Situated on the shores of Rainy Lake & the Rainy River, just across the international bridge from its sister city, International Falls, MN, you will find Fort Frances.
Fort Frances is the largest town in the Rainy River District, with a community of approximately 8,000 people, this is one of Canada’s major tourist entry points. Located only a few hours away from some of the largest markets in Canada and the United States, this is an excellent border town! Fort Frances boasts a diverse industrial economy of forestry, mining, agriculture, and tourism, resulting in many different job opportunities. It also has both a Catholic School Board & Public School system, as well as offers post-secondary courses through Confederation College, Seven Generations Institute, and Lakehead University.
In your leisure time, you can enjoy the vast landscapes with all kinds of outdoor activities! From hiking, cross-country skiing, snowshoe trails, snow machining, boating, swimming, fishing, and more, there is always something to do! Fort Frances offers a lifestyle that allows you to enjoy everyday pleasures such as boating, visiting beaches, or enjoying a quiet canoe ride, only minutes from your home. The Rainy River District includes the municipalities of Alberton, Morley, Lake of the Woods, Chapple, Dawson, La Vallee, and the towns of Devlin, Emo, Barwick, Bergland, Morson and Rainy River.
Emo is located in the southwestern corner of northern Ontario, about halfway between 2 crossings to the United States; Fort Frances (approx. a 30 minute drive) and Rainy River (approx. a 40 minute drive). For this reason, it is known as an excellent stopping point for many travellers. Every year, on the final week of May, the Emo Walleye Classic takes place on the Rainy River, which marks the border between Minnesota and Ontario. This is a two-day catch and release fishing tournament, where upwards of 60 Canadian and American teams participate to win cash and prizes!
Devlin is a small rural area that is apart of the township of La Vallee, located along the north side of the Rainy River, and is about a 20 minute drive away from Fort Frances. Alberton is another community in the Rainy River district, and borders Fort Frances to the east, only about a 10 minute drive away. These are both great areas to live a peaceful life surrounded by beautiful, vast landscapes, and plenty of year-round outdoor activities such as fishing, swimming, boating, snow machining, hiking, hunting, and more!
Nestor Falls is wonderful community that is also surrounded by beautiful waterfront landscapes! Situated on Sabaskong Bay, on Lake of the Woods, Nestor Falls is a wonderful resort community that also offers fantastic fishing, hunting, and outdoor activities! You can easily catch walleye, small & largemouth bass, lake trout, crappie, northern pike, perch, and muskie on the many lakes surrounding Nestor Falls! Nestor Falls offers some amenities such as a convenience/liquor store, a bait & tackle shop, a hotel, and a few restaurants, allowing you to buy the necessities while still being in a remote and tranquil area of Northern Ontario. For larger shopping trips or a change of scenery, you can easily drive to Kenora or Fort Frances for the day, as Nestor Falls is conveniently located about halfway between these two locations (about 1 hour and 10 minutes away from Fort Frances, and 1 hour and 30 minutes from Kenora). This is a great area to buy an investment property, private island, or lakefront property if you are looking for somewhere with privacy, while still being near enough to larger towns.
Rainy Lake is a freshwater lake with a surface area of 932 square kilometers, and is located at the United States and Canadian border beside Fort Frances, Ontario, and International Falls, Minnesota. Rainy Lake is popular to anglers for both sport & recreational fishing! You can catch many fish species such as walleye, northern pike, muskie, crappie, perch, and large & smallmouth bass! In fact, Rainy Lake has held the annual Canadian Bass Tournament every summer since 1996! There are many year-round homes, summer cottages, and fishing resorts in this area, plus guided fishing services, and it is a great area to live for those outdoor enthusiasts! The Rainy River is approximately 220 km long, and forms part of the Canada–United States border, separating Northwestern Ontario from Minnesota. The river begins at the west side of the Rainy Lake, and flows northwest along the border, into the southern end of Lake of the Woods. Every year, on the final week of May, the Emo Walleye Classic takes place on the Rainy River, which marks the border between Minnesota and Ontario. This is a two-day catch and release fishing tournament, where upwards of 60 Canadian and American teams participate to win cash and prizes!