Crown Point Hub, Hamilton: The Steeltown Charmer

One of my favourite places in the world to jog is my parents’ neighbourhood in Hamilton, Ontario. Cary and Kathryn Watson moved from Toronto to Crown Point Hub in 2008, looking for more room and financial freedom. They sold their semi-detached house for close to $320,000 (a fortune at the time) and bought their current home for $155,000. It’s one and a half storeys with big shuttered windows: imagine an overgrown cottage. That vibe is enhanced by the magnolia tree in the backyard and the lilac bush beside the front steps, where I sit to tighten the laces on my running shoes. I’m there about once a month. It’s a nice break from the bustle of downtown Toronto.

Crown Point Hub encompasses four sub-neighbourhoods: Crown Point East and West, and Delta East and West, bordered by the steel mills to the north and the Niagara Escarpment to the south. Housing prices have quadrupled since the rest of Toronto realized how cool the community was behind the steel mills in Hamilton Harbour. It’s where industry sits next door to parks, and century homes neighbour up-and-coming restaurants. For my parents, it offered the same amenities as Toronto, with more space and a lower entry point. It wasn’t just about having a backyard—it was also that the Bruce Trail is just a 10-minute drive away.

My usual run takes me down Ottawa Street, the main strip that anchors Crown Point Hub. Some businesses, like Antique Avenue, Dora’s Delicatessen and European Textiles, have been there for decades. Others, like the City and the City Books, Ottawa Market and the Cannon coffee shop are recent additions, serving the new parents who like to come down on Saturdays, pushing strollers and sipping lattes.

The real goal of my jog is the ring path circling Gage Park. Built in the 1920s, the park is a gem of Beaux-Arts landscape architecture. The central fountain features bronze turtles spouting water in arches; it’s not unusual to see dogs, or even a couple of kids, splashing around in the hot summer months. In the spring, the real stars are the cherry trees, which explode into vibrant pink blossoms. I always stop to snap a few pictures.

Toward the end of my run, I’ll head back to my parents’ place along Gage Avenue. In the distance, Hamilton Stadium looms—a rare professional-sports field surrounded by houses and schools. (It’s technically in nearby Stipley, but close enough that I consider it part of the ’hood.) By this point, I’m already thinking about what’s for dinner: maybe we’ll order pizza from nearby Shorty’s, one of the best pizza places in the city, or try the new sourdough pie shop Cafe Baffico. Afterwards, I might meet up with some friends from my McMaster days for a drink and some shuffleboard at Malarkey, back on Ottawa Street. Or maybe not. I’m just as happy to sit in the backyard, smelling barbecue waft by from neighbouring houses, watching blue jays and cardinals flit through the magnolia tree.