Jordan is a community located on the eastern edge of the Town of Lincoln, in the Niagara Region. Jordan is bordered by the Twenty Mile Creek and

Vineland ''Vineland'' is a 1990 novel by Thomas Pynchon, a postmodern fiction set in California, United States in 1984, the year of Ronald Reagan's reelection.Knabb 2002 Through flashbacks by its characters, who have lived during the '60s in their youth ...

to the west,

Lake Ontario Lake Ontario is one of the five Great Lakes of North America. It is bounded on the north, west, and southwest by the Canadian province of Ontario, and on the south and east by the U.S. state of New York (state), New York. The Canada–United Sta ...

to the north,

St. Catharines St. Catharines is the most populous city in Canada's Niagara Region, the eighth largest urban area in the province of Ontario. As of 2021, St. Catharines has an area of and 136,803 residents. It lies in Southern Ontario, south of Toronto ac ...

to the east, and Pelham to the south. Lying roughly 100 km from

Toronto Toronto ( , locally pronounced or ) is the List of the largest municipalities in Canada by population, most populous city in Canada. It is the capital city of the Provinces and territories of Canada, Canadian province of Ontario. With a p ...

and 65 km from

Buffalo Buffalo most commonly refers to: * True buffalo or Bubalina, a subtribe of wild cattle, including most "Old World" buffalo, such as water buffalo * Bison, a genus of wild cattle, including the American buffalo * Buffalo, New York, a city in the n ...

by road, Jordan is located along a major transportation corridor between

Canada Canada is a country in North America. Its Provinces and territories of Canada, ten provinces and three territories extend from the Atlantic Ocean to the Pacific Ocean and northward into the Arctic Ocean, making it the world's List of coun ...

and the

United States The United States of America (USA), also known as the United States (U.S.) or America, is a country primarily located in North America. It is a federal republic of 50 U.S. state, states and a federal capital district, Washington, D.C. The 48 ...

. In January 2014, Jordan was brought to international attention when

Al-Qaeda , image = Flag of Jihad.svg , caption = Jihadist flag, Flag used by various al-Qaeda factions , founder = Osama bin Laden{{Assassinated, Killing of Osama bin Laden , leaders = {{Plainlist, * Osama bin Lad ...

-directed terrorists were arrested for plotting to derail a passenger train traveling from Toronto to New York on a rail-bridge crossing the Jordan Harbour. Jordan is home to many wineries due to its climatically advantageous grape-growing conditions in the Niagara Region, and is one of the premier

icewine Icewine (or ice wine; ) is a type of dessert wine produced from grapes that have been frozen while still on the vine. The sugars and other dissolved solids do not freeze, but the water does, allowing for a more concentrated grape juice to devel ...

-producing destinations in Canada. Also located in Jordan is the Ball's Falls Conservation Area, which is maintained by the Niagara Peninsula Conservation Authority, and the home of the second-tallest waterfall in the Niagara Region.

Geography

Jordan's climate is

humid continental Humidity is the concentration of water vapor present in the air. Water vapor, the gaseous state of water, is generally invisible to the human eye. Humidity indicates the likelihood for precipitation, dew, or fog to be present. Humidity depe ...

(

Köppen Köppen is a German surname. Notable people with the surname include: * Bernd Köppen (1951–2014), German pianist and composer * Carl Köppen (1833-1907), German military advisor in Meiji era Japan * Edlef Köppen (1893–1939), German author ...

borderline ''Dfa''/''Dfb'') and can be considered a unique

micro-climate A microclimate (or micro-climate) is a local set of atmospheric conditions that differ from those in the surrounding areas, often slightly but sometimes substantially. The term may refer to areas as small as a few square meters or smaller (for ...

because of the moderating influence of

Lake Erie Lake Erie ( ) is the fourth-largest lake by surface area of the five Great Lakes in North America and the eleventh-largest globally. It is the southernmost, shallowest, and smallest by volume of the Great Lakes and also has the shortest avera ...

and the sheltering effect of the

Niagara Escarpment The Niagara Escarpment is an approximately discontinuous, arc-shaped but generally northward-facing escarpment, or cuesta, in Canada and the United States. The escarpment begins south of Lake Ontario and circumscribes the top of the Great Lake ...

. The area is known in Canada for its

orchards An orchard is an intentional plantation of trees or shrubs that is maintained for food production. Orchards comprise fruit- or nut-producing trees that are generally grown for commercial production. Orchards are also sometimes a feature of lar ...

vineyards A vineyard ( , ) is a plantation of grape-bearing vines. Many vineyards exist for winemaking; others for the production of raisins, table grapes, and non-alcoholic grape juice. The science, practice and study of vineyard production is kno ...

wineries A winery is a building or property that produces wine, or a business involved in the cultivation and production of wine, such as a wine company. Some wine companies own many wineries. Besides wine making equipment, larger wineries may also feat ...

and restaurants that feature local produce and wines. Fruit crops grown in Jordan include

cherries A cherry is the fruit of many plants of the genus ''Prunus'', and is a fleshy drupe (stone fruit). Commercial cherries are obtained from cultivars of several species, such as the sweet ''Prunus avium'' and the sour ''Prunus cerasus''. The name ...

peach The peach (''Prunus persica'') is a deciduous tree first domesticated and Agriculture, cultivated in China. It bears edible juicy fruits with various characteristics, most called peaches and the glossy-skinned, non-fuzzy varieties called necta ...

es,

apple An apple is a round, edible fruit produced by an apple tree (''Malus'' spp.). Fruit trees of the orchard or domestic apple (''Malus domestica''), the most widely grown in the genus, are agriculture, cultivated worldwide. The tree originated ...

s and

pear Pears are fruits produced and consumed around the world, growing on a tree and harvested in late summer into mid-autumn. The pear tree and shrub are a species of genus ''Pyrus'' , in the Family (biology), family Rosaceae, bearing the Pome, po ...

s, and during the summer attract many tourists from all over Ontario, particularly

Climate

History

Most of the early settlers were German in origin, and were devout practising Mennonites. These

Mennonites Mennonites are a group of Anabaptism, Anabaptist Christianity, Christian communities tracing their roots to the epoch of the Radical Reformation. The name ''Mennonites'' is derived from the cleric Menno Simons (1496–1561) of Friesland, part of ...

(

Pennsylvania Dutch The Pennsylvania Dutch (), also referred to as Pennsylvania Germans, are an ethnic group in Pennsylvania in the United States, Ontario in Canada, and other regions of both nations. They largely originate from the Palatinate (region), Palatina ...

) walked north from the United States in 1799, and founded the villages of Jordan and

. An Ontario Historical Plaque was erected at the Lincoln Museum and Cultural Centre in Jordan by the province to commemorate the first Mennonite Settlement's role in Ontario's heritage. The First Mennonite Church in Vineland, adjacent to the cemetery at the corner of Regional Road 81 (former Highway 8) and Martin Road, organized in 1801, is the oldest

Mennonite Mennonites are a group of Anabaptism, Anabaptist Christianity, Christian communities tracing their roots to the epoch of the Radical Reformation. The name ''Mennonites'' is derived from the cleric Menno Simons (1496–1561) of Friesland, part of ...

congregation in Canada. With a large natural harbour at the mouth of Twenty Creek, Jordan became a busy shipping centre for the export of logs for boat masts, tan bark, hides, ashes used in industrial centres for the manufacture of soap, as well as grain, flour, fruit and fruit products. A small shipbuilding industry existed for a time on the banks of the Twenty. Jordan became part of The Town of Lincoln on January 1, 1970, as the result of a municipal corporation created by the Legislature of Ontario through the amalgamation of the Town of Beamsville, the Township of Clinton, and approximately half the Township of Louth

Education

There are three schools located in Jordan. The oldest, Jordan Christian School (JCS), is a private JK-12 school, nestled amongst vineyards and orchards on Fifteenth St. Saint Edward Catholic School is a Catholic JK-8 school. Heritage Christian School is a private K-12 school accredited by the Niagara Reformed Christian Education Association.

Jordan Christian School

JCS was founded in 1984 and currently offers Junior Kindergarten to Grade 12. The school carries a rich history, both as Jordan Christian School and formerly as Jordan Station Public School.

St. Edward Catholic School

St. Edward Catholic School is a Junior Kindergarten to Grade 8 publicly funded Catholic school located in Jordan. The original school, housing six classrooms and a small office, was constructed in 1963. A gymnasium, changerooms, three additional classrooms, and a resource office were added in 1967. A renovation in 1995 added two Primary classrooms to the front of the school. The school draws students from both Jordan and neighbouring Vineland.

Heritage Christian School

Heritage is a parental school governed by a Board of Directors elected by the members of the Niagara Reformed Christian Education Association (NRCEA), offering Kindergarten to Grade 12 education. It opened its doors in 1992, and currently has an enrollment of about 700 students, and 60 staff members.

Attractions

Jordan Lions Park

The Jordan Lions Park is located on the corner of Jordan Road and Fourth Avenue. At this location is a community pool, splash pad for children, ice hockey arena, softball diamonds, and soccer pitches.

Jordan Village

Jordan is also the site of the annual Twenty Valley Winter Winefest. Jordan has numerous shops, boutiques, and restaurants, as well as the Jordan Historical Museum.

Wineries

Jordan is in the heart of

Ontario Ontario is the southernmost Provinces and territories of Canada, province of Canada. Located in Central Canada, Ontario is the Population of Canada by province and territory, country's most populous province. As of the 2021 Canadian census, it ...

's wine country and contributes greatly to the wine industry in the

Niagara Peninsula The Niagara Peninsula is an area of land lying between the southwestern shore of Lake Ontario and the northeastern shore of Lake Erie, in Ontario, Canada. Technically an isthmus rather than a peninsula, it stretches from the Niagara River in the ...

. As such, the major industry in Jordan is wine-tasting tourism. Major

in Jordan include: * Sue-Ann Staff Estate Winery * Cave Spring Cellars * Calamus Estate Wines * Creekside Estate Winery * Dim Wine co. * DiProfio Estate Winery * Flat Rock Cellars * Harbour Estates Winery * Honsberger Estate Winery * Pearl Morissette Estate Winery * Westcott Vineyards

Ball's Falls Conservation Area

The Ball's Falls Conservation Area is located on the

escarpment An escarpment is a steep slope or long cliff that forms as a result of faulting or erosion and separates two relatively level areas having different elevations. Due to the similarity, the term '' scarp'' may mistakenly be incorrectly used inte ...

south of Jordan-proper. The conservation area is centred on the 27 metre tall Lower Ball's Falls, although the smaller Upper Ball's Falls is also accessible by trail within the park.

Jordan Historical Museum of the Twenty

The

Jordan Historical Museum of the Twenty The Lincoln Museum and Cultural Centre: Home of the Jordan Historical Museum is a community history museum established in 1953 that tells the story of the five towns and villages located within the boundaries of the Lincoln, Ontario. The museum b ...

is a community history museum established in 1953.

References

{{RegionalNiagara Neighbourhoods in Lincoln, Ontario