Hey guys,

I just wanted to know what Hamilton is like as a city.

What brings the city together, what topics are Hamiltonians passionate about?

I know it is a "rough" city and sketchy from what I hear, where does that come from?

What are the big ideas which make Hamilton different when put beside Toronto, Burlington, or Mississauga?

sorry for the super long post LOL. I talk about this frequently.

I've lived in Hamilton for... probably close to 17 years now? I went from living downtown for the first few years to now living on the mountain.

To be honest, I don't think Hamilton is any different than other cities like Mississauga and Toronto when it comes to "sketchiness". problems with crime generally just come along with a growing population. At least we don't have to worry about random homocides or shootings; most of the incidents that appear on the news in Hamilton have been targeted incidents where the two parties knew each other and had quarrels. I feel a lot safer walking in Hamilton than I would in TO. There's a great police presence in the downtown core as well.

Big ideas: There's a growing movement for walk-able streets, increased accessibility for cyclists and pedestrian safety. There are a lot of people who live on the outskirts of the city and don't support things like converting downtown streets to two-way, but they don't understand how important it is for Hamilton's development--to have streets that people can walk on, can access shops in the downtown area by bike, bus, or walking instead of simply driving through. In this same light, LRT is something that a lot of Hamiltonians are getting behind, but between the current mayor and the province, it's an uphill battle.

And then there's the arts and revitalization movement. Another important issue for people in this city is the preservation of historical buildings, because those architectural features are what set us apart from big glass-and-concrete cities. If you've ever been to the Lister block, it's a beautiful example of restoration done right. This area is rich in history given its role in the war of 1812, so that's another thing that we're proud of! Hope you all made it out to Tall Ships Hamilton for the War of 1812 bicentennial celebration that was a fantastic example of Hamiltonians coming together, organizing a beautiful event to show off our port and our history, and opening our city to close to 30,000 visitors. That event actually earned Hamilton the New Port Award from Tall Ships America.

There are a lot of other things as well, art crawl, the indie music scene, the waterfalls... but the things I mentioned are things I personally share a passion and interest for. Sometimes it's just the little things that make this city unique... when I travel through TO and don't hear anyone saying "thank you" to the bus drivers it reminds me of how fortunate I am to live in such a friendly city (ahem... not that torontonians aren't friendly...)

As a Hamiltonian, I think what makes this city different from other cities is that there is a lot of art and music that they recognize here. Especially that they recognize local artists and musician during events like the Super Crawl or Art Crawl for example. Although restaurants and stuff are more expensive but living in this city is less "dense" per say than a city like Toronto.

This is just my opinion. There are others who may disagree with this...

Now I come from Toronto, which is a bit bigger than Hamilton, but so far what my experience of Hamilton is: IT SUCKS. The food sucks, the malls sucks, the transportation sucks, there are basically no attractions you can easily access. Everything is more expensive and of lower quality compared to other places. Now this is from a biased point of view as I am from Toronto.

I think the awesome part is that since Hamilton sucks so much as a city your University experience will be much more lively and you will have an unforgettable campus experience. The school spirit is over the rooftop and the people at Mac is what makes you want to stay at Mac!

allanandthera, your post is actually so uniformed and wanker-ish I feel I can't (or don't want to) properly respond to it.

:/

Ill be honest here and put things kindly...Toronto, Mississauga, Oakville, Burlington all have a lot more to offer than Hamilton does. Want to go to your local big box store or movie theater? Well you will have to travel up Hamilton mountain for that. What about shopping for clothes? Well take a trip to Hamilton Mountain or Burlington those are your closest options. Want a new computer without purchase online, or even fix your existing computer? Hamilton mountain is your answer. Catch my drift here?

Hamilton has its nice parts and bad parts just like every city does (in Hamilton's case the lower city has many issues, up the mountain its nicer and everything you need to buy is max 15 mins away). Again putting things mildly, if someone asked me whether they should live in Hamilton or not I would give them a blunt no. There are only 2 reasons as to why I would see someone considering making the move here: 1) Housing is a lot cheaper then elsewhere in the GTA, and 2) Good employment for Medical Professionals and Entrepreneurs.

In the end all I will say is that there is a reason many Mac students do not even consider staying in Hamilton once they graduate, this is fact.

Reading all the other responses, I can understand that Hamilton has really not much to offer. I've lived in this city ever since I moved to Canada, which was over a decade ago and I do agree with some of your responses. I've beenlLiving in this city for so long, it will be a huge change if I ever decide to live in another city. I've seen many changes in the city than lets say 10 years ago. I do wish that stuff here was cheaper...

The thing I said about the arts thing on my last post is something I really admire in this city.

Originally Posted by ooburii

when I travel through TO and don't hear anyone saying "thank you" to the bus drivers it reminds me of how fortunate I am to live in such a friendly city (ahem... not that torontonians aren't friendly...)

The HSR driver who operates the 51 and sings over the intercom deserves a promotion - stat.

Hamilton has a ton to offer.

Green space... Cootes Paradise, Princess Point, tons of amazing hiking trails that are close to Mac. The mountain stairs. The waterfalls... Websters, Tews, The Devil's Punchbowl. The Hermitage. The rail trail.

The vibe in Westdale. The shops on Locke Street. The bars on Augusta. Tons of fantastic restaurants downtown. Crab cakes on the patio at The Ship. Heritage buildings.

The bayfront. The seasonal ice rink/roller rink.

Festival of Friends. Buskerfest. It's Your Festival. Supercrawl.

James North. Art crawls, galleries, coffeehouses, burgers at Jack and Lois. Baltimore House. Homegrown Hamilton. Local bands. The Arkells. The Reason (go to The Ship or the Coach and Lantern and get waited on by their band members). Walk Off The Earth.

I love this city; when I moved out at 18, this is where I chose to live and not just because rent here is actually reasonable unlike most other cities in Ontario. There's an awesome scene here, and very cool people to talk to if you're willing to explore and leave the Mac bubble.

@RyanC up there,

How is it misinformed? I am disgusted by the HSR, the TTC in Toronto comes on time and they provide top quality to service. The TTC subway in Toronto connects you to any part of town. Have you been down to the Eaton Center in Toronto? Have you walked along Queen Street and Dundas Street during the Summer with all the festivities that come? I'm going to be frank, there is nothing much special about Hamilton. The only thing that I think makes Hamilton awesome is that Mac is there.

What I said was pointing the elephant in the room. I am going to call a chair... wait for it... a damn chair.

Maybe if hamilton had even a FRACTION of the budget that toronto gets for transit, we'd have the same level of service. You're comparing apples to oranges here. Toronto has a population of MILLIONS, hamilton is just hovering at 800,000. How can you expect us to have the same transportation infrastructure? You've clearly never been to cities like waterloo where busses run even MORE infrequently.

If one actually bothers to spend some time downtown then one would probably realize how amazing this city is. The arts movement is astounding and the tiny boutiques and specialty stores continue to amaze me. I absolutely love the downtown core of Hamilton, there is so much there if you actually bother looking. Take a stroll down Locke, Augusta, John, James North etc and actually check out the shops, restaurants, cafes and bars and you will see what I mean. I cannot wait to get out of Westdale and move downtown, the vibe is completely different in the best way possible.

Hahaha. I dont buy it. I lived in downtown for 6 years. It's a shit hole.

Some people enjoy living in the poorest part of the country, you must be one of them. It's full of stoners, garbage, bums near Jackson square, jobless losers chilling on the porch near that same Jackson Square day after day after day (can I call them porch monkeys?), sketchy shops, bus shelters that look like they've experienced a world war, terrible traffic, tiny streets, people smell like shit (if you ride the buses that go from downtown to east Hamilton you will know what I'm talking about). The Jackson square as a mall is terrible, I've seen markets in middle east during war in much better condition. Should I mention all the stabbings and shootings again?

Oh, and if you search Hamilton Ontario in Youtube, first things you get, is gangs, mafia and ghetto. Wonder why?

Originally Posted by ooburii

Maybe if hamilton had even a FRACTION of the budget that toronto gets for transit, we'd have the same level of service. You're comparing apples to oranges here. Toronto has a population of MILLIONS, hamilton is just hovering at 800,000. How can you expect us to have the same transportation infrastructure? You've clearly never been to cities like waterloo where busses run even MORE infrequently.

Well the guy above you does raise an interesting point. Hamilton has contributed ZERO new funding for the HSR in the past decade (all new money comes from the province except for the cash the HSR uses to operate). Compare this with Mississauga, Brampton and Waterloo which offer almost the same or slightly better service then the HSR, but these cities all invest in their transport. The HSR certainly doesnt help how Hamilton is perceived by others thats for sure.

A lot of areas of Hamilton have a small-town vibe to them. The city is a large collection of smaller, close-knit communities. There's lot of celebrations of music and arts (Westdale Jazz Festival, James Street Supercrawl, Locke Street Festival, etc.).

Having lived in Oakville/Burlington area for a summer, I can safely say the transit service in Hamilton is far better than those two cities. The MiWay has an edge over the HSR in my opinion. Comparing Hamilton's transit to Toronto's is apples to oranges, so I won't bother.

The shopping isn't great near McMaster, but the transit is only 30-45 minutes to get somewhere where you can shop your heart out. You don't get the variety that you get in Toronto for specialty items (electronics, hobbies, etc).

I've had my house broken into once here (my fault for leaving it unlocked), but I had my car broken into in Oakville too, so that isn't really relevant.

Depending on what program you're in, you'll feel like you're getting a great education at McMaster or you'll feel like you're getting ripped off. Don't place too much importance on your classes - work experience will get you further.

Lastly, there are a lot of beautiful and under-appreciated parts of Hamilton. The view from Sam Lawrence Park is fantastic, as is the view when climbing any of the sets of stairs going up the side of the mountain. Going for hikes along waterfall trails is very cool, and there are tons of mountainside lookouts along Mountain Brow Blvd. Not to mention all of the parks that the city has. Valley Park is one of my favorites.

I've lived in a couple different cities during summer co-op work terms, and I'd still say Hamilton is my favorite. It just feels like home to me.