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Dartmouth | |
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![]() Downtown Dartmouth skyline from the Halifax ferry, showing the ferry terminal, the World Peace Pavilion, and the King's Wharf development. | |
Nicknames: City of Lakes, "The Darkside" [1] | |
![]() Location of Dartmouth, shown in red | |
Coordinates: 44°40′0″N63°34′0″W / 44.66667°N 63.56667°W Coordinates: 44°40′0″N63°34′0″W / 44.66667°N 63.56667°W | |
Country | Canada |
Province | Nova Scotia |
Municipality | Halifax |
Founded | 1750 |
Incorporated City | January 1, 1961 |
Amalgamated with Halifax | April 1, 1996 |
Neighbourhoods | Albro Lake, Bell Ayr Park, Brightwood, Burnside, Commodore Park, Crichton Park, Crystal Heights, Downtown Dartmouth, Ellenvale, Grahams Corner, Greenough Settlement, Harbourview, Highfield Park, Imperoyal, Keystone Village, Lancaster Ridge, Manor Park, Montebello, Nantucket, Port Wallace, Portland Estates, Portland Hills, Shannon Park, Southdale, Tam O'Shanter Ridge, Tufts Cove, Wallace Heights, Woodlawn, Woodside |
Government | |
• Governing Body | Halifax Regional Council |
• Community Council | Harbour East - Marine Drive Community Council |
• Districts | 3 - Dartmouth South - Eastern Passage. 5 - Dartmouth Centre. 6 - Harbourview - Burnside - Dartmouth East |
Area | |
• Total | 58.57 km2 (22.61 sq mi) |
Highest elevation | 113 m (371 ft) |
Lowest elevation | 0 m (0 ft) |
Population | |
• Total | 65,741 |
• Density | 1,122.4/km2 (2,907/sq mi) |
Demonym(s) | Dartmouthian |
Time zone | UTC−04:00 (AST) |
• Summer (DST) | UTC−03:00 (ADT) |
Postal code span | B2V to B2Z, B3A-B |
Area code(s) | 902 |
Telephone Exchanges | 433-5, 460-6, 468-9, 481 |
GNBC Code | CAIYJ |
NTS Map | 011D12 |
Part of a series about Places in Nova Scotia |
Dartmouth ( /ˈdɑːrtməθ/ DART-məth) is a former city and current community located in the Halifax Regional Municipality of Nova Scotia, Canada. Dartmouth is located on the eastern shore of Halifax Harbour. Dartmouth has been nicknamed the City of Lakes, after the large number of lakes located within its boundaries.
On April 1, 1996, the provincial government amalgamated all the municipalities within the boundaries of Halifax County into a single-tier regional government named the Halifax Regional Municipality (HRM). Dartmouth and its neighbouring city of Halifax, the town of Bedford and the Municipality of the County of Halifax were dissolved. The city of Dartmouth forms part of the urban core of the larger regional municipality and is officially designated as part of the "capital district" by the Halifax Regional Municipality. At the time that the City of Dartmouth was dissolved, the provincial government altered its status to a separate community to Halifax; however, its status as part of the metropolitan "Halifax" urban core existed prior to municipal reorganization in 1996.
Dartmouth is still an official geographic name that is used by all levels of government for legal purposes, postal service, mapping, 9-1-1 emergency response, municipal planning, and is recognized by the Halifax Regional Municipality as a civic addressing community. The official place name did not change, due to the confusion with similar street names, land use planning set out by the former "City of Dartmouth," and significant public pressure. Today the same development planning for Downtown Dartmouth and the rest of the region is still in force, as well as specific bylaws created prior to April 1, 1996.
Father Le Loutre's War began when Edward Cornwallis arrived to establish Halifax with 13 transports on June 21, 1749. [3] By unilaterally establishing Halifax, the British were violating earlier treaties with the Miꞌkmaq (1726), which were signed after Father Rale's War. [4] The British quickly began to build other settlements. To guard against Miꞌkmaq, Acadian and French attacks on the new Protestant settlements, British fortifications were erected in Halifax (1749), Dartmouth (1750), Bedford (Fort Sackville) (1751), Lunenburg (1753) and Lawrencetown (1754).
In 1750, the sailing ship Alderney arrived with 151 immigrants. Municipal officials at Halifax decided that these new arrivals should be settled on the eastern side of Halifax Harbour. During the early years, there were 8 Acadian and Miꞌkmaq raids on the new British settlement, such as the Raid on Dartmouth (1751).
The original settlement was made in an area the Miꞌkmaq called Ponamogoatitjg [5] (Boonamoogwaddy), which has been varyingly translated as "Tomcod Ground" or "Salmon Place" in reference to the fish which were presumably caught in this part of Halifax Harbour. The community was later given the English name of Dartmouth in honour of William Legge, 1st Earl of Dartmouth who was a former Secretary of State. By 1752, 53 families consisting of 193 people lived in the community.
Dartmouth was initially a sawmill and agricultural outpost of Halifax. However, in the mid 19th century, it grew, first with the construction of the Shubenacadie Canal and more importantly with the rise of successful industrial firms such as the Dartmouth Marine Slips, the Starr Manufacturing Company, and the Stairs Ropeworks.
In 1873, Dartmouth was incorporated as a town and a Town Hall was established in 1877. In 1955, the town was permanently linked to Halifax by the Angus L. Macdonald Bridge which led to rapid suburban growth. The Town of Dartmouth amalgamated with several neighbouring villages into the City of Dartmouth in 1961. The A. Murray MacKay Bridge opened in 1970, furthering commercial and residential growth. The Dartmouth General Hospital opened in 1976.
The city was dissolved on April 1, 1996, when its government was amalgamated into the Halifax Regional Municipality.
Dartmouth is represented municipally in Halifax Regional Council by the following districts:
The HRM community council for Dartmouth is the Harbour East - Marine Drive Community Council are held in various locations on the first Thursday of every month.
Residents of Dartmouth are known as Dartmouthians. As a community, Dartmouth has often tended to distinguish itself from the community and former city of Halifax, even under the present municipal amalgamation. Dartmouth is also the Halifax Regional Municipality's Public Works Eastern Region.
The city was not only a bedroom community for Halifax, but also had commerce and industries of its own, including the Volvo Halifax Assembly plant, and a molasses plant dating back to the days of the triangular trade with the West Indies. Today, Dartmouth is home to the shopping district of Dartmouth Crossing, as well as federal government offices, many located in the Queen Square building on Alderney Drive.
Dartmouth is linked to Halifax by the oldest continuously operating salt water ferry service in North America with the first crossing having taken place in 1752. Early ferries were powered by horses, which were replaced with steam engines in 1830. During the early 20th century, ferries shuttled pedestrians and vehicles between the downtown areas of Halifax and Dartmouth. A railway trestle was built across Halifax Harbour in the late 19th century to bring rail service to Dartmouth however it was destroyed by a storm, requiring the present railway connection built around Bedford Basin.
During the early 1950s, construction began on the Angus L. Macdonald Bridge, a suspension bridge crossing Halifax Harbour. It opened in 1955, ushering in an unprecedented development boom in Dartmouth. New subdivisions, shopping centres, office buildings and industrial parks have been built in recent decades. A second bridge, the A. Murray MacKay Bridge was opened in 1970 and the Highway 111 Circumferential Highway was built around Dartmouth to Woodside at this time.
The former City of Dartmouth, at the time of the 1996 census, covered 58.57 km2 and housed 65,629 people. [6] After 1 April 1996, the former city was turned into an urban community of the Halifax Regional Municipality.
Year | Pop. | ±% |
---|---|---|
1762 | 10 | — |
1881 | 3,786 | +37760.0% |
1891 | 6,252 | +65.1% |
1901 | 4,806 | −23.1% |
1911 | 5,058 | +5.2% |
1921 | 7,899 | +56.2% |
1931 | 9,100 | +15.2% |
1941 | 10,847 | +19.2% |
1951 | 15,037 | +38.6% |
1961 | 46,966 | +212.3% |
1981 | 62,333 | +32.7% |
1986 | 65,243 | +4.7% |
1991 | 67,798 | +3.9% |
1996 | 65,629 | −3.2% |
2001 | 65,741 | +0.2% |
[7] [8] [9] [10] [11] [12] Population figures reflect the 1961 amalgamation. |
Neighbourhoods of Dartmouth include:
The oldest structure in Dartmouth is the house of William Ray, a Quaker and cooper [13] from Nantucket who moved to Dartmouth in 1785-86 as a whaler. Its materials and construction methods closely resembles Quaker architecture in Nantucket, such as the asymmetrical facade design and stone foundation. [14] It is located at 59 Ochterloney Street and is believed to have been built around 1785 or 1786. Today it is a museum, furnished as a typical modest dwelling of a merchant of that time. [14] [15]
Dartmouth's City hall was built in the early 1960s on the waterfront adjacent to the Alderney Ferry Terminal. The building was declared surplus and sold to Starfish Properties and will be redeveloped. [16]
Dartmouth covers 58.57 km2 (22.61 sq mi). [17]
Dartmouth has been home to several Canadian Forces installations:
Halifax County is a county in the Canadian province of Nova Scotia. The Municipality of the County of Halifax was the municipal government of Halifax County, apart from the separately incorporated towns and cities therein. The Municipality was dissolved in 1996, together with those town and city governments, in their amalgamation into Halifax Regional Municipality.
Halifax, now part of the Halifax Regional Municipality (HRM), is the capital of the Canadian province of Nova Scotia. It had a population of 403,131 in 2016, with 316,701 in the urban area centred on Halifax Harbour. In July 2019 Statistics Canada estimated the population at 440,332 which is 45.3 per cent of the provincial population. The regional municipality consists of four former municipalities that were amalgamated in 1996: Halifax, Dartmouth, Bedford, and Halifax County.
Eastern Passage is an unincorporated suburban community in Halifax Regional Municipality Nova Scotia, Canada.
Halifax Regional Council is the governing body of Halifax, known as the Halifax Regional Municipality (HRM). Halifax is governed by a mayor-council system, where councillors are elected from sixteen geographic districts though a first past the post system and the Mayor is elected via a municipality wide first past the post vote. Halifax Regional Council was formed in 1996 and consisted of twenty-three councillors and one mayor. It was reduced in size to sixteen councillors and the mayor in 2012. The council meets at Halifax City Hall.
Waverley is a suburban community located in the Halifax Regional Municipality, Nova Scotia, Canada. It has a rich history in gold mining. It lies north of Dartmouth, and south of Fall River.
The Shubenacadie Canal is a Canadian canal in central Nova Scotia, linking Halifax Harbour with the Bay of Fundy by way of the Shubenacadie River and Shubenacadie Grand Lake. Begun in 1826, it was not completed until 1861 and was closed in 1871. Currently small craft use the river and lakes, but only one lock is operational. Three of the nine locks have been restored to preserve their unique fusion of British and North American construction techniques. More extensive restoration is planned.
Halifax Harbour is a large natural harbour on the Atlantic coast of Nova Scotia, Canada, located in the Halifax Regional Municipality.
Downtown Halifax is the central business district of Halifax, Nova Scotia. Located on the eastern-central portion of the Halifax Peninsula, on Halifax Harbour, it serves as the business, entertainment, and tourism hub of the region.
The Halifax Regional Municipality (HRM) in Nova Scotia, Canada has a widely varied geography.
Burnside is a Canadian urban neighbourhood located along the northeast shore of Bedford Basin of the Halifax Regional Municipality in Dartmouth, Nova Scotia.
Route 207 is a collector road in the Canadian province of Nova Scotia. It is located in the Halifax Regional Municipality and connects Dartmouth to Porters Lake on the Eastern Shore.
Downtown Dartmouth is the main business, banking and government office core of Dartmouth in Halifax, Nova Scotia. It is part of the Capital District of the Province.
Windsor Junction is a Canadian suburban community in Nova Scotia's Halifax Regional Municipality. It is located 15.6 km (9.7 mi) north west of the HRM urban core and 3 km (1.9 mi) north of the Bedford Basin near the communities of Waverley, Fall River and Lower Sackville.
Wellington located at 44°51'54"N, 63°36'59"W is a residential community of the Halifax Regional Municipality, Nova Scotia on Fletcher's Lake on Trunk 2 approximately 23.3 kilometres (14.5 mi) from Halifax.
Musquodoboit Harbour is a Canadian rural community in Nova Scotia's Halifax Regional Municipality. The community is situated on the Eastern Shore at the mouth of the Musquodoboit River. The community lies 45 kilometres east of downtown Halifax. With a hospital, RCMP detachment, postal outlet, schools, recreational center, library, municipal office and other services, Musquodoboit Harbour is a serve centre for many of the surrounding communities.
Halifax, Nova Scotia, with the largest urban population in Atlantic Canada, is a major sporting centre.
Halifax, Nova Scotia, is a major multi-modal transportation centre for freight and passengers in Atlantic Canada.
The Halifax Regional Municipality (HRM) is a major generator of economic activity in Atlantic Canada.
Dartmouth founded in 1750, is a Metropolitan Area and former city in the Canadian province of Nova Scotia.
Lake Charles is a small lake in Nova Scotia’s Halifax Regional Municipality between the communities of Dartmouth and Waverley. It is situated between Port Wallace in the south and Nova Scotia Highway 107 in the North, Nova Scotia Highway 118 in the west and Nova Scotia Route 318 to the east. It is the summit of the Shubenacadie Canal, where the level of the surface is 31 m above sea level. Located in the Shubenacadie watershed, it ultimately feeds into the Bay of Fundy. However, it also feeds into Halifax Harbour through the canal locks at Shubie Park.
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![]() | Wikisource has the text of the 1920 Encyclopedia Americana article Dartmouth . |