Quote:
Originally Posted by ScreamingViking
I'm sorry if it came across as a put-down, but it was meant as an honest remark. It's actually my hometown, and I'd like to make it home again in the near future.
I happen to agree with you. Hamilton has a lot going for it and things are changing... more slowly than some would like, and in spite of inertia in the culture at city hall. But a lot of people are creating change themselves even in small ways, and city management may be slowing changing too (given a better emphasis on being business-friendly, and taking small steps toward things like complete streets; city council needs a big refresh though). I still hear a lot of Hamilton folks, friends included, talk about the city being "a hole" or how they'd never set foot downtown, and there's a long way to go but the old perceptions are becoming outdated... some people just won't make the effort to take a good look and open up their mind.
Montreal certainly has challenges too, but whenever I've visited, and from what I've seen posted here about the city, I see a lot of things that I'd like Hamilton to emulate.
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I understand the difficulties in living next to a big, glamourous/powerful city like Toronto, but it still pains me to hear Hamiltonians talk about their city like that. When I moved to Toronto from Halifax I knew nothing of Hamilton besides the Ti-Cats, steel, and the put downs. When I visited I loved it immediately. It's a diamond in the rough, but some people can't recognize a gem unless it's been polished. Ironically, it's decades of economic problems that have saved so much of Hamilton from re-development.
Mississauga, Brampton, Oshawa, Windsor, even Calgary don't have the historic building stock that exists in Hamilton. Hamilton's going to shine again. I just hope it never loses its character in the process. That would be a tragedy. If I had $300,000 to spend on a 2nd property it would definitely be in Hamilton... downtown if I could snag something.
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