WHY HAMILTON?
HAMILTON, ONTARIO
Hamilton is located less than an hour west of North America’s 4th largest city - Toronto. The GTHA comprises two single-tier municipalities (Hamilton and Toronto) and four regional municipalities (Durham, Halton, Peel and York), along with their 24 lower-tier municipalities. Today the GTHA has over 6M residents and expected to reach 8.6M by 2031.
LOCATION
The city is uniquely positioned as a transportation hub for the goods movement industry. The city is home to the Port of Hamilton, the John C. Munro International Airport, and offers adjacency to national rail lines and easy access to major highways, as well as multiple international border crossings.
ECONOMY
The average total household income in Hamilton is $87,775, with 56.9% earning under $80k per year. The number of businesses increased from 13k to just over 15k between 2012 and 2018. This has contributed to the unemployment rate dropping from 6.1% to 4.3% over the same time period. In fact, Hamilton’s unemployment rate has consistently been lower than the provincial (Ontario) and national rate by 100-200 base points over the last 6 years. The current vacancy rate in Hamilton is 3.1% and has been trending between 2-3% over the last 6 years.
CULTURE
The city of Hamilton wants to increase business investment. They have identified a total of 13 Business Improvement Areas (BIAs). Over the last 10 years these areas have been filling with unique shops and restaurants. In fact, Hamilton has seen a surge in earth to table dining and slowly becoming a place to go for foodies. The city’s art scene is also bursting with talent and many local artists have taken their work to the streets. The city is surrounded by the natural beauty of the Niagara Escarpment Biosphere Reserve and over 100 waterfalls. The residents have access to rich history at some of the National Historical parks like Dundurn Castle and Battlefield House.