h_henry

Hi

Can anyone give me any insider information on the pros and cons of the different parts of Nova Scotia, plse? We are hoping to go over in March or Feb for a fact finding tour (hopefully we'll be able to get around then, weather-wise?!) but don't really know where to start. The Nova Scotia tourist web sites are great, but they are unlikely to say the bad points.

I'm happy to throw open this question to include all parts of NS but if it'd be easier to know my wish list.....good dog walking places, snow in winter, low crime, rural green location, hilly or mountainous (not sure if mountainous applies to NS), nr the sea, access to broadband (for work). Err think that's it Thanks!!

dbd33

It's rarely mentioned here but Sydney is one of the most polluted places in Canada, if not the world.

h_henry

Thanks "dbd". These are the things they don't tell you on the tourist web sites but it's useful to bear in mind when considering places to live. I did a quick search on google and found that the government have pledged to spend a lot of money cleaning up the tar pits and coke ovens. Not sure if this has happened yet or not?

andy_sheila

That would be because of the old sysco steel plant and coke ovens, there are high levels of polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons as well as arsenic, lead, manganese, copper and cadmium.
The government has spent millions to try and eradicate the problem, including soil removal.

When i fist read your post i thought you said "most populated" i thought you had got mixed up with Australia

dbd33

The last time I read about such a pledge the feasibility of the clean up was in question; no one knew what to do regardless of cost. That was years ago so, I suppose, it was a different promise than the one you saw. I'd bet on the same result though. I'd wouldn't move there even 100 years after the clean up.

When my daughter went to university in Halifax she was told to avoid the north end so, of course, we went to look. It seemed poor but not frightening, most of the cars looked as if they could be made to run and there were no bars on the windows. I wouldn't rush to live there but I wouldn't fear to get out of the car either.

dbd33

Ah no, I knows me Sydneys. The Aussie one had all the sex shops, it looked like Soho.

h_henry

This is really useful thanks (not the sex shop bit obviously)! I appreciate that we have to visit and make our own minds up but IMO you can't beat a bit of insider info.

BTW the pledge info I saw on Green Lane web site was dated 2004.

Biiiiink

I've posted this before but it's worth laughing at this couple again.

And poor old Bob Smith suffered the reverse :-

"Last year I booked a trip to Sydney, Nova Scotia, and ended up in Australia. Can you imagine how aggrieved I was? Couldn't get a decent lobster anywhere - the pick-up trucks were a waste of time and the bears were no bigger than a pillow.
Bob Smith, Scotland"

ACL

Hi

We live rurally in the South Shore Region of NS- about 15 mins inland from Mahone Bay & Lunenburg and about 25 mins to Bridgewater. These places are in Lunenburg County. Perhaps I am biased but we have been here around 18 months now and for us, we like the place more and more

For someone who is moving to Nova Scotia for the lifestyle & community rather than city living/ making a huge income then I can recommend our county.

Bridgewater is a growing town with recent further superstore additions on the outskirts of town- superstores in Bridgwater include wal-Mart, Canadian Tire, 24hr Sobeys, Atlantic Superstore. there are two shopping malls- the newer one being an indoor mall. There is everything you need here and enough industry in and around the town for employment to be available

Mahone Bay is a small and very pretty town relying mostly on tourism. This may be a potential location for small business, tea shops, art gallerys etc should you wish to set up a tourist driven business.

Lunenburg historic town of the Bluenose. Again, the economy relies on tourism quite heavily. Same potential as above

Halifax this city about an hours drive away. The airport just a further 10 mins down the road.

Schools Our children attend school rurally in New Germany. we have found their schools very good and the rural school bus service is excellent.

AnyaT

If you want somewhere hilly, green and rural, the Annapolis Valley may be ideal for you. It starts in Windsor, about 45 minutes outside Halifax, and runs along the Bay of Fundy to Yarmouth. Some beautiful towns there, particularly Wolfville and Annapolis Royal. The pace if life is quite slow and the population is aging or retired for the most part, though Wolfville has a university (Acadia). The Valley has most of the farmland in NS.
Another area you might want to look at seriously is the bit between Cape Breton and Truro (I have no idea what else to call it, but the major towns are Antigonish, New Glasgow, Stellarton, Pictou). It also has a fair bit of green farmland, there are more larger towns than in the Valley (and another university in Antigonish), and is near the Northumberland Strait which is warmer than the Bay of Fundy

The South Shore is a very popular destination for many people, as ACL described below. It depends on tourism more than most other areas of NS (except perhaps Cape Breton). It is not what I would consider particularly green as it hugs the rockier Atlantic coastline and gets more extremes of weather. Cape Breton is also beautiful (outside of the aforementioned Sydney) but is one of the most economically depressed areas in Canada. You might also consider it a bit remote, as the settlements are rather spread out and a lot of things close down outside of tourist season.

And don't worry about ensuring you live in a place with snow in winter, in NS it is unavoidable in any area.

mikejw

Hi

Some fantastic overviews from ACL and AnyaT. They give a great view of the general "undulations" here in NS.

We live about 25 mins from Halifax and the area is classified as rural. There is an abundance of super recreational and shopping facilities all within a 5/10 minute drive. From the feedback I have received ,it really is dependant on where you want to work,how far you need to commute etc.

The scenery,dog walking trails,camping and provincial parks are stunning with an abubdance of lakes to view while partaking in all your activities.The sea is never far away;both the eatern and southern shores are within an easy 45 min drive.Broadband is widely available here.

The snow hits everywhere!Again,this might determine your journeys to/from your place of work.At least here,the snow ploughs clear the roads and seem to be prepared![unlike the poor people stuck in Cornwall last week!]

I hope this helps.The freedom and ease of travel here[by car] will certainly allow you to have much more choice.

Cheers and all the best for your trip.

Orla

steve of 5-0

You will not see much driving around NS, you`ll be to busy spottin` the bloody pot-holes, mate!!!

h_henry

Thanks again to everybody for your posts, they've been very helpful. Looking forward to coming over and seeing NS for myself!

northernbird

If you want to stay within easy reach of Halifax/Dartmouth you could look at areas such as Kingswood, Tantallon, Glen Arbour, Whitehills and Fall River. These areas have quite big lots in a rural setting but not too far away from the city and other amenities. We lived in Kingswood during our time in NS and it was lovely. Certainly somewhere we will think of heading back to if our skilled worker application ever gets processed!!!