Happy birthday Hamilton!

Editor's note: This article was originally published on Jan. 8, 2007.

Happy birthday to you!

Today is the 174th anniversary of Hamilton's incorporation as a town.

On Jan. 8, 1833, the legislative council of Upper Canada passed the Act to Define the Limits of the Town of Hamilton, in the District of Gore and to Establish a Police and Public Market therein" - quite a mouthful for a newborn town.

The Upper Canada House of Assembly passed it into law 10 days later.

Hamilton left small town status far behind and became the Ambitious City 13 years later on June 9, 1846.

Some may think Hamilton would have been better off to stay a town - perhaps those who want to overturn the 2000 amalgamation of the former municipalities of Dundas, Flamborough, Ancaster, Glanbrook and Stoney Creek with Hamilton.

Oakville has managed to keep its town status for 150 years.

That's right, 2007 is the 150th anniversary of the big little town's incorporation.

But Citylog knows the town where there are more maple trees than oaks harbours secret longings for big status.

The town's own website calls it ... a beautiful lakeside city."

Maybe it's because Oakville, with 145,000 people, is no longer Canada's biggest town.

That honour goes to Markham, home to 208,615 souls.

So what. The Hammer, with 490,288 residents, is bigger than the two of them combined.