North End, Hamilton

North End's Pier 4 Park

North End's Bayfront Park

The North End is a mostly residential neighbourhood in Hamilton, Ontario, Canada, immediately north of Downtown. The area is bounded by the CNR Railway to the south, Wellington Street to the east, and the Hamilton Harbour on both the north and west sides of the neighbourhood.

The area is home to many of Hamilton's waterfront public spaces, including Pier 4 Park, Bayfront Park, and Pier 7. HMCS Haida, a National Historic Site, is also docked in the neighbourhood.

History

The North End is one of the oldest sections of the city. The area has a long-standing reputation as a blue-collar neighbourhood, dating back to the 1800s.^[1] The expansion of economic activities both in the core and at the Port of Hamilton resulted in increased development along the James Street corridor. The neighbourhood has a significant Catholic population, drawing a large number of Irish, Italian and later Portuguese immigrants.^[2]

In the 1960s the city built a number of low-income family housing units throughout the North End.

The 2010s brought major changes to the neighbourhood. In 2015, the new West Harbour GO Station was opened on the southern end of the neighbourhood. The station brought increased connectivity to Toronto and led to a rise in area housing prices.^[3] Most of the area's public housing has since been closed and slated for redevelopment as mixed-income housing.^[4] In 2018, the City of Hamilton revealed extensive plans to redevelop the waterfront area in the neighbourhood's western half.^[5]

Demographics

Historical populations

Year	Pop.	±%
1996	5,857	—
2006	5,252	−10.3%
2016	4,965	−5.5%
2021	4,816	−3.0%
Source: Statistics Canada

The area is home to a sizeable number of ethnic Portuguese (14.6%) and Italians (9.8%).^[6] Visible minorities form 19.2% of the neighbourhoods population, with Black Canadians (7.3%), South Asians (3.5%), and Southeast Asians (3.1%) being the largest groups.^[6]

Notable people

• Jackie Washington, jazz and blues singer; namesake of a park in the southeast corner of the neighbourhood^[7]

References

1. Hannah, Julie (2012). "Economic Change and the Inner City Landscape:A Case Study of Hamilton, Ontario" (PDF). Retrieved 24 February 2021.
2. Da Silva, Stephanie (October 2013). "In My Heart I am Portuguese": Perspectives on Portuguese Migration, Identity and Religion in Hamilton, Ontario (Thesis). McMaster University.
3. Dongen, Matthew Van (12 August 2019). "More GO trains finally coming to Hamilton's West Harbour station. But when?". Toronto.com. Retrieved 24 February 2021.
4. Craggs, Samantha. "Indwell and private developers will rebuild Jamesville social housing complex | CBC News". CBC. Retrieved 24 February 2021.
5. Hamilton, City of (17 June 2014). "Waterfront Redevelopment - West Harbour". www.hamilton.ca.
6. "Census Profile, 2016 Census". Statistics Canada. Retrieved 24 February 2021.
7. "Jackie Washington Rotary Park (PW03125) - (Ward 2)" (PDF). City of Hamilton. Retrieved 6 April 2021.