The North End is a mostly residential neighbourhood in

Hamilton, Ontario Hamilton is a port city in the Canadian Provinces and territories of Canada, province of Ontario. Hamilton has a 2021 Canadian census, population of 569,353 (2021), and its Census Metropolitan Area, census metropolitan area, which encompasses ...

, 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 Hamilton Harbour (formerly known as Burlington Bay) lies on the western tip of Lake Ontario, bounded on the northwest by the City of Burlington, on the south by the City of Hamilton, and on the east by Hamilton Beach (south of the Burlington ...

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 Bayfront Park is a public, urban park in Downtown Miami, Florida on Biscayne Bay. History The park began construction in 1924 under the design plans of Warren Henry Manning and officially opened in March 1925. Beginning in 1980, it underwent ...

, 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. 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 Italian(s) may refer to: * Anything of, from, or related to the people of Italy over the centuries ** Italians, a Romance ethnic group related to or simply a citizen of the Italian Republic or Italian Kingdom ** Italian language, a Romance languag ...

and later Portuguese immigrants. 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 West Harbour GO Station is a regional rail station in the North End neighbourhood of Hamilton, Ontario, Canada. The station has been served by GO Transit's Lakeshore West line since July 9, 2015. There is hourly service between West Harbour and ...

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. Most of the area's public housing has since been closed and slated for redevelopment as mixed-income housing. In 2018, the City of Hamilton revealed extensive plans to redevelop the waterfront area in the neighbourhood's western half.

Demographics

The area is home to a sizeable number of ethnic Portuguese (14.6%) and

Italians Italians (, ) are a European peoples, European ethnic group native to the Italian geographical region. Italians share a common Italian culture, culture, History of Italy, history, Cultural heritage, ancestry and Italian language, language. ...

(9.8%). Visible minorities form 19.2% of the neighbourhoods population, with

Black Canadians Black Canadians () are Canadians of full or partial Afro-Caribbean or sub-Saharan African descent. Black Canadian settlement and immigration patterns can be categorized into two distinct groups. The majority of Black Canadians are descendants ...

(7.3%),

South Asians Ethnic groups in South Asia are ethnolinguistic groupings within the diverse populations of South Asia, including the countries of Bangladesh, Bhutan, India, Maldives, Nepal, Pakistan, and Sri Lanka. Afghanistan is variously considered to be a p ...

(3.5%), and

Southeast Asians The ethnic groups in Southeast Asia comprise many different ethnolinguistic stocks. Besides indigenous Southeast Asians, many East Asians and South Asians call Southeast Asia their home. The total Southeast Asian population stands at 655 million ...

(3.1%) being the largest groups.

Notable people

Jackie Washington Jackie Washington (November 12, 1919 – June 27, 2009) was a Canadian blues musician. Biography He was born and raised in Hamilton, Ontario, the grandson of an African American fleeing slavery, and one of fifteen children born to his parents, ...

, jazz and blues singer; namesake of a park in the southeast corner of the neighbourhood

References

{{coord missing, Ontario Neighbourhoods in Hamilton, Ontario