There's a used bookstore in Wesrdale a little ways down King Street called The Bookworm and my and my friend randomly stumbled into another one past downtown but I forget what it was called (i know that makes that information slightly useless LOL) I'm sure there are more in the downtown area though.

I haved lived in Hamilton for three years now and I absolutely LOVE it. I think it is unfair for people to criticize it as sketch just because it has a lot of low-income people in its boarders. It is completely unfair for people to assume that these low income individuals are crazy dangerous people bent on destroying MAC students. This is not the case. I have spent numerous days volunteering at centres all throughout Hamilton working with homeless youth, empoverished families, homeless adults and I have never once felt unsafe when dealing with them. I encourage everyone to be more open minded to that. Also, I am downtown alone at night quite frequently and have never once experienced any problems. But now back to the point.

I am fairly certain that the majority of people who criticize Hamilton for being boring havent actually taken the time to explore it to develop a fair opinion. Hamilton is a great city with something to do for everyone. If your into the arts, Hamilton has a booming arts scene downtown with an amazing art gallery, great theatre, and every 2nd friday of the month has the Art Crawl on James street North. If you're in to shopping, there are plenty of great shops in Westdale and on Locke Street and a pretty decent mall (Limeridge) a bus ride away. If you're a foodie, Hamilton has an amazing dining scene ranging from amazing sushi restaurants to authentic latin-american and caribbean restaurants and tons of amazing patio restaurants. If you're into clubs and nightlife then hit up Hess village, London Tap house, Augusta Street, Snooty Fox, etc. The list goes on

People who portray Hamilton as dirty are also misguided. There are parts of Hamilton (mostly Northeast) that are a mess due to a history of being a steel city, but Hamilton also has a substantial amount of beautiful green space. Not only is it on the Niagara escarpment and the waterfall capital of the world, but it also has tons of amazing trails through cootes paradise, is home to the royal botanical gardens and has a magnificent waterfront.

I encourage everyone to be a little more open minded. Just because Hamilton has a history of being a steel city and has more low-income people than average doesnt mean it is dangerous, dirty, and sketch. Hamilton is known for its friendly people and great sense of community.

Hamilton is as great as you make it. People always criticize this city for lacking anything "interesting" but don't take the time to find the people and places that interest them. Hamilton has a great culture and appeals to a very diverse set of expectations, but a lot of the negative aspects stem from disengaged community members. I have only met a handful of people at McMaster who have said to themselves "there's something about Hamilton I don't like -- I'm going to fix it".

The people who complain about the sketchy areas of Hamilton are usually the ones who have only been there virtually through Google Maps, or who have heard horror stories about one person, one time -- the rarest occurrence.

Here are some of the Hamilton gems:

The Farmer's Market
Cheapies
The Freeway --> http://www.frwy.ca/

If you're looking for an alcohol good-time, there are tons of small bars in Westdale and the Ainslie Wood area that are great spots, and Hess Village has some less "club" bars that are also pretty awesome.

Hamilton might get a bad rep from people because of the few bad apples, but that's the same in every city. Find your niche and explore Hamilton -- don't just sit behind the computer and rant about the negatives.

Originally Posted by dreamer21

I think its kind of funny how the majority of people that have commented saying they don't like Hamilton are from Toronto. I think it completely has to do with the type of environment people grow up in and what they think is acceptable or "right" in a place to live. I also find it funny that in comparison with Hamilton, Toronto has areas that are just as "dirty", "ugly", or "scary" if not more so than some areas of Hamilton.

I definitely agree with previous posters that have said everyone should explore the city and make their own judgments, don't just believe what you hear or go by what you see in a select few areas of the city.

Oh, yeah, I've definitely been spoiled by Toronto, I won't deny that haha. I think it's like the reverse though. As you go farther into the outskirts of Toronto, it gets sketchier. Whereas with Hamilton, it gets nicer as you go out, i.e. towards the mountain, to Burlington, to Dundas/Ancaster... I haven't gone as far as Stoney Creek, just driven through it once so I'm not sure about that.

Maybe that's why people from Toronto have a skewed notion of it. Downtown is actually nice, and there's a million and ten things you can do (I don't know about you all, but I'm not an art person nor do I go to little festivals very often - Toronto has this, and more).

I do like Hamilton for sure, where I live now, but I lived downtown first year and I hated it. It's quiet and lots of green areas where I am now, so it's all good.

The thing is, Hamilton is dirtier than most cities in Canada, so the pollution is more than what most incoming students are used to. I can understand having pride in your hometown, but you have to look at this from the perspective of someone who hasn't lived here their whole life.

I've spent a lot of time in Oshawa, so the transition wasn't as bad for me as it could have been. But even I was overwhelmed at first by the pollution and general sketchiness of Hamilton. If a city needs billboards to persuade people that the water is safe to drink, that's generally not a good sign.

Like Owen said, nobody should avoid coming to Mac just because of Hamilton. You get used to the smell and the taste of the water, and most of the worst areas are avoidable. You might even grow to like it- I know I have. At this point its looking like I'll be staying in Hamilton even after I graduate. But I like it in spite of its faults, ignoring them or trying to downplay them doesn't change them.

Originally Posted by Marlowe

Like Owen said, nobody should avoid coming to Mac just because of Hamilton.

True. It's easy to live outside of Hamilton (or parts of Hamilton) and commute to Mac. In fact, someone who lives in and spends all their time in Westdale won't understand what all the criticism's about, as Chris mentioned...

I personally, don't mind hamilton all that much! I'm going into third year now. My first year at Mac I really hated Hamilton, having grown up not too far from Toronto, I was a little spoiled too. I live in Westdale now and I love it here. It's a really cute town. And Everything is basically accessible within about 10 minutes.

I know I was a little worried about the nightlife too, but Hamilton actually has a pretty decent bar/club scene at Hess Village. It's really not as sketchy as people make it seem to be! Albeit, the area by Jackson Square can get really sketchy at times.

Stuff is pretty convenient. University plaza is less than 15 minutes away by bus and it has a metro and an LCBO.

Hamilton is really what you make of it, so if you focus on thinking about how sketchy or dirty or smelly it is, you're really not going to have a good perception of it. Try to keep an open mind.

Hey hamilton is a fantastic places and there is so much to see. My friends and I never get tired of just exploring different parts of hamilton and some of them are from Toronto So ye don't worry, when you get here you will not want to go home...

Hey if you want to read about first year, I am writing a series of articles sharing my experience so check it out...hopefully it answers a lot of questions and offers a glimpse into next year. Click here to check it out. If you have any questions or topics you want in the next article message me