Think Hamilton for a night out. Think Hamilton for a weekend excursion. Think Hamilton for your next business venture. Think Hamilton for the city where you’ll put down roots. Simply, think you know Hamilton? Think again.

No doubt, you have come across an article or two (or many more than that it seems over the past few years) from national publications talking about a “new Hamilton”. Indeed, it’s a city undergoing great renewal, and we’re just getting started.

During the past year, the City of Hamilton’s Economic Development Office has worked to complete Hamilton’s Economic Development Action Plan- a 40 page document that succinctly lays out our key areas of economic focus, our stretch targets, and day to day tactics. Indeed, Hamilton, ranked as Canada’s Most Diversified Economy (Conference Board of Canada) has the plan in place to continue the great growth experienced over the past several years.

Consider this- Hamilton’s hospital system generates the highest amount of private investment for research in Canada. Hamilton is home to national brands such as Maple Leaf Foods, Tim Hortons, and Mondelez. Animation is one of the leading employers in the downtown core- and incidentally, those employees are being fueled by one of Canada’s hottest culinary scenes. More and more digital firms are moving from the GTA to the burgeoning Hamilton Downtown core. Most recently Hamilton welcomed a new investment from Cossette Health, part of Cossette- one of Canada’s largest marketing and digital firms.

In 2016, Hamilton once again hit over $1 Billion in building permit values- the sixth time in the last seven years, and welcomed new investments from major innovation firms like IBM, Fibracast, and Fraunhofer of Leipzig, Germany. It seems these days Hamilton is on everyone’s minds, and that has us thinking. Maybe we should talk to you about your next move. Thoughts?