Waterloo dates back to Mennonites who arrived from Pennsylvania in 1806. Soon the place became a village and a town.
Waterloo is located in the so called Technology Triangle, and Kitchener is the neighboring city. The university is well respected and attracts many students.
Please check for local events when you are here.
I came to Waterloo for the first time over twenty years ago because of the university. I was working for the Canadian subsidiary of a German helicopter manufacturer and the task was to evaluate the possibilities to work together with this great university.
Now we are just visitors to the town whenever we visit the close by farmers market which we discovered on our way to St. Jacobs.
We loved this market and were amazed about all the things which you normally do not see in stores.

The Amish live to much stricter rules than the Mennonites. Many of them have settled in the area around St Jacobs. The do not use any electricity, no cars and wear normally black cloths. The also do not like their pictures taken and reject to serve in any army. They are hard working and helpful.
Despite that, they the still have some comfort in their homes such as gas operated fridges.

Everywhere in the market we heard people speaking German. After we had visited the market we proceeded to St. Jacobs.

St. Jacobs is a germ, which attracted many artists and craft makers. Many of them offer their work here.
It is exciting to browse through all the stores and galleries in the low season. You get much more attention and it also more relaxing.

When we arrived here, an Amish man had just parked his buggy around the corner and went into the workshop of the blacksmith. I could see that the stories are true that Amish do not use buttons on their cloths. They are replaced by tiny little wooden sticks.
It always wise to leave your car somewhere and walk. You see much more and you can take pictures easily.
If you see a building which looks almost like a silo - you have arrived at the "St. Jacobs Country Mill". Please explore it and you may come out fully loaded with things which you never intended to buy.

If you want to learn more about the Mennonites visit the information center. You will find it at 33 A King Street.
After all the sightseeing you may feel hungry. After my previous experience in Amish country I was surprised that you could order beer. The previous places were all "dry".

As already mentioned you are in an area in which many Amish people and Mennonites are living.
If you see a horse drawn buggy on the road with people in black cloths in it, you encounter Amish. Many restaurants comply partly with their live style and do not serve any alcohol.
However the food was always delicious and the service very friendly.