There are several hypotheses for the significance of urban colonisation of animals but an exhaustive explanation is still missing. The question arises: is the colonisation a successful process or a detrimental misstep? Here, I describe the first case of urban colonisation of the Eurasian Goshawk in Finland, where the species is traditionally known as a shy, resident bird of remote wilderness and rural areas. I predict, that if the urban habitats are more favourable for goshawks than the habitats in Finland in general, 1) population trends should be more positive, 2) breeding output should be higher, and 3) population size and breeding output should be less affected by winter weather conditions. The urban goshawk population showed a highly significant increasing trend during the study (1996–2022), while the number of territories recorded elsewhere in Finland decreased significantly. The average annual mean brood size was not higher in the urban population than elsewhere in Finland. Winter temperatures affected the population size of the goshawk positively in urban habitats and positively or negatively elsewhere. The breeding populations crashed only after extremely cold winters, and recovered thereafter. Given that food availability over winter may be higher and energy requirements lower in warmer winters, it is possible that food promoted the colonisation of Helsinki by goshawks. Present results largely support the idea that the urban colonisation of the Eurasian Goshawk is a successful process. However, for a longer term the possibility of a detrimental misstep can not be excluded.