Source
r/Hamilton•
jaigon

To Live in Hamilton or Burlington?

Hi Everyone,

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I will be moving to Ontario in December for a job. My office is located right in the city of Burlington, and I'm trying to decide where would be the best place to live. I've already talked to folks in r/BurlingtonON, and would like to see what folks at r/Hamilton have to say. The tradeoff between living in Burlington vs. Hamilton as I see it:

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Burlington: closer to work (much shorter commute), cleaner, safer, quieter, nice Waterfront area

Hamilton: cheaper rent/housing, bigger city (more to do, more clubs/activities), good food scene, younger people

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I'm curious if people here have thought about similar things when moving over, and what brought you to Hamilton.

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EDIT: FYI I'm 29 and single, if that makes any difference.

Posted Oct 22, 2018, 4:14 PM UTC · edited

440
AuhrenRaleigh•

I'm from Burlington originally and have lived in Hamilton for the past 6 yrs. Burlington is nice, but holy crap the city traffic is a headache and IMO worse than anything I've encountered in Hamilton. There is very little to do in Burlington, but if you're an outdoorsy person kept entertained by walks and hikes and have a car to reach the periphery of the city you should be ok.

Hamilton really isn't that 'dangerous' compared to safer Burlington. Yea there are sketchy areas but if you can afford to live in Burlington you can afford to live in a nicer Hamilton area. I live on the mountain in a great area, I never see anything sketchy (compared to when I lived on Main St. and sketchy stuff was a bit more common). This is a farther commute than lower city or other areas of Hamilton though

Hamilton does have more/better food IMO. And friendlier people.

17
KreamyBokehDurand•

You’ve got a good idea about the trade offs. I work in Burlington and tried living near work for a while but it wasn’t for me. My friends are in Hamilton though so my decision may have changed if that wasn’t a factor.

The commute between Hamilton and BURLINGTON is rough if you are doing it between 7am and 9 am / 4 pm and 5 pm. Whether you try bus, train, or driving it is a grind and often takes 45 minutes to 1.5 hours. There will be days when there is an accident or two and you end up in traffic for three hours.

If I was going to live in Burlington again, I would be looking at finding a place between Fairview and the lake and as close to Brant as possible.

Good luck!!

12
neonvisualCentral•

I'm doing downtown Hamilton to Burlington commute daily. It's 15 minutes in perfect conditions, usually 20-25 minutes and in the absolute worst case (i.e. big 403 accident) it's 45 minutes. I'm pretty young and definitely am happy to be in Hamilton, Burlington has a sleepy suburb vibe, and is more suited to young families.

10
CSM3000•

Life will be simpler if you live in Burlington. You will save time everyday not making that commute, in fact you can cycle to work if you live close enough to it..saving all kinds of cash from parking, gas..etc.

You can always move to Hamilton first to get to know the larger city with more things going on and then move to Burlington later once you know the areas well and can have the best of both worlds.

I have lived in both cities and currently reside in Burlington. I don't really find it more expensive considering the costs which offset as described above.

6
penitio•

This right here. I was going to write nearly the same thing.

My vote, move to Burlington to save a lifetime of commuting.

1
jaigonOP•

I've heard a variety of answers about how long it takes to commute from Hamilton, but it seems 40min-1hr for rush hour. I come from Regina, a 200k population city. For me, bad traffic during rush hour is 20min to work, non rush hour is 10min. I think driving for 40min or more each day would be difficult.

1
sa-rpb•

I don't know where people get that long to go from Hamilton to Burlington. I live in the West Mountain area of Hamilton and drive to Dorval in Oakville. Leaving at 7am gets me into mid-Oakville at 7:45am. Usually I am going past Burlington within 20-25 min.

6
owe_wellHill Park•

Google maps will give you a fairly accurate estimate for different times of day/week to and from your work location.

2
bigolbeerbelly•

It really depends on where in Burlington your work is and where you live in Hamilton, these commute times will be all over the place without knowing a specific a to b. :-)

1
ACrusaderA•

Split the difference and go for Aldershot or Waterdown.

Easy access to both.

3
justnick84•

I would not go for Waterdown. It's exploding in population and housing and roads are not keeping up. Traffic there is going to get bad.

4
HappyRoobee•

There's plans to build a lot more houses, apartments and condos. I agree that traffic will be a nightmare in the next few years.

1
hgmnynow•

29 and single? Stay away from Watertown. You will die from boredom (and bad traffic).

1
ACrusaderA•

It's not too far from either downtown core.

1
hgmnynow•

Further than you think, with no easy way to get to either. Aldershot is a much better compromise.

1
teanailpolish•

I moved from Burlington to Hamilton when I still worked in Toronto. Mostly for the cheaper rent but I was bored in Burlington. There is very little to do and walks along the waterfront get old pretty quickly. There is not much nightlife, we don't go out often but Burlington is more of a go out for dinner type city and bars are fairly quiet later. Things close earlier than Hamilton.

A lot will depend on the kind of person you are. If you want to go out at night, if you drive or want decent transit (Burlington Transit is expensive for the service offered). Where you would be living in Burlington. People talk about the commute to Burlington (my boyfriend works there and it is a reasonable commute) but unless you live close to work, it is a car city but with lots of lights and it can take forever to go short distances.

I don't find Hamilton particularly dangerous (but I grew up in a bigger city and work in Toronto, so comparative). Obviously in any city you use common sense. But living in Burlington, we were broken into twice in 10 years and his car was stolen from our apartments parking lot. We have been in Hamilton about 6 years and apart from a noisy neighbour, no issues.

3
poppabyrd_ab•

but with lots of lights and it can take forever to go short distances

I don't drive through Burlington often but this has never been the case for me, even in heavy traffic.

1
themaincop•

Commuting sucks really bad. If you live in Burlington but drive into Hamilton for food and culture you'll spend way less time on the road than if you live in Hamilton and commute to work.

3
jaigonOP•

Ive heard so many mixed things about commut- some say its only 20 or 30min during rush hour and others say more than an hour. On google maps when I picked from Hamilton around the University, to Burlington where I work (QEW and Appleby Line) it said 25-35min during rush hour. I am fine with up to 30min, maybe 40 at most. How long can I expect to drive? Also are there convinient neighborhoods in Hamilton if I need to take QEW to get to work?

1
robincat•

I live in Kirdendall and my partner commutes to Appleby. It takes about 25 minutes in the morning (leaving 8:30 or so) and 45 minutes in the evenings (leaving around 5). It's not a big deal. I love it here and definitely wouldn't choose Burlington over Hamilton based on the commute. You'll likely end up spending way more time in your car in Burlington overall since you're much more car-bound than in Hamilton (generally speaking). I love that I can walk so much - to restaurants, concerts, the Bruce Trail, etc.

Also, one thing that was important to me was feeling a sense of belonging in my community, and part of that was local politics. Maybe something to consider if that matters to you.

2
jaigonOP•

How would you define the culture of Hamilton? What kinds of people does it attract? Genuinely curiouse.

1
robincat•

It varies a lot by area (the neighbourhoods are very different) and social group, but this is my experience:

I moved here about 4 years ago from Toronto because my partner got that job in Burlington and the commute between Toronto and Burlington was absolutely horrible. I didn't know anything about Hamilton at all (I'm an immigrant, I didn't grow up with the Hamilton stereotypes many people have), but I loved it right away. Most people I know who moved here in the past few years used to live in Toronto, are in their 30s or 40s, work in the arts or tech or healthcare, politically progressive, really into old houses :) A lot of musicians. A lot of young families or couples obsessed with their dogs. So, people like me! But I also know people who have lived here forever and people from totally different walks of life - on my street there's everyone from academics to prison guards to writers to investment bankers to grad students to city workers to gallery owners. It's a big and diverse enough city that you can find all kinds of people who will hopefully make you feel at home.

To me, it is a very easy city to live in. It's relaxed, not busy or demanding like some cities I have lived in. It's not the liveliest or most sophisticated or most beautiful place in the world, but it's great. And I've met extremely nice people here - so nice that at first I was like 'this person is going to murder me' but, no, they're just actually nice.

1
themaincop•

It really just depends. It also seems worse in the evening than the morning. Westdale and Kirkendall have good QEW access and are nice neighbourhoods. You can also get to the QEW via the Lincoln Alexander which is accessible on the mountain, but that's going to add commute time too.

The fact that you have to go all the way to Appleby line sucks, it's the 2nd furthest exit from Hamilton before you hit Oakville and if traffic is shitty that can mean a lot of extra time vs just having to get to Brant or Guelph Line.

To answer your question: there is no answer. Some days it'll take 25 minutes, some days it'll take 45.

1
robincat•

I live in Kirkendall and my partner commutes to Burlington (between Appleby and Burloak). It's not a big deal - 25 minutes in the morning, 40 minutes in the evening typically. I definitely wouldn't choose Burlington over Hamilton for the commute, but I also really, really prefer Hamilton.

1
monogramchecklist•

Burlington is pretty bland IMO. But it’s “safer” in the suburban sense. Both places have a waterfront and Burlington has a decent downtown strip. Hamilton has way better restaurants, more diversity and a younger crowd. However depending on where you live here, it can be sketchy.

I worked in Burlington and hated the drive only culture. They don’t really have sidewalks and the public transportation is atrocious.

I think it just depends on what type of lifestyle you want. The commute isn’t bad but having a short commute is a nice perk.

Personally couldn’t see myself living in Burlington because I enjoy the community that Hamilton has.

2
Tjbergen•

If you lived toward the east of Hamilton you'd have a sweet bike commute to Burlington, you could do bus one way, esp if you rode to the 12 bus at Burlington GO from work.

2
jaigonOP•

Thanks for the tip! How is cycling in the winter in these parts? Also, is Hamilton a bike friendly city?

2
FavorableSide•

Hamilton is installing bike lanes all the time. Check out the routes.

https://www.hamilton.ca/streets-transportation/biking-cyclists/cycling-routes-maps

2
Tjbergen•

Hamilton is very bike friendly. I've only been here a year but I'm impressed at how drivers wait for bikers/pedestrians when making turns - when looking over my shoulder when I'm about to cross a sidestreet to make sure no one is turning into me I've often seen cars already there waiting patiently for me to cross. You could do Cannon (separated bike lane) to Woodward (wide street with bike lane) to the Beach and from there it's a bike path over the lift bridge and straight to downtown Burlington, I think it ends at the pier. If you like to bike the Rail Trail and Red Hill Trail are great. I've yet to try the trails on the west side but there's plenty there.

1
[deleted]•

[deleted]

1
MaddihoeCentral•

If you live in Burlington you'll spend your weekends and off time in Hamilton. This is the case for all my friends who live/lived there. They all eventually end up moving to Hamilton. I grew up in Burlington and theres a reason we called it Borington haha. It's a nice place to raise a family but with your demographic I'd say Hamilton is the superior choice

1
Tessylu•

I drive from hamilton (redhill and queenston) to oakville (third line and the QEW). The morning commute isn't bad (30 mins including a stop at tim's) but the afternoon commute is AWFUL. At least an hour in good conditions. (I work 9 to 5 - which makes a difference in commuting). I think it depends how often you go out. If you go out a lot - live in Hamilton. If you're more of a homebody - live in Burlington. Also depending on your job, if you can work an earlier shift or a later shift - the commute would be significantly better (7 to 3 or 10 to 6 would be good).

1
mrbach63•

When I moved from Dundas (considered Hamilton now😤) to Burlington, my car insurance went from $1580 a year to just under $1000.

1
jaigonOP•

Holy moly! Since you've been to both cities, do you have any recommendations? I think cost is a wash between both cities- Burlington has higher rent, but less travel (less gas money) and cheaper insurance; Hamilton is bigger with more to do. As a young single guy, will I find Burlington boring? Will I be able to meet people and make friends?

1
mrbach63•

Burlington is a bit of a sprawl but the downtown core is nice and the waterfront has lots of events in summer. Most of my friends are in Dundas and I am a member at the Hamilton Airforce Association.

1
robincat•

I wouldn't move to Burlington, but suburban areas aren't attractive to me. I live in Kirkendall and love it - it's so nice to being able to walk to so many places (including everything from galleries to restaurants to concerts to the Bruce Trail) and not be car-bound. I also really prefer the housing stock architecturally, and it feels like I share values/politics with my neighbours more than I would in Burlington. Of course, your priorities may be totally different. I think that last part can be important, though - being comfortable and feeling a sense of belonging in your community.

1
robincat•

I wouldn't move to Burlington, but suburban areas aren't attractive to me. I live in Kirkendall and love it - it's so nice to being able to walk to so many places (including everything from galleries to restaurants to concerts to the Bruce Trail) and not be car-bound. I also really prefer the housing stock architecturally, and it feels like I share values/politics with my neighbours more than I would in Burlington. Of course, your priorities may be totally different. I think that last part can be important, though - being comfortable and feeling a sense of belonging in your community.

My partner commutes to Burlington and it's fine. Especially if you're just going to downtown Burlington I wouldn't see the commute as a huge drawback.

1
robincat•

I wouldn't move to Burlington, but suburban areas aren't attractive to me. I live in Kirkendall and love it - it's so nice to being able to walk to so many places (including everything from galleries to restaurants to concerts to the Bruce Trail) and not be car-bound. I also really prefer the housing stock architecturally, and it feels like I share values/politics with my neighbours more than I would in Burlington. Of course, your priorities may be totally different. I think that last part can be important, though - being comfortable and feeling a sense of belonging in your community.

My partner commutes to Burlington and it's fine. Especially if you're just going to downtown Burlington I wouldn't see the commute as a huge drawback.

1
robincat•

I wouldn't move to Burlington, but suburban areas aren't attractive to me. I live in Kirkendall and love it - it's so nice to being able to walk to so many places (including everything from galleries to restaurants to concerts to the Bruce Trail) and not be car-bound. I also really prefer the housing stock architecturally, and it feels like I share values/politics with my neighbours more than I would in Burlington. Of course, your priorities may be totally different. I think that last part can be important, though - being comfortable and feeling a sense of belonging in your community.

My partner commutes to Burlington and it's fine. Especially if you're just going to downtown Burlington I wouldn't see the commute as a huge drawback.

1
letsgetthisover•

Burlington.

-1
poppabyrd_ab•

I second this.

2
letsgetthisover•

Thanks.

1