[flar]

Hamilton is known for its gritty, working class neighbourhoods, but many would be surprised at some of its beautiful
and vibrant neighbourhoods. Kirkendall is one such neighbourhood. Located in southwest Hamilton, there are many
beautiful homes in Kirkendall and a vibrant shopping district on Locke St. South. The tour starts on Locke St.
and then moves onto the residential streets.

 

[ShonTron]

Wow. I've been to Hamilton many times yet I never knew about Locke St South. Looks like a nice few blocks surrounded by a nice nabe.

Hamilton doesn't do enough to promote things like this. (I guess they're too busy building highways through environmentally sensitive areas).

 

[ganjavih]

Hamilton doesn't do enough to promote things like this.

Yup. Methinks I'll have to visit more often.

Great tours, flar.

 

[Observer Walt]

Locke Street is a neighbourhood shopping district as they should be, with lots of well-established, small independent stores, and people actually out walking.

Thanks again for the pictures.

 

[Bogtrotter]

Great pics, and yes Locke street has some really nice establishments. There was a really nice little restaurant near the bakery which was a favorite of mine a few yrs ago, however I'm not sure if it's still there anymore. I have fond memories of Locke street- thanks!

Is it me or does that ladder set-up look very unsafe!

 

[JasonParis]

simply Dan and myself had breakfast on Locke Street a few years back. Indeed, a surprisingly nice shopping street that only local Hammerites seem to know about.

 

[Hipster Duck]

^Did you guys go to "Good Vibrations"? The guys who used to run that place were hilarious. I think I gave him a 50% tip once.

Way to show off pictures of a Hamilton that is not within an inch of death. Locke street is a really good, walkable neighbourhood and it feels like Leslieville felt about 5 years ago.

 

[Urban Shocker]

Locke has been a focus for the creative rebirth of Hamilton for some time, and the process seems to be gathering momentum. About ten years ago my baritone friend ran a store there, selling mid-20th century ceramics and design collectibles. Andrew McPhail, an artist friend who used to be represented by Robert Birch Gallery before it moved out of the Distillery District a couple of years ago, now shows at transit gallery there. There are some nice little restaurants and diners too.

 

[unimaginative2]

Wow, flar, you've probably done more to attract people to Hamilton with your amazing posts than the Hamilton tourist board has for years. I've been to Hamilton hundreds of times and I've still never really explored some of these great neighbourhoods.

 

[flar]

I think I lived here for like three years before I found Locke Street! It's a nice place to spend a couple hours browsing antiques and art and crafts on a Saturday morning. The City of Hamilton never promotes anything good we have, they just chase after things like the Commonwealth Games and the latest mega project.

I've heard that the commercial district on Locke was once the centre of a self-sufficient community but had a serious decline in the 60's and 70's and became a biker hangout, only to recover into its present form.

 

[urbandreamer]

i'm going to hamilton next week i wanna look around and see if i could live there for a few years. hamilton--more interesting than vancouver by the looks of it and certainly has a much larger stock of old homes and retail strips. I'm looking at homes under $100k see what that'll get me? (I like dumps btw I'm not a fan of renovated spaces I like them down and out and low maintenance.)

 

[Observer Walt]

Urbandreamer: You can get a number of semi-detached and even detached properties for under $100,000, particularly if you don't mind dumps. Check the entire area between Wilson Street and Barton Street, running east for a number of blocks from about Catharine Street. Gritty indeed, but centrally located with lots of amenities nearby.

Check the nabe around Barton and Strathearne, more to the east, if you don't mind having heavy industry nearby.

There are one-bedroom condo apts. also in this price range, but ask carefully about the history of the building. An unfortunate number of these in Hamilton have been mismanaged and have been subject to the dreaded "special assessment", to correct major problems for which not enough money had been set aside in the reserve fund. Hamilton, much more than Toronto, has had rental apartment buildings converted to condominium status, not always with the best results.

 

[flar]

Some of the places in Part 1 of this series are under $100K. Prices have been rising lately though.

 

[Bogtrotter]

"^Did you guys go to "Good Vibrations"? "

Yes that's the place- I couldn't remember the name Yeh the food was terrific and the price was right.

 

[Long Island Mike]

HML: Another place to explore...

Flar: Good Locke Street/Kirkendall pics! Another fascinating area with good solid housing stock-another HML place to explore! LI MIKE