Halifax Peninsula facts for kids

Quick facts for kids Halifax Peninsula Old Halifax
From top right, pictures are Town Clock, Hydrostone Shops, HUGA Trail, Saunders Park, and the Halifax Central Library.
Location of Halifax Peninsula in municipal Halifax.
Halifax Peninsula Location in Nova Scotia
Country	Canada
Province	Nova Scotia
Municipality	Halifax
Community	Halifax
Municipal Districts	District 7 (Halifax South Downtown), District 8 (Halifax Peninsula North), District 9 (Halifax West Armdale)
Founded	1749
Neighborhoods	Downtown, Hydrostone, North End, Quinpool, South End, Spring Garden, West End
Government
• Type	Municipal Council
Area
• Total	18.949 km2 (7.316 sq mi)
Population  (2021)
• Total	72,169
• Density	3,808/km2 (9,860/sq mi)
• Change 2016-2021	14.1
Time zone	UTC−4 (AST)
• Summer (DST)	UTC−3 (ADT)
Postal code span	B3H, B3J, B3K, B3L
Area code(s)	782, 902
Part of a series about Places in Nova Scotia

The Halifax Peninsula is a special piece of land in Halifax, Nova Scotia. It's where the main part of the city is located. This area is surrounded by water on three sides, making it a peninsula.

History of the Halifax Peninsula

The town of Halifax was started by the British government in 1749. A governor named Edward Cornwallis led the first settlers. They built the town in the southeastern part of the peninsula, protected by forts like Citadel Hill. Over time, the town grew beyond its original walls and spread across the entire peninsula.

From 1749 to 1841, Halifax was a town. It officially became a city in 1841. Until 1969, the whole peninsula was known as the City of Halifax.

Many important schools were founded here. University of King's College started in 1789. Saint Mary's University followed in 1802, and Dalhousie University in 1818. NSCAD University opened in 1867.

In 1867, the beautiful Halifax Public Gardens and Victoria Park, Halifax were created. These parks still have many old monuments from the Victorian era.

Between 1916 and 1919, a huge railway project took place. Workers blasted a 4-kilometer long rock cut up to 30 meters deep. This was to build a railway line to serve the new Halifax Ocean Terminals. The rocks from the blasting were used to fill in part of The Narrows, a narrow section of the harbour.

In 1969, some nearby areas like Armdale and Clayton Park joined the City of Halifax. Then, on April 1, 1996, the entire Halifax County was reorganized. All its towns and villages became part of a new, larger municipality called the Halifax Regional Municipality. The Halifax Peninsula became part of the "community" of Halifax within this new municipality.

Today, the Peninsula is a busy and important part of the Halifax community.

Geography of the Peninsula

Halifax Harbour from the air looking South, showing the Halifax Peninsula at the upper right.

The Halifax Peninsula is located on the western side of Halifax Harbour. It connects to the larger Chebucto Peninsula by a narrow strip of land called an isthmus. This strip is about 2.6 kilometers long. Joseph Howe Drive is generally seen as the boundary between the main part of Halifax and the peninsula. The peninsula also helps form The Narrows, which is a tight part of Halifax Harbour to its east.

The peninsula is about 3.3 kilometers wide at its widest point and 7.5 kilometers long. The land is fairly flat near the isthmus. The northern part of the peninsula rises to about 60 meters above sea level at Fort Needham. The middle part is a plateau, about 40-50 meters high. Another hill, about 60 meters high, is at Citadel Hill.

Neighborhoods

The Halifax Peninsula is home to many different neighborhoods. Some of the well-known ones include:

• Downtown
• Hydrostone
• North End
• Quinpool
• South End
• Spring Garden
• West End

There are also historic neighborhoods like Africville and Richmond.

Land and Soil

The ground beneath the peninsula is made of very old rock called Precambrian slate. During the Pleistocene Ice Age, glaciers moved across the land. They changed the rock surface into a type of soil called till. Glaciers also moved reddish soil from the north and piled it up to form Citadel Hill.

Parks and Recreation

The Halifax Peninsula has many places for fun and learning!

Art Gallery of Nova Scotia (former Halifax Federal Building)

Oxford Theatre, on Quinpool Road in the peninsula's West End

Fun Places to Visit

• Arenas: Scotiabank Centre
• Art Galleries: Art Gallery of Nova Scotia
• Museums:
  • Africville Museum
  • Canadian Museum of Immigration at Pier 21
  • Maritime Museum of the Atlantic
  • Museum of Natural History
• Parks:
  • Halifax Public Gardens
  • Point Pleasant Park
  • Victoria Park
  • Fort Needham Memorial Park
  • Hydrostone Park
• Pools:
  • Centennial Pool
  • Dalplex
  • Needham Pool and Recreation Centre
• Libraries:
  • Halifax Central Library
  • Halifax North Memorial Public Library

Population and People

The number of people living on the peninsula has changed over time. In 1961, there were over 92,500 people. The population then went down for a while. However, in recent years, it has started to grow again!

In 2016, about 63,210 people lived here. By 2021, the population grew to 72,169 people. This was a big increase of 14.1% in just five years!

Census Tract	Land area (km2)	Population (2021)	Population (2016)	Population Density (people per km2) (2021)	Population Change (%)
2050003.00	2.365	2,885	2,955	1,219	2.4
2050004.01	0.481	4,045	3,466	8,402	16.7
2050004.02	0.482	5,466	4,771	11,340	14.6
2050005.00	0.769	1,813	1,808	2,358	0.3
2050006.00	1.054	3,553	3,129	3,371	13.6
2050007.00	1.16	1,947	1,859	1,677	4.7
2050008.00	0.504	5,203	2,778	10,325	87.3
2050009.00	0.635	2,875	2,357	4,528	22
2050010.00	0.834	6,019	5,036	7,213	19.5
2050011.00	0.808	6,013	5,631	7,446	6.8
2050012.00	0.518	2,901	2,482	5,598	16.9
2050013.00	0.805	2,630	2,561	3,267	2.7
2050018.00	1.397	3,758	3,544	2,690	6
2050019.00	0.891	5,126	5,062	5,755	1.3
2050020.00	0.999	3,602	2,562	3,607	40.6
2050021.00	0.877	3,544	3,314	4,041	6.9
2050022.00	2.833	5,581	5,301	1,969	5.3
2050023.00	1.537	5,208	4,594	3,388	13.4
Peninsula	18.949	72,169	63,210	3,808	14.1

Economy

Since many people live here, the peninsula is a busy place for businesses. You can find many shops, restaurants, and services. It also has hospitals and universities.

Transportation

Getting Around by Train

The Halifax Station is where you can catch a train called the Ocean. This train travels from Halifax all the way to Montreal once a week. It's the easternmost train station for this route.

Getting Around by Road

The peninsula has many roads and streets. A main road is Robie Street, which is about 4 kilometers long.

Public Transit

Halifax Transit offers many bus routes that go all over the peninsula. There are two main bus stations: the Scotia Square Terminal in the South End and the Mumford Terminal in the West End.

Bus Routes

Here are some of the bus routes you can find on the peninsula:

• Wheelchair – These buses are easy for everyone to use.
• Rush Hour Service Only – These buses run only during busy times of the day.
• Designated Bike Route – You can bring your bike on these buses!
• MetroLink Service
• MetroX Service

Route number	Route name	Features	Inner terminal	Outer terminal	Notes
1	Spring Garden		Mumford	Bridge
2	Fairview		Water Street	Lacewood
3	Crosstown		Mumford	Bridge; Highfield; Lacewood
4	Universities		Dalhousie University, Saint Mary's University	Lacewood
5	Portland		Scotia Square	Bridge; Penhorn; Portland Hills
7 (7ᴀ/7ʙ)	Peninsula		Scotia Square		7ᴀ runs in a clockwise direction, and 7ʙ runs in a counter-clockwise direction.
8	Sackville		Scotia Square	Bayers Road Centre; Cobequid; Sackville
10	Dalhousie		Scotia Square	Bridge; M District
29	Barrington		Scotia Square; Water Street	Bayers Road; Mumford

Ferry Service

There is also a ferry service that leaves from Downtown Halifax. You can catch it at the Halifax Ferry Terminal. The ferry connects to two other terminals: the Alderney Terminal in Downtown Dartmouth and the Woodside Terminal in Woodside.

Route number	Route name	Features	Inner terminal	Outer terminal	Notes
	Alderney		Halifax	Alderney	The Alderney ferry travels between the Halifax terminal in Downtown Halifax and the Alderney terminal in Downtown Dartmouth.
	Woodside		Halifax	Woodside	The Woodside ferry travels between the Halifax terminal in Downtown Halifax and the Woodside terminal in Woodside.

Education

The Halifax Peninsula has many schools and universities for students of all ages.

Colleges

• Academy of Learning Career College
• Eastern College - Halifax Campus
• Nova Scotia Community College Institute of Technology Campus

Schools for Special Education

The Halifax School for the Blind helps students who are blind or have low vision. It is managed by the Atlantic Provinces Special Education Authority (APSEA).

Private Schools

• Armbrae Academy
• Halifax Grammar School
• Sacred Heart School of Halifax
• Shambhala School

Public Schools

All public schools on the peninsula are managed by the Halifax Regional Centre for Education.

• Citadel High School
• Gorsebrook Junior High School
• Halifax Central Junior High School
• Highland Park Junior High School
• Joseph Howe Elementary School
• LeMarchant-St. Thomas Elementary School
• St. Mary's Elementary School

Universities

• Dalhousie University
• NSCAD University
• University of King's College
• Saint Mary's University
• Université Sainte-Anne Campus de Halifax