n.
City (pop., 2001: city, 490,268; metro. area, 662,401), southeastern Ontario, Canada.
Located on Hamilton Harbour at the western end of Lake Ontario , it was settled by British loyalists fleeing the American Revolution . The opening of the Burlington Canal (1830), linking the harbour to Lake Ontario, led to the city's development as an important port and rail centre. It is now one of Canada's leading industrial centres and a financial hub and the site of McMaster University . The centre of an extensive fruit-growing district, it is the site of one of Canada's largest open-air markets.