Photo: Laslovarga · CC BY-SA 3.0In a 10 km circle around Waterdown: 14 places on the registers
Before 1961: just 9.6% of the homes, where most towns have 18%. Heritage of the first rank begins 7.9 km away, in Burlington. Records name 5 people born in Waterdown before 1914; the first is George Davidson Grant.
Waterdown’s area holds 11 top-tier places within 10 km
They are 11 National Historic Sites, 2 provincial or municipal listings and a heritage railway station. Their towns number 8: Beasley, Corktown and Strathcona first. Closest of all is Royal Botanical Gardens, in Burlington, 5.3 km off.
The 12 nearest, within 10 km
| Royal Botanical GardensNational Historic Site · 1929–1990 · 5.3 km away, in Burlington |
| Burlington HeightsNational Historic Site · 1813–1814 · 7.3 km away, in Strathcona |
| Dundurn CastleNational Historic Site · 1834–1836 · 7.4 km away, in Strathcona |
| HMCS HaidaNational Historic Site · 1942–1943 · 7.6 km away, in North End East |
| Former Hamilton Customs HouseNational Historic Site · 1858–1861 · 8.1 km away, in Central |
| Former Hamilton Railway Station (Canadian National)National Historic Site · 1929–1932 · 8.2 km away, in Beasley |
| Christ's Church CathedralOntario Heritage Trust easement · 1873 · 8.5 km away, in Beasley |
| John Weir Foote ArmouryNational Historic Site · 1887–1889 · 8.6 km away, in Beasley |
| Dundas Central Public SchoolOntario Heritage Trust easement · 1857 · 8.8 km away, in Colborne |
| Victoria HallNational Historic Site · 1887–1889 · 9.2 km away, in Corktown |
| McQuesten House / WhitehernNational Historic Site · 1848–1849 · 9.3 km away, in Durand |
| St. Paul's Presbyterian Church / Former St. Andrew's ChurchNational Historic Site · 1854–1858 · 9.3 km away, in Corktown |
Within 10 km of Waterdown, the oldest record dates from 1813
Around Waterdown, not inside it: the places within 10 km, by the first construction date on record.
Burlington Heights, in Strathcona, is the oldest (1813). Within 10 km, building dates exist for 14 places. Before Confederation: 7.
A growing town: 18% of Waterdown’s homes went up from 2016 to 2021, against 4.1%
Homes built from 2001 to 2015 make up 23% of Waterdown’s, against 15% in the typical town. Only 11% of Waterdown’s homes were built from 1961 to 1980, less than the typical town’s 27%. More of Waterdown’s homes were built from 1981 to 2000 than in any other period: 36%.
2021 Census, private dwellings by period of construction (Statistics Canada); the typical town is the middle Canadian town of 2,500 or more.
Born in Waterdown, 1870 to 1908
Wikidata and Wikipedia agree on 5 births here before 1914. Fame, by Wikipedia: Alexander Ingram Fisher first, in 4 languages. Bill Ricker lived longest, to 93, dying in 2001.
Everyone born in Waterdown → Born before 1914 (the page’s periods: Confederation to the First World War). Birthplaces from Wikidata, each checked against the person’s Wikipedia article.
How Waterdown compares with 16 towns its size
Towns of 23,500 to 24,300 residents, by places on the registers.
7 have more. Their median is 0. 9 of them have nothing on the registers.
Waterdown and its neighbours
| Town | People | Places | Highest | Oldest |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Waterdown | 23,858 | 0 | 0 | — |
| York Road | 4,931 | 0 | 0 | — |
| Burlington | 197,737 | 1 | 1 | 1929 |
| North End East | 4,816 | 0 | 0 | — |
| Colborne | 7,447 | 1 | 0 | 1857 |
| Strathcona | 9,348 | 2 | 2 | 1813 |
| Central | 3,698 | 1 | 1 | 1858 |
Waterdown in brief
Alexander Ingram Fisher (1875), Leo Clarke (1892) and Bill Ricker (1908) are the best known of its historic lives. Little of its housing was standing by 1961: 9.6%, against 18% in the typical town. Towns its size usually have more historic places; the middle one has 0.
What this data can and can’t tell you
- The federal register. Federal places come from Parks Canada’s directory, which counts National Historic Sites, federal heritage buildings, stations and lighthouses; their statements are the register’s own.
- The tiers. The highest designations are National Historic Sites, Classified Federal Heritage Buildings and Québec’s classements; then come the other federal designations; then provincial and local listings.
- The grade. This page gives no grade; history doesn’t count toward a Canadian town’s letter.
- People and events. Persons of national historic significance come with no location; a town gets one only by birthplace (name and both life years agreeing) or by one of its own places that bears the name and whose record tells the story. Events, which can’t be tied, are left out.
- Provincial and municipal lists. Outside Québec, provinces’ and municipalities’ heritage registers aren’t open data; their places are known only through Wikidata items with a register number, and only those with an encyclopedia article get a page.
- Protection. National historic designation honours a place but binds only federal owners; a private building’s protection depends on its province or municipality.
Questions about Waterdown’s history
How many historic places does Waterdown have on the registers?
Waterdown has none of its own; Royal Botanical Gardens, in Burlington, the closest at 5.3 km, holds the highest designation.
How old are the homes in Waterdown?
Before 1961: 9.6% of its homes; the typical town has 18%.
Contains information licensed under the Open Government Licence – Canada (Parks Canada).
Sources: Parks Canada, Directory of Federal Heritage Designations · Canadian Register of Historic Places (federal extract) · Wikidata (CC0) for map points, other names and articles · Statistics Canada, 2021 Census (homes by period of construction). 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).