Porters Lake, Nova Scotia facts for kids
Porters Lake is a community located in the Eastern Shore area of Halifax, Nova Scotia, Canada. In 2011, about 3,200 people lived here. It sits between two main roads, Trunk 7 and Route 207, and is about 28 kilometers from Halifax. Many residents travel to jobs in places like Dartmouth or Downtown Halifax. The community gets its name from the large lake it is built around.
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Discovering Porters Lake
Quick facts for kids Porters Lake |
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Porters Lake in the Fall of 2016.
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 Porters Lake
Location in Nova Scotia
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| Location | Halifax County, Nova Scotia |
| Coordinates | 44°43′40″N 63°18′00″W / 44.72778°N 63.30000°W |
| Type | Glacial Lake |
| Primary inflows | East Brook, West Brook |
| Primary outflows | Rocky Run |
| Basin countries | Canada |
| Max. length | 19 kilometres (12 mi) |
| Max. width | 1 kilometre (0.62 mi) |
| Surface area | N/A |
| Max. depth | 30 metres (98 ft) |
| Surface elevation | 0 m (0 ft) |
| Islands | several small islands in the south part of the lake |
| Settlements | Porters Lake, Nova Scotia |
Porters Lake is a long, narrow lake, shaped a bit like a crescent moon. It stretches for about 19 kilometers but is never wider than one kilometer. The lake's depth changes a lot from one end to the other. The south end is usually about 5 meters deep. However, the north end is much deeper, averaging around 12 meters. One spot in the lake even reaches a depth of 30 meters!
This lake is a very popular spot for recreational boating. What makes Porters Lake unique is its connection to the Atlantic Ocean near Lawrencetown Beach. Because of this, the water's saltiness, or salinity, varies. The north end of the lake has almost completely fresh water, while the south end is nearly as salty as ocean water.
Several communities are located around Porters Lake. These include Porters Lake itself, Middle Porters Lake, West Porters Lake, East Lawrencetown, Three Fathom Harbour, and Seaforth. You can find Porters Lake Provincial Park along the west side of the lake.
Local Parks and Green Spaces
- Porters Lake Provincial Park
The 2008 Porters Lake Fire
On June 13, 2008, a large forest fire started in the Porters Lake area. This fire caused a lot of damage. Two houses were completely destroyed, and more than 20 others were damaged. The fire burned nearly 4,800 acres of land.
Because of the fire, over 5,000 residents had to leave their homes for safety. Several major roads were also closed for three days. It is believed that the fire started from a campfire. Experts determined that leftover debris from Hurricane Juan helped the fire spread. This event was the biggest fire in an urban area of Nova Scotia in 30 years.
Famous Street Names
Porters Lake is home to three streets with very unusual names: This Street, That Street, and The Other Street. These names became quite famous online in the late 2010s. People shared them on social media sites like Reddit, Tumblr, and Twitter, making them an Internet meme.
The unique names were first mentioned in a 2013 article by the Huffington Post. Later, they appeared in a list of strange street names in the United States published by Mental Floss. In 2019, Narcity also included them in a list of Canada's most unusual street names.
Community Facts
- Total population: 3,217 people
- Total homes: 1,286 dwellings
- Total land area: 91.573 square kilometers
