[Hammer Native]

This is definitely a unique community. If anyone has noticed a handful of restored ornate Victorian era homes, (down closer to the bridge), these were actual vacation homes for area people approximately a century ago. Of course there weren't many automobiles then and people unlike today couldn't drive hundreds of miles away to cottage country. There wasn't so much industry down there at the time, and the water was cleaner, at least people were swimming in it regularly. More houses were built in time and it became a regular neighbourhood to live in. In the 1970's or maybe sooner there were plans to demolish all the houses and turn it all into parkland, as they did on the Burlington side. In fact some were but local people started to fight to save their neighbourhood. The houses were better quality then those on the Burlington side, which were mostly little frame cottages. In time the city did change its plans on expropriating these homes and I guess saw it was a community worth saving and now we seem to have a nice balance between residential and recreational.
I would guess the uniqueness and features of this area offset the negatives for the residents, (industry, QEW were a given for many years now) but there were some unpleasant factors the residents had to put up with later. Examples the Bitumar plant, and years ago a company called Cleansoils which brought in contaminated soils and piled them in mounds off the service road, which they were apparently in the business of remedying these soils. They were just covered in tarps and were always blowing towards the homes. And the former Hamilton Harbour Commission, which was a federal government body, also was thinking of allowing an animal rendering plant. Now it's the Hamilton Port Authority under local jurisdiction and hopefully more sensitive to the area when it comes to development, I don't know.
I guess if it was like it was around there a century ago, prices would likely be out of this world.