Dartmouth - Our beloved community

Dartmouth

Dartmouth, The City of Lakes, was (2001 pop.: 65,741^[1]) founded in 1750, is a community and planning area of the Halifax Regional Municipality, Nova Scotia. Located on the eastern shore of Halifax Harbour, Dartmouth has been nicknamed the City of Lakes after the large number of lakes located in the city.

On April 1, 1996, the provincial government amalgamated all the municipalities within the boundaries of Halifax County into a single-tier regional government named Halifax Regional Municipality (HRM). While Dartmouth and its neighbouring city of Halifax, the town of Bedford and the Municipality of the County of Halifax were dissolved at this time, the former city forms part of the urban core of the larger regional municipality and is officially labelled the "capital district" by the HRM government. At the time that the City of Dartmouth was dissolved, the provincial government altered its status to a separate community to Halifax however its status as part of the metropolitan "Halifax" urban core existed prior to municipal reorganisation in 1996. Before the amalgamation, Dartmouth was the second largest city in Nova Scotia. Dartmouth is still the geographic name that is used by all levels of government for mapping, 9-1-1, planning, and is recognised by the Halifax Regional Municipality as a place-name for civic addressing. The official place name did not change due to the confusion with similar street names and planning set out by the "City of Dartmouth" and public pressure. Today the same development planning for Downtown Dartmouth and the rest of the community is still in force as well as specific bylaws created prior to April 1, 1996.

History

Father Le Loutre's War began when Edward Cornwallis arrived to establish Halifax with 13 transports on June 21, 1749.^[2] By unilaterally establishing Halifax, the British were violating earlier treaties with the Mi'kmaq (1726), which were signed after Dummer's War.^[3] The British quickly began to build other settlements. To guard against Mi'kmaq, Acadian and French attacks on the new Protestant settlements, British fortifications were erected in Halifax (1749), Dartmouth (1750), Bedford (Fort Sackville) (1751), Lunenburg (1753) and Lawrencetown (1754).

In 1750, the sailing ship Alderney arrived with 151 immigrants. Municipal officials at Halifax decided that these new arrivals should be settled on the eastern side of Halifax Harbour. During the early years, there were 8 Acadian and Mi'kmaq raids on the new British settlement, such as the Raid on Dartmouth (1751).

The original settlement was made in an area known to the Mi'kmaq as "Boonamoogwaddy" or "Tomcod Ground". The community was later given the English name of Dartmouth in honour of William Legge, 1st Earl of Dartmouth who was a former Secretary of State. By 1752, 53 families consisting of 193 people lived in the community.

In 1873, Dartmouth was incorporated as a town and a Town Hall was established in 1877. In 1955, the town was permanently linked to Halifax by the Angus L. Macdonald Bridge which led to rapid suburban growth. The Town of Dartmouth amalgamated with several neighbouring villages into the City of Dartmouth in 1961. The A. Murray MacKay Bridge opened in 1970, furthering commercial and residential growth.

The city was dissolved on April 1, 1996, when its government was amalgamated into the Halifax Regional Municipality.

The oldest structure in Dartmouth is the house of William Ray, one of the whalers. It is located at 59 Ochterloney Street and is believed to have been built around 1785 or 1786. Today it is a museum, furnished as a typical modest dwelling of a merchant of that time.

Economy

The city was not only a bedroom community for Halifax but also had commerce and industries of its own. The main commercial areas of Dartmouth are Burnside & the relatively new Dartmouth Crossing. With the CFB Shearwater on the Dartmouth side of the Harbour & Windsor Park, The Dockyard & Stadaconna just across the bridges on the Halifax side, the area attracts a great deal of military people who are looking for newer upscale yet affordable homes.

Transportation

Dartmouth is linked to Halifax by the oldest continuously operating salt water ferry service in North America with the first crossing having taken place in 1752. Early ferries were powered by horses, which were replaced with steam engines in 1830. During the early 20th century, ferries shuttled pedestrians and vehicles between the downtown areas of Halifax and Dartmouth. A railway trestle was built across Halifax Harbour in the late 19th century to bring rail service to Dartmouth however it was destroyed by a storm, requiring the present railway connection built around Bedford Basin.

During the early 1950s, construction began on the Angus L. Macdonald Bridge, a suspension bridge crossing Halifax Harbour. It opened in 1955, ushering in an unprecedented development boom in Dartmouth. New subdivisions, shopping centres, office buildings and industrial parks have been built in recent decades. A second bridge, the A. Murray MacKay Bridge was opened in 1970 and the Highway 111 Circumferential Highway was built around Dartmouth to Woodside at this time.

Famous Dartmouthians

• 1930s Hollywood starlet Ruby Keeler was born in Dartmouth.
• Acclaimed playwright Wendy Lill represented Dartmouth as a two-term New Democratic Party Member of Parliament in the House of Commons in Ottawa.
• Matt Mays, a Canadian singer, is from Cole Harbour and wrote the song "City of Lakes" as a tribute to Dartmouth.
• Joel Plaskett, a Canadian indie rock musician, lives in Dartmouth. Has a recording studio located in Dartmouth.
• National Hockey League (NHL) referee Don Koharski is a Dartmouth native.
• Former NHL bruiser Hilliard Graves (California Golden Seals) hails from Dartmouth.
• Former Major League Baseball pitcher Vince Horsman (Oakland A's) is from Dartmouth.
• NHL goaltender Olaf Kolzig (Washington Capitals) played his midget league minor hockey in Dartmouth.
• Cutting Crew guitarist Kevin Macmichael attended Dartmouth High School and called Dartmouth home
• Robb Wells and several other Trailer Park Boys performers.
• Jason Eisener director of Hobo With A Shotgun was born in Dartmouth
• Andrew Russell Olympic sprint canoeist
• World reknown artist Tom Forrestall calls Dartmouth home.
• Helen Creighton - Folkartist song in English, Grench, German, Gaelic and Micmac
• Paul Gauthier - is one of the 40 most wealthy U.S businessman under 40. He delveloped an Internet search engine with his professor at the U of California. Made over $400 million with his company, Inktomi.
• Rob McCall - With partner Tracy Wilson he won the Olympic bronze medal in the pairs competition at the 1988 Calgary Olympics. He also won a record seven straight Canadian championships in the dance event.
• Dartmouth has also had many scenes in various movies shot in HRM.

Dartmouth's terrific neighborhoods & geography

• Albro Lake
• Bel Ayr Park
• Brightwood
• Burnside
• Commodore Park
• Cranberry
• Crichton Park
• Crystal Heights
• Dartmouth Crossing
• Downtown Dartmouth
• Ellenvale
• Grahams Corner
• Greenough Settlement
• Harbourview
• Highfield Park
• Imperoyal
• Manor Park
• Montebello
• Nantucket
• Notting Park
• Port Wallace
• Portland Estates
• Portland Hills
• Russell Lake West
• Shannon Park
• Southdale
• Sunnyvale Trailer Park
• Tam O'Shanter Ridge
• Tuft's Cove
• Wallace Heights
• Westphal
• Wildwood Lake
• Woodlawn
• Woodside

Dartmouth is known as the City of Lakes due to its 23 lakes that enjoyed all year long & provide the opportunity for paddling, kayaking, swimming, & skating. Lake Banook offers world class paddling & is the spot of Summer regattas. You can walk along the boardwalks on the Dartmouth waterfront that make up part of the many trail systems throughout Dartmouth & neighboring Cole Harbour & Eastern Passage. A much enjoyed park in Dartmouth is Shubenacadie Park which features walking & hiking trails, a supervised beach, camping, & playing fields. There are 5 other supervised beachs in Dartmouth at Albro Lake, Graham Cove, Maynard's Lake, Lake Banook, & Penhorn Lake. Dartmouth also offers extensive recreational activities with 2 large indoor aquatic facilities, Dartmouth Sportsplex & Cole Harbour Place, made famous by Sidney Crosby. The "Old" Dartmouth offers quaint bountiques, restaurants, pubs, & supperb cafes. For those looking for more shopping possibilities, Dartmouth is home to one of Canada's largest malls, MicMac Mall as well as the recently built & growing Dartmouth Crossing. For those more into gastronomy, Dartmouth has a lot to tempt you as well:

• Seafood: John's Lunch on Pleasant St & Wharf Wraps on the boardwalk in Eastern Passage
• Greek: Opa's & Welcome Ela! in Dartmouth Crossing
• Thai: Modern Orchid in Dartmouth Crossing & Talay Thai on Cole Harbour Rd
• Japanese: Sushi Nami in Dartmouth Crossing & Hamachi Grill & Sushi House on the corner of Eisener Blvd & Portland St
• Pasta: The Vines on Panavista Drive & La Cuccina Pizzeria & Pasta House in Dartmouth Crossing.
• Medeterranian: Medinna's at the MicMac Mall ( its in the food court but the food is great )
• Pub fare: Jamieson's on Cumberland Drive & The MicMac Tavern on the Waverley Rd
• Just to name a few

Credit to Wikipedia, Angelfire.com, Google