All life here begins with the natural harbour, the planet’s second deepest. Halifax’s thriving seaport is alive with industry, and home to Maritime Command. Along the Narrows, Irving Shipyards employ 2,000 people building Canada’s next generation frigates. The Port of Halifax bustles 24/7 with container ships coming and going to Europe, and places far beyond. Enormous cruise ships bring thousands of tourists to the downtown core almost every day, between May and October.

From the Halifax Citadel, the city view is incomparable, as it has been since the first fortress was built in 1749. Much of the downtown is gleaming or glass, but charming Georgian and Victorian era homes are still plentiful along leafy streets. Looking south, the Halifax Public Gardens are even more splendid now than when they opened in 150 years ago; how anyone could live without such beauty in their city? Further south lies Point Pleasant Park, a tranquil 190-acre woodland crisscrossed by meandering trails. The park is perfect for families and joggers, and for the Shakespeare by the Sea, where old military ruins form the backdrop for works by the immortal bard.

Halifax’s downtown shopping district is anchored by the new Halifax Central Library, with its iconic stacked-book design — deemed an architectural gem by CNN — that binds the city together. Spring Garden Road and Barrington Streets run perpendicular to create a shopping district between them filled with timeless classics and wild and creative wares. That area of Halifax is also home to our earliest days, with City Hall, Grand Parade, Government House, and St. Paul’s Anglican Church within easy walking distance.

The iconic waterfront is now connected by a serpentine boardwalk, home to many street performers and a Busker’s Festival, and several choice hotels and dining rooms.

But never forget that Halifax is rich with tight-knit neighbourhoods — many with restaurants, shopping districts, green space, and studios where artists and artisans live and work. The North End now vies with the downtown for best eateries and boutiques. Quinpool Road has a handful of choice ethnic restaurants to serve the universities. Tributaries off all major arteries lead to diverse family neighbourhoods where everyone knows your name.

When you’re on the peninsula, nothing is ever far away — your neighbourhood brewery and bistro are just across the street, but universities, museums, hospitals and movie theatres are all close at hand, too. It’s almost an embarrassment of riches. With a diverse population and thousands of international students bringing culture, traditions, and food the world has come to Halifax. It’s not just a hardscrabble harbour town anymore.

Century 21 Trident Realty loves the new, 21st century Halifax. And we know that you will too.