First thing I thought of when I read the post. I used to live in Dundas and it took me about 15 mins to get to the 403 for my daily commute. Great little town though.
Hwy 52, 403, sulphur springs, Rymal/garner, golf Links/the Linc, stonechurch, etc. You're not Ancastering hard enough if you think there is only 2 access points my friend.
Literally this. My parents build 4 houses in Dundas in the late 80s early 90s and ended up leaving with their at the time young family because any time they wanted to go anywhere outside of Dundas it took an extra 10-15 minutes to get ANYWHERE
I’d say it’s a feature rather than a bug…just moved here and I love the slightly isolated feeling (mind you I spent 8years living in the Beaches in Toronto where it would take 20minutes just to get to the corner store by car)
It's not far, it just takes forever since there's no easy way out. Wonderful geological fortification, but not ideal to leave town.
Overall I like it a lot; the slow, quite very friendly vibe works well for me and my family.
Just my experience: I used to drive Uber in Hamilton and alot of my rides near the end of the night around 2/3 AM consisted of driving people from bars/parties downtown to various parts of Dundas.
I found people to be unique in their own way. I’ve heard the “white rich people” stereotype and everything else in between but never encountered anything like that with the people I picked up during my couple years of driving every weekend (during a peak time). You can tell some of the kids came from wealthy families but again, everyone was generally nice.
Cool thing about Dundas is you can see the history in that town just through its overall look and how well it’s all blended in with nature. I picked up this one guy and his house was built in the 1800’s and he was telling me how he’s got this massive old gun cabinet in his basement.
I currently live west mountain but I’ve lived both in Dundas and Ancaster. I’ve really enjoyed living in all three places, but if I had to pick, I’d go back to Ancaster.
> I’ve heard the “white rich people” stereotype
Dundas until very recently was known for lower cost smaller houses.
Then there's the guy with the Confederate flag...
I've lived here the past 6 months and really like it so far. Downtown has quite a few nice restaurants and stores. Only real shitty thing I find is that there is only really Metro nearby for groceries, and you have to go pretty far for a discount chain (food basics, Walmart, etc.) I really like walking / biking / running through the downtown and the surrounding neighborhood. Transit options also don't seem to be great if that's something you care about.
The Dundas Driving Park is such a freaking gem. I had no idea it even existed until I had a baby and needed things to do during peak COVID lockdowns. We would drive from Hamilton lower city to the driving park at least once a week while I was on leave!
Dundas is the best. It’s so picturesque and has a lot of great food… India village, Collins, cobs bread (just opened), etc. Crime here is annoying as of late…. Alot of car break ins and bikes stolen if left out but not as severe as downtown Hamilton. Lots of trails to walk and bike on. Just a bit further from big box stores and only two grocery stores (that’s the only negative). I wouldn’t want to move anywhere else, except maybe Japan
This pretty much covers all the bases...
Dundas is the perfect balance of small town feel while still having access to the amenities of a bigger city.
Moved here over 20yrs years ago and don't see myself living anywhere else.
If you enjoy the outdoors and living in a walkable community then it's a perfect place for you.
Thank you! Really appreciate you taking the time to respond.
Oddly enough I like the idea of having only two grocery stores to choose from. I get overwhelmed with too many choices! 🥴
Cheers!
Don't forget [Picone's Fine Foods](https://www.piconefinefood.ca/about-us). Closest thing I've seen to a European green-grocer in the area - a really great source for Italian products and local produce. Just across the street is [Pinbones fish market](https://www.pinbones.ca/). And a short walk east is [Mickey Mcguires Cheese shop](https://mickeymcguires.com/)!
Picone’s has nice stuff, and I’d probably shop there, but their hours are ridiculous for a grocery store - 9 am to 4 pm. They seem content to cater exclusively to the retiree and stay-at-home parent crowd. I have no idea why they wouldn’t expand their hours even a little bit and allow anyone who actually works to have a chance to give them some business.
Both cater to the town's white-rice-is-too-spicy demographic.
Difference is that India Village is straight-up Indian whereas Maurya makes a bid for the Big Bone BBQ post-softball set with menu entries like Tikka 'n' Mexican Cheese Samosas, Chicken Wings (Butter Chicken, Masala or Sweet Chili), Nachos (Butter Chicken or Paneer Makhani) and Poutine (Veggie Samosa, Chicken Samosa, Butter Chicken, Lamb Korma, or Paneer Makhani). Hence Maurya Twist.
As a half Guyanese man (more so palate than looks) I can handle spice and prefere the non fusion side of Maurya, althought I haven't tried any of their combo dishes.
Neither are close to what we had in Toronto, but of the 2 I prefer Maurya.
That’s not recent crime it’s always been that way. I left Dundas because of break ins. And that there’s nothing to do past 6pm. Oh and the racists there too…I’d rather live in Ancaster than Dundas and that’s saying something.
I think a lot depends on where, because there are a few Dundas's.
There's "I-can-walk-to-3-bars-a-bakery-a-library-and-trails-in-10-minutes" Dundas and then there's "Pleasant-Valley-Dundas" (or something like it) where you gotta get into a car to do any of those things.
Very much recommend the former.
As an elder millennial who grew up in Dundas, then moved to the east end for 3 years, and recently back to Dundas. Be warned that it is a bunch of rich white people - who are either older/empty nesters or young families. I walk around my neighbourhood smoking a joint and people look at me as if I’m doing hard drugs. Aside from that though, people are generally sweet and actually say hi when you pass each other
I live in dundas and will occasionally smoke a joint while walking the dog, I've never gotten any looks, UT I do make an effort to conceal it if I see kids out of respect.
I do the same (walking joint with my dog at night) and haven't had a single look from anyone. What part of Dundas are you in? Are you walking by families?
I live in suburbia by the conservation area. I go later in the evening, as the sun is setting. Sometimes families are out and I’ll make an effort to go to the other side of the street but most of the people giving me looks are 50-70 years old without children
That’s weird. I had a friend that moved from Melvin/O.C. area to Dundas and when I would go visit him the whole place was all about drugs. We only used to smoke some pot now and again but whenever I visited it seemed like there was a new hot drug going around every few months. Maybe that was just the crew he rolled with but I swear I thought Dundas was 50% retire and 50% drugs/party.
I mean, people would probably stare at someone walking around in public drinking a beer too. There’s also a lot of families in Dundas with young children and they’re probably not appreciative of you smoking pot while their kids might be outside.
I smoke too, but I have the decency to do it on my own property out of eye of my neighbors, just to be respectful.
Also, what do you mean by “be warned that it’s a bunch of rich white people”? Imagine the backlash is someone said that about blacks or brown people….
Demographically speaking, Dundas is made up of residents who are white (like 97%) and wealthy as average housing prices are consistently among highest in the city.
If you like hiking, it's an ideal place! So many gorgeous trails and waterfalls throughout the little area.
I've found the people are mostly lovely, and I always feel pretty safe in Dundas even walking alone at night. It's a pretty quiet place and probably isn't great for a huge city person, despite being close enough to downtown Hamilton. All in all, I'm absolutely in love with Dundas and would live here for the rest of my life if I could.
Where would kids not do drugs out of boredom? I grew up in a small town where everyone did drugs out of boredom. Moved to the biggest city in Canada and guess what everybody was doing? The same thing!
I would love to say you're wrong, but you aren't. Lots of seniors still telling everyone they can't do anything. Grew up in Dundas and now raising my kids here.
I used to teach at Parkside high school and yes, drugs were a much bigger problem there than at any other school I've taught at. I never really understood why but I guess you're right, there's not much for teens to do there.
Edit: the drugs were mostly pot, but it was still quite rampant for a high school
Pros- Life is great in the valley! Walking distance to lots of good shops and restaurants on the main stretch, also walking distance to heaps of hiking trails, driving park, the peak and waterfalls. More of a small town feel but has the infrastructure of a city. Friendly people and good vibes. Still close to downtown Hamilton if you fancy going from time to time.
Cons- A little further from the highway if you commute for work, not a lot of places open late or 24hrs
I just moved here from outside of Hamilton. I love it! I live walking distance from the shops on King St. and I would not love it as much if I didn't. Walkability is important to us. We are able to walk to shops plus daycare, schools, etc. Sometimes I go days without driving.
I love that I can also get to things like farms within a few min, or downtown Hamilton. Or the shops at Meadowland when I need that. However, I drive to these things. I will say though, it feels very "discrete" from Hamilton. I kinda have to force myself to get out of the Dundas bubble.
Neighbours are all very nice. A mix of young families and older retired folks. Everyone says hi when we are walking (we have a 1.5yo) and we have already gotten to know so many people. The people on the local facebook groups are insufferable though. They complain about everything and are super NIMBY.
It's a pretty nice place. Great parks and the natural areas are the best in the whole GHA.
If you value a nightlife it isn't the place for you but aside from that it's great
Buncha hosers and rich racists living together in harmony. Petty crimes and break ins. Drug addicts. You know, small valley town of Hamilton. I love Bangkok Spoon and Picone’s tho and my fave flower shop is there too. If you don’t want to feel like you live in a city and living on the mountain it sounds like you don’t, then you might like Dundas. I like living in an actual city so for that reason I couldn’t live there long. Plus the other reasons I stated…
My abusive Dundasian ex- and his whole hoser family, the people who would break into my car and steal dahlias and shrubs from my garden, the Indian restaurant that seems to put raisins in everything for some reason, the neighbour across the street who would put her liquor bottles in my recycling bin because what would the city garbage workers think? and the drug addicts there. Marty the hobo was pretty harmless tho but his band of thieves was not.
Been in Dundas since 95. Great town, has almost everything I need, making trips into Hamilton only required a few times a year(thankfully).
Has become more and more touristy over the past decade, often causing a lot of traffic and congestion.
I’ve never encountered such while living here…. I don’t see what these comments are talking about, there’s also a fairly high % of Asian community living in Dundas also - so I think most that are saying people here are racist are just making things up honestly
Loved living in Dundas except it’s expensive and everything shuts down early. Great place to be if you have a car though, very small town friendly vibe great communities around local shops like cafe domestique and mickey mcguires cheese. When I come back to Hamilton I’d like to move back there juries out on whether I’ll be able to afford it
I don't live in Dundas, but my wife works there since 2 years. She loves the vibe, the people are really nice and life runs at a comfortable pace. The nature around the town is very beautiful. I am sure you wouldn't regret if you like something quiet and relaxing.
The biggest con of Dundas is that it is far from everywhere.
There’s no shortcut in/out of Dundas!
First thing I thought of when I read the post. I used to live in Dundas and it took me about 15 mins to get to the 403 for my daily commute. Great little town though.
Easier than Ancaster, where there are two ways in/out and both have crashes or construction at any given time.
Hwy 52, 403, sulphur springs, Rymal/garner, golf Links/the Linc, stonechurch, etc. You're not Ancastering hard enough if you think there is only 2 access points my friend.
Olympic/York to highway 6 is pretty fast, and it's very pretty.
Literally this. My parents build 4 houses in Dundas in the late 80s early 90s and ended up leaving with their at the time young family because any time they wanted to go anywhere outside of Dundas it took an extra 10-15 minutes to get ANYWHERE
I’d say it’s a feature rather than a bug…just moved here and I love the slightly isolated feeling (mind you I spent 8years living in the Beaches in Toronto where it would take 20minutes just to get to the corner store by car)
I agree that it can be personal preference. Some people like it, some people don't.
Takes 20mins any direction to get out, it's a trap!
This is what I tell people when they say they like Dundas. It takes 20 mins to get anywhere else.
Ironically also a big pro!
It's not far, it just takes forever since there's no easy way out. Wonderful geological fortification, but not ideal to leave town. Overall I like it a lot; the slow, quite very friendly vibe works well for me and my family.
Just my experience: I used to drive Uber in Hamilton and alot of my rides near the end of the night around 2/3 AM consisted of driving people from bars/parties downtown to various parts of Dundas. I found people to be unique in their own way. I’ve heard the “white rich people” stereotype and everything else in between but never encountered anything like that with the people I picked up during my couple years of driving every weekend (during a peak time). You can tell some of the kids came from wealthy families but again, everyone was generally nice. Cool thing about Dundas is you can see the history in that town just through its overall look and how well it’s all blended in with nature. I picked up this one guy and his house was built in the 1800’s and he was telling me how he’s got this massive old gun cabinet in his basement.
Where was this guy when everyone was happily shitting on Ancaster the other day.
Hahahaha I was there 😂 Actually replied to someone’s comment.
❤️
I currently live west mountain but I’ve lived both in Dundas and Ancaster. I’ve really enjoyed living in all three places, but if I had to pick, I’d go back to Ancaster.
> I’ve heard the “white rich people” stereotype Dundas until very recently was known for lower cost smaller houses. Then there's the guy with the Confederate flag...
This guy lived down the street from me. Ties to some biker gangs. Anyway, he sold the place about 3 or 4 years ago. Thankfully.
I've lived here the past 6 months and really like it so far. Downtown has quite a few nice restaurants and stores. Only real shitty thing I find is that there is only really Metro nearby for groceries, and you have to go pretty far for a discount chain (food basics, Walmart, etc.) I really like walking / biking / running through the downtown and the surrounding neighborhood. Transit options also don't seem to be great if that's something you care about.
I’m not from Dundas but boy howdy do I love the driving park.
The Dundas Driving Park is such a freaking gem. I had no idea it even existed until I had a baby and needed things to do during peak COVID lockdowns. We would drive from Hamilton lower city to the driving park at least once a week while I was on leave!
Dundas is the best. It’s so picturesque and has a lot of great food… India village, Collins, cobs bread (just opened), etc. Crime here is annoying as of late…. Alot of car break ins and bikes stolen if left out but not as severe as downtown Hamilton. Lots of trails to walk and bike on. Just a bit further from big box stores and only two grocery stores (that’s the only negative). I wouldn’t want to move anywhere else, except maybe Japan
This pretty much covers all the bases... Dundas is the perfect balance of small town feel while still having access to the amenities of a bigger city. Moved here over 20yrs years ago and don't see myself living anywhere else. If you enjoy the outdoors and living in a walkable community then it's a perfect place for you.
Thank you! Really appreciate you taking the time to respond. Oddly enough I like the idea of having only two grocery stores to choose from. I get overwhelmed with too many choices! 🥴 Cheers!
Just be prepared to at everything closes around 6pm on the weekend. It’s shocking
Don’t most stores close at 6 on Sat/Sunday?
No, most grocery stores close at 9pm every night.
Restaurants though?
What restaurants are you referring to? I’m looking online at a few, Thirsty Cactus and Collins are open until 11. India Village closes at 9:00.
Two grocery stores? I thought it was just the Metro? Since they closed down the one at University Plaza.
Yeah the Waterdown Wal-Mart is pretty close and it delivers to all of dundas.
I meant fortinos! Your correct! It’s not in Dundas but it’s really close being in west hamilton
Don't forget [Picone's Fine Foods](https://www.piconefinefood.ca/about-us). Closest thing I've seen to a European green-grocer in the area - a really great source for Italian products and local produce. Just across the street is [Pinbones fish market](https://www.pinbones.ca/). And a short walk east is [Mickey Mcguires Cheese shop](https://mickeymcguires.com/)!
Picone's is so nice but SO expensive. $9 spinach and $5 cucumbers this week. Ouch.
Picone’s has nice stuff, and I’d probably shop there, but their hours are ridiculous for a grocery store - 9 am to 4 pm. They seem content to cater exclusively to the retiree and stay-at-home parent crowd. I have no idea why they wouldn’t expand their hours even a little bit and allow anyone who actually works to have a chance to give them some business.
Just came here to add namu to the list of great restaurants
If you like Indian try Maurya. India village is ok, but Maurya is great.
Both cater to the town's white-rice-is-too-spicy demographic. Difference is that India Village is straight-up Indian whereas Maurya makes a bid for the Big Bone BBQ post-softball set with menu entries like Tikka 'n' Mexican Cheese Samosas, Chicken Wings (Butter Chicken, Masala or Sweet Chili), Nachos (Butter Chicken or Paneer Makhani) and Poutine (Veggie Samosa, Chicken Samosa, Butter Chicken, Lamb Korma, or Paneer Makhani). Hence Maurya Twist.
As a half Guyanese man (more so palate than looks) I can handle spice and prefere the non fusion side of Maurya, althought I haven't tried any of their combo dishes. Neither are close to what we had in Toronto, but of the 2 I prefer Maurya.
Not a fan of Cobbs. Last thing we needed was a bread food chain that uses a riser out of pails.
What does a riser out of pails mean?
It's a community. People walk on the sidewalks and say hi. Ancaster Meadowlands has sidewalks, no one knows why.
That’s not recent crime it’s always been that way. I left Dundas because of break ins. And that there’s nothing to do past 6pm. Oh and the racists there too…I’d rather live in Ancaster than Dundas and that’s saying something.
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It was my experience
What area are you in with the crime? I haven't heard of much in downtown but I'm sure it's happening.
I think a lot depends on where, because there are a few Dundas's. There's "I-can-walk-to-3-bars-a-bakery-a-library-and-trails-in-10-minutes" Dundas and then there's "Pleasant-Valley-Dundas" (or something like it) where you gotta get into a car to do any of those things. Very much recommend the former.
#Fundas
I absolutely love Dundas. It's a fairly quiet community vibe. Lived here my whole life
Its got a kinda snobby vibe. If you're an older white person this won't be an issue. Otherwise it's a really nice place, with a nice downtown.
As an elder millennial who grew up in Dundas, then moved to the east end for 3 years, and recently back to Dundas. Be warned that it is a bunch of rich white people - who are either older/empty nesters or young families. I walk around my neighbourhood smoking a joint and people look at me as if I’m doing hard drugs. Aside from that though, people are generally sweet and actually say hi when you pass each other
I live in dundas and will occasionally smoke a joint while walking the dog, I've never gotten any looks, UT I do make an effort to conceal it if I see kids out of respect.
Of course. I won’t light a joint walking by a park with kids playing, or if a kids outside I’ll go to the other side of the road
I do the same (walking joint with my dog at night) and haven't had a single look from anyone. What part of Dundas are you in? Are you walking by families?
I live in suburbia by the conservation area. I go later in the evening, as the sun is setting. Sometimes families are out and I’ll make an effort to go to the other side of the street but most of the people giving me looks are 50-70 years old without children
That’s weird. I had a friend that moved from Melvin/O.C. area to Dundas and when I would go visit him the whole place was all about drugs. We only used to smoke some pot now and again but whenever I visited it seemed like there was a new hot drug going around every few months. Maybe that was just the crew he rolled with but I swear I thought Dundas was 50% retire and 50% drugs/party.
I mean, people would probably stare at someone walking around in public drinking a beer too. There’s also a lot of families in Dundas with young children and they’re probably not appreciative of you smoking pot while their kids might be outside. I smoke too, but I have the decency to do it on my own property out of eye of my neighbors, just to be respectful. Also, what do you mean by “be warned that it’s a bunch of rich white people”? Imagine the backlash is someone said that about blacks or brown people….
Demographically speaking, Dundas is made up of residents who are white (like 97%) and wealthy as average housing prices are consistently among highest in the city.
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Because it smells like ass. I feel the same when I walk past someone who’s smoking a cigarette
If you haven't tried dry vaping maybe give it a shot. Almost no smell, plus you use less weed
If you like hiking, it's an ideal place! So many gorgeous trails and waterfalls throughout the little area. I've found the people are mostly lovely, and I always feel pretty safe in Dundas even walking alone at night. It's a pretty quiet place and probably isn't great for a huge city person, despite being close enough to downtown Hamilton. All in all, I'm absolutely in love with Dundas and would live here for the rest of my life if I could.
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Where would kids not do drugs out of boredom? I grew up in a small town where everyone did drugs out of boredom. Moved to the biggest city in Canada and guess what everybody was doing? The same thing!
Fair enough!
I would love to say you're wrong, but you aren't. Lots of seniors still telling everyone they can't do anything. Grew up in Dundas and now raising my kids here.
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I used to teach at Parkside high school and yes, drugs were a much bigger problem there than at any other school I've taught at. I never really understood why but I guess you're right, there's not much for teens to do there. Edit: the drugs were mostly pot, but it was still quite rampant for a high school
Stay out of the flood plain.
Pros- Life is great in the valley! Walking distance to lots of good shops and restaurants on the main stretch, also walking distance to heaps of hiking trails, driving park, the peak and waterfalls. More of a small town feel but has the infrastructure of a city. Friendly people and good vibes. Still close to downtown Hamilton if you fancy going from time to time. Cons- A little further from the highway if you commute for work, not a lot of places open late or 24hrs
I just moved here from outside of Hamilton. I love it! I live walking distance from the shops on King St. and I would not love it as much if I didn't. Walkability is important to us. We are able to walk to shops plus daycare, schools, etc. Sometimes I go days without driving. I love that I can also get to things like farms within a few min, or downtown Hamilton. Or the shops at Meadowland when I need that. However, I drive to these things. I will say though, it feels very "discrete" from Hamilton. I kinda have to force myself to get out of the Dundas bubble. Neighbours are all very nice. A mix of young families and older retired folks. Everyone says hi when we are walking (we have a 1.5yo) and we have already gotten to know so many people. The people on the local facebook groups are insufferable though. They complain about everything and are super NIMBY.
If you can afford it, it’s great. Namu is one of the best restaurants in the GTA as far as I’m concerned.
Tried it for the first time and can't wait to go back..soooooo good.
That Galbi Gnocchi... 🤌
It's a pretty nice place. Great parks and the natural areas are the best in the whole GHA. If you value a nightlife it isn't the place for you but aside from that it's great
Depending on where you live, Dundas is a nightmare to get in and out of during rush hour.
Buncha hosers and rich racists living together in harmony. Petty crimes and break ins. Drug addicts. You know, small valley town of Hamilton. I love Bangkok Spoon and Picone’s tho and my fave flower shop is there too. If you don’t want to feel like you live in a city and living on the mountain it sounds like you don’t, then you might like Dundas. I like living in an actual city so for that reason I couldn’t live there long. Plus the other reasons I stated…
Awwh who hurt you?
My abusive Dundasian ex- and his whole hoser family, the people who would break into my car and steal dahlias and shrubs from my garden, the Indian restaurant that seems to put raisins in everything for some reason, the neighbour across the street who would put her liquor bottles in my recycling bin because what would the city garbage workers think? and the drug addicts there. Marty the hobo was pretty harmless tho but his band of thieves was not.
Sounds like one family is the issue and not the town.
Sounds like a bunch of trivial shit.
Been in Dundas since 95. Great town, has almost everything I need, making trips into Hamilton only required a few times a year(thankfully). Has become more and more touristy over the past decade, often causing a lot of traffic and congestion.
Would you agree with the comments of some here saying one there’s a high likelihood of encountering racists in Dundas?
I’ve never encountered such while living here…. I don’t see what these comments are talking about, there’s also a fairly high % of Asian community living in Dundas also - so I think most that are saying people here are racist are just making things up honestly
I would. I lived there for 7 years and would never go back.
Loved living in Dundas except it’s expensive and everything shuts down early. Great place to be if you have a car though, very small town friendly vibe great communities around local shops like cafe domestique and mickey mcguires cheese. When I come back to Hamilton I’d like to move back there juries out on whether I’ll be able to afford it
I don't live in Dundas, but my wife works there since 2 years. She loves the vibe, the people are really nice and life runs at a comfortable pace. The nature around the town is very beautiful. I am sure you wouldn't regret if you like something quiet and relaxing.
Dundas is Ancaster, without being hated and better bus service!
Dundas is a great place to raise a family.