Hamilton, also known as "Steel Town", " The Hammer" and " Tiger Town" is a port city, that has become the centre of a densely populated and industrialized region at the west end of Lake Ontario known as the Golden Horseshoe. Hamilton was conceived by George Hamilton, and was officially given city status on June 9th 1846.

At one time 60% of Canada's steel was produced in Hamilton by Stelco and Dofasco. Hamilton has become the Steel City Capital of Canada.

Land Marks/ Things to do in Hamilton

One of the most recognized landmarks is Dundurn Castle. It was built between the years of 1832 and 1835, and was home to Sir Allan MacNab. The Castle is currently restored to its splendor of 1855 and is open for tours. You may also book a wedding.

Take a visit to the Canadian Warplane Heritage Museum featuring the air crafts used by Canadians and Canada's military from the beginning of World War Two up to the present day. The Museum allows visitors to climb into the cockpit of a real jet fighter, or trainer or the Avro CF-100. There are many displays full of photographs and memorabilia which creates an educational experience about Canada's history to all ages. They also have Air Shows, and a Remembrance Day Ceremony open to the public.

Some other places that may be of interest would be the HMCS Haida destroyer ship, which is the last remaining example of the 27 Tribal Class destroyers built for the Canadian Navy. It is open seasonally for tours.

There is also the African Lion Safari, a drive- through wildlife park. It also has a water park, a playground, a scenic railway tour and a cruise aboard the "African Queen". There are also shows, such as Parrots Paradise, Elephant Round-up and Birds of Prey. Other places of interest would be, Copps Coliseum, The Royal Botanical Gardens, The Bruce Trail, and The Canadian Football Hall of Fame.

In the summer, there is Wild Water Works, located in Confederation Park. It offers a perfect place to spend a summer day. It is home to Canada's largest outdoor wave pool, filed with over a millon gallons of heated water that splash down every minute. Wild Water Works has 3 tube slides, The Knight Rider, Blue Demon and the Vertigo Side Winder, which all plunge into the Eazy River where you can soak up the sun. The Corkscrew and the Kamikaze are Wild Water Works six- storey body slides. Also home to Little Squirt Works for younger children, which includes a wading pool with computer-controlled sprays and mists, and a number of fountains.

For all the football lovers out there, come and watch the Hamilton Tiger Cats play at Ivor Wynne Stadium. The Stadium was built in 1930, and holds 30,000 people. Ivor Wynne Stadium has undergone many changes over the years, but the stadium has remained true to the original vision of an outdoor stadium. In fact, it is one of the few stadiums of its kind in North America and is a significant historical and cultural landmark of Hamilton-Wentworth.

McMaster University

McMaster University is named after Senator William McMaster. Orginally it was located in Toronto, then the University moved to Hamilton in 1930. McMaster University is one of the Top 100 Universities in the world. The school offers Business, Engineering, Health Sciences and Humanities, Social Sciences and a distinctive Arts and Science program. The campus has grown immensely since its move from Toronto. The original 6 buildings have been added to, all still in use today. There are a total of 56 buildings on campus. Buildings vary in age from Hamilton Hall (1926, oldest building on campus) to its new Business facilities finished in 2010 and located in Burlington. The largest building is the McMaster University Medical Centre. It is a multi-use research hospital that ranks among one of the largest public buildings in Canada. There are 2 smoke-free residence buildings also located on campus. There is also the  McMaster University Student Centre (MUSC) center of student life, containing a cafe, and a large study space. It is a very large attractive campus, the interior of which is only open to cyclists and pedestrians. Nearby attractions include: Cootes Paradise, Bruce Trail, Niagara Escarpment, Waterfront Trail, and Royal Botanical Gardens. McMaster is also home to the McMaster Nuclear Reactor (MNR), a university- based research reactor that is today the only Canadian Medium Flux Reactor in a university environment. It is home to the McMaster Marauders since 1948. McMaster has a full sized Canadian football field, sometimes used as a training camp for the Hamilton Tiger Cats, and also a FIFA sized soccer pitch. Team sports include: baseball, basketball, football, lacrosse, rugby, soccer, volleyball, wrestling and water polo. Men’s water polo is the most successful team at the provincial level and the Men’s wrestling team is the most successful at the national level. McMaster has graduated 34 Olympic athletes, 8 Olympic coaches, 2 administrators, and 2 officials. Two members of McMaster University have been to space, faculty member Dafydd Williams, currently a physician scientist at McMaster Centre for Medical Robotics and astronaut Roberta Bondar, first woman in space. McMaster University has 21,173 full-time undergraduate students (2009-2010) and 3,025 full-time graduate students (2009-2010), 96 per cent of McMaster graduates are employed within two years.

Mohawk College

Mohawk College, founded in 1967, is named after Joseph Brant, Chief of the Mohawks. It was the first college in Canada to offer Co-Operative Education, which are work terms where students gain real-world and hands on learning. There are 107 full-time programs, 19 apprenticeship programs and more than 1,000 continuing education courses. Faculties include Schools of Arts, Science and Communications, School of Business, School of Engineering Technology, School of Health Sciences and School of Human Services. Mohawk has three campuses which are located in Hamilton, Stoney Creek and Brantford.

Fennell Campus

The Fennell Campus is Mohawk’s largest Campus, and is located in Hamilton. It is home to programs such as Business, Human Services, Arts, Sciences, Communications and Engineering Technology. Mohawk is a member of Ontario College Athletic Association. Its gym facility includes two intramural basketball and volleyball courts, a badminton court and fitness areas with free weights and cardio equipment. There is a Health Clinic on campus available to staff and students with a full-time college physician and nursing staff. This campus has recently gone through Interior renovations including a new central atrium with great stair, student services centre, café, bookstore, and a two storey e-learning commons. Previously dark hallways have been renovated to admit natural light while making visual connections to surrounding streetscapes.  

IAHS at McMaster University

1700 students attend Mohawk- McMaster Institute of Applied Health and Sciences, The first facility in Canada to combine college and university health sciences education under one roof. The IAHS is home to collaborative nursing and medical radiations science programs that have achieved the highest level of accreditation.

Hospitals in Hamilton

McMaster Children’s Hospital

Services and Specialties available at McMaster Children’s Hospital range from Paediatric inpatient services (medicine, surgery and all subspecialties ), paediatric intensive care, neonatal intensive care, paediatric oncology , outpatient specialty clinics, emergency services specializing in the care of children, nutrition , metabolism and exercise programs. MCH has 117 acute beds, including 57 in the Neonatal Intensive Care and Level II Nurseries and 8 in the Paediatric Intensive Care Unit. It also specializes in services for children with developmental, physical, communicative, behavioural and emotional problems.

Hamilton General Hospital

Hamilton General Hospital is a major teaching Hospital in downtown Hamilton. It is operated by Hamilton Health Sciences and is formally affiliated with McMaster University. The Hospital was founded in 1848 and became part of the HHS in 1996. It is also home to a rooftop Helipad. The David Braley Cardiac, Vascular and Stroke Research Institute is a $100 million research centre that is home to more than 400 people. It was built right behind the Hamilton General, and was opened on March 11 2010. It has also added 250 new jobs to the local economy. David Braley contributed $10 million towards the project. He is the president of Orlick Industries (auto parts) and was former owner of the Hamilton Tiger Cats and is the current owner of the BC Lions and Toronto Argonauts.

Juravinski Hospital (Previously the Henderson Hospital)

By 1913 the General Hospital was overcrowded and wounded soldiers returning from WWI increased this problem. In April of 1917 a 100 bed veteran’s hospital was built and was called Mount Hamilton Hospital. In 1918 a nurse’s residence was added, and in1932 a maternity hospital was built. However due to the depression there was no more money to furnish it. The hospital finally opened in 1938 after 6 years of sitting empty. In 1954 the 332- bed Nora-Frances Henderson Convalescent Hospital was built on the same site. Nora Henderson, in 1931 became the first woman in Canada to be elected to City Board of Control and she served in Hamilton’s City Council for 16 years and was an advocate for citizen rights. In 1962 Hamilton General Hospital amalgamated with the Henderson and Mount Hamilton Hospital to form Hamilton Civic Hospital. In 1965 the two adjacent hospitals were physically linked and renamed the Henderson General Hospital. In 2006 Hamilton Health Sciences Corp. decided to change the name to the Juravinski Hospital. The Juravinski Hospital provides acute inpatient and palliative care, diagnostic services and an educational environment to support the needs of cancer patients and the Juravinski Cancer Centre. Highly regarded Orthopaedic programs combine health care and research to offer patients a range of services dedicated to helping them prepare for and recover from joint replacement surgery.