Highfield Park, Nova Scotia

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Highfield Park is a neighbourhood located in the north end of the former city of Dartmouth in Nova Scotia's Halifax Regional Municipality.

Highfield Park is located in the larger community of Albro Lake (also a part of the North End) and is situated on the former site of the Royal Canadian Navy's Naval Radio Station Albro Lake. Following the unification of Canada's military to form the Canadian Armed Forces in 1968, Naval Radio Station Albro Lake was closed and the land surrounding the lake was opened for development during the 1970s and 1980s.

Highfield Park is situated at the northern extremity of Dartmouth, immediately south of Highway 111, which separates the neighbourhood from an industrial park in Burnside further to the north. The eastern side of Highfield Park is defined by the neighbourhood of Crystal Heights (as well as Highway 111 as it curves around Albro Lake). Victoria Road defines the southern boundary of the neighbourhood.

[edit] Socio-economic problems

A large number of high-density, poorly-constructed rental apartment buildings were authorized under poor zoning bylaws by the former City of Dartmouth during the 1970s and 1980s. A large number were constructed by Homburg Canada Inc. and this rental income, along with later sales of apartment buildings, served to finance that company's growth in regional, national, and international commercial and residential real estate.

The poor development guidelines have led to Highfield Park having depressed rental values and it has become a primary low-income housing area in HRM, despite having relatively new buildings constructed within the past three decades. Highfield Park is the closest residential neighbourhood to the Burnside Industrial Park, therefore many residents work in low-paying, low-skill jobs in nearby call centres and businesses.

Highfield Park, along with other North End Dartmouth neighbourhoods such as Crystal Heights and Albro Lake, has become synonymous with property crime and drug use and the spill-over effects of violent crime.

Despite these challenges, residents of Highfield Park and North End Dartmouth, refer to themselves as 'North Enders' and have a strong sense of community, similar to residents of their cross-harbour counterparts in North End, Halifax.