Stoney Creek, a community nestled in the city of Hamilton, Ontario, is a place where history and modernity coexist. From 1984 to 2001, Stoney Creek was officially recognized as a city before it amalgamated with the rest of the cities of the Regional Municipality of Hamilton–Wentworth.
Situated on the south shore of western Lake Ontario, Stoney Creek is located east of downtown Hamilton. The community is fed by the watercourses of Stoney Creek and several other minor streams. The historic area, known as the "Old Town," lies below the Niagara Escarpment. Despite experiencing residential growth in the 1970s, 1980s, 1990s, and 2000s, most of Stoney Creek's land mass remains agricultural. The communities of Elfrida, Fruitland, Tapleytown, Tweedside, Vinemount, and Winona serve as distinct reminders of Stoney Creek and Saltfleet Township's agricultural legacy.
Stoney Creek was first inhabited by Canadian First Nations and later explored by French-Canadian fur traders before the area was settled by Loyalists fleeing the American Revolution in the late 1700s. The name 'Stoney Creek' is derived from the area's central watercourse, which runs from the Devil's Punchbowl, in the Niagara Escarpment, to Lake Ontario. On 6 June 1813, the settlement gained notability during the War of 1812 as the site of the eponymous battle.
According to the 2021 census, Stoney Creek's population had risen to 112,028, up from 59,327 in the 2001 census. The median age of the population was 43.2. Children under 14 years of age totaled 19.4% while those in retirement age constituted 12.6% of the total population. A quarter of the population was foreign born. The census showed that Stoney Creek was 92.72% white (European), 3.0% South Asian, 1.0% Black, 1.0% mixed race, and 0.6% Chinese.
Stoney Creek is home to several attractions, including the Battlefield House and the Erland Lee Museum, the site of the first Women's Institute in the World. The Bruce Trail provides access to Battlefield Park and the Devil's Punch Bowl, which offers an excellent lookout for both Stoney Creek and Hamilton. Other notable green spaces include Fifty Point Conservation Area, which includes camping and a small craft harbour. The Winona Peach Festival and the Stoney Creek Flag Festival are held every summer, offering homegrown fruit, crafts, and music.
Stoney Creek is served by the Queen Elizabeth Way, various current or former Ontario provincial highways, and a largely irregular network of residential streets. Public transit is provided by the Hamilton Street Railway, which has been operated in Stoney Creek by the regional government since 1974 and the megacity government since 2001.
