, across the street from the Kaufman Lofts (formerly the Kaufman shoe factory). [[McMaster University]] later opened a satellite campus for its [[Michael G. DeGroote School of Medicine]] next to the University of Waterloo's School of Pharmacy. The Health Sciences Campus has been central to the emergence of Kitchener's health science cluster.<ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.kitchener.ca/en/businessinkitchener/UwHealthSciencesCampus.asp|title=City of Kitchener – UW Health Sciences Campus|publisher=City of Kitchener|access-date=6 September 2012|url-status=dead|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20121108215557/http://www.kitchener.ca/en/businessinkitchener/UwHealthSciencesCampus.asp|archive-date=8 November 2012|df=dmy-all}}</ref>

In 2007, Cadan Inc., a Toronto-based real estate development company, bought what had been the Lang Tannery for $10&nbsp;million. Supported by the local government, Cadan repurposed the building for use by commercial firms. Since its refurbishment, the Tannery has become a hub for digital media companies, both large and small.<ref>{{cite news|url=https://www.theglobeandmail.com/report-on-business/industry-news/property-report/kitchener-finds-its-new-groove-in-industrial-past/article4097776/|title=Kitchener Finds its Groove in Industrial Past|newspaper=The Globe and Mail|date=6 September 2012|access-date=6 September 2012|location=Toronto|url-status=live|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20121227024036/http://www.theglobeandmail.com/report-on-business/industry-news/property-report/kitchener-finds-its-new-groove-in-industrial-past/article4097776/|archive-date=27 December 2012|df=dmy-all}}</ref> [[Desire2Learn]], an e-learning company, in the Tannery as the company expanded. In 2011, [[Communitech]] moved into the Tannery. Home to over 800 companies, Communitech is a hub for innovative high-tech companies in the fields of information technology, digital media, biomedical, aerospace, environmental technology and advanced manufacturing. Also in 2011, high-tech giant [[Google Inc.]] became a tenant of the Tannery, furthering its reputation as a home for leading high-tech companies.<ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.thetannery.ca/|title=The Tannery District|publisher=The Tannery District|access-date=6 September 2012|url-status=dead|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20120530082010/http://www.thetannery.ca/|archive-date=30 May 2012|df=dmy-all}}</ref> The Kitchener office is a large hub for the development for Google's Gmail application.<ref>{{Cite web|title = Google's Kitchener team plays key role in Gmail redesign|url = http://www.cbc.ca/news/canada/kitchener-waterloo/google-s-kitchener-team-plays-key-role-in-gmail-redesign-1.2812751|website = www.cbc.ca|access-date = 2015-11-20|url-status = live|archive-url = https://web.archive.org/web/20151120205452/http://www.cbc.ca/news/canada/kitchener-waterloo/google-s-kitchener-team-plays-key-role-in-gmail-redesign-1.2812751|archive-date = 20 November 2015|df = dmy-all}}</ref> In 2016, the [[University of Waterloo]]-sponsored startup hub Velocity Garage<ref>{{cite web|url=http://velocity.uwaterloo.ca/workspaces/velocity-garage/|title=Velocity Garage|date=24 June 2015|website=Velocity.uwaterloo.ca|access-date=7 August 2018|archive-date=8 August 2018|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20180808184442/http://velocity.uwaterloo.ca/workspaces/velocity-garage/|url-status=dead}}</ref> relocated to the building, bringing over 100 additional startup companies into the Tannery.<ref>{{Cite web|url=http://velocity.uwaterloo.ca/companies/|title=Company Directory|website=Velocity.uwaterloo.ca|access-date=June 9, 2016|url-status=dead|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20160614011842/http://velocity.uwaterloo.ca/companies/|archive-date=14 June 2016|df=dmy-all}}</ref>

The Province of Ontario built a new provincial courthouse in downtown Kitchener, on the block bordered by Frederick, Duke, Scott and Weber streets. The new courthouse was expected to create new jobs, mainly for the courthouse, but also for other businesses, especially law offices.  The new courthouse construction began in 2010.<ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.kitchener.ca/en/businessinkitchener/RegionalCourthouse.asp?_mid_=7545|title=City of Kitchener – Regional Courthouse|publisher=City of Kitchener|access-date=6 September 2012|url-status=dead|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20121108215825/http://www.kitchener.ca/en/businessinkitchener/RegionalCourthouse.asp?_mid_=7545|archive-date=8 November 2012|df=dmy-all}}</ref>

In the downtown area, several factories have been transformed into upscale lofts and residences. In September 2010, construction began on the ‘City Centre’ redevelopment project in downtown Kitchener. This redevelopment project will include condominium units, new retail spaces, private and public parking, a gallery, and a boutique hotel.<ref name="New Residential Developments">{{cite web|url=http://www.downtownkitchener.ca/living_downtown/newresidentialdevelopments/|title=New Residential Developments|publisher=Downtown Kitchener|access-date=6 September 2012|url-status=dead|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20120829173407/http://www.downtownkitchener.ca/living_downtown/newresidentialdevelopments|archive-date=29 August 2012|df=dmy-all}}</ref> The former Arrow shirt factory has been converted into a luxury, high-rise apartment building, featuring loft condominiums.<ref name="New Residential Developments"/>

In 2012, Desire2Learn, in downtown Kitchener, received $80&nbsp;million in venture capitalist funding from [[OMERS|OMERS Ventures]] and [[New Enterprise Associates]].<ref>{{cite news|url=https://www.theglobeandmail.com/globe-investor/desire2learn-finally-accepts-venture-investment/article4516924/|title=Desire2Learn finally accepts venture investment|newspaper=The Globe and Mail|date=4 September 2012|access-date=6 September 2012|location=Toronto|url-status=live|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20120906135756/http://www.theglobeandmail.com/globe-investor/desire2learn-finally-accepts-venture-investment/article4516924/|archive-date=6 September 2012|df=dmy-all}}</ref>

The downtown area was in a boom phase by late 2017, with $1.2&nbsp;billion in building permits for 20 new developments expected by the end of February 2019.  That would add 1,000 apartments and 1,800 condominium units. The City indicated that the development would be a "mixture of high-density residential buildings with ground-floor retail, and office buildings with ground-floor retail". Since the [[Ion rapid transit]] (light rail) system, operated by [[Grand River Transit]], was approved in 2009, "the region has issued $2.4&nbsp;billion in building permits within the LRT corridor".<ref>{{cite news | last = Pender | first = Terry | date = December 29, 2017 | title = Boom Time: $1.2 Billion in Building Permits Expected for Downtown Kitchener | url = https://www.therecord.com/news-story/8029390-boom-time-1-2-billion-in-building-permits-expected-for-downtown-kitchener/ | work = The Record | url-status = dead | archive-url = https://web.archive.org/web/20180110184811/https://www.therecord.com/news-story/8029390-boom-time-1-2-billion-in-building-permits-expected-for-downtown-kitchener/ | archive-date = 10 January 2018 | df = dmy-all | access-date = 31 December 2017 }}</ref>

==Demographics==
{{Historical populations
|1871|3473
|1881|4054
|1891|7245
|1901|9747
|1911|15196
|1921|21763
|1931|30793
|1941|35657
|1951|44867
|1956|60916
|1961|74485
|1966|94446
|1971|111805
|1976|131870
|1981|139734
|1986|150604
|1991|168282
|2001|190399
|2006|204688
|2011|219153
|2016|233222
|2021|256855
|footnote=<ref>[http://www66.statcan.gc.ca/eng/acyb_c1932-eng.aspx?opt=/eng/1932/193201410103_p.%20103.pdf]  {{webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20141019190112/http://www66.statcan.gc.ca/eng/acyb_c1932-eng.aspx?opt=%2Feng%2F1932%2F193201410103_p.%20103.pdf |date=19 October 2014 }}, Censuses 1871–1931</ref><ref>[http://www66.statcan.gc.ca/eng/acyb_c1955-eng.aspx?opt=/eng/1955/195501710145_p.%20145.pdf]  {{webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20131209035552/http://www66.statcan.gc.ca/eng/acyb_c1955-eng.aspx?opt=%2Feng%2F1955%2F195501710145_p.%20145.pdf |date= 9 December 2013 }}, Census 1941–1951</ref><ref>[http://www66.statcan.gc.ca/eng/acyb_c1967-eng.aspx?opt=/eng/1967/196702210189_p.%20189.pdf]  {{webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20141223151220/http://www66.statcan.gc.ca/eng/acyb_c1967-eng.aspx?opt=%2Feng%2F1967%2F196702210189_p.%20189.pdf |date=23 December 2014 }}, Census 1961</ref><ref>[http://www66.statcan.gc.ca/eng/acyb_c1967-eng.aspx?opt=/eng/1967/196702210189_p.%20189.pdf]  {{webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20141223151220/http://www66.statcan.gc.ca/eng/acyb_c1967-eng.aspx?opt=%2Feng%2F1967%2F196702210189_p.%20189.pdf |date=23 December 2014 }}, Canada Year Book 1974: Censuses 1966, 1971</ref><ref>[http://www66.statcan.gc.ca/eng/acyb_c1967-eng.aspx?opt=/eng/1967/196702210189_p.%20189.pdf]  {{webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20141223151220/http://www66.statcan.gc.ca/eng/acyb_c1967-eng.aspx?opt=%2Feng%2F1967%2F196702210189_p.%20189.pdf |date=23 December 2014 }}, Canada Year Book 1988: Censuses 1981, 1986</ref><ref>[http://www.statscan.gc.ca] {{webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20120107212405/http://statscan.gc.ca/ |date=7 January 2012 }}, Census 1991–2006</ref>
}}
{| class="wikitable" style="float:right;"
|- "
!Ethnic origin
!Population
!Percent
|-
|[[German Canadians|German]]
|51,050
|17.7
|-
|[[English Canadians|English]]
|48,350
|15.9
|-
|[[Irish Canadians|Irish]]
|37,630
|13.7
|-
|[[Scottish Canadians|Scottish]]
|37,190
|13
|-
|[[Canadian ethnicity|Canadian]]
|54,490
|11.5
|-
|[[French Canadians|French]]
|20,790
|6.1
|-
|[[Indo-Canadians|East Indian]]
|8,385
|5.6
|-
|[[Polish Canadians|Polish]]
|12,595
|4.5
|-
|[[Dutch Canadians|Dutch]]
|9,815
|3.7
|-
|[[British Canadians|British]]
|8,805
|3.5
|-
|[[Italian Canadians|Italian]]
|7,620
|3
|-
|[[Portuguese Canadians|Portuguese]]
|6,225
|2.4
|-
|[[Chinese Canadians|Chinese]]
|5,630
|2.2
|-
|[[Ukrainian Canadians|Ukrainian]]
|5,540
|2.2
|-
| colspan="3" |<small>Source: [[StatCan]] (includes multiple responses)</small><ref name="2021censusB" />
|}

In the [[2021 Canadian census|2021 Census of Population]] conducted by [[Statistics Canada]], Kitchener had a population of {{val|256885|fmt=commas}} living in {{val|99812|fmt=commas}} of its {{val|103388|fmt=commas}} total private dwellings, a change of {{percentage|23663|233222|1}} from its 2016 population of {{val|233222|fmt=commas}}. With a land area of {{convert|136.81|km2|sqmi|abbr=on}}, it had a population density of {{Pop density|256885|136.81|km2|sqmi|prec=1}} in 2021.<ref name=2021census>{{cite web | url=https://www150.statcan.gc.ca/t1/tbl1/en/tv.action?pid=9810000203&geocode=A000235 | title=Population and dwelling counts: Canada, provinces and territories, census divisions and census subdivisions (municipalities), Ontario | publisher=[[Statistics Canada]] | date=February 9, 2022 | accessdate=March 27, 2022}}</ref>

At the [[census metropolitan area]] (CMA) level in the 2021 census, the Kitchener - Cambridge - Waterloo CMA had a population of {{val|575847|fmt=commas}} living in {{val|219060|fmt=commas}} of its {{val|229809|fmt=commas}} total private dwellings, a change of {{percentage|51953|523894|1}} from its 2016 population of {{val|523894|fmt=commas}}. With a land area of {{convert|1092.33|km2|sqmi|abbr=on}}, it had a population density of {{Pop density|575847|1092.33|km2|sqmi|prec=1}} in 2021.<ref name=2021censusCMA>{{cite web | url=https://www150.statcan.gc.ca/t1/tbl1/en/tv.action?pid=9810000501 | title=Population and dwelling counts: Canada, provinces and territories, census metropolitan areas and census agglomerations | publisher=[[Statistics Canada]] | date=February 9, 2022 | accessdate=March 28, 2022}}</ref>

=== Ethnicity ===
According to the 2021 Census, Kitchener is approximately 66.4% White, 31.7% [[Visible minority|visible minorities]], and 1.9% [[Indigenous peoples in Canada|Aboriginal]]. Visible minorities include: 9.9% [[South Asian Canadian|South Asian]], 6.9% [[Black Canadians|Black]], 3.1% [[Latin American Canadian|Latin American]], 3.7% [[Southeast Asian Canadians|Southeast Asian]], 1.8% [[Chinese Canadian|Chinese]], 2.4% [[Arab Canadian|Arab]], 1.3% [[West Asian Canadians|West Asian]], and 1.1% [[Filipino Canadian|Filipino]].<ref name=":0">{{Cite web |last=Government of Canada |first=Statistics Canada |date=2022-02-09 |title=Profile table, Census Profile, 2021 Census of Population - Kitchener, City (CY) [Census subdivision], Ontario |url=https://www12.statcan.gc.ca/census-recensement/2021/dp-pd/prof/index.cfm?Lang=E |access-date=2024-06-24 |website=www12.statcan.gc.ca}}</ref>

The most common ethnicities in Kitchener as per the 2021 census are German (17.7%), English (15.9%), Irish (13.7%), Scottish (13%), Canadian (11.5%), French (6.1%), East Indian (5.6%), Polish (4.5%), Dutch (3.7%), British (3.5%), Italian (3%), Portuguese (2.4%), Chinese (2.2%), and Ukrainian (2.2%).<ref name=":0" />

{| class="wikitable collapsible sortable"
|+ [[Panethnicity|Panethnic]] groups in the City of Kitchener (2001−2021)
! rowspan="2" |[[Panethnicity|Panethnic]]<br />group
! colspan="2" |2021<ref name="2021censusB"/>
! colspan="2" |2016<ref name="2016census">{{Cite web |last=Government of Canada |first=Statistics Canada |date=2021-10-27 |title= Census Profile, 2016 Census |url=https://www12.statcan.gc.ca/census-recensement/2016/dp-pd/prof/details/page.cfm?Lang=E&Geo1=CSD&Code1=3530013&Geo2=CD&Code2=3530&SearchText=Kitchener&SearchType=Begins&SearchPR=01&B1=All&TABID=1&type=0 |access-date=2023-01-12 |website=www12.statcan.gc.ca}}</ref>
! colspan="2" |2011<ref name="2011census">{{Cite web |last=Government of Canada |first=Statistics Canada |date=2015-11-27 |title= NHS Profile |url=https://www12.statcan.gc.ca/nhs-enm/2011/dp-pd/prof/details/page.cfm?Lang=E&Geo1=CSD&Code1=3530013&Data=Count&SearchText=Kitchener&SearchType=Begins&SearchPR=01&A1=All&B1=All&Custom=&TABID=1 |access-date=2023-01-12 |website=www12.statcan.gc.ca}}</ref>
! colspan="2" |2006<ref name="2006census">{{Cite web |last=Government of Canada |first=Statistics Canada |date=2019-08-20 |title= 2006 Community Profiles |url=https://www12.statcan.gc.ca/census-recensement/2006/dp-pd/prof/92-591/details/page.cfm?Lang=E&Geo1=CSD&Code1=3530013&Geo2=PR&Code2=35&Data=Count&SearchText=Kitchener&SearchType=Begins&SearchPR=01&B1=All&Custom= |access-date=2023-01-12 |website=www12.statcan.gc.ca}}</ref>
! colspan="2" |2001<ref name="2001census">{{Cite web |last=Government of Canada |first=Statistics Canada |date=2019-07-02 |title= 2001 Community Profiles |url=https://www12.statcan.gc.ca/english/Profil01/CP01/Details/Page.cfm?Lang=E&Geo1=CSD&Code1=3530013&Geo2=PR&Code2=35&Data=Count&SearchText=Kitchener&SearchType=Begins&SearchPR=01&B1=All&Custom= |access-date=2023-01-12 |website=www12.statcan.gc.ca}}</ref>
|-
![[Population|{{abbr|Pop.|Population}}]]
!{{Abbr|%|percentage}}
!{{abbr|Pop.|Population}}
!{{Abbr|%|percentage}}
!{{abbr|Pop.|Population}}
!{{Abbr|%|percentage}}
!{{abbr|Pop.|Population}}
!{{Abbr|%|percentage}}
!{{abbr|Pop.|Population}}
!{{Abbr|%|percentage}}
|-
| [[European Canadians|European]]{{efn|Statistic includes all persons that did not make up part of a visible minority or an indigenous identity.|name="euro"}}
| 168,865
| {{Percentage | 168865 | 254145 | 2 }}
| 175,400
| {{Percentage | 175400 | 230005 | 2 }}
| 173,075
| {{Percentage | 173075 | 215950 | 2 }}
| 168,445
| {{Percentage | 168445 | 202160 | 2 }}
| 164,455
| {{Percentage | 164455 | 188160 | 2 }}
|-
| [[South Asian Canadians|South Asian]]
| 25,170
| {{Percentage | 25170 | 254145 | 2 }}
| 11,400
| {{Percentage | 11400 | 230005 | 2 }}
| 8,960
| {{Percentage | 8960 | 215950 | 2 }}
| 6,360
| {{Percentage | 6360 | 202160 | 2 }}
| 4,255
| {{Percentage | 4255 | 188160 | 2 }}
|-
| [[African-Canadian|African]]
| 17,510
| {{Percentage | 17510 | 254145 | 2 }}
| 9,540
| {{Percentage | 9540 | 230005 | 2 }}
| 6,635
| {{Percentage | 6635 | 215950 | 2 }}
| 6,395
| {{Percentage | 6395 | 202160 | 2 }}
| 4,165
| {{Percentage | 4165 | 188160 | 2 }}
|-
| [[Southeast Asian Canadians|Southeast Asian]]{{efn|Statistic includes total responses of "Filipino" and "Southeast Asian" under visible minority section on census.|name="SoutheastAsian"}}
| 9,455
| {{Percentage | 9455 | 254145 | 2 }}
| 6,765
| {{Percentage | 6765 | 230005 | 2 }}
| 6,380
| {{Percentage | 6380 | 215950 | 2 }}
| 4,785
| {{Percentage | 4785 | 202160 | 2 }}
| 4,200
| {{Percentage | 4200 | 188160 | 2 }}
|-
| [[Middle Eastern Canadians|Middle Eastern]]{{efn|Statistic includes total responses of "West Asian" and "Arab" under visible minority section on census.|name="MiddleEastern"}}
| 9,395
| {{Percentage | 9395 | 254145 | 2 }}
| 6,840
| {{Percentage | 6840 | 230005 | 2 }}
| 5,070
| {{Percentage | 5070 | 215950 | 2 }}
| 3,550
| {{Percentage | 3550 | 202160 | 2 }}
| 1,980
| {{Percentage | 1980 | 188160 | 2 }}
|-
| [[Latin American Canadians|Latin American]]
| 7,795
| {{Percentage | 7795 | 254145 | 2 }}
| 5,915
| {{Percentage | 5915 | 230005 | 2 }}
| 5,735
| {{Percentage | 5735 | 215950 | 2 }}
| 4,510
| {{Percentage | 4510 | 202160 | 2 }}
| 3,260
| {{Percentage | 3260 | 188160 | 2 }}
|-
| [[East Asian Canadians|East Asian]]{{efn|Statistic includes total responses of "Chinese", "Korean", and "Japanese" under visible minority section on census.|name="EastAsian"}}
| 6,235
| {{Percentage | 6235 | 254145 | 2 }}
| 6,085
| {{Percentage | 6085 | 230005 | 2 }}
| 4,845
| {{Percentage | 4845 | 215950 | 2 }}
| 3,710
| {{Percentage | 3710 | 202160 | 2 }}
| 2,410
| {{Percentage | 2410 | 188160 | 2 }}
|-
| [[Indigenous peoples in Canada|Indigenous]]
| 4,795
| {{Percentage | 4795 | 254145 | 2 }}
| 4,405
| {{Percentage | 4405 | 230005 | 2 }}
| 3,155
| {{Percentage | 3155 | 215950 | 2 }}
| 2,485
| {{Percentage | 2485 | 202160 | 2 }}
| 1,875
| {{Percentage | 1875 | 188160 | 2 }}
|-
| Other/[[Multiracial people|Multiracial]]{{efn|Statistic includes total responses of "Visible minority, {{abbr|n.i.e.|not included elsewhere}}" and "Multiple visible minorities" under visible minority section on census.|name="Other"}}
| 4,920
| {{Percentage | 4920 | 254145 | 2 }}
| 3,650
| {{Percentage | 3650 | 230005 | 2 }}
| 2,100
| {{Percentage | 2100 | 215950 | 2 }}
| 1,920
| {{Percentage | 1920 | 202160 | 2 }}
| 1,550
| {{Percentage | 1550 | 188160 | 2 }}
|-
! Total responses
! 254,145
! {{Percentage | 254145 | 256885 | 2 }}
! 230,005
! {{Percentage | 230005 | 233222 | 2 }}
! 215,950
! {{Percentage | 215950 | 219153 | 2 }}
! 202,160
! {{Percentage | 202160 | 204668 | 2 }}
! 188,160
! {{Percentage | 188160 | 190399 | 2 }}
|-
! Total population
! 256,885
! {{Percentage | 256885 | 256885 | 2 }}
! 233,222
! {{Percentage | 233222 | 233222 | 2 }}
! 219,153
! {{Percentage | 219153 | 219153 | 2 }}
! 204,668
! {{Percentage | 204668 | 204668 | 2 }}
! 190,399
! {{Percentage | 190399 | 190399 | 2 }}
|- class="sortbottom"
| colspan="15" | {{small|Note: Totals greater than 100% due to multiple origin responses}}
|}

=== Religion ===
According to the [[2021 Canadian census|2021 census]], religious groups in Kitchener included:<ref name="2021censusB">{{Cite web |last=Government of Canada |first=Statistics Canada |date=2022-10-26 |title= Census Profile, 2021 Census of Population |url=https://www12.statcan.gc.ca/census-recensement/2021/dp-pd/prof/details/page.cfm?Lang=E&SearchText=Kitchener&DGUIDlist=2021A00053530013&GENDERlist=1,2,3&STATISTIClist=1&HEADERlist=0 |access-date=2022-11-09 |website=www12.statcan.gc.ca}}</ref>
{| class="wikitable"
|+Religious Affiliation in Kitchener
!Religion
!Population
!Percent
|-
|[[Christianity in Canada|Christianity]]
|131,390
|51.7
|-
|[[Irreligion in Canada|Irreligion]]
|81,475
|32.1
|-
|[[Islam in Canada|Islam]]
|19,140
|7.5
|-
|[[Hinduism in Canada|Hinduism]]
|9,610
|3.8
|-
|[[Sikhism in Canada|Sikhism]]
|6,520
|2.6
|-
|[[Buddhism in Canada|Buddhism]]
|3,015
|1.2
|-
|[[Judaism in Canada|Judaism]]
|525
|0.2
|-
|[[Mythologies of the indigenous peoples of the Americas|Indigenous Spirituality]]
|70
|<0.1
|-
|Other
|2400
|0.9
|}
According to the 2021 census, 51.7% of the population identify as Christian, with the largest [[Denominations of Christianity|denomination of Christianity]] being [[Catholic Church in Canada|Catholics]] (22.3%), followed by [[Eastern Orthodoxy in North America|Orthodox]] (4.3%), [[Lutheran Church – Canada|Lutherans]] (3%), [[Anglican Church of Canada|Anglican]] (2.4%), [[United Church of Canada|United Church]] (2.3%), [[Pentecostal Assemblies of Canada|Pentecostal]] (1.6%), [[Presbyterian Church in Canada|Presbyterian]] (1.4%), [[Baptists in Canada|Baptist]] (1.4%), and other denominations. Others identify as Muslim (7.5%), Hindu (3.8%), Sikh (2.6%), Buddhist (1.2%), Judaism (0.2%), Indigenous Spirituality (<0.1%), other religious affiliation (0.9%), and 32.1% of the population reported being Irreligious.<ref name=":0" />

==Government==
[[File:WaterlooRegionHQ-Frederick.JPG|thumb|Region of Waterloo Headquarters in Kitchener]]
Kitchener is governed by a council of ten councillors, representing [[Ward (politics)|wards]] (or
districts), and a mayor.<ref name="kitchener1">{{cite web|url=http://www.kitchener.ca/en/insidecityhall/WhoIsMyCouncillor.asp|title=Who is My Councillor? – City of Kitchener|publisher=City of Kitchener|access-date=5 September 2012|url-status=dead|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20120917165154/http://www.kitchener.ca/en/insidecityhall/WhoIsMyCouncillor.asp|archive-date=17 September 2012|df=dmy-all}}</ref> Council is responsible for policy and decision making, monitoring the operation and performance of the city, analyzing and approving budgets and determining spending priorities. The residents of each ward vote for one person to be their city councillor; their voice and representative on city council. Municipal elections are held every four years in late October.

Kitchener was part of [[Waterloo County, Ontario|Waterloo County]] until 1973 when amalgamation created the [[Waterloo Regional Municipality, Ontario|Regional Municipality of Waterloo]]. The region handles many services, including fire, police, waste management, community health, transit, recreation, planning, roads and social services.<ref>{{cite web |url=http://www.regionofwaterloo.ca/en/newslist/index.aspx?corpId=58cynQlfgqiAYQyTLmpurQeQuAleQuAl&newsId=QXgUIE1G6huJ6eu741OyPlUsgeQuAleQuAl |title=Get to Know Us During Local Government Week |author=<!--Not stated--> |date=10 October 2012 |website=Waterloo Region |access-date=23 March 2013 |url-status=dead |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20130322030411/http://www.regionofwaterloo.ca/en/newslist/index.aspx?corpId=58cynQlfgqiAYQyTLmpurQeQuAleQuAl&newsId=QXgUIE1G6huJ6eu741OyPlUsgeQuAleQuAl |archive-date=22 March 2013 |df=dmy-all }}</ref>

Kitchener residents elect four councillors at large to sit with the mayor on the Regional council.

The mayor of Kitchener is [[Berry Vrbanovic]], who was elected to his first term in October 2014. See [[Kitchener City Council]] for a complete list of councillors.

In 1976, residents of Kitchener voted almost 2:1 in favour of a ward system. The first municipal election held under the ward system occurred in 1978. In 2010, the city underwent a ward boundary review. A consultant proposed boundaries for a 10-ward system for the 2010 municipal election, adding 4 additional councillors and wards to replace the previous 6-ward system.<ref>{{cite web |url=http://www.kitchener.ca/city_hall/ward_boundary_review_background.html |title=City of Kitchener |publisher=Kitchener.ca |access-date=3 March 2011 |url-status=dead |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20110706184420/http://www.kitchener.ca/city_hall/ward_boundary_review_background.html |archive-date=6 July 2011 |df=dmy-all }}</ref>

{|class="wikitable" style="float:right; width:400; font-size:90%; margin-left:1em;"
|+'''Kitchener federal election results'''<ref>{{cite web |url=https://www.elections.ca/content.aspx?section=res&dir=rep/off/44gedata&document=bypro&lang=e |title=Official Voting Results Raw Data (poll by poll results in Kitchener)|date=7 April 2022 |publisher=Elections Canada |access-date=March 8, 2023}}</ref>
! colspan="2" scope="col" | Year
! colspan="2" scope="col" | [[Liberal Party of Canada|Liberal]]
! colspan="2" scope="col" | [[Conservative Party of Canada|Conservative]]
! colspan="2" scope="col" | [[New Democratic Party|New Democratic]]
! colspan="2" scope="col" | [[Green Party of Canada|Green]]
|-
| rowspan="2" style="width: 0.25em; background-color: {{Canadian party colour|CA|Liberal}}|
! [[2021 Canadian federal election|2021]]
| {{Canadian party colour|CA|Liberal|background}} | '''29%'''
| style="text-align:right; background:#EA6D6A;"| ''32,496''
| {{Canadian party colour|CA|Conservative|background}} | 29%
| style="text-align:right; background:#6495ED;"| ''32,286''
| {{Canadian party colour|CA|NDP|background}} | 16%
| style="text-align:right; background:#F4A460;"| ''18,062''
| {{Canadian party colour|CA|Green|background}} | 18%
| style="text-align:right; background:#99C955;"| ''20,057''
|-
! [[2019 Canadian federal election|2019]]
| {{Canadian party colour|CA|Liberal|background}} | '''40%'''
| style="text-align:right; background:#EA6D6A;"| ''47,458''
| {{Canadian party colour|CA|Conservative|background}} | 28%
| style="text-align:right; background:#6495ED;"| ''33,196''
| {{Canadian party colour|CA|NDP|background}} | 12%
| style="text-align:right; background:#F4A460;"| ''14,180''
| {{Canadian party colour|CA|Green|background}} | 18%
| style="text-align:right; background:#99C955;"| ''20,676''
|-
|}

{|class="wikitable" style="float:right; width:400; font-size:90%; margin-left:1em;"
|+'''Kitchener provincial election results'''<ref>{{cite web |url=https://www.elections.on.ca/en/resource-centre/elections-results.html |title=Official Voting Results by polling station (poll by poll results in Kitchener)|publisher=Election Ontario |access-date=March 8, 2023}}</ref>
! colspan="2" scope="col" | Year
! colspan="2" scope="col" | [[Progressive Conservative Party of Ontario|PC]]
! colspan="2" scope="col" | [[Ontario New Democratic Party|New Democratic]]
! colspan="2" scope="col" | [[Ontario Liberal Party|Liberal]]
! colspan="2" scope="col" | [[Green Party of Ontario|Green]]
|-
| rowspan="2" style="width: 0.25em; background-color: {{Canadian party colour|ON|NDP}}|
! [[2022 Ontario general election|2022]]
| {{Canadian party colour|ON|PC|background}} | 33%
| style="text-align:right; background:#9999FF;"| ''26,354''
| {{Canadian party colour|ON|NDP|background}} | '''35%'''
| style="text-align:right; background:#F4A460;"| ''28,145''
| {{Canadian party colour|ON|Liberal|background}} | 16%
| style="text-align:right; background:#EA6D6A;"|''12,954''
| {{Canadian party colour|ON|Green|background}} | 11%
| style="text-align:right; background:#99C955;"| ''8,861''
|-
! [[2018 Ontario general election|2018]]
| {{Canadian party colour|ON|PC|background}} | 32%
| style="text-align:right; background:#9999FF;"| ''31,876''
| {{Canadian party colour|ON|NDP|background}} | '''42%'''
| style="text-align:right; background:#F4A460;"| ''41,096''
| {{Canadian party colour|ON|Liberal|background}} | 18%
| style="text-align:right; background:#EA6D6A;"|''17,289''
| {{Canadian party colour|ON|Green|background}} | 7%
| style="text-align:right; background:#99C955;"| ''6,621''
|-
|}

The Member of Provincial Parliament (MPP) for Kitchener Centre is [[Aislinn Clancy]]. Other MPPs include [[Mike Harris Jr.]] (Kitchener-Conestoga) and [[Catherine Fife]] (Kitchener–Waterloo) who both represent small portions of the city in addition to adjacent areas.  The federal Members of Parliament (MPs) are as follows: [[Kelly DeRidder]] ([[Kitchener Centre (federal electoral district)|Kitchener Centre]]), [[Tim Louis (Ontario politician)|Tim Louis]] ([[Kitchener—Conestoga (federal electoral district)|Kitchener-Conestoga]]), and [[Matt Strauss]] ([[Kitchener South—Hespeler (federal electoral district)|Kitchener South—Hespeler]]).

==Geography and climate==

===Geography===
Kitchener is located in [[Southwestern Ontario]], in the [[Saint Lawrence Lowlands]]. This geological and climatic region has wet-climate soils and deciduous forests. Situated in the Grand River Valley, the area is generally above {{convert|300|m|ft|abbr=on|sigfig=1}} in elevation.

Kitchener is the largest city in the [[Grand River (Ontario)|Grand River]] watershed and the [[Haldimand Tract]]. Just to the west of the city is [[Baden Hill]], in [[Wilmot, Ontario|Wilmot Township]]. This glacial [[kame]] remnant formation is the highest elevation for many miles. The other dominant glacial feature is the [[Waterloo Moraine]], which snakes its way through the region, and holds a significant quantity of [[artesian wells]], from which the city derives most of its drinking water. The settlement's first name, Sandhills, is an accurate description of the higher points of the moraine.

===Climate===
Kitchener has a [[humid continental climate]] of the warm summer subtype (''Dfb'' under the [[Köppen climate classification]]);  large seasonal differences are seen, usually warm and humid summers and cold to occasionally very cold winters. Winter-like conditions generally last from mid-December until mid-March, while summer temperatures generally occur from mid-May to close to the end of September.

March 2012 went down in the history books for Kitchener – between 16 and 22 March, temperatures ranged from {{convert|21.4|C|F|1}} to {{convert|26.5|C|F|1}}—7 record highs in a row. 19 March high of {{convert|24|C|F|1}} is one of the highest winter temperatures ever recorded, while 22 March high of {{convert|26.5|C|F|1}} is the highest for March in this area.

Temperatures during the year can exceed {{convert|30|C|F|1}} in the summer and drop below {{convert|-20|C|F|1}} in the winter several times a year, but prolonged periods of extreme temperatures are rare.  The frost-free period for Kitchener averages about 147 frost-free days a year,<ref name=climate /> a much lower number than cities on the Great Lakes due its inland location and higher elevation. Snowfall averages {{convert|160|cm|in|0}} per year.

The highest temperature ever recorded in Kitchener was {{convert|38.3|C|0}} on August 6 and 7, 1918, and again on July 27, 1941.<ref name="August 1918"/><ref name="July 1941"/> The coldest temperature ever recorded was {{convert|-34.1|C|1}} on February 16, 2015.<ref name="climate"/>

{{Weather box
|location = [[Region of Waterloo International Airport]], 1991–2020 normals, extremes 1914–present{{efn|Daily maximum and minimum temperatures and precipitation were recorded at Kitchener from October 1914 to December 1977 and at [[Region of Waterloo International Airport]] from March 1970 to present.<ref name="Kitchener"/><ref name="climate"/>}}
|metric first = Y
|single line = Y
|Jan record high C = 14.9
|Feb record high C = 16.8
|Mar record high C = 26.5
|Apr record high C = 30.0
|May record high C = 33.3
|Jun record high C = 36.7
|Jul record high C = 38.3
|Aug record high C = 38.3
|Sep record high C = 36.7
|Oct record high C = 31.1
|Nov record high C = 25.0
|Dec record high C = 18.7
|year record high C = 38.3
|Jan high C = −2.3
|Feb high C = −1.4
|Mar high C = 4.1
|Apr high C = 11.6
|May high C = 19.0
|Jun high C = 24.1
|Jul high C = 26.6
|Aug high C = 25.5
|Sep high C = 21.6
|Oct high C = 14.1
|Nov high C = 6.8
|Dec high C = 0.7
|year high C = 12.5
|Jan mean C = −6.3
|Feb mean C = −5.9
|Mar mean C = −0.8
|Apr mean C = 5.9
|May mean C = 12.6
|Jun mean C = 17.8
|Jul mean C = 20.2
|Aug mean C = 19.1
|Sep mean C = 15.2
|Oct mean C = 8.8
|Nov mean C = 2.6
|Dec mean C = −2.8
|year mean C = 7.2
|Jan low C = −10.3
|Feb low C = −10.3
|Mar low C = −5.6
|Apr low C = 0.1
|May low C = 6.2
|Jun low C = 11.5
|Jul low C = 13.7
|Aug low C = 12.7
|Sep low C = 8.7
|Oct low C = 3.4
|Nov low C = −1.6
|Dec low C = −6.3
|year low C = 1.9
|Jan record low C = −31.9
|Feb record low C = −34.1
|Mar record low C = −29.4
|Apr record low C = −17.8
|May record low C = −6.1
|Jun record low C = −1.1
|Jul record low C = 4.2
|Aug record low C = 1.1
|Sep record low C = −3.7
|Oct record low C = −10.6
|Nov record low C = −18.9
|Dec record low C = −28.3
|year record low C = −34.1
|precipitation colour = green
|Jan precipitation mm = 66.3
|Feb precipitation mm = 46.1
|Mar precipitation mm = 57.0
|Apr precipitation mm = 81.2
|May precipitation mm = 80.2
|Jun precipitation mm = 80.5
|Jul precipitation mm = 96.2
|Aug precipitation mm = 67.2
|Sep precipitation mm = 75.2
|Oct precipitation mm = 71.0
|Nov precipitation mm = 74.9
|Dec precipitation mm = 54.9
|year precipitation mm = 850.6
|rain colour = green
|Jan rain mm = 28.7
|Feb rain mm = 29.7
|Mar rain mm = 36.8
|Apr rain mm = 68.0
|May rain mm = 81.8
|Jun rain mm = 82.4
|Jul rain mm = 98.6
|Aug rain mm = 83.9
|Sep rain mm = 87.8
|Oct rain mm = 66.1
|Nov rain mm = 75.0
|Dec rain mm = 38.0
|year rain mm = 776.8
|snow colour = green
|Jan snow cm = 43.7
|Feb snow cm = 30.3
|Mar snow cm = 26.5
|Apr snow cm = 7.3
|May snow cm = 0.4
|Jun snow cm = 0.0
|Jul snow cm = 0.0
|Aug snow cm = 0.0
|Sep snow cm = 0.0
|Oct snow cm = 1.4
|Nov snow cm = 13.0
|Dec snow cm = 37.2
|year snow cm = 159.7
|unit precipitation days = 0.2 mm
|Jan precipitation days = 17.7
|Feb precipitation days = 12.9
|Mar precipitation days = 13.2
|Apr precipitation days = 13.5
|May precipitation days = 13.4
|Jun precipitation days = 12.7
|Jul precipitation days = 13.2
|Aug precipitation days = 11.2
|Sep precipitation days = 12.0
|Oct precipitation days = 14.7
|Nov precipitation days = 14.8
|Dec precipitation days = 15.0
|year precipitation days = 164.0
|unit rain days = 0.2 mm
|Jan rain days = 5.6
|Feb rain days = 5.0
|Mar rain days = 6.9
|Apr rain days = 11.5
|May rain days = 12.4
|Jun rain days = 12.0
|Jul rain days = 10.6
|Aug rain days = 10.7
|Sep rain days = 12.2
|Oct rain days = 13.7
|Nov rain days = 11.6
|Dec rain days = 6.9
|year rain days = 118.7
|unit snow days = 0.2 cm
|Jan snow days = 16.1
|Feb snow days = 11.9
|Mar snow days = 9.0
|Apr snow days = 3.3
|May snow days = 0.18
|Jun snow days = 0.0
|Jul snow days = 0.0
|Aug snow days = 0.0
|Sep snow days = 0.0
|Oct snow days = 0.91
|Nov snow days = 6.5
|Dec snow days = 14.4
|year snow days = 62.2
|humidity colour = green
|time day = 0600 LST
|Jan humidity = 86.4
|Feb humidity = 83.4
|Mar humidity = 84.8
|Apr humidity = 84.4
|May humidity = 84.7
|Jun humidity = 87.0
|Jul humidity = 90.1
|Aug humidity = 93.6
|Sep humidity = 94.3
|Oct humidity = 90.6
|Nov humidity = 87.6
|Dec humidity = 87.1
|year humidity = 87.8
|source 1 = [[Environment Canada]] (rainfall/snowfall/humidity 1981–2010)<ref name="climate">{{cite web
| url = https://climate.weather.gc.ca/climate_normals/results_1991_2020_e.html?searchType=stnProv&lstProvince=ON&txtCentralLatMin=0&txtCentralLatSec=0&txtCentralLongMin=0&txtCentralLongSec=0&stnID=213000000&dispBack=0
| title = Kitchener/Waterloo
| work = Canadian Climate Normals 1991–2020
| publisher = Environment and Climate Change Canada
| access-date = Jun 11, 2024}}</ref><ref name="climate1981">
{{cite web
| publisher = [[Environment Canada]]
| url = http://climate.weather.gc.ca/climate_normals/results_1981_2010_e.html?stnID=4832&lang=e&dCode=0&province=ONT&provBut=Go&month1=0&month2=12
| title = Waterloo Wellington A
| work = Canadian Climate Normals 1981–2010
| date = 31 October 2011|access-date = 12 April 2014
| url-status = live
| archive-url = https://web.archive.org/web/20150216095631/http://climate.weather.gc.ca/climate_normals/results_1981_2010_e.html?stnID=4832&lang=e&dCode=0&province=ONT&provBut=Go&month1=0&month2=12
| archive-date = 16 February 2015
|df= dmy-all}}</ref><ref name="Kitchener">
{{cite web
| publisher = [[Environment Canada]]
| url = http://climate.weather.gc.ca/historical_data/search_historic_data_stations_e.html?searchType=stnName&timeframe=1&txtStationName=kitchener&searchMethod=contains&StartYear=1840&EndYear=2016&optLimit=specDate&Year=1914&Month=10&Day=31&selRowPerPage=25
| title = Kitchener
| date = 31 October 2011|access-date = 5 August 2016
| url-status = live
| archive-url = https://web.archive.org/web/20160819052139/http://climate.weather.gc.ca/historical_data/search_historic_data_stations_e.html?searchType=stnName&timeframe=1&txtStationName=kitchener&searchMethod=contains&StartYear=1840&EndYear=2016&optLimit=specDate&Year=1914&Month=10&Day=31&selRowPerPage=25
| archive-date = 19 August 2016
| df = dmy-all}}</ref><ref name="August 1918">
{{cite web
| publisher = [[Environment Canada]]
| url = http://climate.weather.gc.ca/climate_data/daily_data_e.html?hlyRange=%7C&dlyRange=1914-10-01%7C1977-12-31&mlyRange=1914-01-01%7C1977-12-01&StationID=4781&Prov=ON&urlExtension=_e.html&searchType=stnProx&optLimit=yearRange&StartYear=1840&EndYear=2016&selRowPerPage=25&Line=2&txtRadius=25&optProxType=city&selCity=43%7C27%7C80%7C29%7CKitchener&selPark=&txtCentralLatDeg=&txtCentralLatMin=0&txtCentralLatSec=0&txtCentralLongDeg=&txtCentralLongMin=0&txtCentralLongSec=0&timeframe=2&Year=1918&Month=8
| title = Daily Data Report for August 1918
| date = 31 October 2011|access-date = 5 August 2016
| url-status = live
| archive-url = https://web.archive.org/web/20160819033337/http://climate.weather.gc.ca/climate_data/daily_data_e.html?hlyRange=%7C&dlyRange=1914-10-01%7C1977-12-31&mlyRange=1914-01-01%7C1977-12-01&StationID=4781&Prov=ON&urlExtension=_e.html&searchType=stnProx&optLimit=yearRange&StartYear=1840&EndYear=2016&selRowPerPage=25&Line=2&txtRadius=25&optProxType=city&selCity=43%7C27%7C80%7C29%7CKitchener&selPark=&txtCentralLatDeg=&txtCentralLatMin=0&txtCentralLatSec=0&txtCentralLongDeg=&txtCentralLongMin=0&txtCentralLongSec=0&timeframe=2&Year=1918&Month=8
| archive-date = 19 August 2016
| df = dmy-all}}</ref><ref name="July 1941">
{{cite web
| publisher = [[Environment Canada]]
| url = http://climate.weather.gc.ca/climate_data/daily_data_e.html?hlyRange=%7C&dlyRange=1914-10-01%7C1977-12-31&mlyRange=1914-01-01%7C1977-12-01&StationID=4781&Prov=ON&urlExtension=_e.html&searchType=stnProx&optLimit=yearRange&StartYear=1840&EndYear=2016&selRowPerPage=25&Line=2&txtRadius=25&optProxType=city&selCity=43%7C27%7C80%7C29%7CKitchener&selPark=&txtCentralLatDeg=&txtCentralLatMin=0&txtCentralLatSec=0&txtCentralLongDeg=&txtCentralLongMin=0&txtCentralLongSec=0&timeframe=2&Year=1941&Month=7
| title = Daily Data Report for July 1941
| date = 31 October 2011|access-date = 5 August 2016
| url-status = live
| archive-url = https://web.archive.org/web/20160819045722/http://climate.weather.gc.ca/climate_data/daily_data_e.html?hlyRange=%7C&dlyRange=1914-10-01%7C1977-12-31&mlyRange=1914-01-01%7C1977-12-01&StationID=4781&Prov=ON&urlExtension=_e.html&searchType=stnProx&optLimit=yearRange&StartYear=1840&EndYear=2016&selRowPerPage=25&Line=2&txtRadius=25&optProxType=city&selCity=43%7C27%7C80%7C29%7CKitchener&selPark=&txtCentralLatDeg=&txtCentralLatMin=0&txtCentralLatSec=0&txtCentralLongDeg=&txtCentralLongMin=0&txtCentralLongSec=0&timeframe=2&Year=1941&Month=7
| archive-date = 19 August 2016
| df = dmy-all}}</ref><ref name="Kitchener/Waterloo">
{{cite web
| publisher = [[Environment Canada]]
| url = http://climate.weather.gc.ca/historical_data/search_historic_data_stations_e.html?searchType=stnName&timeframe=1&txtStationName=kitchener%2Fwaterloo&searchMethod=contains&optLimit=yearRange&StartYear=1840&EndYear=2016&Year=2016&Month=8&Day=4&selRowPerPage=25
| title = Kitchener/Waterloo
| date = 31 October 2011|access-date = 5 August 2016
| url-status  = live
| archive-url = https://web.archive.org/web/20160819031146/http://climate.weather.gc.ca/historical_data/search_historic_data_stations_e.html?searchType=stnName&timeframe=1&txtStationName=kitchener%2Fwaterloo&searchMethod=contains&optLimit=yearRange&StartYear=1840&EndYear=2016&Year=2016&Month=8&Day=4&selRowPerPage=25
| archive-date = 19 August 2016
| df = dmy-all
}}</ref><ref name="Region of Waterloo Int'l A">{{cite web
| publisher = [[Environment Canada]]
| url = http://climate.weather.gc.ca/historical_data/search_historic_data_stations_e.html?searchType=stnName&timeframe=1&txtStationName=region+of+waterloo+int%27l+a&searchMethod=contains&optLimit=yearRange&StartYear=1840&EndYear=2016&Year=2016&Month=8&Day=4&selRowPerPage=25
| title = Region of Waterloo Int'l A
| date = 31 October 2011|access-date = 5 August 2016
| url-status  = live
| archive-url = https://web.archive.org/web/20160819050107/http://climate.weather.gc.ca/historical_data/search_historic_data_stations_e.html?searchType=stnName&timeframe=1&txtStationName=region+of+waterloo+int%27l+a&searchMethod=contains&optLimit=yearRange&StartYear=1840&EndYear=2016&Year=2016&Month=8&Day=4&selRowPerPage=25
| archive-date = 19 August 2016
| df = dmy-all}}</ref>
|date=March 2011}}

==Education==
Kitchener has several public high schools, with [[Kitchener–Waterloo Collegiate and Vocational School]], founded in 1855, being the oldest. It is located on King Street in the northern area of the city, not far from the boundary of Waterloo. In the 1950s and 1960s several new high schools were constructed, including [[Eastwood Collegiate Institute]] in 1956 in what was then southeastern Kitchener, [[Forest Heights Collegiate Institute|Forest Heights C.I.]] in 1964 in the western Forest Heights neighbourhood, [[Grand River Collegiate Institute|Grand River C.I.]] in 1967 in the northeastern Heritage Park/Grand River Village area, and [[Cameron Heights Collegiate Institute|Cameron Heights C.I.]] in 1967 in the southern Downtown core. In 2006, [[Huron Heights Secondary School (Kitchener)|Huron Heights Secondary School]] opened in southwestern Kitchener.  It opened with a limited enrollment of only 9th and 10th grade students, and has since expanded to full capacity in the 2008–2009 school year.

The oldest Catholic high school in the city is [[St. Mary's High School (Kitchener)|St. Mary's High School]], which opened in 1907 as a girls-only Catholic school. It was transformed into a [[co-ed]] institution in 1990 after the closure of the neighbouring St. Jerome's High School, which had been a boys-only Catholic school. The same year, a second Catholic high school, [[Resurrection Catholic Secondary School]], opened in the west of the city, replacing St. Jerome's, which had operated from 1864 to 1990. In 2002, St. Mary's moved from its downtown location to a new one in the city's southwest. The former St. Jerome's building now houses the Lyle S. Hallman Faculty of Social Work at [[Wilfrid Laurier University]]. It opened at this location in 2006, bringing 300 faculty, staff, and students to downtown Kitchener.<ref>{{cite web |url=http://www.downtownkitchener.ca/news/wilfrid_laurier_faculty_social/ |title=Downtown Kitchener, Ontario, Canada – WLU Faculty of Social Work |publisher=Downtownkitchener.ca |access-date=3 March 2011 |url-status=dead |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20110304113400/http://www.downtownkitchener.ca/news/wilfrid_laurier_faculty_social/ |archive-date=4 March 2011 |df=dmy-all }}</ref> The former St. Mary's High School building, meanwhile, has been transformed into both the head office of the [[Waterloo Catholic District School Board]] and the Kitchener Downtown Community Centre.

[[File:Conestoga College (Doon Campus) - Kitchener, ON.jpg|thumb|right|[[Conestoga College]]]]

The [[Doon, Ontario|Doon]] neighbourhood, once a separate village, is now part of Kitchener. It is home to the primary campus of [[Conestoga College]], one of the foremost non-university educational institutions in the province. For nine consecutive years, Conestoga has earned top overall ranking among Ontario colleges on the Key Performance Indicator (KPI) surveys, which measure graduate employment rates and satisfaction levels, and employer and student satisfaction. It is one of only seven [[institute of technology|polytechnical institutes]] in Canada.<ref>{{cite web |url=http://www.conestogac.on.ca/about/profilestats.jsp |title=College Profile / Stats &#124; Among Canada & Ontario's Leading Colleges & Polytechnic Institutes &#124; Conestoga College |publisher=Conestogac.on.ca |access-date=3 March 2011 |url-status=dead |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20110429214314/http://www.conestogac.on.ca/about/profilestats.jsp |archive-date=29 April 2011 |df=dmy-all }}</ref>

The [[University of Waterloo]] opened a School of Pharmacy in the downtown area. The City of Kitchener has contributed $30&nbsp;million from its $110&nbsp;million Economic Development Investment Fund, established in 2004, to the establishment of the UW Downtown Kitchener School of Pharmacy. Construction began in 2006, and the pharmacy program was launched in January 2008 with 92 students.<ref>{{cite web |url=http://newsrelease.uwaterloo.ca/news.php?id=4935 |title=UW launches pharmacy program with 92 students &#124; News, Media, and Events &#124; University of Waterloo |publisher=Newsrelease.uwaterloo.ca |date=16 January 2008 |access-date=3 March 2011 |url-status=dead |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20110323203049/http://newsrelease.uwaterloo.ca/news.php?id=4935 |archive-date=23 March 2011 |df=dmy-all }}</ref>

The school is expected to graduate about 120 pharmacists annually and will become the home of the Centre for Family Medicine, where new family physicians will be trained, as well as an optometry clinic and the International Pharmacy Graduate Program. Construction on the $147&nbsp;million facility was largely finished in spring 2009.

The University of Waterloo's (UW) Downtown Kitchener Health Sciences Campus is also the site of a satellite campus for [[McMaster University]]'s School of Medicine. The [[Michael G. DeGroote School of Medicine]] admits 28 students per year to the MD program at the Waterloo Regional Campus. Students complete their clinical placements at hospitals and medical centres in the [[Waterloo Region|Waterloo-Wellington Region]].<ref>{{cite web |url=http://fhs.mcmaster.ca/mdprog/waterloo_regional_campus.html |title=Waterloo Regional Campus |publisher=McMaster University |access-date=7 September 2012 |url-status=live |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20120829102329/http://fhs.mcmaster.ca/mdprog/waterloo_regional_campus.html |archive-date=29 August 2012 |df=dmy-all }}</ref> McMaster's satellite campus also features the Centre for Family Medicine, a family health team, and the [[University of Waterloo School of Optometry|University of Waterloo's School of Optometry]] clinic.<ref>{{cite web |url=http://www.kitchener.ca/en/businessinkitchener/UwHealthSciencesCampus.asp |title=City of Kitchener – UW Health Sciences Campus |publisher=City of Kitchener |access-date=7 September 2012 |url-status=dead |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20121108215557/http://www.kitchener.ca/en/businessinkitchener/UwHealthSciencesCampus.asp |archive-date=8 November 2012 |df=dmy-all }}</ref>

[[Emmanuel Bible College]] is also in Kitchener, at 100 Fergus Avenue.

==Health care==
[[File:St. Mary's General Hospital Kitchener Ontario 2015.jpg|thumb|left|St. Mary's General Hospital]]

Hospital services are provided by [[Grand River Hospital]] which includes a Freeport Campus and [[St. Mary's General Hospital]], both located in Kitchener, as well as Cambridge Memorial Hospital.<ref>{{cite web|url=https://www.regionofwaterloo.ca/en/living-here/hospitals.aspx|title=Hospitals |publisher=Region of Waterloo|date=2011-02-15 |access-date=2018-12-30}}</ref> All three were highly ranked for safety in a national comparison study in 2017–2018, particularly the two located in Kitchener, but all would benefit from reduced wait times.<ref>{{cite news |title=Waterloo Region hospitals rank well on readmissions, but wait times need work|date=29 November 2018|url=https://www.therecord.com/news-story/9058746-waterloo-region-hospitals-rank-well-on-readmissions-but-wait-times-need-work/|work=Waterloo Region Record|access-date=30 December 2018|quote=Area hospitals ranked well in patient readmissions, but wait times need improving.}}</ref> Long-term care beds are provided at numerous facilities.<ref>{{cite web |url=https://www.wwhealthline.ca/listServices.aspx?id=10665&region=KitchenerWaterlooWellesleyWilmotWoolwich |title=Long-Term Care Homes – Kitchener–Waterloo–Wellesley–Wilmot–Woolwich |publisher=Health Line|date=2018-01-03 |access-date=2018-12-30}}</ref>

Grand River Hospital has a capacity of 574-beds; [[Grand River Hospital|Freeport Health Centre]] was merged into GRH in April 1995.<ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.grhosp.on.ca/about|title=About GRH |publisher=GRH|date=2017-11-15 |access-date=2018-12-30}}</ref> That secondary campus provides complex continuing care, rehabilitation, longer-term specialized mental health and other services.<ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.grhosp.on.ca/care/locations/freeportcampus|title=Freeport Campus: 3570 King Street East, Kitchener|publisher=GRH|date=2017-11-15 |access-date=2018-12-30}}</ref> Built originally as a tuberculosis sanatorium and home for the terminally ill,<ref>Uttley, W.V.: "A History of Kitchener, Ontario", pp.&nbsp;404–406. WLU Press, Waterloo, 1975 (reprint) {{ISBN|0-88920-024-6}}</ref> Freeport also housesthe palliative care unit. The King St. location is also the home of the Grand River Regional Cancer Centre which opened in 2003.<ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.grhosp.on.ca/care/locations/freeportcampus|title=Grand River Regional Cancer Centre celebrates 15 years of advanced cancer care this fall |publisher=GRH|date=2018-08-30 |access-date=2018-12-30}}</ref> St. Mary's General Hospital is a 150-bed adult acute-care facility and includes the Regional Cardiac Care Centre with two cardiovascular operating rooms, an eight-bed cardiovascular intensive care unit and 45 inpatient beds.<ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.smgh.ca/patient-care-programs/regional-cardiac-care-centre/|title=Regional Cardiac Care Centre|publisher=SMGH|date=2018-09-15|access-date=2018-12-30|archive-date=31 December 2018|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20181231043008/http://www.smgh.ca/patient-care-programs/regional-cardiac-care-centre/|url-status=dead}}</ref>
<ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.smgh.ca/about-us/who-we-are/st-marys-statistics-facts-faqs/|title=About Us|publisher=SMGH|date=2018-09-15|access-date=2018-12-30|archive-date=30 December 2018|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20181230233624/http://www.smgh.ca/about-us/who-we-are/st-marys-statistics-facts-faqs/|url-status=dead}}</ref> As of late 2018, Cambridge Memorial had 143 beds but was in the midst of a major expansion expected to be completed in 2021; that will add 54 new beds and double the size of the Emergency department.<ref>{{cite news |title=Banks take control of Cambridge hospital project|date=29 December 2018|url=https://www.therecord.com/news-story/9080473-banks-take-control-of-cambridge-hospital-project/|work=Waterloo Region Record|access-date=30 December 2018|quote=BMO, as a lender and funder, called a performance bond to ensure there is funding to get the work done. Zurich Insurance is Bondfield's insurer.}}</ref>

Family doctors are often in short supply in K-W, and a source of great concern among residents. Recruiting efforts over the previous 15 years certainly achieved some success as of September 2018, but needed to be continued.<ref>{{cite news |title=Doctor recruitment an ongoing issue in Waterloo Region|date=18 September 2018|url=https://www.therecord.com/news-story/8910318-doctor-recruitment-an-ongoing-issue-in-waterloo-region/ |work=Waterloo Region Record|access-date=30 December 2018|quote=Although recruitment efforts over the past 15 years or so have brought many new physicians to the area, many residents are without a family doctor.}}</ref>

Announced January 2006, as a new School of Medicine, the Waterloo Regional Campus of [[McMaster University]] was completed in 2009. In 2018, the campus included "a complete on-site clinical skills laboratory with 4 skills rooms and 2 observation rooms, classrooms with video-conferencing capabilities and a state-of-the-art anatomy lab that was built in 2013 with a high definition video system", according to the university. Its Michael G. DeGroote School of Medicine building includes the Centre for Family Medicine and the [[University of Waterloo School of Optometry and Vision Science]].<ref>{{cite web|url=https://mdprogram.mcmaster.ca/campus/waterloo-regional-campus|title=WATERLOO REGIONAL CAMPUS |publisher=McMaster|date=2018-03-15 |access-date=2018-12-30}}</ref>

==Culture==
[[File:oktoberfest kitchener.jpg|thumb|right|Kitchener is home to the largest [[Oktoberfest celebration]] outside of Germany.]]
Kitchener's cultural highlights include CAFKA, The Open Ears Festival, IMPACT theatre festival, the Multicultural Festival, the Kitchener Blues Festival and KidsPark, many of which are free to the public.  Kitchener is also home to venues such as Homer Watson House & Gallery, Kitchener–Waterloo Art Gallery, [[THEMUSEUM]], JM Drama Alumni and [[Centre In The Square]]. Regional museums include the Waterloo Regional Children's Museum, Ken Seiling Waterloo Region Museum, and the [[Doon Heritage Village]].

Live music by popular artists can be heard at venues such as Centre In The Square and [[Kitchener Memorial Auditorium Complex|The Aud]]. The [[Kitchener Public Library]] is another community stalwart.  Kitchener is also home to independent music label, [[Busted Flat Records]] which features the music of many Kitchener–Waterloo based musicians.

===Kitchener–Waterloo Oktoberfest===
{{Main|Kitchener–Waterloo Oktoberfest}}
Kitchener–Waterloo's [[Oktoberfest]] celebration is an annual nine-day event that started in 1969.<ref>{{cite web |url=http://www.oktoberfest.ca/Welcome/History |title=The Legacy |author=<!--Staff writer(s); no by-line.--> |website=Kitchener-Waterloo Oktoberfest |access-date=10 February 2016 |url-status=dead |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20160215195249/http://www.oktoberfest.ca/Welcome/History |archive-date=15 February 2016 |df=dmy-all }}</ref> Based on the original Bavarian Oktoberfest, it is billed as ''Canada's Greatest [[Bavaria]]n Festival''. It is held every October, starting on the Friday before Canadian [[Thanksgiving (Canada)|Thanksgiving]] and running until the Saturday after. It is the largest Bavarian festival outside of Germany.

While its best-known draws are the [[beer]]-based celebrations, other family and cultural events also fill the week. The best-known is the Oktoberfest Thanksgiving Day Parade held on Thanksgiving Day; as it is the only major parade on Canadian Thanksgiving, it is televised nationally. Another icon of the festival is Miss Oktoberfest. This festival ambassador position is selected by a closed committee of judges from a panel of local applicants; community involvement and personal character are the main selection criteria.

The festival attracts an average of 700,000 people. During the 2016 Oktoberfest parade, an estimated 150,000 lined the streets along the route.<ref>{{cite web |url=https://www.ctvnews.ca/kitchener/article/oktoberfest-2016-comes-to-a-close/ |title=Oktoberfest 2016 comes to a close |date=16 October 2016 |access-date=2017-03-29 |url-status=live |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20161019151446/http://kitchener.ctvnews.ca/oktoberfest-2016-comes-to-a-close-1.3117493 |archive-date=19 October 2016 |df=dmy-all }}</ref>

===Kitchener–Waterloo in film and music===
Various locations in Kitchener and Waterloo were used to portray the fictional Ontario town of Wessex in the filming of Canadian television sitcom ''[[Dan for Mayor]]'',<ref>{{cite web |url=http://news.therecord.com/article/431994 |title=TheRecord – Lions move up but fall short |publisher=News.therecord.com |date=27 May 2010 |access-date=10 June 2012 |url-status=dead |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20100305124444/http://news.therecord.com/article/431994 |archive-date=5 March 2010 |df=dmy-all }}</ref> starring ''[[Corner Gas]]'' star [[Fred Ewanuick]].

A local folk group, Destroy All Robots, wrote a tongue-in-cheek song jibing the city of Kitchener, "Battle Hymn of the City of Kitchener, Ontario".<ref>{{cite news|title=Destroy All Robots |url=http://music.cbc.ca/#/bands/Destroy-All-Robots |work=[[CBC News]] |url-status=dead |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20160301002442/http://music.cbc.ca/ |archive-date= 1 March 2016 }}</ref>

===Kitchener Blues Festival===

The Kitchener Blues Festival is a four-day festival in downtown Kitchener dedicated to [[blues]] music, always held in August on the weekend following the civic holiday. The festival has expanded to four stages and two workshop stages throughout the downtown area, with over 90 performances. It has grown from a one-day event with an attendance of 3,000 to a four-day event with over 150,000 attending. In 2014 the Kitchener Blues Festival celebrated its 14th year.<ref>{{cite web |url=http://www.kitchenerbluesfestival.com/ |title=Canada's Largest Free Blues Festival |publisher=Kitchener Blues Festival |access-date=10 June 2012 |url-status=dead |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20120420085738/http://www.kitchenerbluesfestival.com/ |archive-date=20 April 2012 |df=dmy-all }}</ref>

===Kitchener–Waterloo Multicultural Festival===

This is a two-day event in Victoria Park commencing usually on the first weekend of the summer.  Run by the Kitchener-Waterloo Multicultural Centre, the festival features foods, dance and music from around the world. The festival also showcases several vendors that sell artifacts and crafts from around the world. This festival has been ongoing for well over 40 years.  Well over 50,000 attend every year.<ref>{{cite web |url=http://www.kwmc.on.ca/html/festival.html |title=K-W Multicultural Festival – Victoria Park, Kitchener |publisher=Kwmc.on.ca |access-date=10 June 2012 |url-status=dead |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20120620132224/http://www.kwmc.on.ca/html/festival.html |archive-date=20 June 2012 |df=dmy-all }}</ref>

===KOI Music Festival===

KOI Music Festival was a three-day festival held annually in downtown Kitchener each September. The festival was started in 2010 and has since expanded to include a free concert on Friday and a full day of performance Saturday and Sunday. KOI features more than 100 rock bands every year, with a large focus on local, independent musicians. Notable past performers include [[Every Time I Die]], [[Ubiquitous Synergy Seeker]], [[Chiodos]], [[Walk Off The Earth]], [[Four Year Strong]], [[Protest the Hero]], [[Mad Caddies]], [[Monster Truck (band)|Monster Truck]], [[Gob (band)|Gob]], [[Treble Charger]], [[Cute Is What We Aim For]], [[The Planet Smashers]], [[Bayside (band)|Bayside]], and several hundred more.<ref>{{cite web |url=http://www.koimusicfestival.com |title=KOI Music Festival |publisher=KOI Music Festival |access-date=16 October 2014 |url-status=dead |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20141026160018/http://www.koimusicfestival.com/ |archive-date=26 October 2014 |df=dmy-all }}</ref>

===Kultrun World Music Festival===
Kultrún is an annual festival of world music, food, culture, and art that takes place in Victoria Park each July. Music from various cultures is performed on two stages, and the rest of the park is covered with vendors selling their goods. A key part of the festival is the large number of food stands selling foods from all different ethnic backgrounds.<ref name=festival2016_CBC>{{cite news|title=Kultrun World Music Festival brings outdoor dance party to Kitchener|url=http://www.cbc.ca/news/canada/kitchener-waterloo/kultrun-world-music-festival-1.3670300/|access-date=12 July 2016|work=[[CBC News|CBC News Kitchener]]|date=2016-07-08|url-status=live|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20160710051054/http://www.cbc.ca/news/canada/kitchener-waterloo/kultrun-world-music-festival-1.3670300|archive-date=10 July 2016|df=dmy-all}}</ref><ref>{{cite web |url=https://www.nerudaarts.ca/kultrun-world-music-festival |title=Kultrún World Music Festival |publisher=Neruda Arts |access-date=11 November 2018 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20181112021410/https://www.nerudaarts.ca/kultrun-world-music-festival |archive-date=12 November 2018 |url-status=dead }}</ref>

===LGBT culture===
The Kitchener-Waterloo region is home to [[tri-Pride]]<ref>"It takes a village to raise a Pride". ''[[Xtra!]]'', May 29, 2003.</ref> and the [[Rainbow Reels Queer and Trans Film Festival]].<ref>"Queer Film Festival coming to Waterloo: Rainbow Reels screening 12 films at Princess Twin". ''[[Waterloo Region Record]]'', February 24, 2012.</ref>  Unlike most [[LGBT pride]] events, tri-Pride does not currently organize a parade, but instead is centred on an afternoon music festival on the final weekend.

==Recreation==
The [[Kitchener–Waterloo Symphony]] was located in Kitchener, which performed over 222 concerts annually to an audience of over 90,000, both in the concert hall and across [[Waterloo Region]]. The KWS was the largest employer of artists and cultural workers and the most significant cultural asset for Waterloo Region.<ref>{{cite web |title=About the Kitchener-Waterloo Symphony |url=https://kwsymphony.ca/about/ |website=About - KW Symphony |publisher=Kitchener-Waterloo Symphony |access-date=26 September 2021 |archive-date=20 November 2021 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20211120010441/https://kwsymphony.ca/about/ |url-status=dead }}</ref>

Kitchener's oldest outdoor park is [[Victoria Park, Kitchener|Victoria Park]], in the heart of downtown Kitchener. Numerous events and festivities are held in this park.

A cast-bronze statue of [[Victoria of the United Kingdom|Queen Victoria]] is in Victoria Park, along with a cannon. The statue was unveiled in May 1911, on Victoria Day (the Queen's birthday) in the tenth year after her death. The Princess of Wales Chapter of the [[Imperial Order of the Daughters of the Empire]] raised the $6,000 needed for the monument.<ref>[http://www.kpl.org/ref/gsr/trivia.html Kitchener Public Library Trivia Page] {{webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20120513105151/http://www.kpl.org/ref/gsr/trivia.html |date=13 May 2012 }}</ref>
[[File:victoria-park-kitchener-lake.jpg|thumb|right|Victoria Park]]

Rockway Gardens are adjacent to the Rockway golf course and occupy a long narrow strip of land alongside King Street as it rushes down to meet the Conestoga Parkway and become Highway 8. It is a popular site for wedding photos in the summer.

Kitchener has an extensive community trail system. The trails, which are controlled and run by the city, are hundreds of kilometres in length. Due to Kitchener's close proximity to the [[Grand River (Ontario)|Grand River]], several community trails and paths border the river's shores. This convenient access to the Grand River has drawn tourists to the city. However, Kitchener's trails and especially natural areas remain underfunded by city council and as a result, many are not adequately maintained.<ref>{{cite web |url=http://www.kitchener.ca/Files/Item/item9645_csd-06-105_-_park___trails.pdf |title=Staff report regarding state of Kitchener's park system |publisher=Kitchener.ca |access-date=10 June 2012 |url-status=dead |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20120316205637/http://www.kitchener.ca/Files/Item/item9645_csd-06-105_-_park___trails.pdf |archive-date=16 March 2012 |df=dmy-all }}</ref>

In 2011, a bike park at the newly constructed McLennan Park, in the city's south end, was hailed as one of the best city-run bike parks in [[Southern Ontario]]<ref>{{cite web |url=http://news.therecord.com/News/Local/article/565847 |title=TheRecord – 21 Rosedene Avenue |publisher=News.therecord.com |date=19 July 2011 |access-date=10 June 2012 }}{{Dead link|date=February 2020 |bot=InternetArchiveBot |fix-attempted=yes }}</ref> by [[Freestyle BMX|BMX]] and [[mountain biking]] enthusiasts.<ref>{{cite web |url=http://therecord.blogs.com/take_the_lane/2007/07/kitcheners-new-.html |title=Take the Lane: Kitchener's new bike park |publisher=Therecord.blogs.com |date=21 July 2007 |access-date=3 March 2011 |url-status=dead |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20110708021409/http://therecord.blogs.com/take_the_lane/2007/07/kitcheners-new-.html |archive-date=8 July 2011 |df=dmy-all }}</ref> The bike park offers a [[Four-cross|four-cross (4X)]] section, a [[Freestyle BMX|pump track]] section, a [[Dirt jumping|jump park]], and a [[Flatland BMX|free-ride]] course.<ref>{{cite web |url=http://www.kitchener.ca/pdf/parks_mclennan_bike.pdf |title=City of Kitchener |publisher=Kitchener.ca |access-date=3 March 2011 |url-status=dead |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20110706184531/http://www.kitchener.ca/pdf/parks_mclennan_bike.pdf |archive-date=6 July 2011 |df=dmy-all }}</ref> McLennan Park also features an accessible play area, a splash pad, basketball courts, beach volleyball courts, a leash-free dog area, and a toboggan hill.<ref>{{cite web |url=http://www.kitchener.ca/en/livinginkitchener/MclennanPark.asp |title=City of Kitchener – McLennan Park |publisher=City of Kitchener |access-date=10 September 2012 |url-status=dead |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20120729151656/http://www.kitchener.ca/en/livinginkitchener/MclennanPark.asp |archive-date=29 July 2012 |df=dmy-all }}</ref>

[[Chicopee Ski Club]] is also within the city limits.

==Transport==

===Highways and expressways===
[[File:Highway 401 Grand River.jpg|thumb|left|[[Highway 401 (Ontario)|Highway 401]] in Kitchener looking east towards the [[Grand River (Ontario)|Grand River]]]]
[[File:Conestoga.jpg|thumb|right|[[Highway 8 (Ontario)|Highway 8]] as seen from Franklin Street bridge]]
Kitchener was very proactive and visionary about its transportation network in the 1960s, with the province undertaking at that time construction of the [[Conestoga Parkway]] from the western boundary (just past Homer Watson Boulevard) across the south side of the city and looping north along the Grand River to Northfield Drive in Waterloo.
Subsequent upgrades took the Conestoga west beyond Trussler Road and north towards [[St. Jacobs, Ontario|St Jacobs]], with eight lanes through its middle stretch.

The Conestoga Parkway bears the provincial highway designations of Highways [[Highway 7 (Ontario)|7]], [[Highway 8 (Ontario)|8]] and [[Highway 85 (Ontario)|85]]. King Street becomes Hwy 8 where it meets the Parkway in the south and leads down to the 401, but Old King Street survives as the street-route through Freeport to the Preston area of [[Cambridge, Ontario|Cambridge]]. Up until construction of the Conestoga, Highland Road through [[Baden, Ontario|Baden]] had been the primary highway to [[Stratford, Ontario|Stratford]]. Victoria Street was then and remains the primary highway to [[Guelph]] but this is slated to be bypassed with an entirely new highway beginning at the Wellington Street exit and running roughly north of and parallel to the old route.

There are two interchanges with [[Highway 401 (Ontario)|Highway 401]] on Kitchener's southern border. In addition to the primary link where Hwy 8 merges into the Hwy 401, there is another interchange on the west side with Homer Watson Boulevard.

In order to reduce the congestion on Highway 8, a new interchange has been proposed on Highway 401 at Trussler Road, which would serve the rapidly growing west side of Kitchener. Although this proposal is supported by the Region of Waterloo, the Ontario Ministry of Transportation has no plans to proceed with an interchange at Trussler Road.

{{Geographic location
|title     = '''Destinations from Kitchener'''
|Northwest = [[Wellesley, Ontario|Wellesley]]
|North     = [[Waterloo, Ontario|Waterloo]], [[Woolwich, Ontario|Woolwich]] <br /><small>''via [[Conestoga Parkway]]''</small>
|Northeast = [[Woolwich, Ontario|Woolwich]], [[Elora, Ontario|Elora]], [[Fergus, Ontario|Fergus]]
|West      = [[Wilmot, Ontario|Wilmot]], [[Stratford, Ontario|Stratford]] <br /><small>''via [[Conestoga Parkway]]''</small>
|Centre    = Kitchener
|East      = [[Woolwich, Ontario|Woolwich]], [[Guelph]] <br /><small>''via [[Highway 7 (Ontario)|Highway 7]]''</small>
|Southwest = [[Woodstock, Ontario|Woodstock]] <br /><small>''via [[Highway 401 (Ontario)|Highway 401]]''</small>
|South     = [[North Dumfries, Ontario|North Dumfries]], [[Paris, Ontario|Paris]]
|Southeast = [[Cambridge, Ontario|Cambridge]] <br /><small>''via [[Highway 8 (Ontario)|Highway 8]]''</small>
}}

===City streets===
Unlike most southern Ontario cities whose streets follow a strict British grid survey pattern, Kitchener's streets are laid out in a complex radial pattern on the Continental models most familiar to the German settlers.

There is good historical reason for this. Kitchener was one of the few places in Ontario where the settlers arrived in advance of government surveyors.{{Citation needed|date=May 2007}} The Mennonites who had banded together as the German Company to purchase the township from Richard Beasley simply divided their vast parcel of land by the number of shareholder households and then drew random lots to confer title on individual farms.{{Citation needed|date=May 2007}} There was no grid survey done—no lines, no concessions, no right-of-way corridors for roads. When it came time to punch roads through the wilderness, the farmers modelled the road network on what was familiar to them, which was the pattern of villages in Switzerland and southern Germany.

This is a Continental Radial pattern and the result was major streets extended through diagonals cutting across the grid of smaller streets and converging at multiple-point intersections which, as the communities became more prosperous and if the automobile had not displaced the horse, might someday have become [[roundabouts]] decorated with circular gardens, fountains or statuary in the style of European cities. Five-point intersections created by converging diagonals are legion in the older areas.

In 2004, [[roundabouts]] were introduced to the Region of Waterloo.<ref>{{cite web |url=http://www.regionofwaterloo.ca/en/gettingaround/roundabouts.asp |title=Roundabouts – Region of Waterloo |publisher=Regionofwaterloo.ca |access-date=10 June 2012 |url-status=dead |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20120619124821/http://www.regionofwaterloo.ca/en/gettingAround/roundabouts.asp |archive-date=19 June 2012 |df=dmy-all }}</ref> Besides improving traffic flow, they will help the region lower pollution from emissions created by idling vehicles. In 2006, the first two were installed along Ira Needles Boulevard in Kitchener. Some people{{Who|date=February 2017}} argue roundabouts are ideal for intersections in this region because of the aforementioned historical growth along Continental radial patterns versus the British grid systems, but all installs have been at T and cross intersections making the point irrelevant.

A controversial plan would extend River Road through an area known as Hidden Valley,<ref>{{cite web |url=http://www.waterlooians.ca/index.php?view=41 |title=Strengthening Community |publisher=Waterlooians.ca |access-date=3 March 2011 |url-status=dead |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20110706212813/http://www.waterlooians.ca/index.php?view=41 |archive-date=6 July 2011 |df=dmy-all }}</ref> but the pressure of traffic and the absence of any other full east–west arterials between Fairway Road and the Highway 401 is forcing this development ahead.

===Public transport===

====Early history====
{{See also|Kitchener and Waterloo Street Railway|Kitchener Public Utilities Commission}}

[[File:Berlin & Waterloo Street Railway Canadian Block photo.jpg|thumb|The [[Berlin and Waterloo Street Railway]], seen here on King Street in downtown Kitchener, was the earliest documented public transport in the city.<ref name=kitchener-transit-history />]]

The earliest recorded urban public transport in Kitchener was a [[horsecar|horse-drawn streetcar]] service along King Street, the [[Berlin and Waterloo Street Railway]], which began operating in 1888.<ref name=elso-kwsr /><ref name=kitchener-transit-history /> The system was [[electrification|electrified]] in 1895. The [[Preston and Berlin Street Railway]], an [[interurban]] service connecting Kitchener to [[Preston, Ontario|Preston]] (now a part of Cambridge), began operation in 1904. It used a stretch of Berlin and Waterloo Street Railway tracks to access downtown Kitchener.<ref name=pb-trainweb>{{cite web |url=http://www.trainweb.org/elso/pb.htm |title=Preston & Berlin Street Railway |first=William E. |last=Miller |date=19 July 2004 |website=Electric Lines in Southern Ontario |access-date=15 March 2021}}</ref> In 1906, the Berlin and Waterloo Street Railway was [[municipalization|municipalized]] and came under the management of the Berlin Light and Power Commission, which was renamed the Berlin Public Utilities Commission. It was later renamed the Kitchener and Waterloo Street Railway following the city's official name change, with the commission also being renamed to the [[Kitchener Public Utilities Commission]] (PUC).<ref name=kitchener-transit-history />

In 1923, the successor of the Preston and Berlin Street Railway, the [[Grand River Railway]], built a new [[main line (railway)|mainline]] which bypassed downtown Kitchener. Its new transfer point to the municipal streetcar system was [[Kitchener Junction station]] at what was then the south end of the city, which was also the site of the PUC's [[car barn|streetcar depot]]. Starting in 1939, buses began being used for crosstown bus services which intersected with the streetcar line.<ref name=kitchener-transit-history /> In 1947, the PUC replaced the street railway system with a [[trolleybus]] system.<ref>{{cite web |url=https://www.therecord.com/life/local-history/2021/01/22/flash-from-the-past-faster-smoother-quieter-trolleys-take-over-king-street.html |title=Flash From the Past: Faster, smoother, quieter trolleys take over King Street |first=rych |last=mills<!-- lowercase is from original --> |date=22 January 2021 |work=Waterloo Region Record |access-date=24 January 2021 |quote=From 1888 to 1947, Berlin/Kitchener and Waterloo had been connected by streetcars plying King Street. Initially powered by horses — but after 1895 by electricity via a single pole connecting with an overhead wire.}}</ref> The streetcar rails were removed from King Street in the 1950s.<ref>{{cite news |url=https://www.therecord.com/news-story/5529608-century-old-streetcar-line-found-under-lrt-construction/ |title=Century-old streetcar line found under LRT construction |newspaper=[[Waterloo Region Record]] |first=Kevin |last=Swayze |date=27 March 2015 |access-date=15 March 2021}}</ref> In 1973, local bus services were transferred from the PUC to a newly created entity, [[Kitchener Transit]]. Shortly after this, trolleybus service was discontinued and the system was switched entirely to diesel buses. A new [[bus garage]], located in the area of the former village of [[Strasburg, Ontario|Strasburg]], was opened in the mid-1970s.<ref name=kitchener-transit-history>{{cite book |author=City of Kitchener Department of Transportation Services |title=A History of Kitchener Transit |date=1988 |id=KPL 388.413220971345 Histo 1988}}</ref> The new bus system was reorganized around a downtown bus terminal which was located on Duke Street. This was later replaced in 1988 by the [[Charles Street Terminal]],<ref name=flash-fear>{{cite news |url=https://www.guelphmercury.com/living-story/4346122-flash-from-the-past-bullas-bros-site-now-holds-kitchener-bus-terminal/ |newspaper=The [[Guelph Mercury]] |title=Flash from the Past: Bullas Bros. site now holds Kitchener bus terminal |first=Jon |last=Fear |date=31 January 2014 |access-date=15 March 2021}}</ref> which itself was closed in 2019 following the launch of Ion light rail service.<ref>{{cite news |last1=Weidner |first1=Johanna |title=COVID-19 testing site moving to old bus terminal in Kitchener for winter |url=https://www.therecord.com/news/waterloo-region/2020/11/12/covid-19-testing-site-moving-to-old-bus-terminal-in-kitchener-for-winter.html |access-date=13 November 2020 |publisher=Waterloo Region Record |date=November 12, 2020}}</ref>

====Grand River Transit====
{{Main|Grand River Transit}}

[[File:GrandRiverTransit3.jpg|thumb|The iXpress system provides [[express bus]] service connecting downtown Kitchener to its suburbs, as well as to the neighbouring cities of Waterloo and Cambridge.]]

In 2000, Kitchener Transit was merged with [[Cambridge Transit]] and put under the management of the Region of Waterloo, becoming known as [[Grand River Transit]] (GRT). GRT began reorganizing its expanded network, which now serves the three cities of Kitchener, Waterloo, and Cambridge as a unified regional transit system. In 2003, the Region of Waterloo received a federal grant to fund its Central Transit Corridor Express plan, which built on earlier proposals dating as far back as the 1970s for a regional express transit corridor connecting Kitchener, Waterloo, and Cambridge. Its initial implementation, in 2005, was a single-route, limited-stop [[express bus]] service branded as ''iXpress'',<ref>{{cite web |url=http://www.grt.ca/web/transit.nsf/5f22897663adffc585256e5a005c53df/b719b358a4be8bbb85256f4e005b07c6!OpenDocument |title=Transit Programs in GRT |publisher=Grt.ca |access-date=3 March 2011 |url-status=dead |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20110125144410/http://www.grt.ca/web/transit.nsf/5f22897663adffc585256e5a005c53df/b719b358a4be8bbb85256f4e005b07c6%21OpenDocument |archive-date=25 January 2011 |df=dmy-all }}</ref> along with the implementation of technologies like [[Bus priority signal|transit signal priority]] (TSP) which were new to the region at the time.<ref name=2009-ixpress-report />{{rp|26}} Major iXpress stations in Kitchener were {{stn|Grand River Hospital}}, Fairview (now [[Fairway station]]), and the Charles Street Terminal.<ref name=2009-ixpress-report>{{cite report |url=http://www.civil.uwaterloo.ca/bhellinga/publications/Publications/Region%20of%20Waterloo%20UTSP%20Final%20Report%20Dec_09.pdf |archive-url=https://ghostarchive.org/archive/20221009/http://www.civil.uwaterloo.ca/bhellinga/publications/Publications/Region%20of%20Waterloo%20UTSP%20Final%20Report%20Dec_09.pdf |archive-date=2022-10-09 |url-status=live |title=iXpress: Central Transit Corridor Express Project, Urban Transportation Showcase Program Final Report |author=Regional Municipality of Waterloo |date=December 2009 |website=uwaterloo.ca}}</ref>{{rp|21–22}} New iXpress routes were added in the years that followed, with the original route being rebranded as the 200 iXpress.<ref>{{cite news |url=http://www.cbc.ca/news/canada/kitchener-waterloo/grand-river-transit-new-schedule-adds-ixpress-alters-many-routes-1.3218082 |title=Where's my bus? Big changes in GRT schedule include new iXpress |website=[[CBC.ca]] |publisher=[[Canadian Broadcasting Corporation]] |access-date=15 March 2021}}</ref> After the launch of Ion light rail service in 2019, GRT bus routes were reorganized to connect with it, using the light rail system as a "spine" much like the earlier streetcar and trolleybus systems of the 20th century.

{{As of|2021}}, there are a total of 54 GRT bus routes throughout the Region of Waterloo; 48 are local and 6 are part of the iXpress system.<ref name=grt-express-buses>{{cite web |url=https://www.grt.ca/en/about-grt/express-buses.aspx |title=Express buses |publisher=Grand River Transit |website=GRT.ca |access-date=17 March 2021 |archive-date=22 September 2023 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20230922173804/https://www.grt.ca/en/about-grt/express-buses.aspx |url-status=dead }}</ref><ref name=grt-schedule>{{cite web |url=https://www.grt.ca/en/schedules-maps/schedules.aspx |title=Schedules |publisher=Grand River Transit |access-date=17 March 2021}}</ref> A number of GRT routes connect Kitchener to the neighbouring cities of Waterloo and Cambridge. Travel on GRT to the township of [[Woolwich, Ontario|Woolwich]] requires a transfer at [[Conestoga station]] in Waterloo, and travel to the township of [[Wilmot, Ontario|Wilmot]] requires a transfer at the Boardwalk mall,<ref>{{cite news |url=https://www.570news.com/2016/04/21/new-grt-bus-route-connecting-new-hamburg-baden/ |publisher=[[570 News]] |title=New GRT bus route connecting New Hamburg, Baden |first=Jeff |last=Pickel |date=21 August 2016 |access-date=17 March 2021 |archive-date=19 August 2017 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20170819082912/http://www.570news.com/2016/04/21/new-grt-bus-route-connecting-new-hamburg-baden/ |url-status=dead }}</ref><ref>{{cite web |url=https://www.grt.ca/en/schedules-maps/resources/Bus-schedules/PTT_RT_077-20180723-web.pdf |archive-url=https://ghostarchive.org/archive/20221009/https://www.grt.ca/en/schedules-maps/resources/Bus-schedules/PTT_RT_077-20180723-web.pdf |archive-date=2022-10-09 |url-status=live |title=GRT Route 77 Wilmot |publisher=Grand River Transit |website=GRT.ca |access-date=17 March 2021}}</ref> which straddles the municipal border between Kitchener and Waterloo. GRT, in partnership with [[Metrolinx]], is working on a [[microtransit]] pilot project that would connect Kitchener with the community of [[Breslau, Ontario|Breslau]], which is across the Grand River in eastern Woolwich township; the project's planned launch date is in 2021.{{update after|2021}}<ref>{{cite news |url=https://kitchener.citynews.ca/local-news/new-microtransit-pilot-coming-to-breslau-2730855 |website=KitchenerToday.com |title=New microtransit pilot coming to Breslau |date=21 September 2020 |access-date=17 March 2021}}</ref><ref>{{cite news |url=https://www.therecord.com/news/waterloo-region/2020/08/28/on-demand-transit-pilot-project-planned-for-breslau.html |title=On-demand transit pilot project planned for Breslau |first=Johanna |last=Weidner |newspaper=Waterloo Region Record |date=28 August 2020 |access-date=17 March 2021}}</ref>

====Light rail====
{{Main|Ion rapid transit}}

[[File:ION 505 Kitchener City Hall.jpg|thumb|[[Ion rapid transit|Ion light rail]] service began in 2019.]]<!-- would be best to use a high-resolution photo of the Ion in revenue service (rather than just in testing) in a recognizable downtown location, if/when such a photo is available. -->

Long-term planning around the Central Transit Corridor led to many interconnected initiatives being bundled into a staged [[rapid transit]] plan. In June 2011, the Waterloo Region council approved the Stage 1 plan for a single-line [[light rail transit]] (LRT) system between the existing bus terminals at [[Conestoga Mall (Waterloo, Ontario)|Conestoga Mall]] in north Waterloo and [[Fairview Park Mall]] in south Kitchener, with adapted [[bus rapid transit]] (aBRT) connecting through to downtown Galt in Cambridge.<ref>{{cite news |url=http://www.therecord.com/news/local/article/548497--rail-plan-passes |title=Rail plan passes |first=Jeff |last=Outhit |newspaper=Waterloo Region Record |date=15 June 2011 |access-date=17 March 2021 |url-status=dead |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20120312025134/http://www.therecord.com/news/local/article/548497--rail-plan-passes |archive-date=12 March 2012 |df=dmy-all }}</ref> Stage 2, which {{as of|2021|lc=y}} is still in planning, would replace the aBRT route with an extension of the light rail line.<ref>{{cite web|title=RAPID TRANSIT ENVIRONMENTAL ASSESSMENT PHASE 2, STEP 3b – PREFERRED RAPID TRANSIT SYSTEM OPTION AND STAGING PLAN|url=http://rapidtransit.regionofwaterloo.ca/en/projectinformation/resources/e-09-073_-_recommended_system_report.pdf|access-date=9 April 2015|url-status=dead|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20150113162926/http://rapidtransit.regionofwaterloo.ca/en/projectinformation/resources/e-09-073_-_recommended_system_report.pdf|archive-date=13 January 2015|df=dmy-all}}</ref><ref>{{cite web |title=ION Bus Rapid Transit – Frequently Asked Questions |url=http://www.grt.ca/en/travelwithus/FAQ-ION-Bus-Rapid-Transit.asp |access-date=24 March 2017 |url-status=dead |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20170325024953/http://www.grt.ca/en/travelwithus/FAQ-ION-Bus-Rapid-Transit.asp |archive-date=25 March 2017 |df=dmy-all }}</ref><ref>{{cite web |url=http://www.cbc.ca/news/canada/kitchener-waterloo/lrt-ion-cambridge-region-waterloo-1.3970421 |title=There's still wiggle room in the Region of Waterloo's LRT plans for Cambridge |last=Sharkey |first=Jackie |date=8 February 2017 |website=CBC |access-date=10 March 2017 |url-status=live |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20170312061634/http://www.cbc.ca/news/canada/kitchener-waterloo/lrt-ion-cambridge-region-waterloo-1.3970421 |archive-date=12 March 2017 |df=dmy-all }}</ref><ref>{{cite web |url=https://rapidtransit.regionofwaterloo.ca/en/resourcesGeneral/FINAL_Stage-2-ION-PCC-No.-2-Display-Boards_reduced2.pdf |title=Stage 2 ION: Light Rail Transit (LRT) |last=Sharkey |first=Jackie |date=February 2017 |website=Region of Waterloo |access-date=24 March 2017 |url-status=dead |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20170325030210/https://rapidtransit.regionofwaterloo.ca/en/resourcesGeneral/FINAL_Stage-2-ION-PCC-No.-2-Display-Boards_reduced2.pdf |archive-date=25 March 2017 |df=dmy-all }}</ref>

Construction of the light rail system began in August 2014 and Stage 1 service was expected to begin in 2017. Most of the rails had been installed by the end of 2016, and the
maintenance facility and all underground utility work had been completed.<ref>{{cite news|last1=Desmond|first1=Paige|title=LRT construction 90 per cent complete|url=http://www.therecord.com/news-story/7035590-lrt-construction-90-per-cent-complete/|access-date=25 March 2017|work=Waterloo Region Record|date=23 December 2016|url-status=dead|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20161229190710/http://www.therecord.com/news-story/7035590-lrt-construction-90-per-cent-complete/|archive-date=29 December 2016|df=dmy-all}}</ref> The start date of service was postponed to early 2018, however, because of delays in the manufacture and delivery of the vehicles by [[Bombardier Transportation]]; by 24 February 2017, only a single light rail vehicle had arrived for testing.<ref>{{cite web |url=https://www.ctvnews.ca/kitchener/article/bombardier-100-committed-to-delivering-ion-vehicles-by-end-of-2017/ |title=Bombardier '100% committed' to delivering Ion vehicles by end of 2017 |last=Flanagan |first=Ryan |date=24 February 2017 |website=CTV News |publisher=Bell Media |access-date=24 March 2017 |url-status=live |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20170325025213/http://kitchener.ctvnews.ca/bombardier-100-committed-to-delivering-ion-vehicles-by-end-of-2017-1.3299914 |archive-date=25 March 2017 |df=dmy-all }}</ref> The start of service was then further delayed to December 2018.<ref>{{Cite news |url=https://www.ctvnews.ca/kitchener/article/ion-launch-delayed-until-december/ |author=CTV Kitchener |title=Ion launch delayed until December |date=13 April 2018 |publisher=CTV News |access-date=17 March 2021}}</ref><ref>{{Cite news |url=https://globalnews.ca/news/4468847/ion-trains-december-launch/ |title=ION trains still on schedule for December launch |first=Kevin |last=Nielsen |publisher=[[Global News]] |date=20 September 2018 |access-date=5 October 2018}}</ref> After an accelerated testing schedule, the service opened to the public on 21 June 2019.<ref>{{Cite web|url=https://www.therecord.com/news-story/9344698-ion-launch-date-set-for-june-21/|title=Ion launch date set for June 21|last=Weidner|first=Johanna|date=2019-05-08|website=TheRecord.com|language=en-CA|access-date=2019-05-25}}{{Dead link|date=July 2020 |bot=InternetArchiveBot |fix-attempted=yes }}</ref>

{{As of|2021}}, Ion light rail serves Kitchener and Waterloo exclusively, while the Ion Bus service connects Kitchener to Cambridge. From downtown Kitchener, a single-seat Ion train ride is available as far north as [[Conestoga station]] in north Waterloo, and as far south as [[Fairway station]] in south Kitchener; from the latter, a transfer is necessary to reach Cambridge using the Ion Bus, 206 Coronation iXpress,<ref>{{cite news |url=https://www.ctvnews.ca/kitchener/article/bus-route-changes-in-cambridge/ |title=Bus Route Changes in Cambridge |author=CTV Kitchener |publisher=[[CTV News]] |date=28 August 2019 |access-date=17 March 2021}}</ref> or local bus routes.

====Intercity transit====
{{See also|#Railways}}

[[Via Rail]] [[Intercity rail|intercity passenger rail]] service is available at [[Kitchener station]]. Via Rail trains pass through Kitchener eastbound on their way to Toronto's [[Union Station (Toronto)|Union Station]] and westbound on their way to [[London station (Ontario)|London]] and {{stn|Sarnia}}.

Kitchener is also served by [[GO Transit]] buses and trains, the latter operating as the GO [[Kitchener line]]. GO Transit bus service to Kitchener began on 31 October 2009, with a route stopping at Kitchener's Charles Street Terminal on the way from Waterloo to [[Mississauga]].<ref>{{cite news |url=https://toronto.ctvnews.ca/go-transit-expands-buses-to-kitchener-mississauga-1.449035 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20230318191442/https://toronto.ctvnews.ca/go-transit-expands-buses-to-kitchener-mississauga-1.449035 |url-status=dead |archive-date=18 March 2023 |publisher=[[CTV News]] |title=Go Transit expands buses to Kitchener, Mississauga |date=30 October 2009 |access-date=17 March 2021}}</ref> This was followed on 19 December 2011 by the extension of GO train service to Kitchener from its previous terminus at {{stl|GO Transit|Georgetown}}.<ref name=transittoronto>{{cite web |url=http://transit.toronto.on.ca/regional/2102.shtml |title=GO Transit's Kitchener Line |last=Garcia |first=Daniel |publisher=Transit Toronto |date=25 June 2015 |access-date=17 March 2021}}</ref> GO bus service consists of the 25 Waterloo–Mississauga and 30 Kitchener routes. Both routes connect Kitchener with points east; the former to Mississauga's [[Square One Bus Terminal]] via Sportsworld (in southeast Kitchener), Cambridge, [[Aberfoyle, Ontario|Aberfoyle]], and [[Milton, Ontario|Milton]], and the latter as a [[limited-stop]] express to {{stl|GO Transit|Bramalea}} with some stops in northern Mississauga. GO train service also travels east, terminating at Toronto's [[Union Station (Toronto)|Union Station]].
A new bus service was launched on April 9, 2022, by [[FlixBus]] to link Kitchener and Toronto via a more direct route.

===Railways===

{{Further|Kitchener station|Kitchener line}}

Kitchener's primary railway corridor is the [[CN Rail|CN]]/[[GO Transit|GO]] [[Guelph Subdivision]]. It runs approximately east–west through the northern section of downtown Kitchener. It was originally laid out and constructed in 1856 by the [[Grand Trunk Railway]] (GTR), and after the GTR's acquisition of the [[Great Western Railway (Ontario)|Great Western Railway]], the mainline through Kitchener became known informally as the "North Main Line" in contrast with the "South Main Line" through [[Brantford, Ontario|Brantford]], both connecting [[London, Ontario|London]] and [[Toronto]]. Coming from the east, the [[Waterloo Spur]] diverges from the mainline and heads north through [[Waterloo, Ontario|Waterloo]] and ultimately to [[Elmira, Ontario|Elmira]]. The spur was formerly owned by CN, but is now owned by the [[Region of Waterloo]].

[[File:Kitchener train station 4.jpg|thumb|[[Kitchener station]] is the city's [[intercity rail|intercity]] passenger railway station.<ref>{{cite web |url=https://www.regionofwaterloo.ca/en/exploring-the-region/intercity-transit.aspx |title=Intercity Transit |publisher=Region of Waterloo |access-date=15 March 2021}}</ref>]]

[[Kitchener station]] lies a short distance west along the track from the junction with the Waterloo Spur. The current station building dates from 1897 and is a heritage structure which is owned by [[Via Rail]], Canada's national passenger railway. Both Via Rail [[Québec City–Windsor Corridor (Via Rail)|''Corridor'']] service and [[GO Transit]] [[Kitchener line]] service are available at the station, the latter of which has its western terminus at the station. Via Rail service consists of two trains per day in each direction along the Toronto–London–Sarnia route; one westbound train terminates at [[Sarnia station|Sarnia]] while another terminates at [[London station (Ontario)|London]], while both eastbound trains terminate at [[Toronto Union Station]].<ref>{{cite web |url=https://www.viarail.ca/sites/all/files/media/pdfs/schedules/summer2020/24-25_Toronto-London-Sarnia.pdf |archive-url=https://ghostarchive.org/archive/20221009/https://www.viarail.ca/sites/all/files/media/pdfs/schedules/summer2020/24-25_Toronto-London-Sarnia.pdf |archive-date=2022-10-09 |url-status=live |title=Toronto-London-Sarnia |access-date=8 March 2020 |publisher=[[Via Rail]]}}</ref> GO train service was originally extended to Kitchener in 2011 from its previous western terminus at [[Georgetown, Ontario|Georgetown]].<ref name=2011kitchenerline>{{cite news |url=https://www.therecord.com/sports-story/2567786-go-trains-to-run-from-kitchener-to-toronto-in-2011/ |title=GO trains to run from Kitchener to Toronto in 2011 |date=13 November 2010 |newspaper=[[Waterloo Region Record]] |access-date=8 March 2020}}</ref> GO service began with two trains per direction per weekday,<ref name=2011kitchenerline /> but since its inception train frequency has gradually increased and as of early 2020 it stands at 8 eastbound and 7 westbound trains per weekday, with no weekend service.<ref>{{cite web |url=https://www.gotransit.com/static_files/gotransit/assets/pdf/TripPlanning/FullSchedules/FS11012020/Table31.pdf |archive-url=https://ghostarchive.org/archive/20221009/https://www.gotransit.com/static_files/gotransit/assets/pdf/TripPlanning/FullSchedules/FS11012020/Table31.pdf |archive-date=2022-10-09 |url-status=live |publisher=[[GO Transit]] |access-date=8 March 2020 |title=Kitchener GO Train and Bus Schedule}}</ref> In 2017, [[Metrolinx]] (the parent agency of GO Transit) constructed a purpose-built train layover facility on Shirley Avenue to supplement its existing adapted layover facility, which was at capacity.<ref>{{cite web |url=https://www.metrolinxengage.com/sites/default/files/waterloo_region_council_august_30_final.pdf |archive-url=https://ghostarchive.org/archive/20221009/https://www.metrolinxengage.com/sites/default/files/waterloo_region_council_august_30_final.pdf |archive-date=2022-10-09 |url-status=live |publisher=[[Metrolinx]] |website=Metrolinx Engage |title=Creating Connections in Waterloo Region |date=30 August 2017 |access-date=8 March 2020}}</ref>

While Kitchener benefits from increasingly frequent commuter-oriented GO service east to Toronto, intercity Via Rail service to the city has been largely unchanged for years, limiting its connectivity to [[Southwestern Ontario]] to the west. In contrast, the South Main Line through Brantford (which is still owned by CN) has faster and more frequent service between Toronto and London than the North Main Line does, along with larger double-tracked sections. In 2017, the Ontario Liberal government proposed a Windsor–Toronto [[high-speed rail]] line through Kitchener, which would improve travel times to nearby major cities as well as to the [[Toronto Pearson International Airport]].<ref>{{cite web|last1=Jackson|first1=Bill|title=Province initiates EA for high-speed rail|url=https://www.therecord.com/news-story/7325518-province-initiates-ea-for-high-speed-rail/|publisher=Kitchener Post|access-date=25 June 2017|url-status=dead|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20180328004435/https://www.therecord.com/news-story/7325518-province-initiates-ea-for-high-speed-rail/|archive-date=28 March 2018|df=dmy-all}}</ref> The proposal, if approved, would provide a 48-minute trip from Kitchener to downtown Toronto.<ref>{{cite web|title=Toronto – Kitchener – London Ontario High Speed Rail Pre-Feasibility Study prepared for Ontario Ministry of Transport Commercial in Confidence|url=http://www.mto.gov.on.ca/english/publications/pdfs/toronto-kitchener-london-ontario-high-speed-rail-feasibility-study.pdf|website=mto.gov.on.ca|access-date=25 June 2017|page=8|url-status=dead|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20150704192850/http://www.mto.gov.on.ca/english/publications/pdfs/toronto-kitchener-london-ontario-high-speed-rail-feasibility-study.pdf|archive-date=4 July 2015|df=dmy-all}}</ref> With the election of a new [[Progressive Conservative Party of Ontario|Conservative]] government, funding for the project was indefinitely paused.<ref>{{cite news |url=https://nationalpost.com/pmn/news-pmn/canada-news-pmn/ontario-pauses-high-speed-rail-funding-will-look-at-enhancing-current-services |title=Ontario pauses high-speed rail funding, will look at enhancing current services |date=15 April 2019 |access-date=8 March 2020 |first=Shawn |last=Jeffords |newspaper=The [[National Post]]}}</ref>

Freight trains in Kitchener are operated by the [[Canadian National Railway]] and the [[Canadian Pacific Railway]]. These railways serve several customers, many of which are in industrial parks in southern Kitchener.

===Air===

The closest airport to Kitchener is the [[Region of Waterloo International Airport]] (CYKF/YKF) in nearby Breslau, about 12&nbsp;km by road from downtown Kitchener. While it is a thriving [[general aviation|general-aviation]] field, it is not heavily served by scheduled airlines. [[WestJet]] offers year-round service to [[Calgary]]. [[Flair Airlines|Flair]] has the largest presence at YKF using the airport, formally using the airport as a main base. Flair closed the crew base at the airport in October of 2025 alongside the closing of international routes to Mexico, The Caribbean and the United states choosing to focus on Domestic routes such as Calgary, Halifax, Vancouver and Abbotsford. [[Air Canada]] in partnership with landline bus services offers busses to and from [[Toronto Pearson International Airport|Toronto Pearson International]]. There is a [[helipad]] in Kitchener near Google's Kitchener offices. In June, 2017 the helipad was temporarily closed due to possible interference from a construction crane on the flight path.<ref>{{cite news|last1=Weidner|first1=Johanna|title=Crane on skyline so Kitchener helipad closes|url=https://www.therecord.com/news-story/7389678-crane-on-skyline-so-kitchener-helipad-closes/|newspaper=Waterloo Region Record|access-date=25 June 2017|url-status=dead|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20180328004435/https://www.therecord.com/news-story/7389678-crane-on-skyline-so-kitchener-helipad-closes/|archive-date=28 March 2018|df=dmy-all}}</ref>

==Media==
{{Main|Media in Waterloo Region}}

==Neighbourhoods==
{{Geographic location
|title     = '''Districts within Kitchener'''
|Northwest = Westmount, Cherry Hill
|North     = Mount Hope, Breithaupt Park, Northward
|Northeast = Bridgeport, Bridgeport West, Bridgeport North
|West      = Beechwood Forest, Forest Heights, Forest Hill, Victoria Hills, Highland West/Highland Hills
|Centre    = downtown
|East      = Central Frederick, Heritage Park, Rosemount, Grand River Village North, Auditorium, Old Berlin
|Southwest = Country Hills West, Huron Park, Laurentian Hills, Laurentian West, Williamsburg, Southdale
|South     = Centreville, Sunnyside, Kingsdale, Rockway, Alpine Village, Country Hills, Country Hills East, Doon, Pioneer Park, Pioneer Tower West, Brigadoon, Deer Ridge, Cedar Hill
|Southeast = Chicopee, Idlewood, Lackner Woods, Stanley Park, Eastwood, Grand River Village
}}

There are 10 wards, and 53 planning communities or neighbourhoods.<ref>{{cite web |url=http://www.kitchener.ca/maps/maps.html |title=City of Kitchener |publisher=Kitchener.ca |access-date=3 March 2011 |url-status=dead |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20110706184428/http://www.kitchener.ca/maps/maps.html |archive-date=6 July 2011 |df=dmy-all }}</ref> There are also 29 neighbourhood associations recognized by the city, which in some cases do not correspond to the names and boundaries of planning communities designated by the city.  In some cases the neighbourhood associations cover several neighbourhoods and/or planning communities and the name of one neighbourhood is sometimes used to refer to the entire area.

The Stanley Park Neighbourhood Association, for example, covers much of the eastern and southeastern area of the city including the planning communities of Stanley Park, Heritage Park, Idlewood, and Grand River North and South. Further complicating things is that the first area of development named Stanley Park, which is where Stanley Park school is located and where Stanley Park Conservation Area is located, has been included within the city's planning district of Heritage Park, leaving only later-developed areas of Stanley Park plus an adjacent residential neighbourhood to the south, originally referred to as Sunnyside, in the Stanley Park planning neighbourhood.  The Forest Heights Neighbourhood Association includes the Forest Hills neighbourhood/planning district to the east of Forest Heights proper.<ref>{{cite web |url=http://www.kitchener.ca/en/livinginkitchener/NeighbourhoodAssociations.asp |title=City of Kitchener |publisher=Kitchener.ca |access-date=5 September 2012 |url-status=dead |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20120908075809/http://www.kitchener.ca/en/livinginkitchener/NeighbourhoodAssociations.asp |archive-date=8 September 2012 |df=dmy-all }}</ref>

==Sports==
{| class="wikitable"
|+ Professional teams
|-<!-- Table Header -->
! Club
! League
! Venue
! Established
! Championships
|-<!-- Rows -->
| [[KW Titans]]
| [[Basketball Super League (North America)|Basketball Super League]]
| [[Kitchener Memorial Auditorium]]
| align="center" | 2016
| align="center" | 0
|-
|}
{| class="wikitable"
|+ Semi-pro, Amateur and Junior teams
|-<!-- Table Header -->
! Club
! League
! Venue
! Established
! Championships
|-<!-- Rows -->
| [[Kitchener Rangers]]
| [[Ontario Hockey League]]
| [[Kitchener Memorial Auditorium]]
| align="center" | 1963
| align="center" | 2
|-
| [[Kitchener Panthers]]
| [[Intercounty Baseball League]]
| [[Kitchener Memorial Auditorium|Jack Couch Park]]
| style="text-align:center;"| 1919
| style="text-align:center;"| 13
|-
| [[Kitchener-Waterloo Braves]]
| [[OLA Junior A Lacrosse League]]
| [[Kitchener Memorial Auditorium|Kinsmen Arena]]
| align="center" | 1967
| align="center" | 2
|-
|}

Major sports events held by Kitchener include:
* [[1987 World Junior Figure Skating Championships]]
* [[1997 IIHF Women's World Championship]] (Co-host)
* [[2005 World Junior Figure Skating Championships]]

==Other sports teams and leagues==

* [[Kitchener–Waterloo Kodiaks|K–W Kodiaks]] Lacrosse of the [[Major Series Lacrosse]] who play at the Waterloo Rec Centre.
* [[Tri-City Roller Derby]], members of the international [[Women's Flat Track Derby Association]], play competitive [[roller derby]] at venues in Waterloo, Kitchener and New Hamburg.
* [[District 8 Athletic Association]], a secondary school sports association servicing the Catholic and Independent high schools of the Kitchener, Waterloo and Cambridge. A member of [[Central Western Ontario Secondary Schools Association]] and [[Ontario Federation of School Athletic Associations]].
* [[Waterloo Region Minor Football Association]], formerly the Twin Cities Minor Tackle Football Association. Commonly known as the "Predators" or "Preds" the WRMFA provides an opportunity for athletes under the age of 19 to play football and to compete at the highest level. The Varsity team holds membership in the Ontario Provincial Football league as of 2020, formerly being of the Ontario Football Conference. Players do not come exclusively from the Twin Cities, but from all across the region, including St. Jacobs, Elmira, Wellesley, Baden, Breslau, Palmerston, New Hamburg, Breslau, St. Clements, Drayton and Maryhill.<ref>{{cite web |last1=Unknown |title=About Waterloo Region Minor Football |url=http://www.waterlooregionfootball.com/page/about-tcmtfa |website=waterlooregionfootball.com |access-date=1 April 2020}}</ref>
* [[FC Berlin (Canada/United States)|FC Berlin]], a soccer club competing at the district, regional and provincial level, with an American counterpart that competes in the [[United Premier Soccer League]] and the [[United Women's Soccer]].

==Notable people==
{{more citations needed section|date=May 2017}}

===Academia===
*[[Richard Bader]], computational chemist
*[[James G. Mitchell]], computer scientist
*[[Karl Schweizer]], historian, author
*[[Meena Waseem]], Pakistani-Canadian and Muslim advocate for accessible education
*[[Walter Zinn]], nuclear physicist

===Athletics and sports===
*[[Chelsea Aubry]], basketball player
*[[Don Awrey]], ice hockey player
*[[Nathan Bastian]], ice hockey player
*[[Bobby Bauer]], ice hockey player
*[[Don Beaupre]], ice hockey player
*[[Vivian Berkeley]], World Champion blind lawn bowler and 1996 Paralympic silver medalist
*[[Brian Bradley (ice hockey, born 1965)|Brian Bradley]], ice hockey player
*[[Christopher Chalmers]], freestyle swimmer
*[[Gary Cowan]], golfer
*[[Steve Dietrich]], general manager of the [[Buffalo Bandits]] lacrosse team
*[[Gary Dornhoefer]], ice hockey player
*[[Woody Dumart]], ice hockey player, Hall of Fame
*[[David Edgar (soccer, born 1987)|David Edgar]], soccer player
*[[Dana Ellis]], pole vaulter
*[[Wayne Erdman]], judoka
*[[Jack Gibson (ice hockey b. 1880)|John "Jack" Gibson]], Hockey Hall of Fame, soccer player
*[[George Hainsworth]], ice hockey player
*[[Mike Hoffman (ice hockey, born 1989)|Mike Hoffman]], ice hockey player
*[[Chris Johnson (boxer)|Chris Johnson]], boxer
*[[Rylee Foster]], goalkeeper, [[Liverpool F.C. Women]] 2020–2022
*[[Kevin Klein (ice hockey)|Kevin Klein]], ice hockey player
*[[Bobby Kuntz]], football player
*[[Beau Landry]], gridiron football player
*[[Lennox Lewis]], professional boxer, three-time heavyweight champion
*[[Steven Lorentz]], ice hockey player
*[[Scott Manning]], football player and stunt pilot
*[[Howie Meeker]], ice hockey player and ''[[Hockey Night in Canada]]'' broadcaster
*[[Jamal Murray]], basketball player
*[[Moe Norman]], golfer
*[[Sarah Pavan]], beach volleyball player
*[[Tanner Pearson]], ice hockey player
*[[Ronnie Pfeffer]], football player
*[[Andrew Poje]], Olympic ice dancer
*[[Mike Poulin]], professional lacrosse player
*[[Pan Qingfu]], Kung-Fu master
*[[Paul Reinhart]], ice hockey player
*[[Christian (wrestler)|Jason Reso]] (aka Christian Cage), [[professional wrestling|professional wrestler]]
*[[Steven Rice]], ice hockey player
*[[Jim Sandlak]], ice hockey player
*[[Mark Scheifele]], ice hockey player, 7th overall pick to the Winnipeg Jets in 2011 NHL draft
*[[Brad Schlegel]], ice hockey player
*[[Milt Schmidt]], ice hockey player, coach, and general manager, Hockey Hall of Fame
*[[Frank J. Selke]], ice hockey general manager, Hockey Hall of Fame
*[[Steve Seftel]], ice hockey player, author
*[[Logan Stanley]], ice hockey player
*[[Scott Stevens]], Hall of Fame ice hockey player
*[[Kelly Vanderbeek]], alpine skier, CBC personality
*[[Fitz Vanderpool]], former [[World Boxing Council]] and [[World Boxing Association]] champion
*[[Tyler Varga]], former fullback for the [[Indianapolis Colts]]
*[[Mike West (swimmer)|Mike West]], backstroke swimmer
*[[Dennis Wideman]], ice hockey player
*[[Aaron Wilson (lacrosse)|Aaron Wilson]], lacrosse player
*[[Bennett Wolf]], ice hockey player

===Business===
*[[Carl Pollock]], industrialist, [[Electrohome]] Ltd
*[[Bramwell Tillsley]], former [[General of The Salvation Army]]
*[[Walter P. Zeller]], founder of [[Zellers]]; born near the city

===Literature===
*[[John Robert Colombo]], writer
*[[Ross Macdonald]], pseudonym of [[Kenneth Millar]]
*[[Margaret Millar]], author
*[[David Morrell]], author, creator of the ''[[Rambo (franchise)|Rambo]]'' franchise
*[[Dave Sim]], creator of the comic book ''[[Cerebus the Aardvark]]''
*[[Edna Staebler]], author
*[[Matthew Tierney (poet)]]

===Music, entertainment, and the arts===
*[[Raffi Armenian]], conductor
*[[Kimberly Barber]], mezzo-soprano
*[[Elise Bauman]], actress
*[[Norman Blake (Scottish musician)|Norman Blake]], musician, member of [[Teenage Fanclub]]
*[[Kristin Booth]], actress
*[[A. J. Bridel]], musical theater actress<ref name="Ouzounaian">{{cite web |last1=Ouzounaian |first1=Richard |title=Young Kinky Boots star AJ Bridel brims with big-city confidence |url=https://www.thestar.com/entertainment/stage/2015/11/01/young-kinky-boots-star-aj-bridel-brims-with-big-city-confidence.html |work=The Star |date=November 2015 |access-date=19 January 2020 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20160120161053/https://www.thestar.com/entertainment/stage/2015/11/01/young-kinky-boots-star-aj-bridel-brims-with-big-city-confidence.html |archive-date=20 January 2016 |language=en |url-status=live }}</ref>
*[[Mel Brown (guitarist)|Mel Brown]], blues musician
*[[Alex Bulmer]], theatre artist<ref>Crew, Robert (2000-11-13). "Eyesight gone in a smudge ; With star Diane Flacks, playwright explores loss of sight: [Ontario Edition]". ''Toronto Star''. p. D02. [[ISSN (identifier)|ISSN]] [[issn:0319-0781|0319-0781]].</ref>
*[[Gail Dahms]], actress and singer
*[[Bob Egan]], musician, member of [[Blue Rodeo]]
*[[Liza Fromer]], co-host of ''[[The Morning Show (Canadian TV series)|The Morning Show]]'', [[Global Television Network]]
*[[Nick Hector]], film editor
*[[Dale Heslip]], documentary and music video director
*[[Derek Hines]], jazz vocalist
*[[The Hacksmith|James Hobson]], engineer and [[YouTube]] video creator
*[[Allen Kaeja]], film director and choreographer
*[[Kathryn Ladano]], bass clarinetist and composer
*[[Lisa LaFlamme]], television news anchor, [[CTV Television Network]]
*[[Glenn Lewis]], [[neo soul]] singer-songwriter
*[[Paul MacLeod]], singer-songwriter
*[[Master T]], television and radio personality, [[MuchMusic]]
*[[Lois Maxwell]], actress
*[[Danny Michel]], musician
*[[Pavan Moondi]], film and television director
*[[Diane Nyland]], actress, director, and choreographer<ref>{{Cite book |url=https://books.google.com/books?id=6J8xDWDqOkEC&pg=PA458 |title=The International Who's Who of Women 2002 |publisher=Europa Publications |year=2002 |isbn=9781857431223 |editor-last=Sleeman |editor-first=Elizabeth |edition=3rd |pages=458}}</ref>
*[[Jeremy Ratchford]], actor
*[[Steve Strongman]], blues guitarist
*[[Rob Szabo]], music producer and performer
*[[Tasha the Amazon]], hip hop musician
*[[Homer Watson]], landscape artist
*[[Dawud Wharnsby]], singer-songwriter, poet, and performer
*[[JJ Wilde]], rock singer
*[[Chris Williams (director)]], director and animator

===Politics===
*[[Louis Orville Breithaupt]], 18th Lieutenant-Governor of Ontario (1952–1957)
*[[David Eby]], Premier of British Columbia
*[[William Lyon Mackenzie King]], Canada's tenth, and longest-serving, prime minister
*[[Michael Kraus (minister)|Michael Kraus]], minister and entrepreneur
*[[Judy Wasylycia-Leis]], [[New Democratic Party (Canada)|NDP]] member of the Canadian House of Commons

==See also==
{{Portal|Ontario}}
* [[List of cities in Ontario]]

==Notes==
{{Notelist}}

==References==
{{reflist}}

==Further reading==
* English, John, and Kenneth McLaughlin. ''Kitchener: an illustrated history'' (Wilfrid Laurier Univ. Press, 1983).
* Hayes, Geoffrey. “From Berlin to the Trek of the Conestoga: A Revisionist Approach to Waterloo County's German Identity.” ''Ontario History'' 91#2 (Autumn 1999).
* Hayes, Geoffrey. ''Waterloo County: An Illustrated History'' (Waterloo Historical Society, 1997).
* Lorenzkowski, Barbara. ''Sounds of Ethnicity: Listening to German North America, 1850-1914'' (Univ. of Manitoba Press, 2010), includes Berlin.
* Lorenzkowski, Barbara. "Languages of Ethnicity: Teaching German in Waterloo County's Schools, 1850–1915." ''Histoire sociale/Social history'' 41.81 (2008): 1–39. [https://hssh.journals.yorku.ca/index.php/hssh/article/download/38692/35100 online]
* McKegney, Patricia P. ''The Kaiser's Bust: A study of War-time Propaganda in Berlin, Ontario 1914-1918'' (Wellesley: Bamberg Press, 1991).
* Schulze, Mathias, and Lori Heffner. "Speakers of German in Kitchener-Waterloo: Assimilation and Shift." ''Cultural Link: Kanada–Deutschland. Festschrift zum dreißigjährigen Bestehen eines akademischen Austauschs'' (2003): 141–158. [https://www.researchgate.net/profile/Mathias-Schulze/publication/237700928_Speakers_of_German_in_Kitchener-Waterloo_Assimilation_and_Shift/links/542eda9e0cf27e39fa972a1e/Speakers-of-German-in-Kitchener-Waterloo-Assimilation-and-Shift.pdf online]
* Tiessen, Paul. ''Berlin, Canada. A Self-Portrait of Kitchener, Ontario Before World War One'' (St. Jacobs: Sand Hills Books, 1979).
* Rowell, Marg et al. ''Welcome to Waterloo. An Illustrated History of Waterloo, Ontario in celebration of its 125th Anniversary 1857-1982'' (Waterloo Printing Co. 1982)

==External links==
* {{Commons category-inline}}
* {{wikivoyage inline}}

{{Geographic location  <!-- This geo box is for DIRECTLY ADJACENT municipalities as standardized for all other municipalities -->
 | Centre    = Kitchener
 | North     = [[Woolwich, Ontario|Woolwich]]
 | Northeast = 
 | East      = [[Cambridge, Ontario|Cambridge]]
 | Southeast = 
 | South     = [[North Dumfries, Ontario|North Dumfries]]
 | Southwest = 
 | West      = [[Wilmot, Ontario|Wilmot]]
 | Northwest = [[Waterloo, Ontario|Waterloo]]
}}
{{Kitchener, Ontario}}
{{WaterlooRegion}}
{{Great Lakes Megalopolis}}
{{Authority control}}

[[Category:Kitchener, Ontario| ]]
[[Category:Cities in Ontario]]
[[Category:German diaspora in Canada]]
[[Category:Lower-tier municipalities in Ontario]]
[[Category:Populated places established in the 1800s]]