Halifax, Nova Scotia
Benchmark housing price: $539,200
Population: 439,819
Let’s face it: Halifax is no longer Canada’s best-kept real estate secret. Five years ago, only the super-savvy knew to trade their Toronto condos for detached homes in the Maritimes’ largest economic and cultural hub. Although the buy-in price has ballooned from the low $300,000s to the mid-$500,000s over the past few years, high interest rates are causing that number to plateau, making home prices feel palatable again.
The Halifax market also remains accessible because of the growth and development of the neighbourhoods on its fringes. Clayton Park, a suburban enclave of brick multi-unit buildings and walking trails, just eclipsed 5,000 residents. Cole Harbour, a leafy suburb on the Atlantic shoreline (and the birthplace of Sidney Crosby) is becoming a popular landing spot for commuters, with its mixture of starter homes, contemporary estates and lakeside cottages. And Dartmouth, Halifax’s twin city on the other side of the MacKay and Macdonald bridges, has experienced one of the biggest glow-ups in the country, with a host of new microbreweries and gastropubs. It’s home to the cocktail emporium Dear Friend Bar and Oxalis, a farm-to-table restaurant with German and Austrian inspirations, as well as dozens of detached single-family homes and a growing network of apartment buildings with affordable units.
The heart of Halifax still beats loudest on its oldest streets, near historic Citadel Hill where the downtown is growing taller and denser without trampling on its green spaces. The Public Gardens at the foot of the Hill, the Halifax Common in the North End and the oceanside Point Pleasant Park are magnets for runners, yogis and dog walkers. At night, pubgoers descend on Argyle Street classics like Durty Nelly’s and the Loose Cannon. For a more dignified watering hole, there’s Peacock Wine Bar around Queen’s Marque, the city’s new waterfront district, with artisanal shops, condo buildings and the 60-foot Tidal Beacon art installation that rises over the harbour
Halifax is now 440,000 people strong, and its status as the most important tech centre east of Montreal is making it grow faster than most cities in the country. Global innovators have taken notice. Halifax is home to IBM’s first Canadian client innovation centre, Tesla’s first lithium-ion battery research facility, and a growing network of research and development tech companies like Volta, a start-up incubator. Together, these buzzy workplaces, neighbourhoods and businesses are giving the coastal city a 21st-century makeover.
Recently Listed
6370 Summit Street
Price tag: $585,000
The place: A three-bedroom, two-bathroom semi-detached house with a new kitchen and private yard, blocks away from Dalhousie and St. Mary’s universities
61 Deepwood Crescent
Price tag: $640,000
The place: A three-bedroom house in Halifax’s Clayton Park neighbourhood, with hardwood floors and a large, landscaped lot
244 Spring Avenue
Price tag: $349,000
The place: A three-bedroom, two-bathroom semi-detached home in the family-friendly Woodlawn neighbourhood, with hardwood floors and proximity to excellent schools
51 Walter Havill Drive
Price tag: $629,900
The place: A three-bedroom, three-bathroom house in the Stoneridge subdivision, with a finished basement, large back deck and proximity to hiking trails on Long Lake
