North-End, Hamilton

North End in Hamilton is one of the most primitive areas of the city, which has been commonly called the blue-collar neighbourhood since the 1800s. Its population comprises Catholics, Irish, Italian, and Portuguese immigrants. The neighbourhood witnessed modern transformations in the residential sector and other developments during the 2010s. It has the famous West Harbour GO Station and increased connectivity to Toronto. The area also has a popular park named after the popular jazz and blues singer Jackie Washington. The modern growth opportunities, smooth transportation, and various outdoor amenities led to a massive rise in North End’s housing prices. The area comprises highrise condos and convention centres. North End is mainly family-oriented, which is mostly residential. It is located to the north of Downtown, with CNR Railway, Wellington Street, and the Hamilton Harbour as nearby areas. The streets are lined with beautiful North End houses. At North End, throughout the year, you can enjoy recreational activities like snowshoeing, sailing, biking, ice-fishing, and cross-country. Gardening in the locality is more important than just being a pastime. You can easily reach CN rail tracks and Niagara, which is quite close to the North End. It is just a few kilometres from the City Centre, home to approximately 4000-5000 residents and offers some of the most beautiful parks and trails.

North End is rich in outdoor amenities, casual pubs, smooth transport and connectivity, fine dining, and casual pubs. Although the retail, commercial, and educational areas are limited, residents can do so many things here. North End has beautiful gardens, entertaining recreational activities, and streetscapes. One of the key benefits of residing in North End is its affordable cost of living. This makes this neighbourhood quite in demand as compared to other localities in Hamilton. One of the primary reasons for people considering North End as a residential hub is its low crime rate, making the neighbourhood a much safer place. Compared to the National crime rate, the North End neighbourhood has a much lower violent and property-related crime ratio and is rated A+.

The average household income in North End is 26% lower than the national average, while the unemployment rate is 52% lower than the national average. This means that although the income opportunities are low, the employment opportunities in the neighbourhood are in abundance. 7% of people earn $20,000 or less, 12.6% earn between $80,000 and $100,000, and 0.3% earn $300,000 or more. The population of North End is quite low, which comprises ethnic Portuguese (14.6%) and Italians (9.8%). 19.2% of the population of North End consists of minorities like Black Canadians (7.3%), South Asians (3.5%), and Southeast Asians (3.1%) as the largest segments.

North End is a multicultural neighbourhood in Hamilton that boasts of some of the best amenities, schools, hospitals, and transport options as compared to other localities. The residents mainly comprise young students who prefer living in the vicinity to reduce their commute time to North End University or other educational hubs around. Because of the young crowd, there is no dearth of restaurants, cafes, educational institutes, recreational facilities, and parks in the neighbourhood of North End.

Schools

North End has good educational institutions around. Some of the best ones in the neighbourhood are:

• Bennetto Elementary School
• Westdale Secondary School
• St. Lawrence Catholic Elementary School
• Cathedral Catholic Secondary School

Restaurants

North End has some of the best restaurants, local food options, and fine dining choices with multi-cuisine menus that savour the taste of its multi-cultural residents. Some of the top restaurants at North End are:

• North End Pita
• Fisher's Pier 4 Pub
• The Harbour Diner
• Weston Pizza And Wings
• The Little Grasshopper Cafe
• Williams Fresh Cafe
• Saint James
• Redchurch Cafe + Gallery

Shopping Complex

You can experience some of the best shopping choices at North End. You will find everything from daily goods, necessities, and luxury goods at the various marketplaces and shopping areas like:

• Jackson Square
• Mountain Shopping Plaza
• Hamilton Mall
• The Centre on Barton
• Upper James Plaza

Hospitals

North End houses some of the best healthcare facilities, with the best professionals in town to look after you. The best facilities are:

• Hamilton General Hospital
• Juravinski Hospital
• St. Peter's Hospital
• St. Joseph's Healthcare Hamilton

North End is the closest area to Burlington Bay, and there is so much to do along the waterfront. At North End, you can enjoy your morning and evening strolls along the Waterfront Trail, spend some valuable time with kids and pets at the park, enjoy outdoor skating in the winter, and participate in various activities at the yacht club. The top attractions and places to visit here are given below.

Bayfront Park

The magnificent Bayfront Park dates back to 1926 and is the perfect getaway destination for residents of North End to relax at its massive lawn spaces, enjoy the lush greenery of the iconic park, admire the rock garden, take a breezy walk at the bay walk, and its sandy beach area, and enjoy the stunning fountain. One of the core features of this park is the venue, with lighting and music for various shows and special performances.

Macassa Bay Yacht Club

The MBYC is quite close to Bayfront Park and is a cooperative club that is located in the North End harbour in Hamilton. It has some of the best restaurants and cafes around, with a marina to the left. There are various other nearby clubs near North End, like Hamilton Bay Sailing Club, Leander Boat Club, Harbour West Marina, and Royal Hamilton Yacht Club.

Waterfront Trail

The Great Lakes Waterfront Trail in North End is a 7.5-kilometre stretch with a shoreline of 1,800 metres. You can enjoy various sandy beaches, summer festivals and concerts, and a 6-metre-wide trail around the park. The trail also has fishing grounds, bicycle trails, and a public boat launch. It is quite near the popular Pier 4 Park.

North End has several tourist places to visit, where residents can also spend a marvellous time with their families and friends. While you are in North End, you must enjoy the craft beer at Collective Arts or stop at Grandad’s Donuts for the delicious desserts. There are so many things to do in North End, and some of the most common ones are given below.

Visit the Pier 4 Playground

Pier 4 Park sprawls over 2.4 hectares and houses a multi-use asphalt trail, connections with the surrounding harbourfront precinct, a 24-metre tugboat, and various parkland and vistas of the Bay. It is a perfect place for kids to enjoy the various sailing clubs, fish habitats, and parks. It was constructed by the Hamilton Harbour Commissioners (HHC) and is near the Harbour West Marina Complex and the Royal Hamilton Yacht Club.

Enjoy Nature at the Sunset Cultural Garden

Visiting the Sunset Cultural Garden is the best way to entertain yourself and stay comfortable during the warm months. Several residents have planted native greens and 12 stones with poems in different languages. You can enjoy the lush greenery, flora, and fauna and the fascinating local garden tour.

Residents in North End generally prefer to walk to nearby distances to run errands. However, several people depend on the bus services that operate from James Street North to Burlington Street. During special events, there are special shuttles to ease the transport in the neighbourhood. Another major connectivity advantage is that most of the houses in North End are near the new GO station, which is again a 5-10 minute walk. Residents can also access Highway 403, Burlington Street, QEW Niagara, and Toronto. North End West is also bike-friendly. Commuting using personal cars is also quite convenient as there is no dearth of parking spaces and traffic congestion is also low.

• Hamilton is 21.8 km away using the ON-403 W and Hwy 6 S.
• The main town of Hamilton is only 2.5 km away through James St N.
• Macassa Bay and Bayfront Park are hardly 1.6 km away through Mary St and Strachan St E.

North End has flourishing markets and neighbourhood shops with numerous eating joints, retail options, and avenues for daily purchases of necessities and luxuries. Some of the most popular markets in North End are given here.

Hamilton Farmers' Market

This indoor farmers' market has been prevalent since 1837, featuring daily fruits and vegetables, dairy items, and baked goods. With over 50 retailers, you get everything from household goods to artisan handmade products, flowers, and speciality foods.

North End Market

The North End Market is extremely popular among residents and visitors for its exciting deals and discounts on grocery items. This market is also renowned for housing some of the best brands, a wide range of products, superior quality, the fastest delivery, and guaranteed savings.

North End Harvest Market

The NEHM, or North End Harvest Market, has been operational since July 2014, and it mainly runs through using personal gifts, donations, and community grants. This market makes the less privileged feel safe and provide free fresh produce to them. This market is also famous for building support and strong connections to community resources.

The population density in North End is 545% higher than in Hamilton, while the median age is 3% lower than in Hamilton. 7.2% of the population living in North End is Black, 3.12% of the population is South Asian, and 1.99% of the population is Arab. Other communities include Latin Americans and Chinese.

The best places at North End you can enjoy with kids and families are Hamilton's waterfront public spaces, Pier 4 Park, Bayfront Park, and Pier 7. You can also take your children to the National Historic Site, HMCS Haida. Other popular places to visit here are a sailing school, Harbour West Marina, the Royal Hamilton Yacht Club, Macassa Bay Yacht Club, Pier 4 Park, and Leander Boat Club. Kids can also enjoy the Bennetto Community Centre with an indoor pool and the Eastwood Community Centre with an ice rink. Families can have a gala time trekking and walking along the Waterfront Trail. Some of the best dog parks in North End are Rail Trail Dog Park, Birch Avenue Leash Free Area, Hill Street Park, and Globe Leash Free Dog Park.

The approximate cost of living in North End is 19% lower than the Hamilton average and 9% lower than the national average. North End housing is 53% lower than the national average. The average cost of living in North End, goods and services, groceries, healthcare, housing, transportation, and utilities, is either less than or almost equal to that of the Hamilton average.

North End has a low cost of living, natural beauty, and a waterside location, so there is a massive demand for residential properties. Although prices are rising, the North End neighbourhood's waterfront residential properties are a steal. The average home price in North End, Hamilton, starts from $558,253, and it is quite an affordable locality that promises minimal liveability costs. You must note that areas like Keith have a lower rate of property as compared to areas like Bayfront Park in North End. Majorly the houses in North End West are either townhouses or single detached homes, which have an equal proportion of renters and owners. Single-Family homes for sale in North End Hamilton range between $399,900 to $1,188,888. Currently, the average sold price of detached houses in North End is $891,751. For Semi-Detached/Townhouses, it is $745,821, while for Condo Apartments, it is $529,759.