Central Business DisHamilton
Population 6,127: a neighbourhood in Hamilton. Hamilton is split into 106 neighbourhoods, and this is one.
Is Central Business Dis a good place to live?
Prices are high against local incomes (D−). It also trails on jobs & income (D). Its strongest subject is walkability (A+). The overall grade comes out at C+, #604 of 858 in Ontario. Nationally, it does better than two fifths of Canadian towns. The rest of its grades are middling: B− for safety and B for health.
Rents here are the metro area's average, shared by every town and neighbourhood in it. Safety less sure: this is the whole city's figure, because the city doesn't publish open neighbourhood crime rates. Health is graded on the health region's survey figures and life expectancy, with the distance to hospital giving the town its own spread.
How Central Business Dis grades
Each subject compares Central Business Dis with Canadian towns of 2,500 or more, ordered by how far it is from the middle. Towns in other countries are graded separately.
How TownRatings grades Canadian towns →
What makes Central Business Dis stand out
The 3 things Central Business Dis does most differently from other towns.
The data
Data highlights are ordered by what stands out in Central Business Dis.
Home ownership in Central Business Dis, 46%, runs below Ontario’s towns and Canadian towns
Rent took 31% of household income, higher than both Ontario’s towns (22%) and Canadian towns (20%). Nobody publishes rent as a share of income and monthly rent for a two-bedroom for Central Business Dis alone, so this card uses the figure for the Hamilton metro area.
What homes were worth · The median owner’s estimate at the 2021 census
| Census 2021 | Central Business Dis | Ontario | Canada |
|---|---|---|---|
| Households owning their home | 46% | 76% | 74% |
| Rent as a share of income | 31% | 22% | 20% |
| Households spending 30%+ on shelter | 31% | 22% | 18% |
Statistics Canada, Census 2021; CMHC Rental Market Survey via Statistics Canada · Values come from owners at the 2021 census and incomes from 2020, so they predate the later rise in rates.
Driving to work is less common in Central Business Dis than in Ontario’s towns or Canadian towns: 76% of commuters
Commutes averaged 27 min, below Ontario’s towns (29 min) and close to Canadian towns (26 min).
How working residents got to work · census 2021
| Census 2021 | Central Business Dis | Ontario | Canada |
|---|---|---|---|
| Car or van | 76% | 88% | 89% |
| Average trip | 27 min | 29 min | 26 min |
Statistics Canada, Census 2021 (labour and commuting) · Counted in May 2021, under pandemic rules: fewer commutes and more people between jobs than in a normal year.
3 boards run the schools in and around Central Business Dis
Results have climbed at 16 of 22 schools over three years. The 22 with results split, 10 in the upper two fifths in Ontario and 3 in the lower. Schooling in French is on offer at 2 of 24; in Ontario, one in ten schools teach in it. Westdale Secondary School is the biggest, at 1,525 students.
| School | Level | Students | System |
|---|---|---|---|
| Sir William Osler Elementary School Second fifth in OntarioLargest elementary schoolElementary · Grades JK–8 | Elementary · Grades JK–8 | 570 | English public |
| Westdale Secondary School Middle fifth in OntarioLargest secondary schoolSecondary · Grades 9–12 | Secondary · Grades 9–12 | 1,525 | English public |
| École secondaire Georges-P-Vanier FrenchTeaches in FrenchSecondary · Grades 9–12 | Secondary · Grades 9–12 | 85 | French public |
| Yorkview School Top fifth in OntarioResults in the top fifth in OntarioElementary · Grades JK–5 | Elementary · Grades JK–5 | 170 | English public |
Schools by system · Schools within 3 km
| Schools within 3 km | Central Business Dis | Ontario | Canada |
|---|---|---|---|
| School boards | 3 | 4 | 3 |
Provincial school lists and results, 2024-25
Central Business Dis’ hazards at a glance: a low wildfire record and 5% of area homes over the radon guideline
Area-wide: earthquake risk, counted over the city of Hamilton
Shaking is about as much of a worry in Central Business Dis as in most places, at $0.044 a year per $1,000 of building value ($0.030 typical). Flood mapping: none on the national inventory of the town.
Radon tests above the guideline · share of tested homes, 200 Bq/m³
| Hazards | Central Business Dis | Ontario | Canada |
|---|---|---|---|
| Radon tests above the guideline | 5% | 4% | 6.6% |
| Earthquake loss per $1,000 of buildings a year | $0.044 | $0.043 | $0.030 |
NRCan seismic risk model and burned areas, Health Canada radon survey, the Flood Hazard Map Inventory
Very good or excellent health for 53% of adults in Central Business Dis’ health region
The region has more smokers than Ontario, 13% of adults to 11%. A baby born in the region can expect 81.2 years, 83.5 for a girl and 79.0 for a boy (2022/2024). What sets Central Business Dis apart within its region is distance, and at 2.6 km to a hospital it is ordinary (3.7 km typical). Figures for health survey and life expectancy are published for the City of Hamilton Health Unit as a whole, not for Central Business Dis alone.
Very good or excellent health · adults, age-standardised
| Health | Central Business Dis | Ontario | Canada |
|---|---|---|---|
| Smokers | 13% | 10% | 12% |
| Very good or excellent health | 53% | 51% | 52% |
| Life expectancy at birth | 81.2 | 82.8 | 81.5 |
| Chronic conditions (average share) | 17% | 17% | 17% |
Statistics Canada, Canadian Community Health Survey 2023/2024 and life expectancy 2022/2024; Open Database of Healthcare Facilities
Snowfall in Central Business Dis trails that of 81% of Canadian towns: about 115 cm a year
Winter lows average −9.1°C in January, close to Ontario’s towns (−9.1°C) and above Canadian towns (−13.5°C). Snow peaks in January: 32 cm in a normal year. Rain and snow peak in July, at 98 mm. The frost-free season runs from 1 May to 12 October, 164 days.
Average high by season · ECCC normals, 1991–2020
| Normals, 1991–2020 | Central Business Dis | Ontario | Canada |
|---|---|---|---|
| Snowfall a year | 115 cm | 146 cm | 141 cm |
| January night low | −9.1°C | −9.1°C | −13.5°C |
| July afternoon high | 26.6°C | 26.7°C | 25.5°C |
| Days with frost a year | 139 | 139 | 159 |
Environment and Climate Change Canada, Canadian Climate Normals 1991–2020 (Hamilton)
Older than 96% of Canadian towns: half of Central Business Dis is over 55.7
Visible minorities make up 18% of the population, below Ontario’s towns (26%) but above Canadian towns (15%). 1.8% of residents have an Indigenous identity, above Ontario’s towns (1.6%) but below Canadian towns (2.8%).
Ages · Share of residents in each age group, Census 2021
Schooling · Highest qualification, residents 15 and over
Women and men · all residents
54.3% of Central Business Dis’ residents are women
2,800 men and 3,330 women lived here in 2021, against a share of women of 50.9% for Canada.
| Central Business Dis | Ontario | Canada | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Under 15 | 7.8% | 15% | 16% |
| 15 to 64 | 54% | 65% | 64% |
| 65+ | 39% | 19% | 19% |
| No certificate, diploma or degree | 12% | 15% | 16% |
| Postsecondary qualification | 59% | 56% | 56% |
Statistics Canada, Census 2021; Ontario and Canada: medians of towns of 2,500+
A normal November in Central Business Dis runs from freezing to 8°C
Next comes December, with normal highs of 2°C and lows of −5°C. Expect about 78 mm of rain and snow over November. Snowfall in a normal November: 9 cm. The year peaks in July (27°C) and bottoms out in February (−9°C).
Normal highs, the months ahead · ECCC normals, 1991–2020
| Season | High | Low | Rain and snow |
|---|---|---|---|
| Winter | 0°C | −8°C | 194 mm |
| Spring | 12°C | 1°C | 231 mm |
| Summer | 25°C | 14°C | 242 mm |
| Autumn | 15°C | 5°C | 236 mm |
ECCC normals, 1991–2020 (Hamilton); the forecast is on the Weather page
John-Paul Danko (Liberal Party of Canada) holds Hamilton West—Ancaster—Dundas, the riding that includes Central Business Dis
Central Business Dis is part of Hamilton, which elected Andrea Horwath as mayor in October 2022.
| Turnout | Central Business Dis | Ontario | Canada |
|---|---|---|---|
| Municipal election, 2022 | 35% | 31% | 31% |
Wikidata, MAMH, MMAH, Statistics Canada
Central Business Dis has one public library, Hamilton Public Library - Dundas Branch
Hamilton Public Library serves the whole of Hamilton, so the library figures on this page are the city’s: 592,000 people, Central Business Dis among them.
Provincial library statistics, OpenStreetMap, the CRA and Statistics Canada
Central Business Dis gets a B− for safety
Across the area its police cover, the Crime Severity Index averaged 66 over 2023–25, above Ontario’s towns (56) and close to Canadian towns (67). The violent index for its police area came to 86, about level with Canadian towns (86) and above Ontario’s towns (76). Central Business Dis shares its Crime Severity Index, Violent Crime Severity Index, violent crime and property crime per 1,000 numbers with the rest of the Hamilton service area.
Year by year · Crime Severity Index for each year
| 2023–2025 | Central Business Dis | Ontario | Canada |
|---|---|---|---|
| Crime Severity Index | 66 | 56 | 67 |
| Violent Crime Severity Index | 86 | 76 | 86 |
Statistics Canada, Uniform Crime Reporting Survey, 2023–2025 average
3 mapped walking routes pass Central Business Dis
Count 21 protected areas within 10 km of town. 2 beaches are mapped within 5 km, none with a name. The nearest national park is Rouge National Urban Park, 87 km away. Of the country within 10 km, 6.9% lies in protected areas; the median Canadian town has 2.3%.
Protected land · of the land within 10 km
| Outdoors | Central Business Dis | Ontario | Canada |
|---|---|---|---|
| Protected land within 10 km | 6.9% | 2.3% | 2.3% |
| Public protected areas within 10 km | 3 | 4 | 4 |
Canadian Protected and Conserved Areas Database (CPCAD), OpenStreetMap routes and beaches
An older town: 38% of Central Business Dis’s homes predate 1961
| Heritage | Central Business Dis | Ontario | Canada |
|---|---|---|---|
| Homes built before 1961 | 38% | 22% | 18% |
Canadian Register of Historic Places, Directory of Federal Heritage Designations, Québec’s Répertoire du patrimoine culturel, Wikidata; Census 2021 homes by period
Everything we know about Central Business Dis
Carnegie Gallery and 59 more in and around Central Business Dis
Museums, historic sites, parks, gardens and days out in and near Central Business Dis, the best known first.
WaterfallWebsters Falls1.8 km outside town, to the west
MuseumDundurn Castle3.3 km outside town, to the east
CathedralCathedral Basilica of Christ the King2.7 km outside town, to the east
WaterfallSherman Falls2.6 km outside town, to the southwest
WaterfallBorer's Falls1.5 km outside town, to the northeastPhotos: each place’s Wikidata image, from Wikimedia Commons under the licence below (our copy, resized).
Photo credits (5)
- Websters Falls: paul (dex) bica from toronto, canada, CC BY 2.0, Wikimedia Commons
- Dundurn Castle: Nhl4hamilton (Rick Cordeiro), Public domain, Wikimedia Commons
- Cathedral Basilica of Christ the King: Jfvoll, CC BY-SA 4.0, Wikimedia Commons
- Sherman Falls: Nhl4hamilton | Chit-Chat, Public domain, Wikimedia Commons
- Borer's Falls: Nhl4hamilton | Chit-Chat, Public domain, Wikimedia Commons
Famous people from Central Business Dis
25 notable people were born in Central Business Dis.
Photo credits
Peggy Sattler: OFL Communications Department, CC BY 2.0 · Frank Lennard: Arthur Roy, CC BY-SA 4.0 · Maggie Szabo: Justin Higuchi, CC BY 2.0 · Pete Wood: Issued by: Goodwin & Company, Public domain
About Central Business Dis
Neighbourhood in Hamilton
Census areas put together by TownRatings make up Central Business Dis, one part of Hamilton; the city’s map or OpenStreetMap gives it its name.
Statistics Canada: population estimates 2025 (17-10-0155), Census of Population 2021, 2021 census boundaries.
- Population
- 6,127 (people, 2021 estimate)
- Province or territory
- Ontario
- City
- Hamilton
- Census subdivision
- 3525005
Central Business Dis’ neighbours
The nearest places of 1,000 or more. Statistics Canada
| Town | People | km | Overall | Cost | Safety | Health |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Central Business Dis | 6,127 | — | C+ | D− | B− | B |
| Ainslie Wood West | 3,917 | 1.4 | C+ | D− | B− | B |
| York Road | 4,931 | 1.9 | B+ | C− | B− | B |
| Ainslie Wood East | 3,112 | 2.2 | C+ | D− | B− | B |
| Golf Course | 3,741 | 2.3 | A− | C+ | B− | B |
| Colborne | 7,447 | 2.5 | B+ | C | B− | B |
| Turnball | 6,312 | 2.7 | B+ | C+ | B− | B |
People: Statistics Canada, Census 2021. Distances: centre to centre.
Questions about Central Business Dis
Is Central Business Dis a young town or an old one?
Its median age is 55.7, where Canadian towns sit at 45.2. Under-15s are 8% of residents; over-65s, 39%.
Sources: Statistics Canada, Census of Population 2021 · population estimates 2025 (17-10-0155) and 2021 census boundaries · Uniform Crime Reporting Survey 2023–25 (35-10-0026, 35-10-0183 to 35-10-0190) · CMHC rents as published by Statistics Canada (34-10-0133) · grades by TownRatings. Under the Statistics Canada Open Licence.
Adapted from Statistics Canada (Census of Population 2021, population estimates 2025, 2021 census boundaries) under the Statistics Canada Open Licence; this does not constitute an endorsement by Statistics Canada. Neighbourhood names in some cities © OpenStreetMap contributors (ODbL).