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Halifax, Nova Scotia

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Template:Canadian City Halifax Regional Municipality, commonly referred to HRM and often simply refered to as Halifax (44°39′N 63°35′W / 44.650°N 63.583°W / 44.650; -63.583, AST) is a Canadian regional municipality, the provincial capital, the largest population centre in Nova Scotia, and the cultural and economic centre of the Atlantic Provinces.

Halifax Regional Municipality (2001 population, 359,111) was created in 1996, through the amalgamation of the former cities of Halifax and Dartmouth, the towns of Bedford, and the Municipality of the County of Halifax. The regional municipality's boundary includes all of Halifax County except for several First Nation reserves.

The urban core area of HRM is located in the western end of the municipality, fronting on Halifax Harbour and constitutes the most populous urban area on Canada's Atlantic coast, and the second largest coastal population centre in the country, after Vancouver, British Columbia. HRM currently accounts for 40% of Nova Scotia's population, and 15% of that of the Atlantic provinces.

History

Please see main articles on Halifax, Nova Scotia, Dartmouth, Nova Scotia, Bedford, Nova Scotia and Halifax County, Nova Scotia and related articles for an in-depth history of HRM.
Halifax skyline at night

Originally named Jipugtug, or Chebucto - which means biggest harbour - by the Mi'kmaq people who lived there, the town of Halifax was founded by British General Edward Cornwallis on July 9, 1749 as a military outpost for the British with a handful of farming settlers. The town of Dartmouth was settled soon after on the opposite side of the harbour. To link the two communities, a ferry service was started between Halifax and Dartmouth that still operates today. It is the oldest saltwater ferry in North America.

The 1960s, 70s, and 80s saw less suburban sprawl than in many comparable Canadian cities. This was partly as a result of a weaker economy and smaller population base than, for example, central Canada, but also because of a deliberate local government policy to limit suburban growth. In the 1990s private developers were given more licence to build as they wished. Today HRM is by and large more compact than most Canadian cities, although there are expanses of suburban growth in Dartmouth and Sackville. One development in the late 1990s was the Bayers Lake Business Park, which a large grouping of warehouse style retailers, which has become an important and controversial centre of commerce for the city, and the province.

In the 1990s, like many other Canadian cities, Halifax amalgamated with its suburbs under a single municipal government, the Halifax Regional Municipality, rather than several individual city governments. Unlike cities in other provinces affected by amalgamation, where new municipalities official retained the name of the largest city amalgamated, Halifax is often referred to as "HRM," especially in the media.

Although discussions had been underway for decades, a deal was finally signed in 2003 that saw the construction of several sewage treatment plants around the harbour. For the first time, starting in 2006, sewage will be treated before entering the harbour.

Entrance to the Public Gardens before Hurricane Juan

On September 29, 2003, Halifax was hit by Hurricane Juan, the largest hurricane to hit the city directly since 1893. The storm caused serious disruption in the city for more than a week. The entire city lost power for a brief period, and it took up to two weeks to restore power to all areas. Several people were killed during the storm or its aftermath: A mother and two children were killed in a house fire thought to be caused by a burning candle, a paramedic was killed in downtown Halifax when a falling tree landed on his ambulance, and a man from Hants County was also killed by a falling tree.

Notable persons born in/from the Halifax Regional Municipality

Town Clock and Halifax from top of Citadel Hill

Climate and geography

Halifax Regional Municipality is situated on the rocky southeast coast of Nova Scotia. The weather, while notoriously unpredictable, is usually milder than that of central Canada, with the temperature remaining (with occasional notable exceptions) between about -5°C (23°F) and 25°C (77°F). Snow falls and melts alternately from December through March. Halifax usually experiences several strong winter storms. In February 2004 a record of 95 cm (32") of snow fell in one such storm. The storm was nicknamed "White Juan", after the recent Hurricane Juan. Spring is cool and foggy, early autumn is often sunny and warm, and summer can range from hot and dry to cool and rainy. Hurricanes are fairly uncommon but do occur occasionally. There can be considerable variations between the weather near the Atlantic Ocean and the weather even ten kilometers inland.

File:Peninsula.JPG
The Halifax Peninsula, location of the old city of Halifax and today's Capital District.

HRM stretches quite far along Nova Scotia's southeast coast, making it larger than the province of Prince Edward Island. It can take over over three hours to drive from Hubbards, located on the southern end of HRM, to Moser River, located at the north eastern tip, 195 kilometers (120 miles) away. Despite this vast size, the urban core is relatively small geographically and is situated mostly around Halifax Harbour and the Sackville River. Sable Island has historically been included in Halifax County and is also considered to be jurisdictionally part of HRM, despite being located 180 km (115 miles) offshore. HRM's boundary includes all of Halifax County, Nova Scotia, except for several First Nation reserves.

Urban HRM is built on a series of hills and plateaus surrounding Halifax harbour; the central part of the city lies on a peninsula extending into the harbour. The suburbs include many former, and some existing, fishing communities. Because of its hilly streets, foggy climate, and Victorian architecture, comparisons are sometimes drawn between Halifax and San Francisco, California. Halifax also shares many cultural ties with Boston, Massachusetts, and its twin city is Hakodate, Japan.

Education

The region is home to five degree-granting post-secondary educational institutions: Dalhousie University, Saint Mary's University, The University of King's College, and the NSCAD University are all located in Halifax, while Mount Saint Vincent University is located in Rockingham. The former Technical University of Nova Scotia is now integrated with Dalhousie University. The University of King's College shares Arts and Science faculty with Dalhousie University. The Nova Scotia Community College network maintains three major campuses in Halifax and Dartmouth.

Economy

The largest employer in HRM is government, with most provincial government departments headquartered in the area, as well as many regional offices for federal government departments and agencies. The Department of National Defence is the largest single employer and Halifax Harbour continues to serve a major military purpose as home port for Maritime Forces Atlantic. CFB Halifax is Canada's largest naval base and the nation's largest military base in number of personnel. This base is comprised of various shore-based facilities including HMC Dockyard, Stadacona, CFAD Bedford, and other adjunct facilities throughout HRM and central Nova Scotia. Approximately 2/3 of the navy's major ships are home ported in Halifax. Another major military facility is located at 12 Wing, CFB Shearwater in Eastern Passage. This is the home base of naval aviation in Canada and is presently used as a heliport for the CH-124 Sea King.

A sailing ship leaves Halifax Harbour as part of Tall Ships 2004.
For more detailed information, consult main article Halifax Harbour.

The waterfront still witnesses the marine commerce of the North Atlantic Great Circle route. The port has two major container terminals, a small oil refinery, general cargo piers and more specialized cargo handling piers for products such as automobiles and gypsum. Port facilities are also increasingly used for logistics support of offshore natural gas production platforms near Sable Island, and for ongoing oil and gas exploration. The port has a modestly active shipyard, and the Dartmouth or eastern side is also home to a Canadian Coast Guard base and the internationally renowned Bedford Institute of Oceanography. In recent years, there has been an increase in number of cruise ships. The port is also the eastern terminus of the transcontinental Canadian National Railway which maintains extensive facilities around the waterfront.

One of Halifax's first mayors, Alexander Keith, was a brewer and produced Alexander Keith's India Pale Ale. The city has a number of locally brewed beers, including Garrison's Brown and Red Ales, the Clancy's line, Propeller Extra Special Bitter. Brewpubs, include the Granite Brewery, the Rogue's Roost, and the (quite new) Olde Halifax Alehouse.

The economy of Halifax has been relatively strong in the past decade. Unemployment is low and the number of construction projects have grown steadily, especially in suburban areas such as Clayton Park and Sackville. One result has been the "gentrification" of some areas of the city, such as downtown Dartmouth, and the North End. In the North End, formerly working class area which was reconstructed following its devastation in the disaster of 1917 is now home to many affluent people, with the resulting change in character of some of its neighbourhoods. The South End, traditionally a wealthy district, has remained so. However, some areas of HRM are known for their concentrations of lower income housing, urban neglect and a preception of higher rates of crime, notably Spryfield in the city's Mainland South district, the Gottingen Street area in the old North End, north end of Dartmouth, and Lower Sackville.

Another change in recent years has been the extensive redevelopment of the waterfront in Halifax, Bedford, and Dartmouth. Traditionally the focus has been industry and shipping. However, with changes in shipping technology, the large ships now use container terminals in other locations in the harbour. The older areas have been converted to commercial use to attract the tourist trade.

Culture

Argyle Street in downtown Halifax.

Halifax is the largest city and the cultural centre of the Maritimes. HRM also has a large population of students who strongly influence and contribute to the cultural scene in the city. There are a number of art galleries and theatres in the city. The Neptune Theatre company performs mainstream popular theatre productions. In the summer, Shakespeare plays are performed in Point Pleasant Park by Shakespeare by the Sea. There are many smaller theatre companies, including the physical theatre company Zuppa Circus.

A sports and entertainment hub of the city is the Halifax Metro Centre, which is home to the QMJ hockey team "the Mooseheads," and also hosts many major indoor entertainment events in the city. Dalhousie University's Rebecca Cohn Auditorium is a popular theatre for dramatic and musical events and is home to Symphony Nova Scotia. The older Halifax Forum and the much smaller Dartmouth Sportsplex also continue to host events. Out door concerts are often performed on Citadel Hill in Halifax, and at Alderny Landing in Darmouth.

Halifax is reputed to have the highest number of bars per capita of any city in Canada, so it may be fitting that the city's hockey team is named after a beer company, Moosehead. The India pale ale Alexander Keith's is brewed in Halifax, and its founder Alexander Keith was actually also mayor of Halifax at one point. The city's Greek and Lebanese communities have also had a stong influence on the city's culture, resulting in the annual Greek Summerfest and the newer Lebanese Festival, as well as the popularity of donairs as a fast food choice.

Halifax is noted for its music scene. Many bars have live music every night of the week; artists performing almost any style of music can be found. HRM is home to a quite vibrant hip hop community. Some notable artists to have emerged from Halifax include Buck 65, Universal Soul, Classified, April Wine, and The Joel Plaskett Emergency. During the 1990s, Halifax was excitedly billed as the next Seattle because of its vibrant indie rock scene. Although it never managed to achieve Seattle's musical fame, a number of artists did emerge, including Sloan, Thrush Hermit, and Sarah McLachlan.

Halifax has also become a film making centre, with many American and Canadian filmmakers using the city's streetscapes, often to stand in for other cities that are more expensive to work in. The city's port status also makes it a popular location for films about ships; scenes from the films Titanic (1997) and K-19: The Widowmaker were filmed near Halifax.The CBC news satire show This Hour Has 22 Minutes is based in Halifax, as is the mock-reality show Trailer Park Boys.

The tourism industry has also had a strong influence on the city, certainly in the downtown core. In the summer thousands of small vendors cater to the cruise ship passengers and others who fill the town. The most popular destinations are the Public Gardens, an ornamental garden, Point Pleasant Park, the casino, the Citadel, and the shopping and restaurants downtown.

The Tall Ships Challenge came to Halifax in 2000 and 2004. The Marblehead yacht race (Boston to Halifax) is held bi-anually, while on the off years the city hosts the Route Halifax-SPM (Halifax to St. Pierre). Other festivals include the Nova Scotia International Tattoo, the Atlantic Jazz Festival, the Atlantic Film Festival, the Multicultural Festival, the Greek Summerfest, and the Busker festival held in August every year. Halifax also hosts the annual new music festival the Halifax Pop Explosion each fall.

The Halifax Port Authority has recently announced a potential plan to redevelop a waterfront area known as the Seawall (which includes Pier 21) as a Bohemian district.

Local media

Print

The Chronicle-Herald is a daily broadsheet paper, covering mainland Nova Scotia. The paper is independently owned, and usually has a moderate conservative editorial policy. The Daily News is daily tabloid paper, focusing primarily on Halifax. Its editorial style is populist conservative, and it is owned by the national media conglomerate Transcontinental Printing. The Coast is a free "alternative weekly" focused primarily on urban and especially peninsular Halifax. The independently owned paper is known for its generally left leaning or progressive editorial policy.

Television

Several television stations operate in Halifax.

See also ASN, a cable-only network operating in conjunction with ATV.

Radio

Various radio stations make Halifax home.

Demographics

Approximately 18.3% of the population is under the age of 14, whereas those 65 and older make up 11%.

Racial make-up

Religious make-up

Government

The Halifax Regional Municipality is governed by a Mayor and a twenty three person regional council, who are elected at large every four years. HRM can establish "community councils" where three or more councilors agree to form these councils to deal primarily with local development issues. Most community council decisions are subject to approval by regional council. Council has responsibility for the Halifax Regional Police Department, the Halifax Regional Library, the Halifax Regional Fire Department, parks and rec, waste management, among other issues.

The term Haligonians has been borrowed since amalgamation to apply more broadly to all residents of HRM, although many citizens in Dartmouth and smaller centres in the municipality tend to avoid use of the term when applied to themselves. In fact, despite amalgamation, most residents of the municipality (and Canada Post) still refer to the names of the pre-amalgamation municipalities when describing geographic areas.

Since its creation, rapid property value increases have resulted in HRM's budget growning to $589 million in 2005/06, up from $439 million in 1996. This has allowed HRM to proceed with major capital projects such as extension of city water to Fall River, breaking ground on the new sewage treatment system (called Harbour Solutions), and establishment of Metrolink, a bus rapid transit system.

The former city of Halifax is represented in the federal riding of Halifax. Other HRM ridings include Dartmouth—Cole Harbour, Halifax West, Sackville—Eastern Shore, and part of South Shore—St. Margaret's Bay.

In the last three provincial elections over 50% of the population of HRM has voted for the provincial New Democratic Party, putting the Halifax voters well outside the mainstream of provincial politics, split between a Liberal/Conservative voting pattern.

Transportation

Halifax International Airport, which serves Halifax, is located in the northern part of the Halifax Regional Municipality in Enfield.

Halifax is also the eastern terminus of the Canadian National Railway, which provides direct freight service to Montreal, Toronto, and Chicago for containers arriving in either of Halifax's two container ports. Via Rail Canada also operates an overnight passenger train service to Montreal six days a week.

Halifax and Dartmouth are linked by two major bridges: the Angus L. Macdonald Bridge, built in 1955, and the A. Murray MacKay Bridge, opened in 1970. A ferry system also connects the two sides with regular services throughout the day and is the oldest salt-water ferry service still operating in North America. High-speed ferries are being planned to connect downtown Halifax with Bedford, Herring Cove/Purcell's Cove, and Eastern Passage.

Traffic is problematic in many older parts of the city for several reasons. Peninsular Halifax, similar to an island, has several choke points through which any traffic leaving the area must pass: the bridges, and the Armdale Rotary. Density is increasing on the peninsuala, but the population of workers living in Bedford and Dartmouth is also increasing. In many areas the roads can no longer be widened easily, this is especially true at the Armdale Rotary (which links major roads from the mainland to those on the peninsula) and along [[Quinpool_district|Quinpool Road. A proposal in 2003-04 to widen Robie Street north of the commons met with vocal local protests, leading to a compromised, smaller expansion of the road. Many of the newer neighbourhoods benefit from expressways designed for modern automobile traffic, notably the Bicentennial (102) which runs through Clayton Park, Bedford and Sackville, and the Circumferential (111) which loops around Dartmouth and is the widest highway in the province.

Halifax is served by Metro Transit. The main forms of public transportation are the bus and the harbour ferries, however, as of 2004 the mayor, Peter Kelly, and several regional councillors also favour instituting a commuter rail system on current and abandoned railway lines in the area.

Peter Kelly, and other councillors, have also stated an interest in improving bicycle transport in the city. However, since Peter Kelly's election in 2000 little has been done, despite the creation of a part time position to oversee the planning and implementation of bicycle transport plan. In 2003 the position was eliminated, with little other than planning accomplished. Overall, Halifax remains fairly difficult for bicycles, partially as a result of geography and climate. There are an increasing number of bicycle lanes and designated bike routes in the city. Bicycling does enjoy some popularity, which has been attributed in part to the legendary courteousness of Halifax drivers.

There is a common belief among Haligonians that car drivers in Halifax are unusually courteous in comparison with drivers in other North American cities. While there is no hard evidence for the truth of this claim, the city is perceived by many to be pedestrian-friendly, with drivers yielding to pedestrians crossing the road in most places, even illegally. The result is popularly known as a "Nova Scotian traffic jam". The large number of crosswalks may also help to make the city friendlier to foot traffic.

See also: List of cities in Canada

Buildings and structures

Halifax is abundant in historic buildings, expecially in the downtown area where organizations have tried to preserve them to the best of their abilities. Groups such as these have been critisized on occasion for stunting downtown growth, and for stopping buildings from being built on empty land containing little to no historic value. In situations like this they often state reasons such as "The building doesn't fit in with it's surroundings".

Downtown Halifax is also home to a number of office high-rises, sometimes fairly unique in architecture (such as Purdy's Wharf and a new development proposed by United Gulf Developments Ltd. to possibly be built on the former TexPark site.

Prominent buildings

In alphabetical order.

  • 1801 Hollis Street (22 floors, 87 metres) - 1801 Hollis Street is an office building also located near Halifax's waterfront and is home to many prominent businesses.
  • Fenwick Tower (32 floors, 98 metres) - Fenwick Tower is a residence for the nearby Dalhousie University. It is the tallest building (not structure) in Atlantic Canada.
  • Maritime Center(Halifax (20 floors, 78 metres) - The Maritime Center is another office building home to telephone company Aliant (formerly MT&T).
  • Purdy's Wharf Business Centre - Purdy's Wharf is an office complex comprised of two towers, a smaller office building, and a large parkade located on the Halifax waterfront. They use the nearby salt-water to air-condition the buildings, and were the first buildings in the world to do so.
    • Tower 1 (20 floors, 74 metres)
    • Tower 2 (22 floors, 88 metres)
  • Scotia Square Complex - Scotia Square is a large system of buildings connected by pedways and tunnels. It houses a mall, two hotels, and offices.
    • Barrington Tower (20 floors, 84 metres) Office and commercial use. Home of Emera, which operates the Nova Scotia Power Corporation.
    • Cogswell Tower (20 floors, 79 metres) Office and commercial use.
    • Duke Tower (16 floors, 71 metres) Office and commercial use.
  • TD Tower (18 floors, 73 metres) The TD Tower is an office building home to the Toronto Dominion bank in Halifax.
  • Tuft's Cove Generating Plant (157 metres) - These 3 smokestacks are part of a power plant and are the tallest structures in Halifax and Atlantic Canada.

There are many other buildings in the Halifax area of some notable size but they are mostly just residential buildings, or smaller apartment buildings. Also all buildings on the must meet a strictly inforced by-law stating that the view from the Citadel of the harbour must not be blocked by high-rises. Also Halifax being a very cultural and historic city, the city planners are reluctant on building too many high-rises.

Neighbourhoods, towns, and villages

Major parks

Sports teams

Wikimedia Commons has media related to Halifax.
File:Hfxpan.jpg
Halifax Panorama, Chebucto Community Net
Halifax, Nova Scotia
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