About Halifax

The City of Halifax (est. 1841) was the capital of the province of Nova Scotia and shire town of Halifax County, and was the largest city in Atlantic Canadauntil it was amalgamated into Halifax Regional Municipality in 1996. It is no longer an incorporated city and is a community of Halifax Regional Municipality (HRM).

The Town of Halifax was founded by British government 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 Governor, the City of Halifax was incorporated in 1841.

On April 1, 1996, the government of Nova Scotia dissolved the City of Halifax, and amalgamated the four municipalities within Halifax County and formed Halifax Regional Municipality, a single-tier regional government covering that whole area.

Today the area of the former City of Halifax is now referred to as an unincorporated "provincial metropolitan area" by the provincial government's place name website and the area is referred to as "Halifax, Nova Scotia" for civic addressing and as a placename.

The area is now administered as two separate community planning areas by the regional government for development, Halifax Peninsula and Mainland Halifax. It forms a significant part of the Halifax urban area. Residents of the former city are referred to as "Haligonians".