Does anyone live in the Beamsville/Grimsby area?

[KAG]

Just wondering if anyone lives in the above mentioned areas? Good bad or ugly, lets hear it.

Thanks.

[Brewguy]

I'm in Niagara, but have friends who live in that area. Good, bad or ugly in what sense?

It's generally a commuter community for the GTA, as well as a retirement area. Most of it is newer, cookie-cutter suburbia. There are no major shopping centers, you're driving to St Catharines or Burlington / Hamilton to find a mall or movie theater; but there are grocery stores, strip malls, restaurants, etc.

You're also in wine country, so you get that entire wine drinking, antique shopping, artsy fartsy scene going on.

It all depends on what you're looking for. Most of the people I know who live there like it; but they're not 'city' types.

[KAG]

thanks for the response brew.
I'm also wondering about schools, things to do for kids, and how friendly it is in general. The small town we now live in is the least friendly town I've lived in yet, and there is little to do.
How is the drive in off rush hour on the QEW? how about the 407, and what is it's cost?

Thanks

[AUGER9]

Try this for the 407.
http://www.407etr.com/About/tolls.htm
You can also get a transponder if you plan to drive on it regularly.

[Mclovin]

Well I was born and raised in St. Catharines, just outside of Beamsville and Grimsby. My ex gf was from Grimsby and I spent a lot of time there. It is a pretty nice small town, you get a real sense of community there, very tight. Has everything you need bars, restaurants, grocery stores, lots of local businesses etc. When I am ready to settle down and move out of Toronto thats where I'd wanna be.

Its an hour or so to yyz on a good day, but if your going in against rush hour you should be good. I drove out of St. Catharines for a while and never had huge issues, the 407 is always an option and cost like $12 from burlington to yyz if you need it.

Best of luck in your search for a home

[Jungle Jim]

All I've heard is that the population of Beamsville doesn't change much because every time a kid is born, the old man leaves town!


Jim

[Brewguy]

I asked one of my friends (from that area) for his opinions, here's the reply:

When we first moved to Grimsby it was the great small town feeling, friendly people etc. Recently they started ripping out the orchards and farm lands building sub-division after sub-division...needless to say the town dynamic has changed being flooded with "city folk" trying escape the expensive Toronto real estate market etc.

Anyways as far as things to do I always have said in Grimsby you have the best of both worlds, (between the lake and escarpment) its awesome to have the lake and bruce trails. If it was up me I'd find a place on the escarpment to escape the bs of the city.

As you know I haven't been living in Grimsby for the last couple of years, so I took a moment to ask my parents about the traffic. My dad said the QEW isn't too bad during rush hour...gets a little tight around Casablanca...one major issue I've even noticed is the downtown core...basically rammed during rush hour...with one lane the town was never designed to accommodate and serious traffic.

As far as schools seems fine to me. No idea 407 and costs, he'll have to look into, that's not even in Niagara, it starts in Burlington.

Anyways hope any of this helps, my opinion is its beautiful if you love nature, but if you thrive off the city life its not quite there, and I doubt it will ever will be ie: need to drive out of town to find malls, cinemas, etc..

[borisyeltsin]

I moved to Beamsville a year ago from Toronto. Didn't know much about the area at the time and so far I have nothing but good things to say about the place. From my driveway to get to the Viscount parking garage and into the terminal is 1 hour with no traffic. I tend to take 403 to the 407 to avoid the Burlington/Oakville stretch of the QEW and that costs me 5 bucks each way. There is an HOV on the QEW so if there is more than one of you then you don't need the 407. With traffic I allow 1:15-1:20 to get to North Field or the Terminal.

The town itself is quiet, friendly, and has everything you really need. Grimsby is only a few minutes drive away if you need more selection.

All in all, when I look out my window and can see the Evil City across the Lake, I thank my stars I am in Bemasville.

[Kurwa]

Grimsby is right next door to Stoney Creek and I would live in either location; there is great bang for the real estate dollar, lots of highways to choose from if you're trying to get to YYZ...good programs for pre-school kids in the area, lots of schools to choose from otherwise and mostly without the funk of hamilton or toronto to live with. I could recommend a good real estate guy who knows the area, we've used him twice...he's an ex flight medic with some good stories as well. PM me if you like.

[KAG]

Thanks for the responses guys. Were off to do a road trip to get a feel for the town. Sounds as goodnas it looks on MLS.

[iamnomaverick]

You should check out Ancaster and Dundas, They were amalgamated into the City of Hamilton but they have a different feel to them...I like to call them the bubble. Good people, good standard of living and all the services you need...

Good luck,

[KAG]

Yeah we will be checking out those areas as well, I have friends that really enjoy living in Ancaster.
Around the GTA, the newer subdivisions are (usually) too cookie cutter, and what I do like is north of 500K - a little rich for my blood. YYZ is out of the question which is a shame cause I really like High Park.

Anyway, thanks for the advice, were goingto make the drive down and check it out later this week. I'll make sure to drive home during traffic to get a realistic idea of the QEW...I can see at some point I'll be installing a train horn or maybe one of these http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=I9KKaj26 ... re=related
only becuse some drivers deserve it

[fleet16b]

You should check out Ancaster and Dundas, They were amalgamated into the City of Hamilton but they have a different feel to them...I like to call them the bubble. Good people, good standard of living and all the services you need...

Good luck,

Dundas is a great town!
I grew up here and have lived here all my 48 yrs
We are known as the Valley Town and don't like to be reminded of amalgamation with Hamilton etc
A very picturesque town with plenty of conservation areas waterfalls etc . Good schools for the kids, good hockey ( we are Canadas Hockeyville !!! ), good soccer programs also.
I work at the west end of Pearson and it takes me about 50 - 1:10 min depending on traffic
We use to be a very small town but with McMaster hospital and University not far away, all the Docs , Profs lawyers etc have moved in . Now we are trendy little community , we even have upscale Thai and Sushi places Something unheard of here 15 yrs ago.
Check it out

[dune]

I second the Dundas praise! I bought a house in the old heritage district north of King St. Great charm and character neighbourhood, most houses are a hundred years old, and so are the trees! Great walking neighbourhood. Great parks, beautiful old schools... and yes the downtown is going upscale with all the trendy shops and coffee stops.

Yes the Hamilton amalgamation is a bit of a stain.. but it is far from Hamilton..

[simplyput]

One thing to watch out for in Grimsby is property tax. It was enough to scare us away. It's gone up quite a bit since too. I have a friend that just moved because of the increase.

[KAG]

We just drove around Burlington, Waterdown, Dundas, Ancaster, and grimsby. I really liked the Waterdown area, my wife liked Grimsby Beach, Dundas was very nice as well. I think were going to have to spend some time really getting to know each area, as we really like the character of all the above mentioned. They had that "home" feeling that other areas we've considered seems to lack, I must admit I'm having a hard time getting over the "hammer" effect. Were looking over the next year or so there will be plenty of road trips.
Thanks for all the advice.

[I WAS Birddog]

The Hammer has a few funky artsey pockets. I live in one if them. Depending on your budget you could buy a mansion is a prestigious part of town for the fraction of the price of YYZ (again the area where I live) where driving to all the amenities is an option as everything is walking distance and awesome great people along your walk. Or the west end of town. I strongly suggest Locke St south if you're an urban couple...otherwise there are plenty of cookie cutter houses in the white suburban areas you've pointed out.

[I WAS Birddog]

....plus if you move into my area of town I'll shovel your walk like I do 6 other neighbors because I'm THAT AWESOME

[buss]

I second/third? the hamilton area.
Great natural areas for biking hiking skiing etc. I'm 5 minutes from downtown yet have deer/turkeys coyotes etc in my backyard. The scenery on the mac campus is spectacular when the weather warms up.
As for the drive. I've been driving to yyz for over 7 years. I'm about 70 kms to the car park. In all those years I'm rarely caught in traffic. As pilots we hardly ever find ourselves operating during rush hours. Normal drive time 40 minutes to 60 minutes.
One consideration is property tax. Hamilton/Ancaster/Dundas is quite high. I've heard Grimsby is over priced also. That being said houses are alot more affordable compared to places closer to Toronto eg. Burlington/Waterdown/Oakville etc

pm for more info if you want

[warbirdpilot7]

The Hammer has a few funky artsey pockets. I live in one if them. Depending on your budget you could buy a mansion is a prestigious part of town for the fraction of the price of YYZ (again the area where I live) where driving to all the amenities is an option as everything is walking distance and awesome great people along your walk. Or the west end of town. I strongly suggest Locke St south if you're an urban couple...otherwise there are plenty of cookie cutter houses in the white suburban areas you've pointed out.

Waterdown is a lovely little place to live....It has a great main drag with 2 good pubs and everyone is friendly.
As for the Hammer, I spent alot of my youth at Hess Village Went back last summer, and felt my age

[I WAS Birddog]

Hess!! yeah...it's r3tard3d there on weekend nights and I'll go there sober to watch the crowd. However the patio lunch crowd is a different story.

There's a good vibe & energy on Locke South . I compare Locke South to the Yorkville of Hamilton. Waterdown is alright, but the name in itself invokes a 'blegh' about it. Watered-down is the image that pops into my head.

If most people are like myself and just hate driving any where when at home, Aberdeen & Locke South is staggering distance from shops, boutiques, awesome original restaurants, a modern gym, a chocolate factory/store, an original toy store beauty salons and spas, pubs, liquor and beer store, Yoga, a Starbucks a REAL meat butcher, an amazing cheese factory/store, ice-cream parlour, original pet supply store, women's shoe store, women's clothing stores, estheticians, cafe's, beautiful parks...doggy parks...an 18 hole golf course, a ski hill, private tennis courts, public tennis courts, indoor soccer facility, the GO Train, "Goodness Me" grocery store, beautiful churches for religious people and the "West Town" for Athiests like myself Also, Copps Coliseum & Hamilton's famous Farmers Market are just 10 minutes walk...

The homes in this area are Victorian, and also there are upscale mansions just around the corner. INCLUDING amazing people along your walks in the area and all know each other by their first name. ALL this just 100' from where I lay my head.

This street is the best kept secret in southern Ontario...

[KAG]

But it's in Hamilton right? yeah I know the hammer isn't all that bad, but I had to poke fun all the same. We'll be looking into all these areas over the next while. priority #1 is to sell current house and thats taking a lot longer then anticipated.

[warbirdpilot7]

But it's in Hamilton right? yeah I know the hammer isn't all that bad, but I had to poke fun all the same. We'll be looking into all these areas over the next while. priority #1 is to sell current house and thats taking a lot longer then anticipated.

When you have spent alot of time in Hamilton(growing up) hearing people poking fun at the city gets routine. In fact, so much so, its like breathing. I dont think about it, it just happens One thing I will say that driving west to east on Main st. through the heart of Hamilton, takes no time. All the stop lights are synchronized......Try doing that in London, Kitchener or Cambridge.

You have got some real good feedback, so I wish you all the best in selling and finding that "dream" place in this area.

[I WAS Birddog]

I love the fact that Hamilton gets looked down upon because it keeps the Toronto yuppies away and the property taxes low. In fact those aren't steel mills when driving over the Skyway Bridge...they're pretencious yuppie deterants. Out of the many steel mills that once operated here, only one remains open AND at less than 50% production of what it used to be. Which means the fish in the Hamilton Harbour are 'almost' edible again

Good luck in your sale/search of your old/new home KAG

[mattedfred]

We moved from Winnipeg to Waterdown in 1998. We were renting an apartment in Waterdown and I was based at YYZ. We loved it there.

We are currently living in Cambridge and don't know why anyone would want to raise a family outside the Waterloo Region. They seem to have everything a family could ever need.

Great tax base and great programs as a result.

I also don't know why anyone would rather drive the 400 or the 403/QEW/407 instead of the 401.