Hamilton, Ontario
From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
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This article refers to the City of Hamilton, Ontario. For the Township of Hamilton in Northumberland County see Hamilton, Ontario (township). For the history of the current City of Hamilton before 1946, please see History of Hamilton, Ontario.
| City of Hamilton |
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| Nickname: "Ambitious City, Steeltown, The Hammer" | ||||
| Motto: Together Aspire - Together Achieve | ||||
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| Coordinates: | ||||
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| Country Province |
Canada Ontario |
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| Incorporated | June 9, 1846 [1] | |||
| Mayor | Fred Eisenberger | |||
| City Council | Hamilton City Council | |||
| Representatives | MPs and MPPs | |||
| Area | ||||
| - City | 1,138.11 km² | |||
| - Land | 1,117.11 [2] km² | |||
| - Water | 21 km² | |||
| - Urban | 227.70 km² | |||
| - Metro | 1,371.76 km² | |||
| Elevation | 75 m – 324 m | |||
| Population | ||||
| - City (2001) | 490,268[2] | |||
| - Density | 438.9[2]/km² | |||
| - Metro | 662,401[3] | |||
| Time zone | EST (UTC-5) | |||
| - Summer (DST) | EDT (UTC-4) | |||
| Website: http://www.myhamilton.ca/ | ||||
Hamilton is a city located in the province of Ontario, Canada. It is the third largest municipality in Ontario. 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 Niagara Escarpment and converted rail trails offer many opportunities for photography, hiking and cycling.
Its nicknames — all relating to its waning days as a major industrial centre — include the Ambitious City, Steeltown, the Hammer, and the Lunchbucket City. However, health care has outstripped heavy industry — exemplified by the twin steel giants of Stelco and Dofasco — as the largest employer. Moreover, the education, government, services and technology sectors have all dramatically developed as heavy industry has declined.
Hamilton has built on its historical and social background. Interesting attractions include a museum of aircraft (Canadian Warplane Heritage Museum), 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 and Christ the King Cathedral.
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[edit] History
The town of Hamilton was conceived by George 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.[4]
Initially the Town of Hamilton was not the dominant center of the Gore District. A permanent jail wasn't constructed until 1832 when a cut-stone design was completed on one of the two squares created in 1816, Prince's Square.[4] Subsequently, the first police board and the town limits were defined by statute on February 13th of 1833.[5] Official City status was achieved on June 9, 1846.[1]
[edit] Geography and climate
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 two 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.
Burlington Bay/Hamilton Harbour 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. Hamilton Harbour ranks one of Canada's largest seaports. The Hamilton Port Authority manages the heavily industrial harbour.
The escarpment is in many places a 100 metre (330 foot) vertical wall of limestone shale with many waterfalls and creeks falling over it; including Stoney Creek, Red Hill Creek, Grindstone Creek, Spencer Gorge Waterfall and Chedoke Creek — flow over the Escarpment and into the Harbour. The numerous waterfalls within the City of Hamilton limits has recently inspired local tourism interests to market Hamilton as the "City of Waterfalls." At least 20 waterfalls and cascades flow over Hamilton Mountain within city limits. On average the mountain is 4-5km inland from the Lake Ontario shoreline and at its edge affords some spectacular views of the city and harbour. Outside of the city this feature is more commonly known as Hamilton Mountain, or to locals just "the mountain". The "mountain" is actually an escarpment. The Hamilton portion is part of the larger Niagara Escarpment, that runs from western New York to the Wisconsin/Illinois border. It is the world's longest escarpment.
The climate of Hamilton is humid continental (Dfa type) and relatively mild compared with most Canadian cities. The average January temperature is -3.6C (26.5F) but most days rise just above freezing often making for slushy conditions during snowfalls. Winter snowfall averages 113cm (44") with great year-to-year variation. The average July temperature (the average of both day and night) is 22.5C (72.5F) and humidity is usually high during the peak of summer. Daytime highs in the 30's with humidex values making it feel above 40°C are quite common anytime from May through early October.
It might be noted that the climate of the lower city is in general much more sheltered and milder than on top of "the mountain", which has a shorter growing season and, in winter is prone to more wind whipped lake effect snows. It is not uncommon in the winter for lower city residents, with no snow present in their neighbourhoods, to drive up into the upper city and be surprised at encountering a thick blanket of fresh white snow. The escarpment also greatly affects summer weather; temperature inversions can make the downtown many degrees warmer, particularly at night, and often an inversion will combine with the physical barrier of the escarpment to trap smog in the downtown area, sometimes reducing downtown visibility to less than 2km.
Summer rains can be heavy but in general severe weather is rare. One notable exception occurred November 9, 2005 when a tornado damaged hundreds of houses and lifted off Lawfield Middle School's gymnasium roof on the Upper Mountain, injuring two students and leaving the school structurally unsound. Environment Canada confirmed an F1 tornado struck the area; this was the latest date in any year that a confirmed tornado touched down in Canada.
[edit] Demographics
| Ethnic Origin[1] | Population | Percent |
|---|---|---|
| English | 186,815 | 28.51% |
| Scottish | 125,490 | 19.15% |
| Irish | 102,955 | 15.71% |
| Italian | 67,885 | 10.36% |
| German | 55,055 | 8.40% |
| French | 52,830 | 8.06% |
| Polish | 33,065 | 5.04% |
According to the 2001 census, one-fourth of the population is foreign born, the third highest proportion in Canada after Toronto, and Vancouver. The top sources of migrants to Hamilton come from, former Yugoslavia, Poland, India, the People’s Republic of China, the Philippines, Iraq, and Bosnia and Herzegovina[2]. Hamilton is populated mostly by those of various white ethnic backround - 90%. The remainder of the population is made up primarily of those who are of South Asian (mostly East Indian: 2.10%), Black: 1.65%, Chinese: 1.29% and mixed race: 1.03%.[3]
The census estimates there were 714,900 people residing in Hamilton as of 2006. Children under fourteen account for approximately 19.24% of the resident population of Hamilton, compared to the 14.26% of the resident population in Hamilton who are of retirement age (65 and over for males and females), resulting in an average age of 37.8 years. In the five years between 1996 and 2001, the population of Hamilton grew by 6.1%, compared with an increase of 6.1% for Ontario as a whole. Population density of Hamilton averaged 482.9 people per square kilometre, compared with an average of 12.6, for Ontario altogether.
[edit] Religious groups
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. The remaining 5.0% consist 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 Judiasm, Buddhism, Hinduism, and other consistitute less than one percent each. Those with no-affliliation number 17.63%[4]
[edit] City and suburbs
Downtown began and remains around Gore Park and the intersection of King and James Streets. Central Hamilton extends from the base of the Mountain north to Barton Street, west to Chedoke Creek or Dundurn Street, and east to approximately Wentworth Street or Sherman Avenues. West Hamilton or the west end begins at Dundurn Street or Chedoke Creek. East Hamilton or the east end begins at approximately Ottawa Street or Kenilworth Avenue. North Hamilton or the north end begins at Barton Street or the Canadian National Railways (CN) tracks.
As city limits expanded to include the Mountain, the retronym for the city below the Escarpment became the Lower City (now often just referred to as downtown). The east/west divide line for the mountain is Upper James Street, and the east/west divide line for downtown is James Street. The south Mountain begins at approximately Limeridge Road or the Lincoln M. Alexander Expressway.
The former boroughs of Hamilton-Wentworth Region, are: Stoney Creek, Dundas, Flamborough, Ancaster and Township of Glanbrook. They have maintained their names as wards in the amalgamated city.
Hamilton, like many cities, is broken up into several areas, well known to the local residents. These 'sections' of the city are: The North End, Downtown, the East and West End, Westdale (the area where McMaster is located, and therefore has a high percentage of students), Dundas, Ancaster (including Medowlands, which is often seen as seperate from Ancaster), the West, Central, and East Mountain, Stoney Creek and Stoney Creek Mountain. These areas are all unique, and the people, economy and cultures vary a great deal across the city.
[edit] Education
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 emmersion schools. Hillfield Strathallan College is the only private K-12 school in the area.
Post-secondary education in the area is offered by:
- McMaster University
- Mohawk College
- Redeemer University College
- Dundas Valley School of Art
- Columbia International College [5]
- Hamilton Conservatory for the Arts
- McMaster Divinity College [6]
- Brock University
[edit] Economy
By the 1940s, the ecological cost of pollution had taken its toll on Hamilton: heavy metals made fish from the Bay inedible, air pollution made breathing difficult and industrial dumps (notably the Lax lands) contaminated land. People recognized there was a problem, but two decades of economic depression and war left them with no stomach to face the costly investments and social changes to fix it.
Veterans returned to the factories just in time to see the founding strike of Local 1005 of the United Steelworkers of America at Stelco, one of four major ones in 1946. Labour peace ensured by the Rand formula, established by Mr. Justice Ivan Rand when he settled the Ford strike in Windsor, allowed the industrial economy to grow. Studebaker set up shop in Hamilton, shutting down in 1966 as its last car factory.
Despite the promise shown in the booming 1960s, signs of trouble were beginning to show. The Harbour dredging scheme (including its associated political scandal) and reports by the International Joint Commission revealed that a few more decades of pollution had all but destroyed the marine environment.
In the early 1980s, Hamilton had entered the economic downturn common to most steel towns in the developed world, such as Bethlehem, Pennsylvania, but survived relatively well. But a couple of bitter strikes at Stelco did not help matters. The days of heavy industry were numbered.
In the last decade, Hamilton's heavy industry reached a stable level, Stelco has returned to profitability in more recent quarters and non-unionized Dofasco is the world's most profitable steel maker. The Hamilton Harbour Commission continues to report healthy shipments and steady increases. Decreased industrial activity and increased pollution control measures have combined to increase water and air quality, and to allow Hamilton to showcase its fine natural attributes in a better light. For those employed in or relying on the industrial sector, prospects are not good.
Stelco is no longer under bankruptcy protection. 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.
Today Hamilton still remains Canada's capital of heavy industry. Hamilton's north end and east Hamilton (connected by Burlington Street) is Canada's largest concentration of heavy industry, in a province -- Ontario -- that is also the country's manufacturing base. Burlington Street was famous for its blue collar rush hour -- 6:30am, 3:30pm and 11:30pm -- the times during shift changes at the many factories.
[edit] Biotechnology cluster
Business, education and government in the Hamilton, Halton and Niagara regions have joined forces to energize existing biosciences strengths and help turn breakthroughs into business success. A regional initiative, the Golden Horseshoe is being transformed into a knowledge-based, economic powerhouse of research, growth and investment.
Golden Horseshoe Biosciences Network
[edit] Biggest employers
[edit] Politics
Politically, Hamilton is known for producing groundbreaking, colourful and left-wing politicians — illustrated by the polarizing and erratic career of Sheila Copps. Locally, though, the big political stories have included the controversial amalgamation of Hamilton with its suburbs in 2001, and the destruction of green space around the Red Hill Valley to make way for the Red Hill Creek Expressway.
[edit] Municipal politics
Hamilton has had a city charter since 1846. In 1974, it combined with the Wentworth County and the latter's other towns and townships to form the two-tier municipal federation of Regional Municipality of Hamilton-Wentworth. Portions of the former county became part of Burlington and Cambridge.
The old city of Hamilton was represented at regional council by one councillor each from its two-councillor wards; the other municipalities by their mayors and an additional regional councillor each. The regional chair was appointed by the Ontario government rather than by the residents or the regional councillors. After a successful drive to make the office elective, the point became moot in 2001.
Municipal powers were divided or shared in turn by the city and the county (or its constituent parts besides Hamilton). For instance, the city and county continued their separate boards of education, while the police service and social services became regional responsibilities, and fire service and business licensing remained second-tier responsibilities.
In 2001, the former two-tier Hamilton-Wentworth region was amalgamated into a one-tier city called Hamilton like one of its predecessor governments. New ward boundaries coincided substantially or exactly with old Hamilton's wards and the former municipal boundaries of its suburbs.
As in most Ontario cities, incumbent councillors and mayors tend to be re-elected in municipal elections marked by low turnout. However, in the 1940s, Hamilton City Council was presided over by Sam Lawrence, a unionized worker called the Labour Mayor. However, for most of the time, moderates of the centre-right or centre-left — such as Lloyd D. Jackson in the 1960s and Robert Morrow in the 1980s — presided over council.
Victor "Vic" Copps was a popular centre-left mayor in the 1970s. While taking part in the Around the Bay Race in 1976, he suffered a heart attack which incapacitated him. His wife Geraldine Copps served as a city councillor after that unfortunate event. Copps Coliseum is named after him rather than his daughter, Sheila Copps.
[edit] Provincial politics
Hamilton has traditionally been represented by four to six Members of Provincial Parliament (MPPs) or Members of the Legislative Assembly (MLAs) in the Legislative Assembly of Ontario. Old Hamilton was always suspicious of its larger neighbour and provincial capital, Toronto and had a reputation for being highly unionized. These factors combined to electing working class and left-wing MPPs, often from the New Democratic (NDP) and Liberal parties, who frequently achieved notoriety if not power outside Hamilton.
Liberal MPP Lily Munro was caught in the Patti Starr scandal which contributed to Premier David Peterson's electoral defeat in 1990. So often under- or unrepresented in at Queen's Park, the old city of Hamilton boasted that each of its three MPPs were ministers in the NDP government of Bob Rae in the 1990s.
In contrast, the former suburbs and rural precincts of old Hamilton voted for less radical and less noteworthy Progressive Conservative representatives, including government backbenchers for Rae's successor, Mike Harris. The Harris government's forced amalgamation of Hamilton was highly controversial among suburban and urban Hamilton voters. It also made provincial riding boundaries and names automatically coincide with those at the federal level, reducing new Hamilton's representation at Queen's Park, the Provincial Legislature, in Toronto, by one member.
[edit] Federal politics
Progressive Conservative Prime Minister John Diefenbaker appointed the late Ellen Fairclough as Secretary of State, making her Canada's first female cabinet minister, in 1957. A downtown provincial office building is named in her honour.
John Munro, a Trudeau-era Liberal cabinet minister and a sometime husband of Lily Munro, was the subject of political innuendo and criminal allegations dismissed after an Royal Canadian Mounted Police (RCMP) probe. He came in fourth in the first mayoral election for amalgamated Hamilton. The Hamilton International Airport was renamed in his honour.
Progressive Conservative Prime Minister Joe Clark appointed Lincoln "Linc" Alexander, the first Black Canadian Member of Parliament, as Minister of Labour in his short-lived government. Alexander later became Lieutenant Governor of Ontario, another first for blacks in Ontario and Canada. Linc was honoured by having the long-awaited Mountain east-west expressway named after him.
Sheila Copps, daughter of Victor and Geraldine, was a Liberal candidate, first for the Ontario legislature and then for the House of Commons, where she represented Hamilton East from 1984 until 2004. She was a leading and vociferous member of the Liberal "Rat Pack" while the Liberals were in opposition until 1993. An early and strong supporter of the leadership of Jean Chrétien, she served in several posts including Deputy Prime Minister. When Paul Martin became prime minister, Copps' star waned as she was excluded from cabinet and lost her bitter nomination campaign to Tony Valeri in her re-districted riding.
In the 2006 federal election, all three of Hamilton's main urban ridings were won by NDP candidates, Wayne Marston, David Christopherson and Chris Charlton. The two predominantly rural ridings were both won by Conservatives, David Sweet and Dean Allison.
[edit] Sports
[edit] Current professional teams
| Club | League | Venue | Established | Championships |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Hamilton Tiger-Cats | Canadian Football League | Ivor Wynne Stadium | 1950 | 8 |
| Hamilton Bulldogs | American Hockey League | Copps Coliseum | 1996 | 0 |
Notable residents and former players include Angelo Mosca. The CFL's annual Eastern Division Labour Day classic pits the Hamilton Tiger-Cats against perennial rivals the Toronto Argonauts. Oddly, for many years before his death, Harold Ballard owned both the Tiger-Cats and the Toronto Maple Leafs, the National Hockey League (NHL) franchise in rival city Toronto. The team's prowess has fallen dramatically from its glory days in the 1960s and early 1970s, when it was a powerhouse.
In recent decades, Hamilton has yearned and applied for an NHL franchise. It has been continually disappointed, and voted against by nearby Buffalo and Toronto who would lose revenue if Hamilton had a NHL franchise. 1990 was the Year Hamilton came closest to landing an NHL franchise when 14,000 Hamilton hockey fans made Non-refundable downpayments for season's tickets in less than 48-hours but was blocked by Seymour Knox III (then owner of the Buffalo Sabres) and the Toronto Maple Leafs organizations. The NHL awarded the city of Ottawa, Ontario and the Tampa Bay area in Florida with new expansion teams. The world class arena Victor K. Copps Coliseum was built downtown on Bay Street North. The sports and entertainment arena, named for a former mayor and father of Sheila Copps, has hosted the World Junior Championship Games, the 1987 and 1991 Canada Cups and the 1990 Memorial Cup tournament that featured a young Eric Lindros and with each of these hockey tournaments Hamilton set attendance records at the time of hosting each of them. As of October the 8th 2006 speculation has it that Jim Balsillie of Research in Motion who offered to buy the Pittsburgh Penguins for $175-million would move the team to Hamilton where it would play out of the Copps Coliseum Arena.
The Copps Coliseum Arena is currently the home ice for the Hamilton Bulldogs of the American Hockey League.
The Hamilton Tigers played in the NHL during the early '20s but then moved to New York city and was renamed the New York Americans and became the first pro hockey team to play out of the newly built Madison Square Garden in downtown Manhatten.
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 is twinned with Flint, Michigan, and its amateur athletes compete in the Canusa Games, held alternatively there and here since 1957. Hamilton hosted the very successful World Road Cycling Championship Games in 2003.
The Hamilton Golf Club hosted the 2003 Canadian Open golf championship in which Bob Tway won. The traditional course layout, designed by famed course architect Hary Colt, proved very popular with touring pros. Hamilton also hosted the Canadian Open again in 2006 Jim Furyk won the title.
In 1998, the Ontario Raiders of the National Lacrosse League were based in Hamilton and played at Victor K. Copps Coliseum. In 1999, the team moved to Toronto and became the Toronto Rock.
Since 2002, the Hamilton Thunder have played in the Canadian Professional Soccer League (CPSL). They play at the Brian Timmis Stadium next to the larger Ivor Wynne Stadium. The Hamilton Steelers played in the Canadian Soccer League during the late 1980s and early 1990s.
The Hamilton Thunderbirds play in the Intercounty Baseball League.
The Hamilton Wildcats play in the Ontario Australian Football League.
Hamilton were the hosts of the first Commonwealth Games (then called British Empire Games) in 1930, and bid unsuccessfully for the Commonwealth Games in 2010, losing out to New Delhi in India.
Hamilton successfully hosted the World Cycling Championships in 2003. It was only the second time the Championship was staged outside of Europe, first time ever in Canada.
Hamilton will be hosting the 2007 Tim Hortons Brier. Hamilton has hosted the Brier previously in 1949 and 1991.
[edit] Transportation
[edit] Air
John C. Munro Hamilton International Airport, located on the Mountain at Mount Hope in the former Glanbrook Township, is the busiest air cargo hub in Canada and as well the fastest growing airport in Canada. Scheduled passenger service is provided by WestJet, who for several years used the airport as their primary point of access to Southern Ontario over the more expensive Toronto Pearson International Airport, and Air Canada Jazz; Flyglobespan Airlines will also introduce flights to England, Scotland and Ireland in May 2007, other airlines also offer vacation charters. The airport is also a major lower-cost alternative to Pearson for cargo air service. It is also home to the Canadian Warplane Heritage Museum.
[edit] Rail
Canadian National Railways (CN) serves Hamilton for lifting and setting off traffic for the Rail America (Southern Ontario Railway Shortline), but as heavy industry declined and the preferred mode of transportation changed to road, the number of branch lines and feeder tracks has declined dramatically. Until the early 1970s, the Toronto, Hamilton and Buffalo Railway offered passenger service. Since the late 1980s, GO Transit has offered sporadic passenger train service from its James Street North station. In the late 1990s, GO Transit operations were consolidated at the refurbished Art Deco building on Hunter Street which formerly served the Toronto, Hamilton and Buffalo service. The TH&B station retains its name today and is now one of the most beautifully-rendered stations on the GO Transit network located in the heart of Hamilton's downtown core. The nearest VIA Rail Canada station is at Aldershot (GO Station) in west Burlington.
[edit] Bus
Hamilton has good bus connections with cities in southern Ontario and western New York. GO Transit offers frequent and reliable express bus service to Toronto, now from the TH&B station and formerly from Rebecca Street. Various other companies, such as Greyhound Canada and Coach Canada offer less frequent service to St. Catharines, Niagara Falls, Buffalo, Kitchener-Waterloo, Guelph, Brantford and London.
Within the city, the Hamilton Street Railway or HSR offers good service in the lower city (especially on east-west routes), reduced service on the Mountain and skeletal service outside the old city of Hamilton (except for Dundas, which is served about as well as the Mountain). Burlington Transit also serves Burlington via York Boulevard and the former Highway 2, and HSR connects downtown Burlington under the Burlington Skyway Bridge.
[edit] Highways and expressways
The following controlled access highways and expressways serve Hamilton:
- Queen Elizabeth Way, north Hamilton and Stoney Creek
- Highway 403, Ancaster and west Hamilton
- Highway 6, Flamborough, Hamilton and Glanbrook, including access to Munro Airport
- Lincoln M. Alexander Parkway, ‘The LINC,' Mountain
- Burlington Street (upper deck), north Hamilton
There are several other current or former Ontario highways in Hamilton, but they are not divided, controlled access highways. The controversial Red Hill Valley Parkway is under construction, and will join the LINC with the QEW in east Hamilton.
[edit] City streets
All of the old city of Hamilton is on a broken great grid pattern, with major north-south streets spaced approximately one half-mile apart and major east-west streets generally spaced six tenths of a mile apart - thus enclosing 160-acre concessions. Great grid streets on the Mountain bear the name of their lower city counterparts with the prefix "Upper" except for Garth Street, which would be Upper Dundurn Street if the pattern held.
East-west streets on the central and east Mountain are pretty regular, while those in the lower city (especially major ones) and west Mountain are very irregular. King and Main Streets run approximately parallel to one another though they intersect at the Delta. They are usually one way streets in opposite directions, so they are best conceptualized as a single very wide boulevard and are envied by other Ontario cities for their usually efficient flow of traffic.
However, some contend that the very efficiency that makes driving easy discourages pedestrian street life and hurts downtown businesses. Streets that have recently converted from one-way to two-way, like James St. North, have enjoyed a resurgence in local business, reinvestment in buildings, and improving economic activity.
[edit] Bridges
There are 389 Bridges and culverts in Hamilton including 25 bridges being built for the Red Hill Valley Parkway. Total Replacement value more than $350-million. Hamilton has the second largest number of municipal bridges in Ontario. Up to $6-million spent annually on bridge projects.
22-point inspections every two years by engineering firms including the deck, hand railings, expansion joints, approaches and substructure. The Mary Street bridge closed to vehicle traffic and will become a pedestrian bridge when a Ferguson Avenue bridge is completed. The Ray Street pedestrian bridge north of Hunter Street was closed after an inspection.
[edit] Remarkable Buildings and structures
[edit] Sister cities
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[edit] See also
[edit] References
- ^ a b Provincial Statutes of Canada 1846 9° vict. pg 981 Chapter LXXIII. An Act to ammend the Act incorpoating the Town of Hamilton, and to erect the same into a City.
- ^ a b c Community Highlights for Hamilton (City) (html). 2001 Canadian Census. Retrieved on 2006-12-04.
- ^ Community Highlights for Hamilton (CMA) (html). 2001 Canadian Census. Retrieved on 2006-12-04.
- ^ a b Weaver, John C. (1985). Hamilton: an illustrated history. James Lorimer & Company, Publishers, "15-16". ISBN 0-88862-593-6 cloth.
- ^ Statutes of Upper Canada, 1833 3° William IV pg. 58-68. Chapter XVII An act to define the Limits of the Town of Hamilton, in the District of Gore, and to establish a Police and Publice Market therein.
[edit] External links
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- WikiSatellite view at WikiMapia
- Street map from Mapquest
- Topographic map from Topozone
- Aerial photograph from Terraserver
- Map.Hamilton.ca - Interactive Geographic Information System (GIS)
- The City of Hamilton
- Invest in Hamilton
- Hamilton Small Business Enterprise Centre
- History of Industry in Hamilton (via Internet Archive, Feb 16, 2006)
- Hamilton Business Directory
- Hamilton Tenants Community Services Directory
- Raise the Hammer
- Hamilton Chamber of Commerce
- Downtown Hamilton Business Improvement Area
- Hamilton Tourism
- Hamilton Undiscovered
- Hamilton International Airport
- Hamilton Port Authority
- Resources for residents
- Hamilton Editorial Cartoon Gallery
- Vintage Postcards of Hamilton, Ontario
- Hammerboard (Discussion forum for citizens of Hamilton, Ontario)
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