Windsor-Essex area guide
Living in Amherstburg, Ontario: Where the Detroit River Meets Lake Erie
Amherstburg sits at the mouth of the Detroit River where it opens into Lake Erie, about 25 minutes south of Windsor. It's one of the oldest towns in Ontario, it has three national historic sites, and the population grew 7.2 percent between 2016 and 2021. The river is what drives this market, and it has more shoreline to offer than most people realize.
Welcome to Amherstburg
The Detroit River waterfront is what drives value in Amherstburg. The town sits where the river meets Lake Erie, which gives it more variety of shoreline than any other municipality in the county: river frontage, lake frontage, and the stretch in between. Proximity to the water is the single clearest factor in this market.
The town was first settled in 1784 by Loyalists granted land by the Crown, and Fort Malden went up in 1796 to guard the mouth of the river after Detroit passed to the Americans. Amherstburg was incorporated as a town in 1878, which makes it one of the oldest in the province.
Some of that history is the kind you can walk through. King's Navy Yard Park on Dalhousie Street is built on the ground where the British navy yard stood in 1796, and warships that fought in the War of 1812 were constructed right there, including the Detroit and the Queen Charlotte. Some of it is heavier and more important. Amherstburg was a terminus of the Underground Railroad, one of the entry points into Canada for people escaping slavery in the United States, and it appears in Uncle Tom's Cabin as exactly that. The Amherstburg Freedom Museum tells that story properly and is a national historic site in its own right.
That includes Boblo Island, which is unlike anything else in the region. Bois Blanc, as it was named, is a 271-acre island in the Detroit River that was home to the Boblo Island Amusement Park from 1898 to 1993. It's now a private residential community reached by its own ferry, with beaches, a marina, and trails.
The municipality covers about 184 square kilometres and takes in a long list of smaller communities: McGregor, River Canard, Edgewater Beach, Malden Centre, Pointe West, Sunset Beach, and more. The 2021 census counted 23,524 people, up from 21,936 in 2016.
On the ground
Amenities and points of interest.
The waterfront and King's Navy Yard Park
The park runs 10.5 acres along Dalhousie Street on the riverbank, with award-winning formal gardens, mature trees, walkways, a cenotaph, and four historic buildings including the Gordon House, which now serves as the tourism information centre. It's the town's front door and it looks like it.
Boblo Island
A private residential community on 271 acres in the Detroit River, served by its own ferry, with white sand beaches, a full-service marina, nature trails, and recreation.
On the water
Three local marinas serve the town, and the river and lake here are well known for fishing and boating.
Holiday Beach
Holiday Beach Conservation Area sits on the Lake Erie shoreline with a long sandy beach, and it's one of the better raptor migration viewing spots in North America in the autumn.
History and museums
Three national historic sites: Fort Malden, established 1796 and designated in 1921; the Amherstburg Freedom Museum; and Belle Vue House. The Park House Museum on Dalhousie Street is an eighteenth-century dwelling and one of the oldest houses in the region. The Gibson Gallery is here as well.
Downtown
Dalhousie Street between Murray and Richmond is the core, running right alongside the park and the river. Riccardo's is on Dalhousie by Navy Yard Park.
Wine and drink
There are several wineries in the area. GL Heritage Brewery is on Howard Avenue. Diageo runs a distillery in town producing Crown Royal.
Things that happen every year
Art by the River on the Fort Malden grounds the last weekend in August, with roughly 160 artists and artisans from across Ontario. The Amherstburg Ice Cream Festival at Toddy Jones Park. The farmers' market at GL Heritage Brewery on Howard Avenue, Saturdays from mid-May into early October, with everything sourced within 50 kilometres.
Getting around
Transit Windsor has run service between Amherstburg and Windsor since September 2022.
Dated market context
Amherstburg residential activity, August 2026
These figures describe the homes reported sold during the period. They do not value a particular address and may be volatile when the sample is small.
- Median price
- $660,000
- Months of inventory
- 6.6 months
- Median days on market
- 26 days
- Homes sold
- 29
CREA MLS® Residential Market Activity, Windsor-Essex reporting, August 2026
| Area | Sales | New listings | Active listings | Months of inventory | Sales to new listings | Average price | Sale to list | Median days on market |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Amherstburg | 29 | 64 | 191 | 6.6 | 45.3% | $645,746 | 101.6% | 26 |
Amherstburg residential market activity, August 2026. CREA MLS® Residential Market Activity, Windsor-Essex reporting, August 2026.
Amherstburg
- Sales
- 29
- New listings
- 64
- Active listings
- 191
- Months of inventory
- 6.6
- Sales to new listings
- 45.3%
- Average price
- $645,746
- Sale to list
- 101.6%
- Median days on market
- 26
REALTOR®, MLS®, and associated marks are controlled by the Canadian Real Estate Association (CREA) and identify members of CREA. Market information is general and should be verified before making a decision.
People also ask
Amherstburg questions, answered straight.
What is Amherstburg, Ontario known for?
Its waterfront at the mouth of the Detroit River, its history, and three national historic sites. Fort Malden dates to 1796, the Amherstburg Freedom Museum tells the story of the town's role as a terminus of the Underground Railroad, and King's Navy Yard Park sits on the ground where British warships were built for the War of 1812.
How far is Amherstburg from Windsor?
About 25 minutes south. Transit Windsor has run a route between the two since September 2022.
How big is Amherstburg?
The 2021 census counted 23,524 people across about 184 square kilometres, up 7.2 percent from 2016. The municipality takes in McGregor, River Canard, Edgewater Beach, Malden Centre, Pointe West, Sunset Beach, and a number of other communities.
What drives home values in Amherstburg?
The Detroit River waterfront. The town sits where the river opens into Lake Erie, giving it river frontage, lake frontage, and everything between, and proximity to the water is the clearest single factor in this market.
What is Boblo Island?
Bois Blanc Island, a 271-acre island in the Detroit River. It was home to the Boblo Island Amusement Park from 1898 to 1993 and is now a private residential community reached by its own ferry, with beaches, a marina, and nature trails.
Is there a beach in Amherstburg?
Holiday Beach Conservation Area has a long sandy shoreline on Lake Erie, and it's one of the better places in North America to watch the autumn raptor migration. Boblo Island has beaches for its residents.
What is King's Navy Yard Park?
A 10.5-acre waterfront park on Dalhousie Street, built on the site of the 1796 British navy yard. It has award-winning gardens, walkways along the riverbank, a cenotaph, and four historic buildings including the Gordon House, now the tourism information centre.
Are there marinas in Amherstburg?
Three serve the town, along with the full-service marina on Boblo Island.
What is Amherstburg's connection to the Underground Railroad?
The town was one of the main entry points into Canada for people escaping slavery in the United States, with Fort Malden used as a crossing point. It's referenced in Uncle Tom's Cabin as the place George and Eliza reach. The Amherstburg Freedom Museum, a national historic site, tells that history.
What is there to do in Amherstburg?
King's Navy Yard Park and the Dalhousie Street waterfront, Fort Malden, the Freedom Museum, Park House Museum, and the Gibson Gallery. Holiday Beach for the lake and the birding. Art by the River in late August, the Ice Cream Festival, and the Saturday farmers' market from May into October.
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Nearby areas worth a look
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