Fairview

Fairview is named after Fairview Cove, which forms the extreme southern end of Bedford Basin at the northern edge of the isthmus connecting the Halifax Peninsula with the larger Chebucto peninsula. The Dutch Village was one of the original homes of the Foreign Protestants that arrived in Halifax in the 1750s.

In a series of corporate mergers following World War I, railway lines in the Fairview area came under control of Canadian National Railways (CNR). CNR established its new locomotive servicing shops and roundhouse for the Halifax area in the community, which was named Fairview Station on March 1, 1921.

Until the 1950s, the railway employed the majority of Fairview’s residents and in 1956 the name was shortened to Fairview. Through the 1960s, Fairview continued to fill in as its housing densified and the last subdivision to be completed in the community was Keystone Court in 1990. Newer residential developments in outlying areas during the 1970s-1990s, such as the modern development in adjacent Clayton Park, along with a demand by families for larger homes, saw Fairview's working-class neighbourhoods of smaller homes become a less desirable location over time.

Fairview has been gradually gentrifying as urban professionals seeking shorter commutes into Halifax are rediscovering the neighbourhood and its century-old charm.

Fairview, an older well-established community sits next door to Clayton Park, one of the newest areas in Halifax, which has been characterized by significant development over the past 20 years. Known for an abundance of apartments and lower economic area, Fairview is growing with new high rise residential at the site of the previous Halifax West High School, new semi- detached homes here and there and many homes seeing renovations and young families moving back in due to the easy commute to the peninsula.

census (2016) 12,300

 Schools

ELEMENTARY

1. Fairview Heights (Annex): Grades PP – 1

2. Fairview Heights (Main): Grades 1 – 6

3. Burton Ettinger: Grades PP – 6, including French immersion

JUNIOR HIGH

1. Fairview Junior High: Grades 7 – 9, including French Immersion

HIGH SCHOOL

1. Halifax West High School: Grades 10 – 12, including French Immersion

Recreation

Residents of this area can access a number of major facilities. The Mainland North Common is developed as a regional recreation facility and features a public library, a number of sports fields, including two indoor soccer fields, and the multi-purpose Canada Games Centre. MSVU also offers recreational, cultural and educational facilities of the highest standards.