Halifax, Nova Scotia

Halifax is the capital and largest city in the Canadian province of Nova Scotia. It is also the biggest city in all of Atlantic Canada. The city is officially called the Halifax Regional Municipality, or HRM.

Halifax was formed in 1996 when four smaller areas joined together. These areas are Halifax, Dartmouth, Bedford, and Halifax County. Today, it is a busy place with many jobs and businesses.

Important workplaces in Halifax include the Department of National Defence, Dalhousie University, Nova Scotia Health Authority, Saint Mary's University, the Halifax Shipyard, and the Port of Halifax. People in the countryside around Halifax work in farming, fishing, mining, forestry, and getting natural gas.

As of 2024, about 530,000 people live in the bigger area around Halifax, with around 349,000 people living in the city itself.

Etymology

The area where Halifax is now located was called "Chebucto" before settlers arrived. In 1749, Governor Edward Cornwallis founded the city and named it after George Montagu-Dunk, the 2nd Earl of Halifax. The Mi’kmaq people, who lived in the area first, called the harbour around Halifax "K'jipuktuk" or "Chebookt", which means "Chief Harbour" or "Great Harbour". They also had special names for parts of the land, like "Amntu'kati" for the downtown area and "Gooowakade" for the hillside, meaning "place of many pines".

History

Main articles: History of Halifax, Nova Scotia; History of Dartmouth, Nova Scotia; Bedford, Nova Scotia § History; and Halifax County, Nova Scotia § History

Halifax was established in 1749 when King George II asked Edward Cornwallis to create a new capital for the Colony of Nova Scotia. Cornwallis founded the Town of Halifax on June 21, 1749, bringing settlers to live there.

Over time, Halifax grew into an important place for government, trade, and building ships. Sadly, a big explosion happened in 1917 when two ships crashed into each other, causing great damage. Even so, Halifax continued to grow, and in 1996, several nearby towns joined together to form the Halifax Regional Municipality. Today, people often just call the area "Halifax."

Geography

Main article: Geography of Halifax, Nova Scotia

Halifax has warm summers and mild winters because of the warm water from the Gulf Stream. The temperature usually stays between about −8 and 28 °C (18 and 82 °F). January is the coldest month, and August is the warmest.

Some big storms, called hurricanes, have affected Halifax in the past. These storms can bring strong winds and heavy rain, sometimes causing damage.

The city of Halifax covers a large area and includes many different neighborhoods. Some places that used to be separate towns, like Dartmouth and Bedford, are now part of Halifax. There are over 200 neighborhoods in the whole area.

Culture

Main article: Culture of Halifax, Nova Scotia

Halifax is a big place for culture in the Atlantic provinces. The city keeps many of its old sea and military traditions while welcoming people from all over the world. Many students live there, and they help make the city a fun place with lots of things to see and do. Halifax has art places, theatres, museums, and big spots for sports and fun events. Some well-known spots are Halifax Pop Explosion, Symphony Nova Scotia, the Art Gallery of Nova Scotia, The Khyber, the Maritime Museum of the Atlantic and the Neptune Theatre (Halifax, Nova Scotia).

The new Halifax Central Library on Spring Garden Road is special and has won awards for how it looks. People say it is very important for the city.

Architecture

Main article: Buildings and structures in Halifax, Nova Scotia

Further information: List of tallest buildings in Halifax, Nova Scotia

Halifax has many important old buildings and places. In the middle of the city, you can see tall offices and the old Halifax Town Clock on Citadel Hill.

Public spaces

Main article: Parks in Halifax, Nova Scotia

Halifax has many beautiful places to walk and play. There are gardens, squares, big parks, and old sites. One famous square is the Grand Parade, where people have concerts and special events. Another popular spot is the wooden Halifax Boardwalk, which is a long walk by the water.

The Halifax Common is Canada’s oldest park. People play sports there, lie in the sun, or fly kites. Nearby is the Halifax Public Gardens, with beautiful plants and trees. Across the street is Victoria Park with statues and fountains.

Point Pleasant Park is a big, leafy park with old walls from long ago. On the other side of the water is the Dartmouth Commons, a big park with gardens and sports areas. There are also smaller parks like around Sullivan's Pond and Lake Banook, and the big Shubie Park with a old canal.

Tourism

Halifax shows people the beautiful sights of Nova Scotia. There are many museums and art places in the city centre. The Canadian Museum of Immigration at Pier 21 tells stories of people who came to Canada by ship. The Maritime Museum of the Atlantic has ships and a big show about the Titanic. In the summer, you can visit the old World War II ship HMCS Sackville. The Art Gallery of Nova Scotia has thousands of pieces of art.

Halifax has many important places, like Citadel Hill (Fort George). Just outside the city, Peggys Cove is very famous and many people visit it.

The waterfront in Halifax has the Halifax Boardwalk, where people shop, watch shows, and enjoy the water. Big ships stop here, and in 2024, 201 ships brought 360,000 visitors to the city.

Media

Main article: Media in Halifax, Nova Scotia

Halifax is an important place for TV and radio. CBC Television, CTV Television Network (CTV), and Global Television Network all have studios there. CBC Radio and many other radio stations are also based in Halifax.

The main newspaper is the Chronicle Herald. There are also free papers like Metro International and The Coast. Online, people read allNovaScotia, CityNews Halifax, and The Halifax Examiner.

Sports

Main article: Sport in Halifax, Nova Scotia

Halifax has several professional sports teams. You can find teams in the National Lacrosse League, the Canadian Premier League, the Northern Super League and The Basketball League. The Halifax Mooseheads play in the Quebec Maritimes Junior Hockey League, which is part of the Canadian Hockey League. The city also has four universities with sports teams.

Halifax has many places to watch sports, like the Scotiabank Centre, the Halifax Forum, the Wanderers Grounds and university sports facilities, such as Huskies Stadium.

The Halifax Mooseheads are a semi-professional hockey team that started in 1994. They have won many championships and hosted big tournaments.

The Halifax Thunderbirds joined the National Lacrosse League in 2018. Their first season ended early because of health concerns, but they won awards and made the playoffs later.

In 2019, HFX Wanderers FC started playing in the Canadian Premier League. In 2025, Halifax Tides FC began in the new Northern Super League for women’s soccer. The Halifax Hoopers joined The Basketball League in 2025.

Halifax has had teams trying to join the Canadian Football League. Plans for a team called the Atlantic Schooners started in the 1980s and again in the 2010s, but both times they couldn’t get enough support.

Former professional teams

The city once had teams in basketball and hockey that are no longer there.

Between 1971 and 1993, Halifax had three hockey teams in the American Hockey League.

University sports

Halifax has several universities with sports teams. Dalhousie University and Saint Mary's University are part of the U Sports league. Mount Saint Vincent University and University of King's College are part of the Canadian Collegiate Athletic Association.

Events

Halifax has hosted many big sports events, like the 2003 World Junior Ice Hockey Championship and the 2008 IIHF World Championship together with Quebec City.

Demographics

In the 2021 census, the Halifax area had a population of 465,703 people living in 201,138 homes out of 211,789 total homes. The area covers 7,276.22 km² and had a population density of 64.0/km².

The Halifax Regional Municipality had a population of 439,819 people living in 190,512 homes out of 200,473 total homes in 2021. This area covers 5,475.57 km² and had a population density of 80.3/km².

In 2021, immigrants made up about 12.6% of Halifax’s population. The top countries of origin for immigrants were the United Kingdom, India, China, the United States of America, the Philippines, Syria, Nigeria, Lebanon, South Korea, and Iran.

Halifax has many important religious places, including St. Paul’s Church, the oldest Christian church in the city. Other notable religious sites include St. Mary’s Basilica, The New Horizons Baptist Church, St. George’s (Round) Church, Beth Israel Synagogue, and Shaar Shalom Synagogue. The Atlantic School of Theology is also located in Halifax.

Economy

Main article: Economy of Halifax, Nova Scotia

Halifax is a big city for business and jobs in eastern Canada. It has many government offices and private companies that help keep the economy strong. Some of the biggest jobs in the city are in trade, health care, professional services, education, and public administration.

The city is home to important places like the Department of National Defence, the Port of Halifax, Irving Shipbuilding, and the Nova Scotia Health Authority. It is also growing as a place for making things and moving goods, with a busy port, an airport, and better roads and train tracks. Farming, fishing, and natural resources like gas are also important for the areas outside the city.

Government

Main article: Government in the Halifax Regional Municipality

The Halifax Regional Municipality has a mayor and a council of sixteen people who help run the city. They are chosen by people who live in different parts of the city, and elections happen every four years. The mayor right now is Andy Fillmore. The council takes care of many important things like police, libraries, fire services, water, parks, and planning.

Halifax is also where the Nova Scotia House of Assembly meets. This is Canada’s oldest assembly and a special building called Province House. It is very old and famous for its beautiful design.

Education

Main article: Education in Halifax, Nova Scotia

Halifax has many schools, both public and private, for children from early years up to grade twelve. Most of the public schools are managed by the Halifax Regional Centre for Education, with a few others run by the Conseil scolaire acadien provincial. There are also private schools that operate on their own.

Transportation

Main article: Transportation in Halifax, Nova Scotia

Air

Halifax Stanfield International Airport is the main airport for Halifax and much of the province. It offers flights within Canada and to places around the world. In 2022, over three million people used this airport, making it one of Canada's busiest. Shearwater, part of CFB Halifax, is an air base for helicopters used by the Royal Canadian Navy. It is located on the eastern side of Halifax Harbour.

Cycling

Main article: Cycling in Halifax, Nova Scotia

Halifax has been working hard to make it easier and safer for people to ride bikes. The city now has about 100 kilometres of bike paths, and more than 89 kilometres of these are special lanes just for bicycles.

Road

The city’s main roads connect through the Angus L. Macdonald and A. Murray MacKay bridges, plus a network of fast roads called the 100-series highways. Important roads like Nova Scotia Trunk 7 and Nova Scotia Trunk 2 also serve the area. Nova Scotia Highway 111 acts like a ring road on the northwest side of the city.

Public transit

People can get around using buses and ferries operated by Halifax Transit. The ferries, which only allow walking passengers, connect Halifax and Dartmouth and are the oldest continuously running ferry service in North America, starting in 1752.

Rail

The Halifax Port Authority has many shipping terminals that are the end point for Canadian National Railway’s network across the country. Via Rail Canada runs a train called the Ocean from the Halifax Railway Station to Montreal three times a week. This train has sleeping rooms and stops at big towns along the way, like Moncton. The station is also where Maritime Bus starts its trips to places across the Maritimes.

Water

Halifax Harbour is an important port for many shipping companies and is managed by the Halifax Port Authority. The Royal Canadian Navy and the Canadian Coast Guard have big bases along the coast in Halifax and Dartmouth. The harbour also has a public ferry service linking downtown Halifax with two places in Dartmouth, with plans to add another ferry route to Bedford by 2028.

Sheet Harbour is another big port in the area, serving factories and other industries on the Eastern Shore.

Sister cities

Halifax has several sister cities around the world.

Halifax and Hakodate, Japan became sister cities in 1982 because both have star forts and are important sea ports.

Campeche, Mexico became a sister city in 1999 because it is also a state capital near the coast with a rich history, similar to Halifax.

Norfolk, Virginia, United States joined as a sister city in 2006 because both cities have strong ties to the military and proud histories.

Finally, Portsmouth, England became Halifax's latest sister city in 2023. Both cities are important places for ships and universities.

Notable Haligonians

Main article: List of people from the Halifax Regional Municipality

See also: Poet Laureate of Halifax, Nova Scotia

Halifax, Nova Scotia, has been home to many famous people who have made their mark in different fields. The city has produced notable individuals in arts, sports, and public service. For a full list of people from the Halifax Regional Municipality, you can visit the list of people from this area. Additionally, the city also has a special position for a Poet Laureate, who represents the city's rich culture and history through poetry.