Halifax Guide » More About Halifax: Overview

Overview

Home to well over 100,000 people, Halifax is the Atlantic Provinces' most important harbor city, and its well-protected waters are the launching point for countless fishing and cargo ships. This young-spirited town can trace its history back to the 1740s, when British Colonel Edward Cornwallis and his men established a military post, naming the place after George Montagu Dunk, Earl of Halifax. Over the next century or so, Halifax served as the Atlantic headquarters of Britain's Royal Army and Navy. As the Navy grew, so did the need for carpenters and builders; subsequently, thanks to shipbuilding and fishing industries, Halifax grew to become one of Eastern Canada's more affluent cities. Remnants of Halifax's colonial roots can be seen today in the presence of the Citadel, a large, 19th-century stone fortress and national historic site which sits on a hill overlooking the city. In addition, wood and stone warehouses dating from the early 1800s still line the waterfront area and make up a shopping promenade; a Victorian-style city hall greets thirsty tourists with afternoon tea every day during summer months; the Georgian-style Province House (1819), Canada's oldest government building, is home to the Nova Scotia Provincial Legislature; Point Pleasant Park recollects the town's military history with its Prince of Wales Tower, an 18th century Martello tower; and St. Paul's Anglican Church rests on historic Grand Parade, constructed in 1750 and surviving as Canada's oldest Protestant church. Take time out for one of the Halifax Harbor cruises that depart from Cable Wharf – perhaps a whale-watching excursion or a trip to McNab's Island (a nature-lover's paradise crisscrossed by century-old dirt roads and home to Fort McNab and Mauger's Beach Lighthouse). Stop by the Maritime Museum of the Atlantic, which celebrates Halifax's life-long love affair with the sea. Or, if a casual stroll is in order, explore the city's historic waterfront area between Sackville and Purdy Wharf, where you'll find a number of quaint old shops and open-air cafés.