Bedford, Nova Scotia
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| Bedford | |
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  Bedford
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| Coordinates: | |
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| Country |  Canada |
| Province |  Nova Scotia |
| Municipality | Halifax Regional Municipality |
| District | 21 |
| Founded | 1750 |
| Government | |
| - Governing Body | Halifax Regional Council |
| - Community Council | North West Community Council |
| Area | |
| - Total | 72.97 km² (28.2 sq mi) |
| Elevation | 0 - 107 m (-351 ft) |
| Population (2006) | |
| - Total | 16,645 |
| Time zone | AST (UTC-4) |
| - Summer (DST) | ADT (UTC-3) |
| Postal code span | B4A to B4B |
| Area code(s) | 902 |
| Telephone Exchange | 832, 835, 444 |
| GNBC Code | CACLW |
| NTS Map | 011D12 |
Bedford (2006 pop.: 16,780) is a community in the Halifax Regional Municipality, Nova Scotia, Canada. It was an independent town from 1980-1996. Bedford lies on the northwestern end of Bedford Basin, which is part of the Halifax Harbour. Bedford is a community of primarily middle class professional commuter suburbs for neighbouring Halifax and Dartmouth, with a reputation for large and expensive homes. It is located at the junctions of Trunks 1, 2, and 7.
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[edit] History
The history of Bedford began when Governor Edward Cornwallis organised his men and began the construction of a road leading to Minas Basin on the Bay of Fundy after establishing the garrison at Halifax. To protect it, he hired John Gorham and his Rangers to erect a fort on the shore of Bedford Basin. It was named Fort Sackville after Lionel Cranfield, Viscount Sackville and first Duke of Dorset. The area around the fort became known as Sackville until the mid-1850s when it became Bedford. In 1752, among the first to receive a large land grant was George Scott in the Fort Sackville area. Joseph Scott, paymaster at the Halifax Garrison in the 1760s received two grants in 1759 and 1765. He built Scott Manor House in 1770. Anthony Holland established the Acadian Paper Mill on the Basin around 1819 to provide paper to produce the Halifax newspaper Acadian Recorder. When the railway went through the station named Millview, the Moirs, Son and Co. moved a part of the Moirs Mill factory to Bedford. The Moirs Mill generating station built in the early 1930s to supply the necessary electricity required to run the factory.
The village took on the name of Bedford in the honour of John Russell, the 4th Duke of Bedford and Secretary of State for the colonies in 1749. In 1896 the name became official by an Act of Legislation. Bedford was incorporated as a town on July 1, 1980. On April 1, 1996, Bedford was amalgamated with Halifax, Dartmouth, and Halifax County Municipality to form the Halifax Regional Municipality (HRM) for the municipal level of government however the place name still exist for 911, mail, legal and other services. The current mayor of the HRM is Peter J. Kelly, who was the mayor of Bedford at the time of amalgamation.
Bedford was rated by Macleans Magazine as being the "Best community to live in Canada," in an issue dated the 23rd of March 1997.
There is currently a movement within the community to gain more independence from HRM. Many residents feel that the area does not receive its fair share of public development. A common example in support of this view is the lack of recreational facilities in the area compared with other regions of the municipality.
[edit] Sports and Recreation
There is a popular walkway along much of the waterfront, as well as the Bedford-Sackville Connector Greenway, a crushed gravel covered trail that meanders along the Sackville River. There is an outdoor 25m pool and smaller splash pool located at the Lions Park on Shore Drive. In the summer, there are numerous lakes sutable for swimming. The topography of the area limits the possible locations for soccer and footlbal fields. However, there are fields at Basinview Drive School, Sunnyside Elementary, Bedford Junior High, Charles P. Allen High School, and Range Field. The community is currently home to one ice rink, at the Lebrun Centre. However, contruction recently began on new ice pads to be located on Duke Street.
[edit] Shopping and Eating
Bedford is well-served by two medium-sized malls,Bedford Place Mall and Sunnyside Mall. There are also many shops outside of the malls, such as Maples and Cricket on the Hearth. There are three main grocery stores: Real Atlantic Superstore, Sobey's and Pete's Frootique.
In addition to the standard fastfood restaurants, Bedford is home to The Chickenburger, considered by many to be the iconic symbol of Bedford. There are also a number of upscale-casual restaurants, such as Il Mercato and The Cellar.
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