Dartmouth is the smaller cross-harbour twin city to Nova Scotia's capital of Halifax, now joined through municipal amalgamation into the Halifax Regional Municipality (HRM). Residents of Dartmouth prefer to be known as Dartmouthians, and resist being referred to as Haligonians. Population before amalgamation was 65,741.
Before the construction of the Angus L. MacDonald Bridge across Halifax Harbour in the
1950s, traffic between Dartmouth and the capital had to take a long route around the
Bedford Basin. A ferry shuttle between the downtown areas of Halifax and Dartmouth
carried pedestrians but not vehicles. A second traffic crossing, the Mackay Bridge, is
also now available.
The city was not only a bedroom community for Halifax but also had commerce and
small industries of its own, including a molasses plant dating back to the days of the
"triangular trade" with the West Indies.
Dartmouth, boasting 23 lakes within its boundaries, is nicknamed "The City of Lakes" and takes special pride in the chain of lakes within its boundaries that form part of the Shubenacadie Canal . Most famous amongst these is Lake Banook , which provides an excellent location for recreation as well as attractive vistas. However, Dartmouth's most historic
body of water is an artificial one: Sullivan's Pond , in the downtown area, was dug in the
1830s as part of the Shubenacadie Canal to connect Halifax Harbour with the
Bay of Fundy on the South-west side of Nova Scotia.
Dartmouth is also commonly called the 'Darkside', in reference to the fact that its city lights look, from a distance, darker than Halifax's.
Traditionally, there has been a rivalry between Halifax and Dartmouth over which has better facilities and quality of life.
Gloria McCluskey was the last Mayor of Dartmouth, and now serves as a Councillor on HRM council representing District 5
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