Hamilton, Bermuda facts for kids

Quick facts for kids Hamilton
City
Front Street in Hamilton
Flag Coat of arms
Hamilton Location in Bermuda Show map of Bermuda Hamilton Location in North Atlantic Show map of North Atlantic
Country	United Kingdom
Territory	Bermuda
Parish	Pembroke
Founded	1790
Area
• Total	0.28 sq mi (0.7 km2)
Population  (2016)
• Total	854
• Density	3,050/sq mi (1,180/km2)
Time zone	UTC−04:00 (Atlantic Standard Time)
• Summer (DST)	UTC−03:00 (Atlantic Daylight Time)
Climate	Af

The City of Hamilton is the capital city of Bermuda, a British territory. It's located in Pembroke Parish. Hamilton is a very important place for business and a popular spot for tourists. Even though it's a capital city, it has a small population of only 854 people (as of 2016).

History of Hamilton

Hamilton's story as a British city began in 1790. The government of Bermuda decided to set aside land for its future capital. It officially became a city in 1793 and was named after Governor Henry Hamilton.

The capital of Bermuda moved to Hamilton from St George's in 1815. Since then, Hamilton has been the main center for politics and military in Bermuda. Important government buildings like the parliament and Government House are here.

Hamilton became a city in 1897. This was before the main church, the Cathedral of the Most Holy Trinity, was finished in 1911. Later, a Catholic church called St. Theresa's was also built.

In 1975, Queen Elizabeth II visited Hamilton's City Hall with Prince Philip.

Today, Hamilton is mostly a business area with many office buildings and shops. There's a rule that new buildings can't be so tall that they block the view of the cathedral. However, in recent years, some taller buildings have been planned or built. The city has changed a lot over time!

Geography of Hamilton

Hamilton is on the north side of Hamilton Harbour. It's Bermuda's main port, where ships come and go. Even though there's a parish with the same name, the city of Hamilton is actually in Pembroke Parish. The city got its name from Sir Henry Hamilton, who was the governor from 1786 to 1793. The parish of Hamilton existed before the city.

Hamilton is the administrative capital of Bermuda. While only about 854 people live there permanently, many more people (around 13,340 in 2010) come to work in Hamilton every day. Hamilton is the only officially recognized city in Bermuda. It is smaller than the older town of St. George's.

Economy and Business

Bermuda is known for its strong international business economy. Many foreign companies have their offices here. Hamilton is a major center for financial services, like insurance and investment funds. Most of this important business happens right in Hamilton.

Many big international insurance companies are based in Hamilton. About 400 international businesses have physical offices in Bermuda, and over 1,500 international companies are registered there.

Famous companies like Bacardi (drinks), Genpact (outsourcing), and Frontline Ltd. (shipping) have their main offices in Hamilton. The city is attractive to companies because of its low corporate tax rates. The largest grocery store in Bermuda, The MarketPlace, also has its main office in Hamilton.

Cost of Living

Hamilton, Bermuda, is known for being one of the most expensive places to live in the world. In 2023, it had a very high cost of living index.

Symbols of Hamilton

Coat of arms of the city of Hamilton

Flag of the city of Hamilton

The coat of arms of Hamilton shows a golden sailing ship on a blue shield. It also has three golden flowers called cinquefoils. A mermaid and a sea horse support the shield. The city's motto, "Sparsa Collegit," means "Hamilton has assembled the scattered."

The city's flag looks like the shield from the coat of arms. It has the same ship and flowers, but the flowers are white instead of gold.

Parks

Hamilton has many parks for its size. One of the most famous is Victoria Park, named after Queen Victoria. It takes up a whole city block. Other parks include Par La Ville Park, Barr's Park, All Buoy's Point Park, and the hidden Cedar Park.

Panorama of Hamilton, 1911. View from Fort Hamilton.

Panorama of Hamilton, 2007. Same vantage.

Climate

Hamilton has a warm, tropical climate, even though it's a bit north of the main tropical areas. This is because the North Atlantic Ocean and the nearby Gulf Stream keep the temperatures mild. It's warm enough for tropical plants like coconut palms to grow.

Summers are warm and humid, and winters are semi-warm. It rarely gets very hot or very cold. There's a lot of rain throughout the year, and Hamilton doesn't have a dry season. Summer rain often comes from thunderstorms or tropical storms. Winter rain usually comes from larger weather systems.

Education

Hamilton has several schools:

• Dellwood Middle School (a public middle school)
• Mount Saint Agnes Academy (a private school)
• Bermuda Centre for Creative Learning (a private school)
• Bermuda High School for Girls (a private school)
• Saltus Grammar School (a private school)

Sports and Activities

Hamilton's beautiful beaches offer many chances for water sports. You can go surfing, windsurfing, water skiing, jet skiing, sailing, and diving.

A big event in the sports calendar is the Bermuda Gold Cup. This is a sailing race that is part of the World Match Racing Tour. It's one of the most important sailing championships in the world. The Gold Cup brings the best sailors from around the globe to Bermuda for five days of exciting one-on-one races. What's cool is that you can watch the races from just 15 meters away from the shore!

The Bermuda Gold Cup started in 1937. The original trophy was given by King Edward VII in 1907.

Getting Around Hamilton

Buses

Bus Terminal, Hamilton, Bermuda

Almost all bus routes in Bermuda start from the bus terminal in Hamilton. Here are some of the routes:

• Route 1 – Hamilton / Grotto Bay / St. George's
• Route 2 – Hamilton / Ord Road
• Route 3 – Hamilton / Grotto Bay / St. George's
• Route 4 – Hamilton / Spanish Point
• Route 5 – Hamilton / Pond Hill
• Route 7 – Hamilton / Barnes Corner via South Shore Road
• Route 8 & 8C – Hamilton / Barnes Corner; Hamilton / Dockyard; Hamilton / Somerset via Middle Road
• Route 9 – Hamilton / Prospect (National Stadium)
• Route 10 – Hamilton / St. George's via North Shore past Aquarium
• Route 11 – Hamilton / St. George's via North Shore Road

Famous People from Hamilton

Many interesting people have connections to Hamilton:

• Johnny Barnes (1923–2016) was a beloved Bermudian who waved to traffic every workday morning, rain or shine.
• Lena Headey (born 1973) is an English actress known for her roles in movies and TV shows.
• Gina Swainson (born 1958) won Miss World in 1979 and was also first runner-up at Miss Universe 1979.
• Shaun Goater (born 1970) is a famous Bermudian former football player who played for many English clubs.
• Nahki Wells (born 1990) is a footballer who plays for Bristol City F.C. and the Bermuda national team.

Images for kids

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  West end of Hamilton Wharf, 1857

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  Old Government House, Mount Langton, 1857

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  The Hamilton Hotel in 1875

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  City Hall in Hamilton

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  Trinity Church chapel-of-ease in 1879

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  Trinity Church after the fire in 1884

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  A Church Parade by the Royal Navy and British Army in front of the incomplete cathedral, circa 1900

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  The Cathedral of the Most Holy Trinity, which replaced the original Trinity Church destroyed by fire

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  Soldiers of the 38th Battalion (Ottawa), Canadian Expeditionary Force marching on Queen Street in 1915.

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  2/4th Battalion of the East Yorkshire Regiment guard on Front Street, inspected by General Sir James Willcocks on his arrival to replace Lieutenant-General Sir George Mackworth Bullock as Governor and Commander-in-Chief of Bermuda in 1917.

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  HMS Caradoc (D60) berthed on Front Street, circa 1928.

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  Bermuda Volunteer Engineers on the steps of the Masonic Hall on Reid Street in 1934.

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  The City of Hamilton and Hamilton Harbour in the mid-1920s

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  Remembrance Day Parade by the Governor of Bermuda, war veterans, Royal Navy, Royal Bermuda Regiment, Bermuda Police Service and other uniformed services at the Cenotaph on Front Street.

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  Front Street

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  Chancery Lane

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  View from the cathedral's tower

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  Sessions House, home of Bermuda's House of Assembly and Supreme Court

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  Cabinet Building, home to Bermuda's Senate

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  Fort Hamilton

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  Saint Theresa's Cathedral

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  The image of the Lord Holy Christ of the Miracles, devoted by all the Azoreans in Bermuda islands.

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  Queen's Birthday Parade on Front Street in June, 2000

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  Colour party of the Royal Bermuda Regiment at Queen's Birthday Parade on Front street (at its intersection with Burnaby Street) on 10 June 2017

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  A police car of the Bermuda Police Service drives westward on Front Street on the 6 June, 2006, responding to an incident

See also

In Spanish: Hamilton (Bermudas) para niños