About Hamilton

Hamilton (2006 Population 504,559; UA population 647,634; CMA population 692,911) is a port city in the Canadian province of Ontario. The Hamilton metropolitan area is the third largest in Ontario and the ninth largest in Canada. Through provincial legislation the city of Hamilton was amalgamated with the surrounding townships of Hamilton-Wentworth in 2001. The 2001 population of the pre-amalgamated city was 331,121. The town of Hamilton was conceived by George Hamilton when he purchased the Durand farm shortly after the War of 1812. It is a part of the Golden Horseshoe, a densely populated and industrialized region at the west end of Lake Ontario. Residents of the city are called Hamiltonians.

Traditionally, the local economy has revolved around the steel and heavy manufacturing industries. In recent years a shift has occurred towards the health and sciences sector, led by employers such as Hamilton Health Sciences. HHS employs over 10,000 staff to serve approximately 2.2 million people in Central South and Central West Ontario. Other economic highlights include the development of a large research campus, McMaster Innovation Park, which is currently under construction on the grounds of former industrial employer Camco. The Hamilton Airport is the busiest air cargo hub and fastest growing airport in Canada. Expansion plans include the addition of a proposed 1,050-hectare Aerotropolis industrial park. According to a Canadian Business survey from 2006, Hamilton is the number one location in Ontario for doing business.

The area has become a popular destination for the TV and film industry. Hamilton boasts hundreds of unique filming locations and attracts dozen of film and television productions each year. Many of these productions have chosen this city as their home base because of an open to filming attitude and Regional Tax Incentives.Growth in the arts and culture sector has garnered a high level of media attention for the city. A Globe and Mail news article in 2006, entitled "Go West, Young Artist," focused on the growing art scene in Hamilton which included art galleries, recording studios and centres devoted to acting and independent film production.

 

History

In pre-colonial times, the Neutral Indians occupied most of the land but were gradually driven out by the Five (later Six) Nations or Iroquois. The Iroquois were allied with the British against the Huron and their French allies. A member of the Iroquois Confederacy provided the route and name for Mohawk Road, which originally included King street in the lower city.

In 1784, about 10,000 United Empire Loyalists settled in what is now southern Ontario, chiefly in Niagara, around the Bay of Quinte, and along the St. Lawrence River between Lake Ontario and Montreal. They were soon followed by many more Americans, some of them not so much ardent loyalists but attracted nonetheless by the availability of cheap, arable land. At the same time large numbers of Iroquois loyal to Britain arrive from the United States and are settled on reserves west of Lake Ontario. Kingston and Hamilton became important settlements as a result of the influx of Loyalists.

The town of Hamilton was conceived by George Hamilton (a son of a Queenston entrepreneur and founder, Robert Hamilton), when he purchased the Durand farm shortly after the War of 1812. Nathaniel Hughson, a property owner to the north, cooperated with George Hamilton to prepare a proposal for a courthouse and jail on Hamilton's property. Hamilton offered the land to the crown for the future site. James Durand, the local Member of the British Legislative Assembly, was empowered by Hughson and Hamilton to sell property holdings which later became the site of the town. As he had been instructed, Durand circulated the offers at York during a session of the Legislative Assembly and a new Gore District was established of which the Hamilton town site was a member. As such, Hamilton's future seemed to be shaped by a private collaboration of Hamilton, Hughson and Durand.

Initially the Town of Hamilton was not the most important centre of the Gore District. A permanent jail was not constructed until 1832 when a cut-stone design was completed on one of the two squares created in 1816, Prince's Square. Subsequently, the first police board and the town limits were defined by statute on February 13, 1833. Official City status was achieved on June 9, 1846 by an act of Parliament, 9 Victoria Chapter 73.

Another noteworthy event that shaped Hamilton's early years, the Grand Lodge of Canada was formed in Hamilton on 10 November 1855.

The Hamilton's Central Library is home to one of the nation's largest history departments. It is home to ever expanding archives full of relics, yearbooks, trophies and maps of Hamilton. The Library was opened up in 1980 by Prince Philip. Hamilton is also home to seven historical societies. They are: Beverly Heritage Society, Dundas Valley Historical Society, Glanbrook Heritage Society, Hamilton Mountain Heritage Society, Head-of-the-Lake Historical Society, Stoney Creek Historical Society and Waterdown East-Flamborough Heritage Societ^y.

In 2001, the new city of Hamilton was formed. The Regional Municipality of Hamilton-Wentworth and its six local municipalities; Ancaster, Dundas, Flamborough, Glanbrook, Hamilton and Stoney Creek amalgamated. (January 1st) Before amalgamation, the "old" City of Hamilton was made up of 100 neighbourhoods. Today in the new megacity, there are over 200 designated neighbourhoods.

 

Geography

Hamilton is located on the western end of the Niagara Peninsula and wraps around the westernmost part of Lake Ontario, most of the city including the downtown section are on the south shore. Situated in the geographic centre of the Golden Horseshoe and is roughly the midway point between Toronto and Buffalo. The major physical features are Hamilton Harbour marking the northern limit of the city and the Niagara Escarpment running through the middle of the city across its entire breadth, bisecting the city into 'upper'and 'lower' parts.

Residents enjoy a mix of geographic terrain with a harbour that has been called one of the most beautiful naturally formed in the world. The first aboriginals to settle in the Hamilton area called this bay Macassa, meaning beautiful waters. Hamilton is one of 11 cities showcased in the book, "Green City: People, Nature & Urban Places" by Quebec author Mary Soderstrom, which examines the city as an example of an industrial powerhouse co-existing with nature. Soderstrom credits Thomas McQueston and family in the 1930s who "became champions of parks, greenspace and roads" in Hamilton.

Burlington Bay is a natural harbour with a large sandbar called the Beachstrip. This sandbar was deposited during a period of higher lake levels during the last ice age, and extends southeast through the central lower city to the escarpment. Hamilton's deep sea port is accessed by ship canal through the beach strip into the harbour and is traversed by two bridges, the QEW's Burlington Bay James N. Allan Skyway and the lower Canal Lift Bridge.

Between 1788 and 1793 the townships at the Head-of-the-Lake were surveyed and named. The area was first known as The Head-of-the-Lake for its location at the western end of Lake Ontario. John Ryckman, born in Barton township (where present day downtown Hamilton is), described the area in 1803 as he remembered it: "The city in 1803 was all forest. The shores of the bay were difficult to reach or see because they were hidden by a thick, almost impenetrable mass of trees and undergrowth...Bears ate pigs, so settlers warred on bears. Wolves gobbled sheep and geese, so they hunted and trapped wolves. They also held organized raids on rattlesnakes on the mountainside. There was plenty of game. Many a time have I seen a deer jump the fence into my back yard, and there were millions of pigeons which we clubbed as they flew low."

George Hamilton, a settler and local politician, established a town site in the northern portion Barton Township after the war in 1815. He kept several east–west roads which were originally Indian trails, but the north–south streets were on a regular grid pattern. Streets were designated "East" or "West" if they crossed James Street or King’s Highway No. 6. Streets were designated "North" or "South" if they crossed King Street or King’s Highway No. 8. The overall design of the townsite, likely conceived in 1816, was commonplace. George Hamilton employed a grid street pattern used in most towns in Upper Canada and throughout the American frontier. The eighty original lots had frontages of fifty feet; each lot faced a broad street and backed onto a twelve foot lane. It took at least a decade for all of the original lots to be sold, but the construction of the Burlington Canal in 1823, and a new court-house in 1827 encouraged Hamilton to add more blocks around 1828–9. At this time, he included a market square in an effort to draw commercial activity onto his lands, but the natural growth of the town was to the north of Hamilton's plot.

The Hamilton Conservation Authority owns, leases or manages about 4,000 hectares (9,900 acres) of land with the City operating 2,662 acres of parkland at 310 locations. Many of the parks are located along the Niagara Escarpment, which runs from Tobermory at the tip of the Bruce Peninsula in the north, to Queenston at the Niagara River in the south, and provides views of the cities and towns at the western end of Lake Ontario. The hiking path Bruce Trail runs the length of the escarpment and through parks with cliffs and waterfalls. Over 80 waterfalls have been identified here which led to the city being nicknamed "The City of Waterfalls".

 

Demographics

One-fourth of the local population was not born in Canada. This is the third highest such proportion in Canada after Toronto, and Vancouver. Hamilton also had a high proportion of British Isles origins (English, Scottish and Irish). Nearly three in 10 residents reported English as their sole ethnic origin, or as one of their ancestral origins. Nearly one in five (19%) reported Scottish ancestry either alone or in combination with another ethnic origins.

The top countries of birth for the newcomers living in Hamilton in the 1990s were: former Yugoslavia, Poland, India, China, the Philippines, and Iraq. Hamilton was home to 64,400 visible minorities in 2001, representing 10% of its population, up from 7% in 1991. Visible minorities comprised 19% of Ontario’s population, primarily due to high proportions in Toronto. The population is 90% White. It has very small numbers of South Asian/East Indian: 2.10%, Black: 2.00%, Chinese: 1.29% and mixed race: 1.03%.

Children under 14 accounted for 19.24% of the population while those over 65 years of age constituted 14.26%, resulting in an average age of 37.8 years, slightly above the national average.

The most described religion in Hamilton is Christianity though other religions brought by immigrants are also growing. The 2001 census indicates that 77.56% of the population adheres to a Christian denomination, Protestants constituting 37.08% of the population, while Roman Catholics number 35.48% (significantly lower than the national average), while Christ the King Cathedral is the seat of the Diocese of Hamilton. The remaining 5.0% consists of Orthodox, and independent Christian churches. The largest non-Christian religion is Islam with 12,880 adherents or 1.96% of the total population. Other religions including Judaism, Buddhism, Hinduism, and other consistitute less than one percent each. Those with No religious affiliation account for 115,510 (17.63%) in 2001.

Environics Analytics, a geodemographic marketing firm that created 66 different "clusters" of people complete with profiles of how they live, what they think and what they consume sees a future Hamilton with younger upscale Hamiltonians—who are tech savvy and university educated—choosing to live in the downtown and surrounding areas rather than just visit intermittently. More two- and three-storey townhouses and flats will be built on downtown lots; small condos will be built on vacant spaces in areas such as Dundas and Westdale to accommodate newly retired seniors; and more retail and commercial zones will be created. The city is also expected to grow by more than 28,000 people and 18,000 households by the year 2012.

Ethnic origin Population Canadian 193,580 English 186,815 Scottish 125,490 Irish 102,955 Italian 67,885 German 55,055	Ethnic origin Population French 52,830 Polish 33,065 Dutch 32,330 Ukrainian 24,070 Portuguese 14,110 Hungarian 12,925

 

Economy

The most important economic activity in Ontario is manufacturing, and the Toronto–Hamilton region is the most highly industrialized section of the country. The area from Oshawa, Ontario around the west end of Lake Ontario to Niagara Falls is known as the "Golden Horseshoe" and the centre of it is Hamilton. Under the 2001 StatsCan definition, the population was 6,704,598 in the 2001 census. "Golden Horseshoe" The phrase was first used by Westinghouse President, Herbert H. Rogge, in a speech to the Hamilton Chamber of Commerce, on January 12, 1954. “Hamilton in 50 years will be the forward cleat in a “golden horseshoe” of industrial development from Oshawa to the Niagara River”...150 miles long and 50 miles wide”...”It will run from Niagara Falls on the south to about Oshawa on the north and take in numerous cities and towns already there, including Hamilton and Toronto."

Sixty percent of Canada's steel is produced in Hamilton by Stelco and Dofasco. The presence of these two steel giants makes Hamilton the steel Capital of Canada. In the last decade, Hamilton's heavy industry reached a stable level, Stelco has returned to profitability. Dofasco in 1999 was the most profitable steel producer in North America and in 2000 it was the most profitable in Canada. It currently has approximately 7,300 employees at its Hamilton plant and produces over four million tons of steel annually, representing about 30% of Canada's flat rolled sheet steel shipments. Dofasco is likely to be bought by a foreign company and in addition to being one of North America's most profitable steel companies, Dofasco has been named to the Dow Jones Sustainability World Index seven years in a row. Dofasco’s wide range of steel products is sold to customers in the automotive, construction, energy, manufacturing, pipe and tube, appliance, packaging and steel distribution industries.

John C. Munro Hamilton International Airport is the busiest air cargo hub in the country and as well the fastest growing airport in Canada. Originally, in the 1940s the airport was used as a wartime air force training station. Today TradePort International Corporation manages and operates the John C. Munro Hamilton International Airport. Under TradePort management, passenger traffic at the Hamilton terminal has increased from 90,000 in 1996 to approx. 900,000 in 2002, and has grown dramatically since then. The airport's mid-term target for growth in its passenger service is five million air-travelers annually. Air cargo has increased by 50% since 1996; 91,000 metric tonnes (100,000 tons) of cargo passed through the airport in 2002. Hamilton's air cargo success is due to its 24-7 operational capability and strategic geographic location. Courier companies with operations at the airport include United Parcel Service and Cargojet Canada. The airport is also home to the Canadian Warplane Heritage Museum.

 

Government

Citizens of Hamilton are represented by 3 tiers of Government. The federal representation consists of 5 members of parliament serving in the legislature of Canada. At the provincial tier there are 5 elected members of provincial parliament who serve in the Legislature of Ontario. The municipal tier is comprised of one mayor, elected city wide, and 15 city councillors, elected individually by each of the 15 ward divisions, to serve on the Hamilton City Council. Additionally, at the municipal tier, each ward elects a school board trustee for each of the school boards serving in their respective area.

The Hamilton City Council is granted authority to govern by the province through the Municipal Act of Ontario. The Province of Ontario has supervisory privilege over the municipality and the power to redefine, restrict or expand the powers of all municipalities in Ontario. Further, the province provides oversight of Hamilton City Council through the Ontario Municipal Board.

The Criminal Code of Canada is the chief piece of legislation defining criminal conduct and penalty. The Hamilton Police Service is chiefly responsible for the enforcement of federal and provincial law. Although the Hamilton Police Service has authority to enforce, bylaws passed by the Hamilton City Council are mainly enforced by Provincial Offences Officers employed by the City of Hamilton.

 

Education

The growth of post-secondary education, heralded by the arrival of McMaster University in 1930 and the foundation of Mohawk College in 1967, led to numerous direct and indirect jobs in education and research. Total student population at McMaster University is well over 27,000. Almost two-thirds of the students come from outside the immediate Hamilton region.

McMaster Divinity College is a Christian seminary in Hamilton. It is affiliated with the Baptist Convention of Ontario and Quebec, although in practice it is interdenominational, and could be said to more closely align with the broader Evangelical tradition.

Post-secondary education in the area is also offered by Redeemer University College located in Ancaster, is an undergraduate university of classical Christian conviction with over 850 students and faculty. Redeemer offers several degrees certified by the Council of Ontario Universities. Besides its undergraduate degree in various disciplines of the Natural Sciences and Mathematics leading to the Bachelor of Science (B.Sc.), Redeemer also offers degree programs leading to a Bachelor of Arts (B.A.) or a Bachelor of Education (B.Ed.).

Also, Columbia International College of Canada is a private school in Hamilton which is inspected and registered with the Ontario Ministry of Education. It was founded in 1979 as a response to a need by international students wanting to graduate from a North American secondary school. Its west end campus is located at the former Ainslie Wood School operated by the Hamilton Board of Education. It is the largest private boarding university-preparatory school in Canada, with 1,200 students from 48 countries.

Brock University is a modern comprehensive university located in St. Catharines, Ontario. It was named for Major General Sir Isaac Brock, who lost his life during the Battle of Queenston Heights in the War of 1812, fought 30 km from the present-day site of the campus. His last words, "Surgite! Push on!", are the official university motto. A satellite campus used primarily for teacher education is located in Hamilton.

Public education for students from kindergarten through high school is administered by three school boards. The Hamilton-Wentworth District School Board manages approximately 120 public schools, while the Hamilton-Wentworth Catholic District School Board operates 60 schools in the greater Hamilton area. The Conseil scolaire de district du Centre-Sud-Ouest offers two french immersion schools. Hillfield Strathallan College is the only private K-12 school in the area.

The Dundas Valley School of Art is an independent art school which has serviced the Hamilton region since 1964. Students range from 4-year olds to senior citizens and enrollment at the school as of February 2007 is close to the 4,000-mark. In 1998 a new fulltime diploma programme was launched as a joint venture with McMaster University. The faculty and staff is comprised of highly regarded regional artists.

The Hamilton Conservatory for the Arts is home to many of the areas talented young actors, dancers, musicians, singers and visual artists. The school is equipped with a Keyboard Studio, spacious dance studios, art and sculpting studios, gallery space and a 300-seat recital hall. HCA offers over 90 programs for ages 3-93, creating a “united nations” of arts under one roof.

 

Culture

Hamilton has built on its historical and social background. Interesting attractions include a museum of aircraft (Canadian Warplane Heritage Museum), HMCS Haida National Historic Site, historic naval ship; Canada's most famous warship and the last remaining Tribal Class in the world, a stately residence of a Prime Minister of Upper Canada (Dundurn Castle), a functioning nuclear reactor at McMaster University, a horticultural haven (Royal Botanical Gardens), the Canadian Football Hall of Fame, African Lion Safari and Christ the King Cathedral.

Founded in 1914, the Art Gallery of Hamilton is Ontario's third largest public art gallery and owns one of the finest collections in Canada. The Gallery has three major collecting and programming strengths as seen in its 8,500+ permanent collection: 19th-century European, Historical Canadian and Contemporary Canadian.

The McMaster Museum of Art, founded on campus in 1967, houses McMaster University’s impressive collection of more than 6,000 works of art, including the celebrated Herman Levy collection of Impressionist painting, and presents exhibitions from the historical to the contemporary.

Growth in the arts and culture sector has garnered high level media attention for Hamilton. A Globe and Mail article in 2006, entitled "Go West, Young Artist," focused on the growing art scene in Hamilton. The Factory: Hamilton Media Arts Centre, opened up a new home on James Street North in 2006. Art galleries are springing up on many streets across the City: James Street, Locke Street and King Street, to name a few. This, coupled with growth in the Downtown condo market which is drawing people back to the Core, is having a strong, positive impact on the cultural fabric of the City. The opening of the Downtown Arts Centre on Rebecca Street has spurred further creative activities in the Core. The Community Centre for Media Arts (CCMA) continues to operate in Downtown Hamilton. The CCMA works with marginalized populations and combines new media services such as website development, graphic design, video, and information technology, with arts education and skills development programming.

 

Sports

Professional sports teams

Club	League	Venue	Established	Championships
Hamilton Tiger-Cats	Canadian Football League	Ivor Wynne Stadium	1950[62]	8
Hamilton Bulldogs	American Hockey League	Copps Coliseum	1996	1

Amateur and junior clubs

Club	League	Venue	Established	Championships
Hamilton Red Wings	Ontario Provincial Junior A Hockey	Dave Andreychuk Mountain Arena	1973	1
Hamilton Wildcats	Australian Rules Football League	Mohawk Sports Park	1997	0
Hamilton Thunderbirds	Inter County Baseball League	Bernie Arbour Memorial Stadium	2005	0

Hamilton was the host of the first Commonwealth Games, then called British Empire Games in 1930, Canada's first major international athletic event, and bid unsuccessfully for the Commonwealth Games in 2010, losing out to New Delhi in India.

The Around the Bay Race circumnavigates Hamilton Harbour or Burlington Bay. Although it is not a proper marathon, it is the longest continuously held long distance foot race in North America. The local newspaper also hosts the amateur Spectator Indoor Games.

Hamilton has representation in two professional sports leagues, the Canadian Football League and the American Hockey League. The major sports complexes include Ivor Wynne Stadium and Copps Coliseum and is also home to the Canadian Football Hall of Fame museum. The museum hosts an annual induction event in a week-long celebration that includes school visits, a golf tournament, a formal induction dinner and concludes with the Hall of Fame game involving the local CFL Hamilton Tiger-Cats at Ivor Wynne Stadium.

In addition to team sports, Hamilton is also home to two auto race tracks, Cayuga International Speedway, Flamboro Speedway and Canada's fastest half-mile harness horse racing track, Flamboro Downs.