Birdy Posted May 13, 2015 Report Share Posted May 13, 2015 I'm seeking opinions from as many sources as possible. We're trying to decide on where to live ASAP since we have to contact schools about our kids. We want to live somewhere that's not terribly far from the university, where I can get there easily on the bus. Single family home with a yard. Safe area with parks and elementary schools. Not hideously expensive. I know of Ancaster and Westdale, but what are the names of some other neighbourhoods I should be looking in? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
MathToMed Posted May 13, 2015 Report Share Posted May 13, 2015 Westdale (which is where McMaster is) is where you want to live, pretty much end of discussion, for the following reasons: - Ancaster is decently far from campus and the busses run infrequently compared with Westdale/Downtown Hamilton. It's also quite expensive, though it is quite lovely. - Downtown Hamilton is quite sketchy and full of people like me... numerous times I've been fearful for my life (quite literally) - The vast majority of Westdale properties are walking/biking distance to McMaster, but even if you were running late/needed to catch a bus, pretty much every single bus in the area goes by campus- Any further away will be a drain on your soul due to long commute times Just try not to live in Westdale student housing unless it contains grad students - as with any university, the entry level students can get quite rambunctious and interfere with your studies/concentration. Congrats on the acceptance! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
bikerider123 Posted May 13, 2015 Report Share Posted May 13, 2015 Birdy check your messages ! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
makingfetchhappen Posted May 13, 2015 Report Share Posted May 13, 2015 Westdale (which is where McMaster is) is where you want to live, pretty much end of discussion, for the following reasons: - Ancaster is decently far from campus and the busses run infrequently compared with Westdale/Downtown Hamilton. It's also quite expensive, though it is quite lovely. - Downtown Hamilton is quite sketchy and full of people like me... numerous times I've been fearful for my life (quite literally) - The vast majority of Westdale properties are walking/biking distance to McMaster, but even if you were running late/needed to catch a bus, pretty much every single bus in the area goes by campus - Any further away will be a drain on your soul due to long commute times Just try not to live in Westdale student housing unless it contains grad students - as with any university, the entry level students can get quite rambunctious and interfere with your studies/concentration. Congrats on the acceptance! +1 There are other family friendly areas that are nice too, but Westdale is very nice, and I think that the proximity to the school will make your quality of life so much better. If you lived in that neighborhood, you would be able to go home each day when you have a couple hours to have a meal with your family (or even to just go do some things around the house while the kids are in school). If you live too far, you aren't going to be able to break up your days like that, and when things are busy, you would feel like you're never home. There are buses in that area to campus every ten minutes. I don't know if you like to bike, but if it were me I would cycle to campus in the warmer months and grab the bus when it gets too cold. Westdale is also one of the less expensive areas so that's a big bonus too. It's pretty much the cheapest in this area and downtown (the more central the cheaper, basically because downtown is sketchy). Places like Ancaster and Dundas are sort of out in the country, and they are very nice, but they are more expensive. There is also the Mountain, which is known for being the wealthier area, but there are plenty of regular type houses up there (some to rent) with prices that are still really low compared to almost anywhere that close to Toronto. I don't know why Hamilton has lagged behind basically anywhere else close to Toronto, but it has big time. It may be expensive compared to the East Coast, but compared to anywhere else nearby it's practically free to live there . I think that you are going to really like it there! I am actually thinking about moving there even though I sadly won’t be going to Mac. The real estate and rental prices are amazing for Ontario, and it is urban and walkable. My friends who went to Mac there over a decade ago loved it at the time, and lately it’s only getting better. You probably got a feel for all of this when you visited for interviews and spoke with current students too. I’m sure you might miss the ocean, but bonus there isn’t all that much snow either! And congratulations on the acceptance! I was routing for you (obvi, everyone was, lol), and it brightened up my morning to see that yesterday! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
osteogeek Posted May 13, 2015 Report Share Posted May 13, 2015 I know everyone is saying to live in Westdale near campus, but you might not be on campus that much depending on your schedule. In preclerkship, I was usually at one of the hospitals 2-3 days a week and at Mac 2-3 days a week, and then once you're in clerkship you could be anywhere, not necessarily Mac (or not even in Hamilton, in some cases). Westdale is nice, and it seems safe, so that's a definite pro for you and your family. I know of quite a few students who live in the area near St. Joseph's Hospital on Charlton, which works well for them - St. Joe's is about a 4 minute walk from the Hamilton bus terminal, where you can get a bus to any of the hospitals. The houses there seem really nice, but I'm not sure what the prices are like. I commute from about 40 minutes away, so I'm not super helpful, but the people in my class who live closer to the hospitals have all really enjoyed it. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Birdy Posted May 16, 2015 Author Report Share Posted May 16, 2015 I appreciate all the information, everyone. Gives me plenty to go on. Westdale looks like a good option, but I'm not seeing many houses for rent there that fit our needs. Keeping my eyes open, though, and I have a local colleague who will let me know if he hears of anything. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
trojjanhorse Posted May 17, 2015 Report Share Posted May 17, 2015 If you have a car, I would strongly suggest the Beddoe Drive townhouses. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Sarvish Posted May 19, 2015 Report Share Posted May 19, 2015 Definitely would not recommend downtown with a family. Not the sketchiest place I've been but I wouldn't want my kids walking around that area after dark. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Birdy Posted May 19, 2015 Author Report Share Posted May 19, 2015 We've found a couple places we like in Dundas and we like that it's smaller and greener than most of the other ares we've looked at (we currently live in, and prefer, the country.) Is there anything about Dundas in particular that should warn us off? Is the traffic between there and the campus horrible in the mornings or anything? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
thestar10 Posted May 19, 2015 Report Share Posted May 19, 2015 We've found a couple places we like in Dundas and we like that it's smaller and greener than most of the other ares we've looked at (we currently live in, and prefer, the country.) Is there anything about Dundas in particular that should warn us off? Is the traffic between there and the campus horrible in the mornings or anything? Hamilton tends to have very well moving traffic. It's not a popular area just because Its in the "wrong" direction to the hospitals but then again most of us dont have families to consider. I know that I've met some attendings who live there and in Ancaster because they have kids Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
PDFChemist Posted May 19, 2015 Report Share Posted May 19, 2015 No, in many (most?) ways, Dundas is really the ideal place to live to attend McMaster - Many of the University faculty and staff live there, as well as a moderate number of students. If you have a car, or a bike, it's very easy to get to campus, and honestly, it's not too terrible by bus or even on foot (if you live on the close side of Dundas, at least). Generally, the elementary schools also seem quite good. I don't have kids, so I'm speaking second-hand, but people (mostly faculty) I've chatted with at Mac (I'm a postdoc here), seem to be satisfied, and the Fraser Institute likes them well enough; they assign them to the top 1/3 in Ontario, and generally rate them well above the Hamilton average (and the Ancaster average, for that matter). You can have a look here. The story is the same in High Schools, if it happens your kids are going to be looking at that age bracket during your tenure in Medicine in Hamilton. Generally speaking the only real disadvantage is price, Dundas is generally more expensive than the Hamilton average - however, if you are from anywhere closer to Toronto, I can't imagine the prices in Dundas would scare you off! Also, it's not really much more expensive than Westdale, and at least IMHO, has a nicer, and less student-y feel. EDIT: Hospitals are a good point. However, if you have a car, it's pretty irrelevant. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Birdy Posted May 19, 2015 Author Report Share Posted May 19, 2015 Appreciate the help, everyone. Dundas definitely seems more family oriented than Westdale and since my husband and I have our own cars, we're fine transportation wise. This information is hard to find for someone who doesn't live locally so this has been very helpful! Also, my concept of "bad traffic" is a bit skewed. I live in PEI, where a lineup of four cars is rush hour. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
thestar10 Posted May 19, 2015 Report Share Posted May 19, 2015 Appreciate the help, everyone. Dundas definitely seems more family oriented than Westdale and since my husband and I have our own cars, we're fine transportation wise. This information is hard to find for someone who doesn't live locally so this has been very helpful! Also, my concept of "bad traffic" is a bit skewed. I live in PEI, where a lineup of four cars is rush hour. If its any consolation, in hamilton I have to try really hard not to speed (so there is minimal traffic) but there are speed traps galore. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
osteogeek Posted May 20, 2015 Report Share Posted May 20, 2015 Yes, Dundas is awesome! I didn't suggest it initially because you had mentioned the bus (I wasn't sure if you had a car and it would definitely be an asset to have a car there), but I love Dundas and it seems like a great place for your family. If I wasn't tied to living where I do, my fiance and I would be living in Dundas because we both love the area. It's got a super cute downtown, and I also know lots of docs who live there with their families and love it. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Birdy Posted May 20, 2015 Author Report Share Posted May 20, 2015 I like having the option to bus, since I do kind of miss being able to zone out, close my eyes, and listen to music during my commute, and that's sort of frowned on while driving. But we have two cars (mine is about the colour of the 2017s backpacks, hah) so it isn't an absolute requirement to live in comfortable bussing area. All this information has been fantastic. Thank you, all. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
thsc Posted May 28, 2015 Report Share Posted May 28, 2015 I know everyone is saying to live in Westdale near campus, but you might not be on campus that much depending on your schedule. In preclerkship, I was usually at one of the hospitals 2-3 days a week and at Mac 2-3 days a week, and then once you're in clerkship you could be anywhere, not necessarily Mac (or not even in Hamilton, in some cases). Westdale is nice, and it seems safe, so that's a definite pro for you and your family. I know of quite a few students who live in the area near St. Joseph's Hospital on Charlton, which works well for them - St. Joe's is about a 4 minute walk from the Hamilton bus terminal, where you can get a bus to any of the hospitals. The houses there seem really nice, but I'm not sure what the prices are like. I commute from about 40 minutes away, so I'm not super helpful, but the people in my class who live closer to the hospitals have all really enjoyed it. Why might you have to do clerkship at a hospital outside of Hamilton? Would it be up to you? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
bearded frog Posted May 28, 2015 Report Share Posted May 28, 2015 Your core clerkship rotation locations are assigned to you. Usually they are in a Hamilton hospital but for community placements could be an hour+ commute. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
thsc Posted May 28, 2015 Report Share Posted May 28, 2015 Your core clerkship rotation locations are assigned to you. Usually they are in a Hamilton hospital but for community placements could be an hour+ commute. Sounds like a huge headache to sort out transportation every few months; especially for surgery rotations Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
bearded frog Posted May 28, 2015 Report Share Posted May 28, 2015 That's why you basically need a car for clerkship. It can be done without, but it's a struggle. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
thsc Posted May 28, 2015 Report Share Posted May 28, 2015 That's why you basically need a car for clerkship. It can be done without, but it's a struggle. So most people pretty much buy cars for clerkship? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
thestar10 Posted May 28, 2015 Report Share Posted May 28, 2015 So most people pretty much buy cars for clerkship? Yeah you need a car. It's just not feasible to not have one. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
osteogeek Posted May 29, 2015 Report Share Posted May 29, 2015 Surgery and Internal Medicine are both in Hamilton for all Hamilton-based clerks (either Hamilton General, St. Joes, or the Juravinski were the only options for ranking as far as I can recall). For Family Medicine, Pediatrics, Obs/Gyn, and Psychiatry at least, lots of people get sent out of Hamilton for the rotation and so a car is pretty necessary. I know people who have been in Orillia, Newmarket, Richmond Hill, Simcoe, Port Dover, Delhi, Brantford, Guelph, Niagara, K/W, etc. It can be pretty far and wide. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
thsc Posted June 9, 2015 Report Share Posted June 9, 2015 Hey guys, My understanding is that Westdale has a lot of student houses, but are there many apartments or condos for rent around the area? If so, how can I go about finding them online? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Birdy Posted June 9, 2015 Author Report Share Posted June 9, 2015 Hey guys, My understanding is that Westdale has a lot of student houses, but are there many apartments or condos for rent around the area? If so, how can I go about finding them online? We just rented a place after spending a lot of time scouring ads and I found that https://macoffcampus.mcmaster.ca/classifieds/ had a lot of apartments in Westdale, not just shared houses. Hamilton.kijiji.ca did not have a lot in Westdale, but there were a few for sure. The 2018 Facebook group has some postings too. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
thsc Posted June 9, 2015 Report Share Posted June 9, 2015 We just rented a place after spending a lot of time scouring ads and I found that https://macoffcampus.mcmaster.ca/classifieds/ had a lot of apartments in Westdale, not just shared houses. Hamilton.kijiji.ca did not have a lot in Westdale, but there were a few for sure. The 2018 Facebook group has some postings too. Thanks birdy. Looks like most places aren't available until September. What are you (or most people) gonna do for orientation week last week of Aug? I was hoping that most places would be available to move in during August. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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