Hamilton is located on the western end of the Niagara Peninsula and wraps around the westernmost part of Lake Ontario, most of the city including the downtown section are on the south shore. Situated in the geographic centre of the Golden Horseshoe and is roughly the midway point between Toronto and Buffalo. The two major physical features are Hamilton Harbour marking the northern limit of the city and the Niagara Escarpment running through the middle of the city across its entire breadth, bisecting the city into 'upper' and 'lower' parts. ^[1] Nickname: Ambitious City, Steeltown, The Hammer Motto: Together Aspire - Together Achieve Location in the province of Ontario, Canada Coordinates: Country  Province Canada  Ontario Incorporated June 9, 1846 [1] Mayor Fred Eisenberger City Council Hamilton City Council Representatives MPs and MPPs Area    - City 1,138. ... The Niagara Peninsula is the portion of Ontario, Canada lying on the south shore of Lake Ontario. ... Lake Ontario, bounded on the north by Ontario and on the south by Ontarios Niagara Peninsula and by New York State, is one of the five Great Lakes of North America. ... The skyline of Hamilton, Ontario The skyline of Toronto, Ontario. ... Burlington Bay, also known as Hamilton Harbour, is a branch 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 Skyway Bridge) and Burlington Beach (north of the channel). ... Rattlesnake Point near Milton, Ontario. ...

Bay/Harbour

Burlington Bay is a natural harbour with a large sandbar called the Beachstrip. This sandbar was deposited during a period of higher lake levels during the last ice age, and extends southeast through the central lower city to the escarpment. Hamilton's deep sea port is accessed by ship canal through the beach strip into the harbour and is traversed by two bridges, the QEW's Burlington Bay - James N. Allan Skyway and the lower Canal Lift Bridge. Hamilton Harbour ranks one of Canada's largest seaports. The Hamilton Port Authority manages the heavily industrial harbour.^[2] Burlington Bay, also known as Hamilton Harbour, is a branch 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 Skyway Bridge) and Burlington Beach (north of the channel). ... The Queen Elizabeth Way as part of the 400-series network The Queen Elizabeth Way (commonly referred to as the QEW, QE, or Queen-E) is a vital freeway linking Buffalo, New York and the Niagara Peninsula with Toronto and its western suburbs. ...

Hamilton Harbour Fast Facts:^[3]

• Mean depth: 13 metres
• Maximum depth: 25 metres
• Watershed area: 500 square kilometres
• Shoreline length: 45 kilometres
• Volume of water: 2.8 x 10 to 8th cubic feet of water
• Reduction in surface area from 1926 to 1982: 22%
• Navigational season is from April through to mid December

City and suburbs

Downtown began and remains around Gore Park and the intersection of King and James Streets. Central Hamilton extends from the base of the Mountain north to Barton Street, west to Chedoke Creek or Dundurn Street, and east to approximately Wentworth Street or Sherman Avenues. West Hamilton or the west end begins at Dundurn Street or Chedoke Creek. East Hamilton or the east end begins at approximately Ottawa Street or Kenilworth Avenue. North Hamilton or the north end begins at Barton Street or the Canadian National Railways (CN) tracks. CN redirects here, as its the most common usage of the abbreviation in Canada; for more uses, see CN (disambiguation). ...

As city limits expanded to include the Mountain, the retronym for the city below the Escarpment became the Lower City (now often just referred to as downtown). The east/west divide line for the mountain is Upper James Street, and the east/west divide line for downtown is James Street. The south Mountain begins at approximately Limeridge Road or the Lincoln M. Alexander Expressway. A retronym is a type of neologism coined for an old object or concept whose original name has come to be used for something else, is no longer unique, or is otherwise inappropriate or misleading. ... The Honourable Lincoln MacCauley Alexander, seen here in a screenshot from CBC speaking to press about the Fuddle Duddle incident of 1971, involving Prime Minister Trudeau. ...

The former boroughs of Hamilton-Wentworth Region, are: Stoney Creek, Dundas, Flamborough, Ancaster and Township of Glanbrook. They have maintained their names as wards in the amalgamated city. Stoney Creek was a municipality which is now part of Hamilton, Ontario, Canada. ... Dundas, Ontario, Canada held a town charter between 1848 and 2001. ... Flamborough (sometimes both officially and informally spelled Flamboro) is a former town near and current community in Hamilton, Ontario, Canada. ... Ancaster is a suburban community southwest of Hamilton, Ontario, with which it amalgamated in 2001. ... Glanbrook was formerly a rural township of about ten thousand inhabitants south of Hamilton, Ontario, Canada, with which it was amalgamated in 2001. ...

Hamilton, like many cities, is broken up into several areas, well known to the local residents. These 'sections' of the city are: The North End, Downtown, the East and West End, Westdale (the area where McMaster is located, and therefore has a high percentage of students), Dundas, Ancaster (including Medowlands, which is often seen as separate from Ancaster), the West, Central, and East Mountain, Stoney Creek and Stoney Creek Mountain. These areas are all unique, and the people, economy and cultures vary a great deal across the city. Westdale is a residential neighbourhood in Hamilton, Ontario, Canada centered on the quaint Westdale Village shopping district and located near McMaster University. ...

The Escarpment

Below Webster's Falls

The escarpment is in many places a 100 metre (330 foot) vertical wall of limestone shale with many waterfalls and creeks falling over it; including Stoney Creek, Red Hill Creek, Grindstone Creek, Spencer Gorge Waterfall and Chedoke Creek — flow over the Escarpment and into the Harbour. The numerous waterfalls within the City of Hamilton limits has recently inspired local tourism interests to market Hamilton as the "City of Waterfalls." 80 waterfalls and cascades flow over Hamilton Mountain within city limits.^[4] On average the mountain is 4-5km inland from the Lake Ontario shoreline and at its edge affords some spectacular views of the city and harbour. Outside of the city this feature is more commonly known as Hamilton Mountain, or to locals just "the mountain". The "mountain" is actually an escarpment. The Hamilton portion is part of the larger Niagara Escarpment, that runs from western New York to the Wisconsin/Illinois border. It is the world's longest escarpment. Image File history File linksMetadata Size of this preview: 449 × 600 pixel Image in higher resolution (1952 × 2608 pixel, file size: 1. ... Image File history File linksMetadata Size of this preview: 449 × 600 pixel Image in higher resolution (1952 × 2608 pixel, file size: 1. ... Stoney Creek was a municipality which is now part of Hamilton, Ontario, Canada. ... Hamilton Mountain refers to either the Niagara Escarpment in Hamilton, Ontario, Canada, or the federal and provincial electoral district located on it. ...

The climate of Hamilton is humid continental (Dfa type) and relatively mild compared with most Canadian cities. The average January temperature is -3.6C (26.5F) but most days rise just above freezing often making for slushy conditions during snowfalls. Winter snowfall averages 113cm (44") with great year-to-year variation. The average July temperature (the average of both day and night) is 22.5C (72.5F) and humidity is usually high during the peak of summer. Daytime highs in the 30's with humidex values making it feel above 40°C are quite common anytime from May through early October.

It might be noted that the climate of the lower city is in general much more sheltered and milder than on top of "the mountain", which has a shorter growing season and, in winter is prone to more wind whipped lake effect snows. It is not uncommon in the winter for lower city residents, with no snow present in their neighbourhoods, to drive up into the upper city and be surprised at encountering a thick blanket of fresh white snow. The escarpment also greatly affects summer weather; temperature inversions can make the downtown many degrees warmer, particularly at night, and often an inversion will combine with the physical barrier of the escarpment to trap smog in the downtown area, sometimes reducing downtown visibility to less than 2km. Lake-effect precipitation coming off the Great Lakes, as seen from NEXRAD. Lake effect snow, which can be a type of snowsquall, is produced in the winter when cold, artic dry winds move across long expanses of warmer lake water, picking up water vapor which freezes and is deposited on... Smoke rising in Lochcarron is stopped by an overlying layer of warmer air. ... Victorian London was notorious for its thick smogs, or pea-soupers, a fact that is often recreated to add an air of mystery to a period costume drama. ...

Summer rains can be heavy but in general severe weather is rare. One notable exception occurred November 9, 2005 when a tornado damaged hundreds of houses and lifted off Lawfield Middle School's gymnasium roof on the Upper Mountain, injuring two students and leaving the school structurally unsound. Environment Canada confirmed an F1 tornado struck the area; this was the latest date in any year that a confirmed tornado touched down in Canada. November 9 is the 313th day of the year (314th in leap years) in the Gregorian Calendar, with 52 days remaining. ... 2005 (MMV) was a common year starting on Saturday of the Gregorian calendar. ... Environment Canada is the department of the government of Canada with responsibility for coordinating environmental policies and programs as well as preserving and enhancing the natural environment and conservation of wildlife. ... A tornado in central Oklahoma. ...

Soil types found in Hamilton

References

1. ^ Seward, Carrie. About Hamilton; Physical features. Retrieved on 2007-02-02.
2. ^ Burlington Bay/ Beach strip, Hamilton harbour, Skyway Bridge. Retrieved on 2007-02-02.
3. ^ Fast Facts from Hamilton's Past. Retrieved on 2007-01-08.
4. ^ Hamilton - The City of Waterfalls. Retrieved on 2007-02-02.