Kinda depends what part of the city you're moving to. The West End is different from downtown is different from the Mountain is different from East Hamilton.

There are lots of nice areas in the city but also some not-so-nice ones. I'd recommend checking out whatever area you might be moving to during the day and again at night.

Been a while since I've lived in the city, so I don't think I'm comfortable giving specific advice. In general, I always felt safer West or South of downtown than East or North of downtown but there's also been a bunch of gentrification in the neighborhoods closer to the lake, so maybe it's different now. I still know some people in the area so if you have specific questions, I could pass them along.

Waterfall capitol of the world. (More waterfalls per sq. Km than anywhere else) check some of the out.

You have to love a city with its warts and all to like Hamilton. The rent is heinous. I love it here, it's my adopted hometown, but there are difficult parts because of the unhoused people, the addiction, and just a lot of crumbling shitty buildings.

The surrounding suburbs (Ancaster, Dundas, Stoney Creek), the west end and the mountain are all very well appointed by and large with lovely homes and well off neighbours. But it's also like living in the desert. I want to be in the thick of it all, good and bad, right downtown, even among all the problems the unhoused folks can cause. (Unfortunately it's just a really difficult problem for individuals to solve, and the government here sure doesn't care beyond giving them some shacks from Temu, and the rest is largely dependent on volunteers). You have to decide if you want to dive in with both feet or live on the edge. Nothing wrong with either, but I want to live in community with everyone, even when they are hard to love and help.