Halifax, Nova Scotia

Halifax (2001 pop.: 119,292) is the largest urban community in Atlantic Canada. Halifax was founded by the British goverment under the direction of the Board of Trade and Plantations under the command of Governor Edward Cornwallis in 1749 After a protracted struggle between residents and the Executive Council, the city was incorporated in 1841. Halifax was also the shire town of Halifax County. On April 1,1996 the government of Nova Scotia amalgamated the four municipalities within Halifax County, among them the City of Halifax, and formed the Halifax Regional Municipality, a single-tier regional government covering that whole area. The City of Halifax ceased to be a legal entity, but the city of Halifax now referred to as an unincorporated "Metropolitan Area" by the provincial government. Residents of Halifax are called Haligonians. Halifax and the neighbouring metropolitan area of Dartmouth, Nova Scotia form the urban core of the Halifax Regional Municipality (HRM).