Halifax South End

Halifax South End

With its historic waterfront and the world’s second deepest natural harbour, Halifax has always been — first and foremost — a port city. That once meant that the city was rough and ready, filled with soldiers and seamen ready to repel any threat, or sometimes get too rowdy after a night carousing.

But Halifax in this century has shaken off that salty reputation and South End Halifax displays this transformation to residents and visitors from around the world. Surrounded on all three sides by water — Halifax Harbour and the Northwest Arm — the city’s south end is bustling with ideas, with commerce, with industry, and with some very worthy restaurants.

History in the South End is palpable. Neighbourhoods stretch past many gorgeous Georgian and Victorian homes, lovingly maintained. As you saunter along the winding streets in the South End you may happen upon an early graveyard that holds the Church Built in One Day in 1843. Runners love sprinting through the 190-acre Point Pleasant Park, gasping on one uphill past Martello Tower constructed in 1796. Books and cameras in hand, Haligonians flock to the Public Gardens, established in 1867, and wonder how anyone could live without such beauty and tranquility in their city.

The South End isn’t just about the very old. Kids are everywhere, too, roaring home from Inglis Street School, LeMarchant-St. Thomas, Sir Charles Tupper, Citadel High, or any of the private schools. And that’s just how it should be, too. The city’s iconic Halifax Central Library, with its award-winning modern design, has become a cultural downtown touchstone, welcoming young and old. Along the waterfront, sleek condos punctuate the streetscape, offering convenience and luxury accommodations.

The South End is also the home of educated Halifax, with many venerable institutions of higher learning within walking distance of each other, including Dalhousie, Saint Mary’s, King’s College, the Atlantic School of Theology, and NSCAD University. Students make life here vibrant and cosmopolitan, and the influx of international students have changed the character of old Halifax for the better. Virtually every autumn and winter evening, South Enders can find a free lecture somewhere within walking distance.

But even for the less academically inclined, the South End is never short of diversions: hip Spring Garden Road beckoning shoppers, funky Argyle Street beckoning revelers, and fine restaurants residing on every street corner. Nearby, the Halifax Mooseheads challenge other Quebec Major Junior League teams at the Scotiabank Centre, and college teams have many devoted followers and rousing games.

Neighbourhoods here are tight-knit and much desired, with many spacious homes dating from the 1800s, spared the worst of the Halifax Explosion by the slope of Citadel Hill (which deflected the shockwave upward). Many are notable Victorian or Edwardian mansions, now sliced into unique, choice condominiums. Others are comfortable, rambling family homes. Their hand-forged architecture makes for elegant streetscapes crowned with towering trees. Closer to the Northwest Arm, with steep, hilly lots, newer homes with distinctive designs share the waterfront with Old Halifax. Somehow, it’s all of a piece.

Let us show you how much Halifax’s South End has to offer. Call Century 21 Trident Realty today.