Goody86

Evening All,

Are there any particular areas people would recommend in the HRM?

To quantify this a little, I’m thinking in terms of standard and availability of schools (Kids are 6, 4 and 1)

Lots of other young(ish) families about.

Not rural as we’d really like to integrate in to a community.

Not too much of a commute (to Halifax centre) and ideally walkable things nearby, we’d love to get by with one car!

The company I’m currently in conversation with have mentioned that Bedford is a great area, anyone from there on here please?

Thanks,

Tom.

scilly

There are not all that many differences in quality between schools, unlike the UK ...... but children do start school later than they do in the UK.

Junior K will start in the year the child turns 4 IF it is available

K or Senior K starts in the year the child turns 5

Grade 1 is the year in which the child turns 6



My daughter lives in the Halifax area, and we have visited many times both before and after she moved there.

Bedford has always been a place to drive through. There used to be a drive-in chickie burger place that seemed to be the only reason to stop

cxx

It's still there, but not worth stopping at.

Howefamily

Beford is nice, I havent been in the alive and well Chickenburger but the Thai there is really good.

Howefamily

Depending on your budget, you may want to look into the neighbourhood of Rockingham, in the Bedford area.
The other lovely area thats close to Halifax is Beecheville, lots of families there and its a nice spot.
Some areas of Dartmouth are very nice but steer clear from the area nearest the bridges. Also steer clear of Spryfield and the Halifax North end, its artsy but can be dangerous at night.
The South end and by the Arndale Rotary is really nice, but pricey.

flower19

excellent will do, we are in the same position looking for a good area

Goody86

Thanks for all the replies.

Looking for 4 bed minimum, and have an assumed budget of 400k max, would ideally like to spend less.

Looks like we can get something nice in most areas, currently in a 4 bed terrace in the UK so most of these houses look like mansions to us!

The main driver I think will be decent schools and things to do and shops within walking distance.

Really excited to come out and have a look, you can’t really get a feel for things over the internet!

Howefamily

I would do exactly that and get a realtor to take you to see as many house s as possible so that you can get a real feel with feet on the ground. We had a great realtor who spent hours with us. I am more then happy to pm his contact details to anyone interested.

scilly

There are some very nice areas in Dartmouth, across the harbour from Halifax but houses are quite a bit cheaper. Bus service might be 1 an hour in each direction. Shopping is mainly away from the downtown, but there are lots of coffee shops, tea shoppes, yoga.

There are also some not very nice areas

Goody86

I’m glad you’ve said that about Dartmouth as we’ve seen some houses (only on Point 2) that look great, but it doesn’t seem to have a very good rep so we’ve almost sort of discounted it.

Think it’s definitely worth a look? I’ve noted the comment about the area by the bridge!

Anyone know much about Lunenburg? Looks to be about an hour from town?

scilly

There are some very nice areas!!!

Look around Lake Banook / Sullivan's Pond, on the Crichton Avenue side not to the other side, and up among the winding streets .......... there are some lovely houses in there, good community feel to it and there's a bus service once every hour that goes from the bus Terminal near the Macdonald Bridge to the Ferry building, up Crichton to Mic Mac Mall and then out. It covers quite a large area ... apartments close to Mic Mac Mall, but still houses in behind.

I never know my north from my south in NS, and that area is full of twisty roads to add to it!

It looks good as far down towards the waterfront as Dartmouth Commons and possibly as far over as Little Albro Lake. There are still quite a few older houses around dating back to the 1920s that have been well maintained.

Do be aware that a lot of houses in Halifax and Dartmouth open out onto the street or with only a tiny front "garden" ........... very English like in that, but very un-North American ............ but these are also detached houses.

The area around the Macdonald Bridge is strange. The bus terminus is there, so is the Dartmouth Sportsplex, the Hilton Doubletree hotel and adjacent Convention Centre, so there should be lots of activity ........... seems fine in daytime, but the warning is not to go after dark (or be very careful if you do). HOWEVER there are nice looking, well kept houses in the same area!

We've stayed at the Hilton and its predecessor Holiday Inn, have not heard much more than the usual city noises of emergency vehicles and rumbling for traffic on the bridge.

If you need a hotel while in the Halifax area, that Hilton Doubletree is fine .......... has a restaurant, bar, swimming pool, and the prices are MUCH cheaper than in Halifax itself. The staff are cery friendly and helpful. You can walk to the ferry terminal (about 10 minutes) if you want to go into Halifax without the car, otherwise the bridges are toll.


Lunenburg .............. lovely lovely town. Touristy, and literally inundated with tourists from spring to the start of winter. Lots of "crafty but artisan" shops (if you know what I mean). Traffic jams and hard to find parking, but I would imagine there are lovely areas.

Might be only an hour in decent weather, not sure when winter comes, or in high tourist season. We've never driven there in winter, although we have been in the other 3 seasons.

dbd33

I wouldn't do that. I would rent for a year. Getting stuck with an unsaleable house somewhere you don't want to be is a bigger problem than having to move twice.

Goody86

That’s always an option. But we’d have to get the area pretty right to start with as wouldn’t want to move the kids school again once we’re there.

BristolUK

I think this depends on the place to which one is moving. A big place has huge variations. A small place, not so much.

Dartmouth may well be a place where it's wise to rent first. If media reports are anything to go by, nasty crimes in NS either happen in Dartmouth or that's where the villains are from.

On the other hand, depending on what you're used to in the UK, Dartmouth may seem a peaceful haven.

Goody86

I think this is a very valid point. Are crime stats published for the different areas?

Does it compare at all to cities in the UK?