Downtown Halifax is the primary

central business district A central business district (CBD) is the Commerce, commercial and business center of a city. It contains commercial space and offices, and in larger cities will often be described as a financial district. Geographically, it often coincides wit ...

of the Municipality of Halifax. Located on the central-eastern portion of the Halifax Peninsula, on

Halifax Harbour Halifax Harbour is a large natural harbour on the Atlantic coast of Nova Scotia, Canada, located in the Halifax Regional Municipality. Halifax largely owes its existence to the harbour, being one of the largest and deepest ice-free natural har ...

. Along with Downtown Dartmouth, and other de facto central business districts within the

Municipality A municipality is usually a single administrative division having municipal corporation, corporate status and powers of self-government or jurisdiction as granted by national and regional laws to which it is subordinate. The term ''municipality' ...

(e.g. Cole Harbour, Lower Sackville, Spryfield), Downtown Halifax serves as the business, entertainment, and tourism hub of the region.

Geography

Downtown ''Downtown'' is a term primarily used in American and Canadian English to refer to a city's sometimes commercial, cultural and often the historical, political, and geographic heart. It is often synonymous with its central business district ( ...

is located within the central-eastern portion of the Halifax Peninsula. The terrain varies from on the harbour's edge, to about atop

Citadel Hill (Fort George) Citadel Hill is a National Historic Site in Halifax, Nova Scotia, Canada. Four fortifications have been constructed on Citadel Hill since the city was founded by the British in 1749, and were referred to as Fort George—but only the third fort ...

. Sourced from ''Defining Canada’s Downtown Neighbourhoods: 2016 Boundaries'', Downtown Halifax covers of landmass.

Culture

Events and festivals

The Scotiabank Centre is one of the largest buildings in Downtown Halifax, as well as the largest arena in

Atlantic Canada Atlantic Canada, also called the Atlantic provinces (), is the list of regions of Canada, region of Eastern Canada comprising four provinces: New Brunswick, Newfoundland and Labrador, Nova Scotia, and Prince Edward Island. As of 2021, the landma ...

. It is the home of the

Halifax Mooseheads The Halifax Mooseheads are a Canadian junior ice hockey team in the Quebec Maritimes Junior Hockey League (QMJHL) based in Halifax, Nova Scotia. The team was founded in 1994 and began play in the Dilio Division of the QMJHL for the 1994–95 ...

hockey team, and it also plays host to most of the major sporting events and concerts that visit Halifax. The Nova Scotia International Tattoo is held here every year. It is connected to the Downtown Halifax Link, and directly to the World Trade and Convention Centre. The Atlantic Film Festival, Atlantic Jazz Festival and the Halifax Pop Explosion also take place in some downtown venues. The

Halifax Convention Centre The Halifax Convention Centre is the main conference centre in Halifax, Nova Scotia, Canada. It opened on December 15, 2017 in Downtown Halifax, replacing the older World Trade and Convention Centre. The Halifax Convention Centre is part of the $ ...

offers more than of space for meetings and events.

Demographics

Statistics Canada's 2021 Census article ''Table 5 Population by proximity to downtown, census metropolitan areas, 2016 to 2021'' recorded 25,555 people who lived within Downtown Halifax. From 2016 to 2021, the population increased by 5,288 people (an increase of over 26%) from the 2016 population of 20,267 people. Furthermore, the population density of the area increased from approximately 49 people per hectare in 2016 to approximately 62 people per hectare in 2021. Between 2016 and 2021, Downtown Halifax's population fastest compared to all other Downtowns in Canada.

Economy

Downtown Halifax, like the

municipality A municipality is usually a single administrative division having municipal corporation, corporate status and powers of self-government or jurisdiction as granted by national and regional laws to which it is subordinate. The term ''municipality' ...

and the

urban area An urban area is a human settlement with a high population density and an infrastructure of built environment. Urban areas originate through urbanization, and researchers categorize them as cities, towns, conurbations or suburbs. In urbani ...

, has a very diverse economy. Many

Crown corporations Crown corporation () is the term used in Canada for organizations that are structured like private companies, but are directly and wholly owned by the government. Crown corporations have a long-standing presence in the country, and have a sign ...

non-governmental organizations A non-governmental organization (NGO) is an independent, typically nonprofit organization that operates outside government control, though it may get a significant percentage of its funding from government or corporate sources. NGOs often focus ...

, and private-sector organizations, have

corporate headquarters Corporate headquarters is the part of a corporate structure that deals with tasks such as strategic planning, corporate communications, taxes, law, books of record, marketing, finance, human resources, and information technology. Corporate headqu ...

and/or do business within downtown. As the most populous downtown in

, that is encompassed by the most populous municipality—and—most populous urban area within

, Downtown Halifax is a bustling area that hosts many industries.

Financial services

Downtown Halifax is the financial centre of the urban area of Halifax, the Province of Nova Scotia, and the region of Atlantic Canada. The

Bank of Canada The Bank of Canada (BoC; ) is a Crown corporations of Canada, Crown corporation and Canada's central bank. Chartered in 1934 under the ''Bank of Canada Act'', it is responsible for formulating Canada's monetary policy,OECD. OECD Economic Surve ...

has one of its five Canadian regional offices located within the central business district, and all ''Big Five'' Canadian banks have major operations within the area.

Manulife Manulife Financial Corporation (French language, French: Financière Manuvie) is a Canadian multinational insurance company and financial services provider headquartered in Toronto, Ontario. The company operates in Canada and Asia as "Manulife" ...

, along with many other private

financial institutions A financial institution, sometimes called a banking institution, is a business entity that provides service as an intermediary for different types of financial monetary transactions. Broadly speaking, there are three major types of financial ins ...

, also do business within downtown.

Gambling

Nova Scotia Gaming Corporation operates its headquarters at 1601 Lower Water Street.

Marketing communications

Trampoline A trampoline is a device consisting of a piece of taut, strong fabric stretched between a steel frame often using many coiled spring (device), springs. People bounce on trampolines for recreational and competitive purposes. The fabric that use ...

is located within the area.

Telecommunication

Eastlink, a

cable television Cable television is a system of delivering television programming to consumers via radio frequency (RF) signals transmitted through coaxial cables, or in more recent systems, light pulses through fibre-optic cables. This contrasts with bro ...

and

telecommunications Telecommunication, often used in its plural form or abbreviated as telecom, is the transmission of information over a distance using electronic means, typically through cables, radio waves, or other communication technologies. These means of ...

company is headquartered within the vicinity.

Transportation

Maritime Bus operates a station within the district.

Utilities

Emera, the

Canadian Canadians () are people identified with the country of Canada. This connection may be residential, legal, historical or cultural. For most Canadians, many (or all) of these connections exist and are collectively the source of their being ''C ...

successor Successor may refer to: * An entity that comes after another (see Succession (disambiguation)) Film and TV * ''The Successor'' (1996 film), a film including Laura Girling * The Successor (2023 film), a French drama film * ''The Successor'' ( ...

holding company A holding company is a company whose primary business is holding a controlling interest in the Security (finance), securities of other companies. A holding company usually does not produce goods or services itself. Its purpose is to own Share ...

, is headquartered in Downtown Halifax. Its Nova Scotia subsidiary, Nova Scotia Power, used to be a Provincial Crown corporation until Progressive Conservative Party of Nova Scotia leader Donald Cameron privatized the company in 1992.

Parks and recreation

Downtown Halifax has an array of attractions, a plethora of events-and-festivals, and many restaurants.

Accommodation

Many of the Halifax region's

hotel A hotel is an establishment that provides paid lodging on a short-term basis. Facilities provided inside a hotel room may range from a modest-quality mattress in a small room to large suites with bigger, higher-quality beds, a dresser, a re ...

s are located in the downtown area, with many major hotel chains maintaining a location here. There are also a number of small

hostel A hostel is a form of low-cost, short-term shared sociable lodging where guests can rent a bed, usually a bunk bed in a dormitory sleeping 4–20 people, with shared use of a lounge and usually a kitchen. Rooms can be private or shared - mixe ...

s nearby. Hotels within Downtown

Art galleries

There are several art galleries within the Downtown Halifax area: *Argyle Fine Art *Art 1274 Hollis *Centre for Craft Nova Scotia *Anna Leonowens Gallery *Khyber Centre for the Arts *Port Loggia Gallery *Karl Penton Gallery *The Prow Gallery *Studio 21 Fine Art *Teichert Gallery *Zwicker's Gallery

Landmarks

Boardwalk

The Halifax Waterfront Boardwalk runs along the

harbour A harbor (American English), or harbour (Commonwealth English; see American and British English spelling differences#-our, -or, spelling differences), is a sheltered body of water where ships, boats, and barges can be Mooring, moored. The t ...

from Casino Nova Scotia in the northern-part of Downtown-to-the Canadian Museum of Immigration at Pier 21 in the southern-part of Downtown. It is a 24-hour public

footpath A footpath (also pedestrian way, walking trail, nature trail) is a type of thoroughfare that is intended for use only by pedestrians and not other forms of traffic such as Motor vehicle, motorized vehicles, bicycles and horseback, horses. They ...

, and at in length, it is one of the longest urban footpaths in the world.

Old Town Clock

On 20 October 1803, Halifax's town clock started keeping time. Located off Brunswick Street, the clock faces the harbour and is another example of

Palladian Palladian architecture is a European architectural style derived from the work of the Venetian architect Andrea Palladio (1508–1580). What is today recognised as Palladian architecture evolved from his concepts of symmetry, perspective and ...

architecture within the urban area of Halifax.

Citadel Hill

Citadel Hill, a star-shaped fort, is another historic attraction in the downtown. Originally established with the arrival of Edward Cornwallis and the out break of

Father Le Loutre's War Father Le Loutre's War (1749–1755), also known as the Indian War, the Mi'kmaq War and the Anglo-Mi'kmaq War, took place between King George's War and the French and Indian War in Acadia and Nova Scotia. On one side of the conflict, the Kingdo ...

(1749), the current fort was built in the

Victorian Era In the history of the United Kingdom and the British Empire, the Victorian era was the reign of Queen Victoria, from 20 June 1837 until her death on 22 January 1901. Slightly different definitions are sometimes used. The era followed the ...

as the hub of the historic defence system for the port. As a result, there is viewplane legislation that restricts vertical development that might block the direct line of sight from Citadel Hill to the harbour and George's Island in particular. Recent developments have challenged the viewplane limits.

Province House

Finished construction in 1819, Province House is a fantastic example of

architecture in

North America North America is a continent in the Northern Hemisphere, Northern and Western Hemisphere, Western hemispheres. North America is bordered to the north by the Arctic Ocean, to the east by the Atlantic Ocean, to the southeast by South Ameri ...

Granville Mall

One of the few blocks to have retained its heritage character is Granville Mall, a pedestrian mall formerly part of Granville Street, made up of an array of shops and pubs in a conglomeration of rowed historic buildings built in the 1860s. It is known for the stone facades on each building. Historic Properties, a collection of 19th-century warehouses converted into shops and restaurants, is located nearby. Despite the heritage focus of these remaining blocks of heritage buildings, none are protected as heritage districts.

Museums

Downtown Halifax hosts several museums, including: * Canadian Museum of Immigration at Pier 21 *

Maritime Museum of the Atlantic The Maritime Museum of the Atlantic is a maritime museum located in downtown Halifax, Nova Scotia, Canada. The museum is a member institution of the Nova Scotia Museum and is the oldest and largest maritime museum in Canada with a collection o ...

* Nova Scotia Museum of Natural History *Sea Turtle Centre Pier 21, an immigrant entry point prominent throughout the 1930s, 1940s, and 1950s, was opened to the public as a

National Historic Site of Canada National Historic Sites of Canada () are places that have been designated by the federal Minister of the Environment on the advice of the Historic Sites and Monuments Board of Canada (HSMBC), as being of national historic significance. Parks C ...

in 1999. The

is a

maritime museum A maritime museum (sometimes nautical museum) is a museum specializing in the display of objects relating to ships and travel on large bodies of water. A subcategory of maritime museums are naval museums, which focus on navy, navies and the m ...

containing extensive galleries including a large exhibit on the , over 70 small craft and a steamship . In summertime the preserved World War II

corvette A corvette is a small warship. It is traditionally the smallest class of vessel considered to be a proper (or " rated") warship. The warship class above the corvette is that of the frigate, while the class below was historically that of the sloo ...

operates as a museum ship and Canada's naval memorial. The

Art Gallery of Nova Scotia The Art Gallery of Nova Scotia (AGNS) is a public provincial museums of Canada, provincial art museum based in Halifax, Nova Scotia, Halifax, Nova Scotia, Canada. The art museum's primary building complex is located in downtown Halifax and takes up ...

is housed in a 150-year-old building containing over 9,000 works of art.

Parks

There are a number of parks within the urban setting of Downtown Halifax. *Citadel Hill off-leash dog park * Halifax Commons * Halifax Public Gardens *Peace and Friendship Park * Victoria Park

Restaurants and nightlife

The area is home to approximately 200 restaurants and bars, providing an interesting array of world cuisine. There are also over 60 sidewalk cafes that open in the summer months. The nightlife is made up of bars and small music venues as well as Casino Nova Scotia, a large facility built partially over the water. Pizza Corner, located at the intersection of Blowers Street and Grafton Street, is a common location for pizzerias serving Halifax-style donairs and other street food for the neighbouring bars and pubs.

Shopping

Downtown Halifax, being home to many small shops and vendors, is a major shopping area in the Municipality of Halifax. Notable retail areas include

Park Lane Park Lane is a dual carriageway road in the City of Westminster in Central London. It is part of the London Inner Ring Road and runs from Hyde Park Corner in the south to Marble Arch in the north. It separates Hyde Park, London, Hyde Park to ...

, Spring Garden Road and Scotia Square.

Theatre

Neptune Theatre, located on Argyle Street, is Halifax's largest theatre with a 458-person capacity. Since 1 July 1963, it has performed, and performs an assortment of professionally produced plays year-round. The Shakespeare by the Sea theatre company performs at nearby Point Pleasant Park. Although not in Downtown Halifax, the Eastern Front Theatre performs at Alderney Landing in Downtown Dartmouth which is accessible from the area via the Halifax Transit

ferry A ferry is a boat or ship that transports passengers, and occasionally vehicles and cargo, across a body of water. A small passenger ferry with multiple stops, like those in Venice, Italy, is sometimes referred to as a water taxi or water bus ...

service.

Venues

Nova Centre

Completed in 2017, the Nova Centre is Halifax's premier conference centre, and has over of event space.

Scotiabank Centre

Formerly, and colloquially, known as the ''Halifax Metro Centre'', the Scotiabank Centre was opened on 17 February 1978. It has a concert-capacity of up-to 13,000-people, and has hosted bands-and-musicians,

comedians A comedian (feminine comedienne) or comic is a person who seeks to entertain an audience by making them laugh. This might be through jokes or amusing situations, or acting foolishly (as in slapstick), or employing prop comedy. A comedian who ...

multi-sport event A multi-sport event is an organized sporting event, often held over multiple days, featuring competition in many different sports among organized teams of athletes from (mostly) nation-states. The first major, modern, multi-sport event of intern ...

s and

motivational speaker A motivational speaker (or inspirational speaker) is a speaker who makes speeches intended to motivate or inspire an audience. Such speakers may attempt to challenge or transform their audiences. The speech itself is popularly known as a pep ta ...

Government

Downtown Halifax is the home of the

Halifax Regional Council 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-th ...

chamber at Halifax City Hall. Offices for the mayor, city councillors, and additional staff can also be found downtown. At the provincial level, the downtown area is the home of

Nova Scotia Nova Scotia is a Provinces and territories of Canada, province of Canada, located on its east coast. It is one of the three Maritime Canada, Maritime provinces and Population of Canada by province and territory, most populous province in Atlan ...

's Province House where the

Nova Scotia House of Assembly The Nova Scotia House of Assembly (; ), or Legislative Assembly, is the deliberative assembly of the General Assembly of Nova Scotia, and together with the lieutenant governor of Nova Scotia makes up the Nova Scotia Legislature. The assembly is ...

meets. Government House, where the

Lieutenant-Governor A lieutenant governor, lieutenant-governor, or vice governor is a high officer of state, whose precise role and rank vary by jurisdiction. Often a lieutenant governor is the deputy, or lieutenant, to or ranked under a governor — a " second-in-com ...

resides, is located on

Barrington Street View southward on Barrington StreetBarrington Street is a major street in Halifax, Nova Scotia, Canada, running from the MacKay Bridge in the North End approximately 7 km south, through Downtown Halifax to Inglis Street in the South End. Its ...

. The provincial government also has offices in several other downtown office buildings. Canada's federal government also maintains a significant presence in the area, working from various buildings including the

Dominion Public Building The Dominion Public Building is a five-storey Beaux-Arts neoclassical office building built between 1926 and 1935 for the government of Canada at southeast corner of Front and Bay streets in Toronto, Ontario, Canada. The building was designe ...

, the Ralston Building, and previously, the Maritime Centre.

Transportation

Pedestrian

Streets within Downtown Halifax are set in a grid-pattern. Downtown Halifax is similar to other central business districts where it has many varied crosswalks, hills, paths, and sidewalks. Spring Garden Road is a street approximately in total-length that goes in an east-west direction from

-to- Robie Street.

traverses approximately through Downtown in a north-south direction. Its total-length from Highway 111 in the North End-to-Inglis Street in the South End is approximately .

Road

The streets in the downtown area are set in a grid pattern like the rest of the Halifax Peninsula, the way the town officials originally planned in the 18th century.

Public transit Public transport (also known as public transit, mass transit, or simply transit) are forms of transport available to the general public. It typically uses a fixed schedule, route and charges a fixed fare. There is no rigid definition of wh ...

Halifax Transit provides public transit routes from several points throughout Downtown Halifax via different modes of transport.

Bus routes

=Lower Water Street terminal

= *Route 2 (''Fairview'') *Route 29 (''Barrington'') *Route 90 (''Larry Uteck'')

=Scotia Square terminal

= *Route 1 (''Spring Garden'') *Route 2 (''Fairview'') *Route 5 (''Scotia Square'') *Route 7 A (''Peninsula'') (clockwise) *Route 7 B (''Peninsula'') (counter-clockwise) *Route 8 (''Sackville'') *Route 9 (''Herring Cove'') *Route 10 (''Dalhousie'') *Route 29 (''Barrington'') *Route 84 (''Glendale'') *Route 93 (''Bedford Highway'') *Route 123 (''Timberlea Express'') *Route 127 (''Cowie Hill Express'') *Route 135 (''Flamingo Express'') *Route 136 (''Farnham Gate Express'') *Route 137 (''Clayton Park Express'') *Route 138 (''Parkland Express'') *Route 158 (''Woodlawn Express'') *Route 159 (''Colby Express'') *Route 161 (''North Preston Express'') *Route 165 (''Caldwell Express'') *Route 168 B (''Cherry Brook Express'') *Route 182 (''First Lake Express'') *Route 183 (''Springfield Express'') *Route 185 (''Millwood Express'') *Route 186 (''Beaver Bank Express'') *Route 194 (''West Bedford Express'') *Route 196 (''Basinview Express'') *Route 320 (''Airport/Fall River MetroX'') *Route 330 (''Tantallon/Sheldrake Lake Regional Express'') *Route 370 (''Porters Lake Regional Express'')

Ferry routes

=Lower Water Street terminal

= *Alderney ( Downtown Dartmouth) *Woodside ( Woodside)

References

External links

Halifax Regional Municipality
{{Communities of Halifax Peninsula Busking venues Halifax Communities in Halifax, Nova Scotia

Geography

Culture

Events and festivals

Demographics

Economy

Financial services

Gambling

Marketing communications

Telecommunication

Transportation

Utilities

Parks and recreation

Accommodation

Art galleries

Landmarks

Boardwalk

Old Town Clock

Citadel Hill

Province House

Granville Mall

Museums

Parks

Restaurants and nightlife

Shopping

Theatre

Venues

Nova Centre

Scotiabank Centre

Government

Transportation

Pedestrian

Road

Public transit Public transport (also known as public transit, mass transit, or simply transit) are forms of transport available to the general public. It typically uses a fixed schedule, route and charges a fixed fare. There is no rigid definition of wh ...

Bus routes

=Lower Water Street terminal

=Scotia Square terminal

Ferry routes

=Lower Water Street terminal

See also

References

External links