B E A S L E Y - one of Canada's poorest neighbourhoods

[flar]

HAMILTON NEIGHBOURHOODS:
Corktown • Durand • Central • Dundas • Locke St. South • Burlington • Stinson • Westdale • St. Clair • Keith • Landsdale
The Delta • Gibson • Jamesville • Concession Street • Durand North • Durand South • Old Dundas Houses • Hess Village • Barton Street
Ancaster • North Kirkendall • South Kirkendall • McMaster University • Downtown • The Bayfront • The North End • Kenilworth
Mountain Brow • Textile District • Strathcona • North Stipley • Flamborough • Beasley • Chedoke • Stoney Creek • The Beach Strip

HAMILTON FEATURES:
C I T Y _ L I G H T S • Stone Hamilton • Twilight of the Industrial Age • Twilight of the Industrial Age II
Stone in Dundas and Ancaster • Goodbye, Hamilton (from 43 floors up) • Dirty Brick • Day for Night
This broken down old city still manages to wake up every morning... • Everywhere, Ontario • < R - E - T - R - O >
HAMILTON | Scenes from the cutting room floor • S U B U R B I A ! • Everywhere, Ontario • Hamilton Rowhouses
< H E A V Y <> I N D U S T R Y > • Old Man Winter vs. Hamilton





BEASLEY
Hamilton, Ontario


Beasley is one of Hamilton's original neighbourhoods (the others are Corktown, Central and Durand). It is located
northeast of downtown Hamilton. A large chunk of downtown Hamilton is technically in Beasley, but this tour
focuses on "Beasley the neighbourhood" which is quite distinct and separate from downtown.

Beasley is the poorest neighbourhood in Hamilton and one of the poorest in Canada, with an average per capita
annual income of just $6,226. With it's cheap rents, the neighbourhood is home to a large transient population
and also a large population of immigrants. In 2006, the Hamilton Spectator ran a four part series on Beasley,
highlighting the neighbourhood's problems. Many considered the Spectator articles exploitative and overly negative.
As you will see in the photos, Beasley is a diverse neighbourhood with both good things and bad things, and a wide
variety of people. Nevertheless, the neighbourhood does suffer from a litany of social problems. Several of the
residents that I spoke with while taking photographs refered to Beasley as "crack central." Drugs, poverty,
homeless shelters and soup kitchens are central features of Beasley. Some of the people you see in Beasley
are stark reminders that our society creates both winners and losers.

Here are two different viewpoints on Beasley:

Beasley: Portrait of a neighbourhood - This isn't Mr. Rogers' neighbourhood
http://www.thespec.com/article/262185

It's a Beautiful Day in My Neighbourhood
http://www.viewmag.com/printer.php?storyid=3829









_





A sea of parking lots separates the residential section of Beasley from downtown. It's sad to think of how many
buildings were demolished. I can only speculate, but I believe that there were once many large industrial/warehouse
type buildings in this area:


Some remain:








There are a number of highrise apartments in Beasley, but not nearly as many as in other downtown neighbourhoods.
_

Quite a few rowhouses remain in Beasley:










Multilane one-way roads only add to the neighbourhood's woes.




This house was built in 1845




There happened to be a murder the same day I was taking the pictures. It would be a mistake to think the area is
dangerous based on this. This was Hamilton's sixth murder this year. Last year Hamilton had the lowest homicide
rate of Canadian cities over 500,000.


















So many parking lots!




There is a prison here:






_





Beasley Park














A former industrial site:
























One of my favourite rows in Hamilton. Another reminder that Beasley is not all poor.




Alleys like this are found throughout Beasley.




_