Halifax Peninsula
From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
The Halifax Peninsula is a Canadian peninsula located in the community of Halifax Nova Scotia part of the Halifax Regional Municipality (HRM) in Nova Scotia extending from the western shore of Halifax Harbour.
The peninsula is connected to the much larger Chebucto Peninsula by an isthmus measuring 2.6 km, defined by Fairview Cove and the Bedford Basin to the north and the Northwest Arm to the southwest. The Halifax Peninsula creates The Narrows, a constriction of Halifax Harbour to its east.
Measuring 3.3 km at its widest and 7.5 km at its longest, the peninsula's topography is relatively flat near the isthmus where Chebucto Field, an aerodrome that preceded Halifax International Airport was located. The northern end of the peninsula rises to a glacial drumlin at Fort Needham (approx. 60 m above sea level), with the central area of the peninsula being a plateau roughly 40-50 m. in elevation. Another drumlin approx. 60 m above sea level is located at Citadel Hill and immediately offshore to the east at Georges Island.
Although now located entirely within HRM, the peninsula was the original host to the town and now former City of Halifax. The original settlement was clustered in the southeastern part of the peninsula along The Narrows, between a series of forts (Fort Needham to the north, Fort George (Citadel Hill) in the middle, and Fort Massey to the south) and the harbour. The settlement expanded beyond its walls and gradually encroached over the entire peninsula, creating residential neighbourhoods defined by the peninsula's geography (in addition to the central business district) and referred to by Haligonians as:
- North End
- South End, including Point Pleasant Park at the southernmost part of the peninsula
- West End
During 1916-1919 a mega construction project was undertaken by Canadian Government Railways (later Canadian National Railway) along the peninsula's Northwest Arm shoreline which saw a 4 km long rock cut blasted up to 30 m deep for a railway line running from Fairview Cove to serve the new Halifax Ocean Terminals which were built at the southeastern end; the rock from blasting work in the cut being used as infill for a portion of The Narrows.
The former city of Halifax was contained entirely within the Halifax Peninsula, however in 1969, municipal amalgamation saw adjacent rural areas of Halifax County west of the isthmus amalgamated into the city, including Rockingham and Spryfield. Following the dissolution of the city of Halifax in 1996 with the creation of the HRM, the peninsula has been referred to as the Halifax Pensinsula by the municipal government, with the areas of Rockingham and Spryfield being included in the Halifax Mainland district; residents of Halifax Peninsula engender mild annoyance to the residents of Halifax Mainland by considering their community and neighbourhoods to be the "real" Halifax, relegating Halifax Mainland to mere suburbs.
