Hi,

I'm going into my first year of a Masters this September, but I've never set foot in Hamilton before, and have very little idea about where to live. I'm hoping to find an apartment close to (or on) campus, that will be in a relatively young, fun, interesting area of town, but I have no idea what the good neighborhoods of Hamilton are.

So where should I be trying to live?

Any advice would be appreciated.

Cheers

What kind of neighborhood are you looking for? Quiet? Cheap? Close to campus? With drug dealers nearby? All of the above?

EDIT: Well, try getting a house on Emerson Street, or in that general area. They vary in price and quality, but you should be able to find something decent during summer, but I think they give away all the good ones earlier. They are not quiet tho. There are no "young" areas in the area, if you look for better quality housing, then try Westdale area, I would expect it to be more expensive.

However, since you are looking for fun, then go with Emerson Street. This year we had a small gas leak and fire there, and last year we had 3 muggings and a really bloody house stabbings with McMaster students involved. Fun!

Also there was a couple that was arrested for having sex on someones lawn. Just throwing it out there.

http://westvillagesuites.ca

Most of my friends are like 22-27, average grad school age, and we more or less agree that Westdale is a bit of a younger neighborhood. A lot of undergrads, a lot of partying -- if you're cool with that, get a room somewhere there. You won't find too many apartments in Westdale, you'll find apartments moreso in the west end (closer to Ancaster) or downtown. I find a lot of grad students live between Dundurn and Hess, there are a lot of houses that have been converted to apartments and a few buildings. Locke and Queen are in that area, and are pretty nice streets. Locke especially has a lot of cool shops and restaurants.

I have several friends living in Durand, which is on the neighborhood surrounding James St South, I really like this neighborhood and it is right on the 51 bus line to McMaster, as well as being right next to the GO station, as well as the Augusta pub district. It's in the heart of downtown, but has a visible police presence at night and I (a female) have no worries about walking alone here at night. It's walking distance from pretty much every decent bar, tons of awesome restaurants and galleries on James North (plus art crawl once a month!) and the Macnab bus terminal, which basically every bus in the city either runs from or bypasses. Rents here will be a bit cheaper than in the west end of the city.

I live in the west end, where there are several high rise apartments. There are quite a few students and people affiliated with the university here, but most are a bit older (around my age). It's also on the bus route, but a bit quieter.

Originally Posted by ZeeKay93

http://westvillagesuites.ca

lollllllll pls no

I'm moving from BC and am so nervous about finding a place! Is it crazy to move mid August and hope to find a place? Also where the heck do I stay while looking for a place? Any advice would be greatly appreciated

What kind of place are you looking for? Room in a student house or an apartment?

An apartment will take longer to process in most cases because they'll want a credit check, etc, so I would recommend coming to Hamilton before you move to look at places and meet with the supers, etc.

If you want to go the house route, the process will be faster but I'd still recommend coming in person before you move if at all possible. Otherwise, you'll probably have to spring for a motel while you're looking at places and even that would be nearly impossible if you move with a lot of furniture and boxes.

Same problem here! I tried calling some apartments but all the managers I called said they won't know til next month.

Originally Posted by Silver

lollllllll pls no

something wrong with west village suites? they seem awesome.

Camelot Towers (1001 Main St.) would probably be a good option for you. It's about a 10-15 min walk from campus, right beside westdale (the area near Mac where all the students are), and the apartments are pretty nice. I know a few grad students that live there and they all like it.