The contemporary city

Halifax’s harbour remains an important asset that facilitates commercial, industrial, and institutional activities. Investment in infrastructure resulted in major increases in container handling and bulk cargo operations. Other developments included the addition of cruise ship facilities, piers and wharves to support offshore oil and gas activities, grain elevators, an oil refinery, a gypsum wharf, an autoport, and marinas for yacht clubs. The Canadian navy and coast guard remain important institutions located in the harbour.

Halifax is the main transportation centre for Atlantic Canada. Its port is connected to rail and freeway access. Nearby Halifax Stanfield International Airport also plays an important role in the city’s status as a transportation hub. The efforts of all these transportation nodes are coordinated by Halifax Gateway.

Halifax, which is the home of more than two-fifths of the province’s population, is Nova Scotia’s, and Atlantic Canada’s, leading financial, commercial, and industrial centre. Halifax manufacturing is diverse, ranging from food processing, furniture making, and shipbuilding to the manufacturing of clothing and the supplying of the aerospace and defense industry. Its many universities make it a desirable location for high-tech industries. Halifax is also well served by public transportation that includes harbour ferries.

As the largest city in the Maritime Provinces, Halifax is also an important cultural centre. Its educational institutions include Dalhousie University (founded 1818), the University of King’s College (founded in Windsor, Nova Scotia, in 1789), St. Mary’s University (degree-granting since 1841), and Mount St. Vincent University (degree-granting since 1925). Two of the institutions of the Nova Scotia Museum are located in Halifax: the Museum of Natural History and the Maritime Museum of the Atlantic, which is Canada’s preeminent maritime museum and is located on the waterfront.

Historic buildings include St. Paul’s Church (1750), the oldest Protestant church in Canada; the Little Dutch (“Deutsch”) Church (1756), Canada’s first Lutheran church; Government House (1805), official residence of the lieutenant governor; Province House (1818), Canada’s oldest parliament building and a notable example of Georgian architecture; Dingle Tower, commemorating the first Canadian elective assembly in 1758; and the Historic Properties, a restoration of waterfront buildings, dating from the late 18th and early 19th centuries. The city’s military past is reflected in the Halifax Citadel (a star-shaped hilltop fortress, built 1828–50 on the site of earlier fortifications and now within a national historic park), the York Redoubt (restored 18th-century fortifications guarding the sea approaches), and the Prince of Wales Tower, one of three Martello-style towers in Halifax (there are 16 of these circular Napoleonic Wars-era fortifications in Canada).

Halifax is an eclectic mix of old and new that is a delight for both locals and tourists. The Citadel is one of the most-visited tourist sites in Halifax, not only because of its military history but also for the spectacular view of the harbour that it offers. The harbour itself is an exciting locale where one can view (and tour) military vessels or tall-masted ships, experience Halifax Seaport Farmers’ Market, or visit Alexander Keith’s Nova Scotia Brewery.

Halifax has been on the world and national stage hosting a number of events including a Group of 7 (G7) summit in 1995, the Juno Awards for Canadian music in 2006, and the Canada Winter Games in 2011.