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The community of Halifax, Nova Scotia was created on 1 April 1996, when the City of Dartmouth, the City of Halifax, the Town of Bedford, and the County of Halifax amalgamated and formed the Halifax Regional Municipality.
- Settlement
- Development
- Cityscape
- Population
- Economy and Labour Force
- Transportation
- Communications
- Government and Politics
- Cultural Life
Human settlement of present day Nova Scotia dates back to the end of the last Ice Age, approximately 13,000 years ago, when groups of hunter gatherers moved into the area to hunt caribou. Oral tradition identifies these early settlers as the forefathers of the Mi’kmaq people, who occupied a territory stretching from the Gaspé Peninsula to Cape Bret...
Halifax is on the margin of the Canadian, North American and North Atlantic trading world. This location led to slower growth than most other large Canadian cities. Until the early 19th century exports of fish and forest staples were comparatively small and trade activity risky. During the Napoleonic Wars (1793-1815) wartime activity buoyed the loc...
Early Halifax stretched north and south for several kilometres along the harbour, flanked to the west by the Halifax Citadel and the Common. The city followed a symmetrical plan, with rectangular streets running up the slope from the waterfront. The Naval Dockyard, built in 1759, occupied a site in the North Suburbs, which remains a working-class d...
When Halifax was founded in 1749, the majority of residents were from England, Ireland and Scotland. Soon after they were joined by immigrants from Germany and America. Black people, some from Africa, others escaping enslavement in the United States, settled in or near Halifax beginning in the 18th century. The first large group of Black people to ...
Halifax is a major economic centre, representing over half of Nova Scotia’s economy. The city’s economic growth is comparable to other large Canadian cities outside of Western Canada, and is based on a mix of private and public services, which provide a stable economic base. Trade, health care and social assistance, education, and public administra...
Halifax is the principal port in the Maritimes, handling over 1,500 vessels per year. Halifax’s port infrastructure includes two large container terminals, which are currently being upgraded and expanded. Many containers unloaded at the port travel over the Canadian National Railway's lines. CN is the successor of the Intercolonial Railway, which w...
Halifax has a rich literary and printing heritage. The Halifax Gazette was Canada’s first newspaper, and was first printed in 1752. Another famous historical newspaper is the 19th-century Novascotian, once a forum for Joseph Howe's reform politics. These two newspapers are no longer published, but Halifax is currently served by the daily Chronicle-...
Continuity and accommodation mark Halifax politics, but significant reforms have occurred through the city's history. Canada's first elective assembly was in Halifax in 1758 (see Representative Government). Until it was incorporated as a city in 1841 local affairs were governed by appointed colonial officials, often called a "clique of magistrates....
Halifax is the cultural centre of Nova Scotia. From its founding music, art and the theatre have been central attractions. When it was a garrison town many officers both supported and participated in these activities. The Neptune Theatre, the Nova Scotia College of Art and Design and Symphony Nova Scotia continue these traditions. The Art Gallery o...
3 days ago · Halifax is a navy creation. It owes its existence largely to its location on one of the largest and deepest ice-free natural harbours in the world, which, over time, made Halifax one of the most important Canadian commercial ports on the Atlantic seaboard.
- Brett Mcgillivray
From its very beginnings, then, Halifax was home to a surprising variety of peoples. Halifax was founded as a deliberative act of British imperial policy, in the ongoing struggle with France for North American empire, not ended until the fall of Quebec in 1759.
The establishment of the Town of Halifax, named after the 2nd Earl of Halifax, in 1749 led to the colonial capital being transferred from Annapolis Royal. The establishment of Halifax marked the beginning of Father Le Loutre's War.
This timeline of the history of the Halifax Regional Municipality documents all events that had happened in Halifax, Nova Scotia, Canada, including historical events in the former city of Dartmouth, the Town of Bedford and Halifax County. Events date back to the early 18th century and continue until the present in chronological order.
As a means of commemorating the 250th anniversary of Halifax, the Archives — which has been a keeper of Nova Scotia's documentary heritage for nearly 150 of those years — wanted very much to contribute a product which would help to define the city across its long history.
