HRM Neighbourhood Map, version 4.0.1 (updated March 14 2020)
NOTE: I started this project in 2009 – what made this project so great in Toronto is that after the neighbourhood names were proposed, the neighbours discussed and bickered over names until every neighbourhood was named, and now they use the names. I do update this map very infrequently but it stopped being an active project around 2011.
Click on the map to zoom, click hold drag to move around. Click on a coloured shape to see the name (or proposed name!) of the neighbourhood.
The map may take a minute to load. On Internet Explorer on Windows you may need to reload/refresh the page if you don’t see the neighbourhood shapes.
This project is inspired by the community map project at the Toronto Star .
That map proved hugely popular in Toronto and the paper was inundated with comments, e-mails and letters in the form of “congratulations, suggestions, and pleas from overlooked communities for a spot on the map”.
At this point, after several hundred submissions and comments, the map is well filled. If you feel something is in error, please describe the name and boundaries of the neighbourhood as you and your neighbours know them in the comments below. I will periodically update the map, and then re-post the map for comments.
In naming disputes, majority rules and common sense will prevail. If most people are against something and argue that a name is not in common use, we won’t use it.
Read more about the project here
I will blog the updates and debate here.
UPDATE 1 – Read about our technical issues and neighbourhood debates here.
UPDATE 2 – Fixed and working!
MINI UPDATE – Wow Bedford and Spryfield, here.
my family debates that rockingham starts at he edge of oakhill drive and doesn’t split the neighborhood like that. It’s a single neighborhood with a school in the center.
Changed!
my family debates that rockingham starts at he edge of oakhill drive and doesn’t split the neighborhood like that. It’s a single neighborhood with a school in the center.
Moved this to the forum – see my questions there.
Moved this to the forum – see my questions there.
Where’s the armdale? Armdale used to encompass (if I have it right) all of the rotary area, up to the split on Purcell’s cove, and the turn off into fairmount off st margaret’s bay, the block of Joseph howe to Dutch Village that use to be dutch village as well (ran from the rotary up) and that neighborhood between olivet and Joe Howe Drive. I think. I still have some older folks mention Armdale, but have we totally given up that designation?
Would “Chocolate Lake” be better called Armdale then? No one really felt strongly one way or the other about that.
I think that’s ideal. I grew up in the Chocolate Lake area, and I personally just thought of the neighborhood as ‘Armdale’. When I was really young I lived in Cowie Hill, and those are definitely the boundaries of those neighborhoods.
I would say though, that ‘Armdale’ is a bit bigger, and does include the Rotary itself. ‘Armdale Restaurant’, which I think is still there, is on the far side of the Rotary. So I think the red ‘Fairmount’ section (which I never thought of as Fairmount — I always thought of the yellow fairmount as ‘Fairmount’) ends just as the land opens up into the Rotary. Meaning St. James Anglican is on the border or is probably Armdale, As is the South-East section of Clinton Avenue. The other side of Clinton Avenue is probably red. But the Rotary itself, including the land just on the far side, is still Armdale.
I think given the size of the “West End”, it would be beneficial to extend the Quinpool district to nearby streets. I live on Allan and I certainly describe myself as living in the Quinpool district, not the West End, which extends north an awfully long way. “Central Halifax” doesn’t have this problem b/c it’s so small, but I’ve never even thought to say I live in the West End 🙂 .
Jeff
Jeff, how far over from Quinpool would the district go? Chebucto, Robie, Oxford?
Hey Waye, you knew already that I’m a huge fan of this project. I gave you a shout-out in my latest blog post, about slow-design uses of collaborative mapping: http://sustainableslow.blogspot.com/2011/01/mapping-local-knowledge.html
The area south of Chebucto is probably not part of Westmount. Half is Flynn Park the other is Armcrescent
Can you tell me exactly where? I will make the changes.
I think the part of the area marked as “Westwood and the Pubs” that’s south of Bayer’s Rd is the 2nd phase of Westmount. The survey of my property calls it. “New Westmount.” I’ve never really heard it called Westwood (but I’ve only been here for 5 years), and if I say I live in Westmount, people assume I live east of Halifax Shopping Centre.
Just noticed that someone has called the area around Larry O’Connell field “Armcrescent”. Perhaps this area would be east of Quinn. I have generally regarded the area west of Quinn as Flynn Park….but once again, not Westmount.
Originally it was as you proposed but some people in Westmount area pointed out Westmount street and Westmount school are south of Chebucto. I am interested, do peole say “I live in Armcrescent?” That is an easy change…. thoughts anyone?
Westmount School is north of Chebucto and the subdivision in which the school exists is one of two phases of the “Westmount subdivision”. The other phase was the Romans Ave area next to the Halifax Shopping Centre. I’m not sure what the people south of Chebucto call their area.
First off: I’m a HUGE fan of this initiative, and I’m sorry I only found out about it this late. That said, I’ve got quite a few comments, though most of them are my personal “feel” and so should be taken with a grain of salt. That said, here we go:
I’m a little bit surprised that the South End isn’t divided up more (Possibly it needs additional identities, like the North End has). For example, to me, anyone living West of the tracks lives on the Northwest Arm (though that might not be the best name for it) and I guess the Maplewood estates and things south of it would go with Point Pleasant . . .
I sort of think of the “Halifax Common” extending south and including the IWK and QEII . . . and if we’re going that far, why not throw the Gorsebrook hill in there too? (The whole thing dividing east from west) I picture the extension going along Robie south to Inglis, up Wellington to South to South Park (Though I understand keeping the Dal Buildings together, so it would be a funny shape). Oh, and Citadel Hill probably fits as a “Common” thing too, doesn’t it?
Also: Shouldn’t St Mary’s have it’s own zone? (Robie, Gorsebrook, Tower, Inglis? Not sure, I went to Dal ;-).
I’d never heard of Schmidtville before this. One of the things that makes this so cool!
To me Spring Garden is part of the downtown, (though I’m not suggesting you change that, as I know several others who feel differently).
Do people who live between Quinpool and Chebucto think of it as the West End? When I lived there, I thought of it as the Quinpool area. In my mind the boundaries were Quinpool, Connaught, Chebucto and Robie. Though you could debate adding the North-Robie-Cunard-Chebucto triangle to that, I’ve heard some folk say that’s a place of it’s own . . .
In any case, this project is awesome, and sorry if what I’ve thrown out there gives you some work, but as mentioned, it’s all just my own thoughts. . .
Cheers,
Cote
I changed the Common to break up the South End a bit. I am adding in SMU for consistency with Dal. South End does not really have a lot of sub-identities, not like the North End, which is too bad!
Re-opened the comments, didn’t realize they had closed automatically at 60 days.
First of all, great project!
A few Bedford notes:Navigation Way (which is off of Moirs Mill Road in Bedford) and the six courts that surround it are known in Bedford as Torrington. The area was developed separately from Moirs Mill in the 90’s.
Also, Everything south of Moirs Mill Road (except for Navigation Way and Baha Court) is commonly know as either Oceanview or Crestview. Architecturally, the area is very different from the developments to the north of Moirs Mill.
Sorry for the delay… have a look and tell me if I got it right! Thanks.
I think that “Hazelhurst” would be more appropriately named “Dartmouth Cove.” I grew up in the area and have never heard it referred to as Hazelhurst, which as far as I know is only the name of a fairly insignificant street within the neighbourhood and has no greater significance.
Interesting! I use to have Dartmouth Cove… Hazelhurst is on the planning documents for downtown, but I agree, I don’t think anyone uses it. I grew up in Dartmouth too, and I think that the other one that might change is “Prince Albert.” That might be the historic planning name but I think when I was a kid it was generally called “the Hawthorn neighbourhood” because of the street and school.
As for Greenbank – I dunno. There is a sign that says Africville… and a church. The Greenbank site was up a hill that is no longer there, where the railway cut is now. I think that would be too historical for a current use map. But I am always open to debate!
I’d lean towards Hawthorn(e) – it’s always confused me that the street and school spell it differently – over Prince Albert too, but I don’t really have a strong opinion on that one.
Good point on Greenbank vs Africville. As much I don’t like to see a historic part of the city fade from memory (just see how hard it is to find any references to Greenbank on the internet), I’m willing to concede that it probably doesn’t make sense to identify a neighbourhood of which there isn’t a single visible trace; it would just be confusing.
i lived in greenbank can recal lots of stuff re all the south end inglis down to pt pleasant park including the park my playgrounds bill mont 8303732 ph
Regarding the new Ravenscraig subdivision: It is shown partially in Spryfield, partially in Flemming Park, partially in Williams Lake, and partially in no community at all on the map. I propose the whole subdivision – i.e. Ravenscraig Drive and the streets off of it, plus the end Joyce Ave be considered “Williams Lake”.
I notice my street, Silvers Rd., is not really included in any neighbourhood. I think most people would consider it to be part of the Hawthorne neighbourhood.
There is a no-name zone below Westmount near the rotary. I think a sea serpent should be drawn there. Or better yet, actually erect a monument.
Comments should work now.