Waterdown is a village in Canada which since 2001 has been a community of Hamilton, Ontario. Waterdown is approximately 60 km west of downtown Toronto. On January 1, 2001 the new city of Hamilton was formed from the amalgamation of six municipalities: Hamilton, Ontario, Ancaster, Dundas, Flamborough, Glanbrook, and Stoney Creek. Before amalgamation, the "old" City of Hamilton had 331,121 Hamiltonians divided into 100 neighbourhoods. The new amalgamated city has 490,268 people in over 200 neighbourhoods. Waterdown was created from that part of East Flamborough Township on the edge of the Niagara Escarpment, just east of the junction of King's Highways Nos. 5 and 6, traditionally known as Clappison's Corners. In 1974, the village was amalgamated with East Flamborough, West Flamborough and Beverly townships to form the Town of Flamborough. In 2001, Flamborough and 5 other municipalities were amalgamated into the City of Hamilton. Waterdown has seen significant commercial development, including the opening of an expansive YMCA facility. Waterdown population growth was approximately 28.9% over the years 1996 and 2001. In 2012, the average house price in Waterdown was nearly $400,000. Waterdown District High School (WDHS) expanded its facilities in 2012. History Indigenous Nations Perched atop the Niagara Escarpment, the area that became Waterdown has been inhabited for thousands of years. Professor John Triggs of Wilfrid Laurier University found evidence of Algonquin-speaking Aboriginals from as far back as 7,500 BCE. One of the earliest known groups to inhabit the area was the Chonnonton Nation. Diseases introduced by French explorers and missionaries devastated the Neutral Confederacy, allowing it to fall victim to invasion by the Haudenosaunee around 1650. The Jesuits in Quebec City wrote that the Chonnonton Nation was driven from the area by 1653, with remnants of the once powerful group reportedly migrating to seek shelter with the Anishinabe nations on Lake Huron and Lake Superior. Following the war, the area around Waterdown was sparsely inhabited by newly arrived Haudenosaunee. The Haudenosaunee village of Tinawatawa (alternatively spelled Quinaouatoua) was located near to Waterdown, likely somewhere near Beverly Township, and was one of only a few villages established in the newly conquered territories. Following the upheaval of the so-called Beaver Wars the Haudenosaunee abandoned their settlements north of Lake Ontario, and the Mississaugas moved into the region. Robert de la Salle explores Flamborough 1669 saw French explorer Robert de la Salle follow Spencer Creek (from Lake Ontario) up toward present-day Westover