The Hammer - Hamilton, ON

 

ham·mer
/ˈhamər/
noun
1. a tool with a heavy metal head mounted at right angles at the end of a handle, used for jobs such as breaking things and driving in nails.
2. a metal ball, typically weighing 16 pounds (7.3 kg), attached to a wire for throwing in an athletic contest.
3. a sporting term used in curling to indicate the team that has the last shot in each end.
4. the city of Hamilton, ON - home of steel mills, waterfalls and the Ticats; also home of delicious hot sauces and spicy snacks
verb
1.hit or beat (something) with a hammer or similar object;  "they are made by heating and hammering pieces of iron"
2.INFORMAL: attack or criticize forcefully and relentlessly;  "he got hammered for an honest mistake"
3. INFORMAL: become extremely inebriated; "man, we got hammered at the bar last night"

 

The city of Hamilton, Ontario is an amalgamation of a number of cities and towns including Hamilton, Dundas, Ancaster, Glanbrook, Flamborough and our little slice of heaven, Stoney Creek. Its affectionately known by the locals as Steeltown or simply "the Hammer".  And since we are bringing the heat in our sauces and snacks we are clearly "Heat from the Hammer"!  

 

 

Located on the Niagara Escarpment and along the shores of Lake Ontario, Hamilton is known as the Waterfall City with over 100 waterfalls within its city limits.  Most notable of these are Albion Falls, Webster Falls (see pic to the right) and our favourite The Devil's Punch Bowl located in our backyard in Stoney Creek.  

 

The most recognizable part of the City is the industrial north end situated on Hamilton Harbour.  Travelling along the QEW and over the Skyway Bridge the distinct sight of the steel mills has been a fixture for over 100 years.  Names like Stelco, Dofasco, Westinghouse, International Harvester,  Firestone, Proctor and Gamble were the titans of the City's north end.  Hamilton's early industrial base benefited from being the first city in Canada to adopt Nikola Tesla's AC power and in recognition of his contribution to the city, Burlington Street, the artery that carves its way across the North End, was renamed Nikola Tesla Boulevard.

We love our sports in Hamilton.  When it comes to football we are fiercely proud of our home town Tiger Cats!  Our CFL rivals the Toronto Argos can suck it!  The CFL Hall of Fame is located in downtown Hamilton.  The Ticats play out of Tim Horton's Field also home to the Hamilton Forge professional soccer team.  Did you know that in the 1920s the Hamilton Tigers were an NHL team?  They were first place in the league in the 1924-25 season but the players from Hamilton went on strike demanding an extra $200 for extra games added to that season that they were not going to be compensated for.  As a result the league disqualified the team from the playoffs and that offseason it was relocated as an expansion team to New York City as the New York Americans who eventually folded in the 1940s.

 Hamilton has a vibrant art scene.  In the   warmer months   once a month James St hosts   Art Crawl.  In September   there is a full 4 day   festival called Super Crawl.  We are   home to   some great bands too!  The Arkells, Monster     Truck and the classic punk band Teenage   Head all hail   from The Hammer!  One of the   biggest events of the year   is the Winona   Peach  Festival held at the end of August.   The   must get item is the peach sundae!

 

The Hammer is a fantastic place to live.  Its a blue collar town that works hard and parties harder.  Can't think of a better place to be!