Eastern Passage, Nova Scotia
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| Eastern Passage | |||
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| Coordinates: | |||
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| Country |  Canada |
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| Province |  Nova Scotia |
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| Municipality | Halifax Regional Municipality | ||
| District | 9 | ||
| Founded | circa 1798 | ||
| Government | |||
| - Type | Regional Council | ||
| - Governing Council | Halifax Regional Council | ||
| - Community Council | Harbour East | ||
| Area | |||
| - Total | 29.38 km² (11.3 sq mi) | ||
| Elevation | 0-36 m (-118 ft) | ||
| Population (2001) | |||
| - Total | 8,872 | ||
| Time zone | AST (UTC-4) | ||
| - Summer (DST) | ADT (UTC-3) | ||
| Canadian Postal code | B3G | ||
| Area code(s) | 902 | ||
| GNBC Code | CAKQU | ||
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| Website: http://www.easternpassage.ca/ | |||
Eastern Passage is a Canadian urban community in Nova Scotia's Halifax Regional Municipality.
Located at the southeastern edge of Halifax Harbour, fronting the Atlantic Ocean, Eastern Passage derives its name from the narrow strait separating the mainland from McNabs Island, an island in the harbour lying several hundred metres west of the community. This "Eastern Passage" into the harbour is not the main shipping channel due to its shallow depths; the main shipping channel lies west of McNabs Island. The Eastern Passage is largely used by small recreational boats and fishing vessels during inclement weather as the island affords shelter from prevailing winds.
Eastern Passage has historically been tied to the fishing industry and its waterfront demonstrates this with multiple small wharves and piers. The construction of CFB Shearwater, a military air base, at the northern boundary of the community during World War I, along with the construction of the Imperial Oil (later Esso) and the Texaco (later Ultramar) oil refinery and an automobile import/export facility following World War II redefined the local economy. New highway connections have resulted in the majority of area residents commuting to to Downtown Halifax or Dartmouth.
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[edit] History
Prior to the European settlers, Eastern Passage was a season home to the Mi'kmaq for thousands of years. Europeans began seasonal use of the channel starting about 1712 and the Mi'kmaq, shifted to McNab's island. The Eastern Passage area was initially granted to ranger Jospeh Gorham but he did not settle the passage and the land was regranted in 1798 to Jospeh Horne, the first recorded settler who was soon followed by other families.[1] The first European settlers who moved there were mainly German, French, Irish and English. These ethnic groups continue to make up a large portion of the the population of Eastern Passage.
Fort Clarence, a large gun battery was constructed beside Eastern Passage in the 1860s to defend the harbour, providing a cross fire with batteries on Georges Island and McNabs Island. During the American Civil War, a southern naval vessel CSS Tallahassee is believed to have used the Eastern Passage channel to escaped unoticed from Union naval forces believed to be waiting at the main harbour entrance.
An American naval air station was constructed at Eastern Passage during World War I to patrol against German submarines. It was taken over the the Royal Canadian Air Force in the 1920s and became a large air base during World War Two.
In the 1920s and 30s, A number of Eastern Passage residents from the Hartlan and Henneberry families proved important sources of Canadian folk songs and stories to Nova Scotia folklorist Helen Creighton.
Serious reductions to the CFB Shearwater base in the 1990s and the shutdown of the Ultramar Refinery challenged the economy of Eastern Passage in the 1990s. One response was the redevelopment of the small craft harbour, long known as "the Creek" or "the cove" but rechristened in 1996 as "Fisherman's Cove", a tourist attracton which combines a working fishing harbour with gift shops and restaurants.
[edit] Statistics
- Population (2001): 8,872
- Population (2006): 13,000+
- Total Area: 29.38 km²
- Latitude: 44.614296
- Longitude: -63.470833
[edit] Local Businesses
- Autoport Limited
- Blue Canoe (Irving gas station with convenience store)
- Boardwalk Dentistry
- Boondocks (a seafood restaurant)
- Chris Brothers (convenience store and deli)
- Cow Bay Variety
- Gold Dragon
- Great Canadian Dollar Store
- Impressions Unisex Hair Salon
- Li Garden
- Movie Gallery (movie rentals)
- NSLC Liquor Store
- Passage Pharmasave
- Sea Gulps
- Shannon Dough Pizza
- Subway
- The Inn At Fisherman's Cove
- Tim Hortons
- Ultramar
- Eastern Passage Village Veterinary Clinic
- Wharf Wraps (take-out)
- The Fish Basket
[edit] Schools
[edit] Ocean View Elementary School
- Type: Elementary*
- Grades: Primary to 4
- Constructed: 1954
- Current Square Footage: 44061 sq ft.
- Website: http://www.oves.ednet.ns.ca
[edit] Tallahassee Community School
- Type: Elementary*
- Grades: Primary to 4
- Constructed: 1991
- Current Square Footage: 64600 sq ft.
- Website: http://www.tcs.ednet.ns.ca
[edit] Seaside Elementary
- Type: Sr. Elementary
- Grades: 4 French Immersion, 5, 6
- Constructed: 1974
- Current Square Footage: 44737 sq ft.
- Website: http://seaside.ednet.ns.ca
[edit] Eastern Passage Education Centre
- Type: Junior High
- Grades: 7 to 9
- Constructed: 1999
- Current Square Footage: 82645 sq ft.
- Website: http://www.epec.ednet.ns.ca
Note: High school (Grades 10-12) students are bussed out of the community to neighboring Cole Harbour District High School. There is talk of a new high school being built by 2011 for students from Eastern Passage and neighbouring Woodside.
*Whether elementary students attend Oceanview or Tallahassee is dependent on living location within the area.
[edit] Recreation
[edit] Parks/Playgrounds
There are several parks and playgrounds in the area. Two are located in the Heritage Hills subdivision (on Melrose and Serop Crescent, respectively), and there are playgrounds at Tallahsssee, Oceanview, and Seaside schools. In August, 2006, a new skateboard park opened near Seaside Elementary.
[edit] Fields
Playing fields are plentiful within the community. There is a large playing field at Eastern Passage Education Centre, and numerous baseball and general purpose fields located within the vicinity of the 3 elementary schools.
[edit] Other Recreation
A public tennis court is located near Seaside Elementary. The community Rec. Centre (located in the Tallahasasee Community School building) often has various activities going on year-round for both families and individuals.
Several beaches are in the area. McCormick's Beach is located at Fisherman's Cove near the boardwalk. A salt water beach (Rainbow Haven Beach), is located towards the Cow Bay area of the community. A large serviced beach (MacDonald Beach) is located between Eastern Passage and Cole Harbour. There is also a smaller beach located down the road from MacDonald Beach.
[edit] Services
[edit] Water
While much of the community is serviced by municipal water, areas on the outer edges of the community require the use well water/septic systems.
[edit] Telecommunications
All of Eastern Passage is serviced by both Aliant (Telephone and DSL Broadband) and Eastlink (Telephone, Cable Broadband, Cable TV). The area has cellular coverage for both GSM (Rogers/Fido) and CDMA (Telus/Aliant).
[edit] References
- ^ Alfreda Withrow, One City, Many Communities, Nimbus Publishing, 1999, pages 21-23.
[edit] External links
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