Westmount, Nova Scotia
From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
Westmount (2001 pop.: 2,829) is a community in the Cape Breton Regional Municipality.
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[edit] Geography
Located on the west bank of the Sydney River at the point where Sydney Harbour begins, Westmount faces Sydney's downtown. Neighbouring communities include Point Edward, Coxheath and Edwardsville.
Westmount is a suburban community and the majority of residents commute to the CBRM urban core in Sydney.
[edit] Education
There are several public schools in Westmount as well as one post-secondary institution. These include:
- Robin Foote Elementary School (gr. P-6) on Sunnydale Drive
- MacLennan Junior High School (gr. 7-9) on Sunnydale Drive
- MacLennan was the first public school in the province to have the Internet, as well as produce an educational CD-Rom.
- Canadian Coast Guard College
Recently Westmount has seen an addition to the community in the form of a new Montessori school. This facility has opened in a building which was formerly used as a satellite by Robin Foote Elementary to accommodate the public school’s overflowing primary and grade 1 classes.
Westmount students graduating from MacLennon Junior High School attend Riverview Rural High School in Coxheath.
[edit] Religion
With the exception of a few families almost the entire populous of Westmount is Christian. The churches located in Westmount include:
- Holy Rosary Roman Catholic
- Westmount United
- Saint Aidan’s Anglican (This church was a member of St Mark’s Parish in Coxheath but was closed several years ago. It is now used as a dance school.)
[edit] Amenities and Places of Interest
Westmount is also home to Petersfield Provincial Park. Formerly a private family estate, the grounds have been designated as a historical property and are home to the ruins of a large manor house and caretaker’s home. Canada Day festivities are held at the park every year.
The other amenities in Westmount include:
- Westmount Volunteer Fire Department
- Royal Canadian Legion, Branch 125
- East Gate #127 Masonic Hall and Seniors Centre
- The Dobson Yacht Club
- Westmount Dental Office
- baseball field (Located on Fulton Avenue, across the street from the fire department.)
Westmount was formerly the location of the Ozzie Fraser Hall named for the late Ozzie Frazer, a well known local politician. The building had been located on Sunnydale Drive next to MacLennan Jr. High but fell into disuse over the last decade. The hall was recently demolished in order to create better bus access for the junior high school.
[edit] Notable Names
People of note who live and/or were born in Westmount include:
- Howie MacDonald (A well known Cape Breton fiddler and former Conservative candidate for the Sydney — Victoria district in the 2004 and 2006 Canadian federal elections)
- John Morgan (Mayor of the Cape Breton Regional Municipality)
[edit] External links
Satellite image of Westmount and Sydney from WikiMapia
Street map of Westmount from Yahoo Maps
- Petersfield Provincial Park Historical Information
- The Canadian Coast Guard Official Website
- MacLennan Junior High School
- Riverview Rural High School
- Westmount United Church
- East Gate #127 Masonic Hall and Seniors Centre
- Howie MacDonald – Canadian Celtic Music Artist Spotlight October 2002
- The Dobson Yacht Club
- The Weather Network (Current weather for Sydney, Nova Scotia and surrounding areas)