Halifax

With a population estimated at 359,111, Halifax, the capital of Nova Scotia is a beautiful city located along the harbour with many parks including Public Gardens and Point Pleasant Park. Despite the city's new commercial success, Halifax, unique from other Canadian cities, boasts wonderfully historic buildings and the highest tree count per capita in Canada.

Halifax is home to more than 100 different ethnic groups in Nova Scotia. This diversity is reflected in the many restaurants and cafes that dot the city, and offer fares from cheap to more formal venues. With approximately fifty bars and pubs, the vibrant nightlife of Halifax offers music from blues, jazz, and local artists to techno-clubhouses. Halifax is noted for the strength of its music scene and many of the city's streetscapes have been filmed in many American and Canada film productions.

Halifax is a sister city of Hakodate, Japan and Norfolk, Virginia.

Halifax can be divided into 4 different areas:

• South End
• North End
• West End
• Clayton Park

South End

The South End of Halifax is home to four (5) post-secondary institutions: Saint Mary's University, Dalhousie University, DalTech, Atlantic School of Theology and the University of King's College. There is a high student population in this area, some of which live in university residences. However, many choose to live off-campus. There are several apartment buildings and rental units available to students in the South End of Halifax. Although the yearly vacancy rate for the city is low, moving students create a high turnover rate during the academic year.

The South End has two large grocery stores (on Queen and Barrington Streets), many convenience stores, three laundromats, five pharmacies, four recreational centers, and seven child care centers. The South End is also home to some of North America's leading hospitals including one of the finest children's facilities the IWK - Izaak Walton Killiam and QEII Health Sciences. There are many historic shopping centers, banking centers (including the Royal Bank of Canada Student Banking Center). The Halifax Public Library is located centrally in the South End of Halifax on Spring Garden Road.

The Halifax Public Gardens (Spring Garden and South Park) is a 10-minute walk from Saint Mary's University. The Gardens are open to the public from early May into November. The Gardens consists of many pathways that wind around duck ponds, beautifully maintained flower arrangements, trees and fountains. Another park, closer to Saint Mary's, is Point Pleasant Park. Point Pleasant is bordered by the Halifax Harbour and the Northwest Arm, and consists of 39 kilometers of nature trails, ruins of colonial forts and Martello Tower, built in 1796. It is a common area for Haligonians to walk, run and enjoy nature with their pet(s).

How to Get to SMU: If you live in the South End, Saint Mary's should be within a 20 minute or less walking distance. If you would rather take a bus, there are 4 routes that stop at Saint Mary's: #9, #10, #17 and, during the academic year, #18. Please see Metro Transit for more information.

North End

The North End of Halifax is the commuting route via two bridges between Halifax and Dartmouth. It has fewer apartment buildings and rental units than in the South End of Halifax. Students who live in the North End generally travel to school by bus, however the rent per month is often lower than that of South End apartments. North End businesses are sensitive to the cultural diversity and needs of the community. The North End has government-sponsored public housing and many senior citizen manors.

The North End has two large grocery stores (on Windsor and Young Streets), many convenience stores, three laundromats, three pharmacies, five child care centers, the YMCA, and three banking centers. The Halifax North Memorial Public Library is located in the historic North End on Gottingen Street. It is a community-based library with particular emphasis on culturally diverse service, including an extensive African-Canadian, First Nations and multi-cultural collection.

The Halifax Commons, Canada's oldest city park is the center for many sporting events and is located one block south of North Street. Adjacent to the Commons is Halifax's Citadel Hil; a large British stone fort built in 1828. The Halifax Citadel grounds are open from early May to December, with historic tours throughout the summer (May - October). Haligonians enjoy the Citadel's outer grounds throughout the entire year, for activities such as sledding in the wintertime, to flying kites and major concerts during the summer months.

How to Get to SMU: If you live in the North End, you can walk to Saint Mary's but it will probably take you 30 to 40 minutes out of your day. More likely you will want to take bus route #17 along Robie Street, or the #9 or #10 on Barrington Street. Depending on traffic, the bus ride will probably take 10 to 15 minutes. You can also take the #7 from Gottingen Street or Robie Street, get off at South Street and walk about 7 minutes to Campus. Please see Metro Transit for more information.

West End

Apartment buildings contained within Halifax West are generally near Bayers Road and Mumford Road, above the Armdale Rotary. Halifax West is home to large shopping districts, with ongoing new developments. Many buses have routes that travel to and from the West End to Downtown (#2, #4, and #6), Spring Garden Road (#1), Universities (#18), and Saint Mary's (#17). The main bus terminal is located at the West End Mall on Mumford Road.

There are two grocery stores nearby (Sobeys, and Wal-Mart Supercentre in the West End Mall), five pharmacies, three shopping centers, and four banking centers in the West End of Halifax. Most amenities are located in or near the shopping centers. Access Nova Scotia for vital stats, vehicle permits, driver tests, NS Tenancy Department. Please visit their site for more information.

Halifax West is close to the Armdale Rotary which takes you to Highways 102 and 103. St. Margaret's Bay Road also leads you to Peggy's Cove and a few beaches of Halifax county. Turning Southwest at the rotary brings you to Herring Cove Road, Purcell's Cove Road, Cowie Hill and Spryfield. Northwest at the rotary takes you to Fairview, Clayton Park and the Bayers Lake Industiral/Business Park.

How to Get to SMU: If you live in the West End it will, more likely than not, be necessary to take the bus. The #17 will take you directly to Saint Mary's and travels on Connaught Avenue, Windsor Street, and Robie Street to Inglis Street. If you live near Chebucto Road you can take the #18 directly to Saint Mary's. The #1 (to Dartmouth) is the most frequent bus and travels on Bayers Road, Oxford Street, and Coburg Road to Spring Garden Road. It is about a 15 minute walk to Saint Mary's from Spring Garden Road. The bus ride will most likely take 20 to 25 minutes.  Please see Metro Transit for more information.

Clayton Park

The Fairview / Clayton Park areas have many apartments and rental units. Clayton Park West has become a fast growing residential area. New buildings have also been constructed closer to the Bayers Lake Industrial Park (Chain Lake Drive). Nine bus routes serve the Lacewood Terminal in Clayton Park, including the #17 Saint Mary's (35 minutes from Lacewood Terminal to Saint Mary's University). Other routes run to the Mumford Terminal, where students can transfer to a bus that serves areas near Saint Mary's and downtown. Some students choose to live in Clayton Park because the rent is lower than in South End of Halifax, and the buildings are sometimes newer.

There are two grocery stores in Clayton Park, three pharmacies, one child care center (Fairview), and six banking centers. The main streets running through the Fairview / Clayton Park area are Main Avenue, Lacewood Drive and Dunbrack Street. Mount Saint Vincent University is near Clayton Park West.

Clayton Park is very close to the Bayers Lake Business Park with shopping at Wal-Mart, Costco, Roots, Cleves, and much more. Empire 18 Cinemas is also in Bayers Lake, including three IMAX theatres.

How to Get to SMU: The best bus route is #17 which travels from Lacewood Drive., Bayers Road, to Windsor Street, then Robie Street and directly to Saint Mary's. The #17 leaves about every 20 minutes during peak hours and every hour otherwise. Please see Metro Transit for more information.

 

This page last modified Thursday, 23-Feb-2012 10:59:37 AST