The city's population is 390,000 in 2011. It is one of the largest fishing ports in the world and the largest Canadian military naval base. Halifax is the most populated city on Canada's Atlantic coast. It is the second largest coastal city in the country, after Vancouver, British Columbia. The city comprises approximately 40% of the population of Nova Scotia and 15% of the population of the Atlantic provinces.

Halifax is one of Canada's oldest cities, founded on June 21, 1749, with Edward Cornwallis arriving at the port of Chebucto, before 2,567 settlers. The city was then a British outpost. It is the headquarters of the North America and West Indies Station of the Royal Navy.

In 1917, Halifax was the site of the largest explosion created by man before the atomic bombing of Hiroshima in 1945: the explosion of Mont Blanc, a French ammunition ship.

Hurricane Juan hit Halifax on September 29, 2003. It is the largest hurricane in Halifax since 1893. The storm is causing a lot of trouble for the city because it is one of the most powerful and destructive storms ever seen in Canada.

Plaque installed by the Government of Canada in Halifax.

Halifax was called Chebucto (the largest port) (also Chibouctou in French) originally by the Mi'kmaq Amerindians who lived there. Being part of Acadia but several times contested between New France and New England, there were numerous battles in the area. In 1746 Louisbourg was captured by the English, the missionary priest Jean-Louis Le Loutre had become the link between the Acadian settlers and French expeditions by sea or land. The authorities had given instructions to receive the French fleet in Chibouctou Bay. The otter was the only person able to know the signals that could identify the French wing of the Duke of Anville's expedition, which reached Chibouctou with great difficulty before being decimated by the typhus and the scorbut: eight thousand men perish in this disaster known as the "Chibouctou campaign." After a few years, the city of Halifax was founded by General Edward Cornwallis on July 9, 1749 as a military outpost for the British to attract settlers and compete with the French port of Louisbourg, Cape Breton Island. The seat of the government of Nova Scotia was transferred from Annapolis Royal to Halifax on July 12, 1749. The outpost was appointed in honor of George Montagu-Dunk, 2^th Earl of Halifax, who was the chairman of the British office of commerce. In 1758, promoted to Rear Admiral of the Blue Wing, Philip Durell remained in America for the winter as Commander-in-Chief. Its mission was to choose a suitable location in Halifax to house and repair Royal Navy ships.

Lower Water Street, seen from the guard gate, Halifax, Nova Scotia, June 1823.

Halifax was ideal for a military base, being located at one of the largest natural ports in the world, and capable of being well protected by batteries located on McNabs Island, on the North West Arm, on the Cape of the current Point Pleasant Park, and on the site that became the Redoubt-York. There is also a large hill overlooking the port, on which a citadel was built. Halifax is becoming one of the largest ports in the world.

The Halifax Town Hall was built between 1890.

After the Titanic sinking in 1912, the research effort was coordinated in Halifax: 121 of the 328 bodies recovered were buried at Fairview Cemetery, 19 other victims were buried at Mount Olivet Cemetery (en) and 10 at Baron de Hirsch Cemetery (en).

Building partially blown by explosion of a ship containing explosives in the port.

During the First and Second World War (HX convoys), the ship convoys met in the Bedford Basin in Halifax Harbor before heading to the Atlantic Ocean. On December 6, 1917, a particularly hazy morning, the largest human-made explosion before nuclear weapons, the Halifax explosion, occurred in the port: a Norwegian boat, the Imo, hits a French boat loaded with ammunition, the Mont Blanc, which explodes and causes more than 2,000 deaths and 3,000 injured (other sources report 9,000 injured), 3,000 buildings destroyed, 25,000 homeless. The explosion is heard over 400 kilometers away.

During the 1960s, the black community neighborhood of Africville, north of Halifax, was demolished and its residents were displaced in order to free up new spaces for industrial use and for the development of Bridge A. Murray Mackay.

In the 1960s, 1970s and 1980s, growth in the suburbs of Halifax was much lower than in many comparable Canadian cities. This was partly because of a weaker economy and a smaller population base than, for example, in central Canada, but also because of a deliberate policy of local government to limit suburban growth. In the 1990s, private developers received more construction permits, as they had long wanted. Today, Halifax is more dense than most Canadian cities, although large pavilion expanses have developed in Dartmouth and Sackville. In the late 1990s, the industrial and commercial park of Bayers Lake was developed, where warehouse-style stores are located. This park has become an important shopping center for the city and the province.

In the 1990s, like many other Canadian cities, Halifax merged with its suburbs into a single municipal government, the Halifax Regional Municipality, rather than several separate municipal governments. Although cities in other provinces affected by the cluster have maintained their original names, Halifax is often referred to as HRM (Halifax Regional Municipality), particularly in the media.

The city hosted the G7 summit in 1995.

After decades of discussion, an agreement was reached in 2003 to build several wastewater treatment facilities around the port. Sewage was first treated in 2006. In August 2009, the sewage treatment plant was damaged by torrential rains and was shut down until June 2010.

On September 29, 2003, Halifax was hit by Hurricane Juan, the largest hurricane in the city since 1893. The storm caused serious problems for the city for a week. The entire city was deprived of electricity for a brief period and it took two weeks to restore electricity in all sectors. During the hurricane several people were killed: a mother and two children were killed in a candle-caused house fire, a paramedical worker was killed in downtown Halifax when a tree crashed on his ambulance, and a man from Hants County was killed by the fall of a tree. Five months later, the city was buried under 95 cm of snow by a winter storm dubbed the white Juan.

Halifax hosted the ^XXIXth finals of the 2008 Acadian Games.

The clock tower

Perhaps the most recognizable symbol of the city is the clock that dominates the city center of the Citadel hill. Prince Edward, Duke of Kent, had it built in 1800 when he was Commander of the British Armed Forces in Nova Scotia and New Brunswick. Being very accurate himself, he demanded that the inhabitants of the city be as well, which is why the clock was located to be visible from everywhere in the old city.

Clock tower.

Halifax is located on the south coast of Nova Scotia, south of the 45^th parallel, at a latitude comparable to the city of Bordeaux, France.

The city is built on a series of plateaus and hills around the port of Halifax; the city center is located on a central peninsula. The suburbs include many fishing villages.

Map of Halifax with all municipalities merged.

Council

The Halifax City Council is composed of the Mayor and 16 municipal councilors. Now the mayor is Mike Savage.

City hall

The town hall is located at 1841 Argyle Street. It was built between 1887 and 1890.

Halifax City Hall.

Federal Representation

The city of Halifax is included in two federal electoral districts:

• Halifax: the current member for that riding is Andy Fillmore.
• The present member for the riding of Halifax West, Geoff Regan.
  Halifax West: the current member for that riding is Geoff Regan.

Demographics

According to Statistics Canada's 2016 population census, the Halifax Regional Municipality has a population of 403,131 living in 173,324 of its 187,338 private dwellings, a 3.3% change from its population of 390,086 in 2011. With an area of 5,490.35 km², the city has a population density of 73.4 /km² in 2016. In 2016, 15% of the population was 14 years of age or younger, while 16% were 65 years of age or older.

Languages

The city of Halifax is overwhelmingly English-speaking (89.6%). In January 2018 the city had 40,000 French-speaking inhabitants, 10,000 of whom were native speakers (2.6%) and 345 of whom were the only language. On that date, the municipality decided to publish all its municipal notices in French. The third mother tongue of the inhabitants is Arabic (1.6%).

Mother tongues of the people of Halifax (2016)

Religion

Halifax Cathedral of All Saints

85% of the city's population is Christian, while 13% of the population declares themselves without religious affiliation. 1% is Muslim, Jewish, Buddhist, Hindu or Sikh. Catholics are primarily the Archdiocese of Halifax-Yarmouth, while Anglicans (Protestants) of the Anglican Diocese of Nova Scotia & PEI. Among the city's notable religious buildings is the Cathedral of All Saints of Halifax.

The Halifax Chamber of Commerce has 16,000 members and its primary objective is to promote local economic interests.

The Halifax area is served by the Halifax Stanfield International Airport and the Port of Halifax.

Halifax enjoys a continental climate on the eastern facades that is both cold and humid (Dfb type according to the Koppen classification). Winters are generally less severe than in most Canadian cities, and conditions are often wet in winter, while most of Canada is very cold and snowy. However, Halifax is normally snowed from December to March. It falls on average 261 cm of snow per year. Spring and autumn are mild, with lots of fog. Autumn is often very pleasant. Hurricanes are rare, but known. However, severe storms are frequent, and rain is more frequent, mainly because of the city's location on the Atlantic coast.

Sainte-Anne University is a francophone university in the city of Halifax.

There are six universities in Halifax: Dalhousie University, Saint Mary's University, King's College, Mount Saint Vincent University, Nova Scotia College of Art and Design and the Halifax campus of Sainte-Anne University.

Saint Mary's University.

Port of Halifax seen from Dartmouth.

Hockey: the Halifax Mooseheads play in the LHJMQ (Quebec Major Junior Hockey League), in the Maritimes Division, along with the Charlottetown Islanders, the Cape Breton Screaming Eagles, the St. John Sea Dogs, the Acadie-Bathurst Titan and the Moncton Wildcats.

Basketball: The Halifax Rainmen is a member of the National Basketball League of Canada in the Atlantic Division, along with the Island Storm of Prince Edward Island, the Moncton Miracles, the Jazz of Montreal and the Mill Rats of Saint John.

Box Lacrosse: the Halifax Thunderbirds played in the NLL (National Lacrosse League), North Division, along with the Rock of Toronto, the Buffalo Bandits and the Rochester Knighthawks.

The Halifax Mooseheads.

Halifax is paired with Hakodate (Japan) and Norfolk (Virginia).

William Annand

General Harry Wickwire Foster

• William Annand (1808-1887), former Premier of Nova Scotia;
• Sharon Carstairs (1942-), politician;
• Philip Carteret Hill (1821-1894), former Premier of Nova Scotia;
• Michael Hannan (1821-1882), Archbishop of Halifax;
• Cornelius O'Brien (1843-1906), Archbishop of Halifax;
• Sidney Crosby (1987-), professional hockey player;
• Darrell Dexter (1957-), former Premier of Nova Scotia;
• John Valentine Ellis (1835-1913), journalist and politician;
• Hal Foster (1892-1982), cartoonist of Prince Vaillant and Tarzan;
• Leslie Hope (1965-), actress;
• Alexander Keith (1795-1873), businessman;
• Nathan MacKinnon (1995-), professional hockey player;
• Brad Marchand (1988-), professional hockey player;
• Sarah McLachlan (1968-), singer and musician;
• Peter North (1957-), pornographic actor;
• Craig Olejnik (1979-), actor;
• Ellen Page (1987-), actress;
• John Sparrow David Thompson (1845-1894), former Prime Minister of Canada;
• Denny Doherty (1940-2007), singer of The Mamas & The Papas;
• Henri-Dominique Paratte (1950-), writer, literary critic, professor emeritus and cultural agent.
• Harry Wickwire Foster (1902-1964), Canadian Army General
• Edward Joseph McCarthy (1850-1931), Archbishop of the Catholic Church