Raise the Hammer

In terms of what's great about this city: it's not the waterfalls or the conservation areas or the waterfront. These are all nice features, but in my view they are peripheral to Hamilton's real identity.

The fact is, Hamilton's most valuable assets are those things most derided by a whole generation of residents, bureaucrats and politicians: its gritty urban aesthetic, its extensive stock of solid 19th and early 20th century Victorian and post-Victorian buildings, its density (in the lower city), its compact footprint (again, only in the lower city).

Some of the finest neighbourhoods in Canada can be found in the lower city. Kirkendall/Locke is the equal of many great Toronto neighbourhoods (e.g. the Annex or the Beaches) whilst the Durand is, without question, one of the finest residential hoods in the entire country, second perhaps only to Montreal's Westmount in terms of consistent architectural grandeur (although probably having more in common with the erstwhile Square Mile).

Hamilton's restaurant scene is, frankly, poor, but there are some gems worth checking out. There are some great sources for high end gourmet food items, particularly in Dundas (which, incidentally, is also a great community, and full of some of the most interesting people in the Hamilton area, probably due to its proximity to McMaster).

With respect to the people, I am a native Hamiltonian and I feel I must be honest and say that Hamiltonians are some of the most frustratingly backwards thinking people you are likely to meet. A friend of mine once rather accurately described Hamiltonians as "yokels who happen to live in a big city". That being said, things are changing fairly rapidly, and people are becoming more acutely aware of the benefits and necessity of thinking of this place as a real city once again. Backwardness aside, Hamiltonians are famously down to earth, friendly, and refreshingly unpretentious.