Bedford (Nova Scotia)

Bedford is a community of 24,000 people (2011) in Halifax Region, Nova Scotia.

Understand
Bedford is a suburban community at the northern tip of the Bedford Basin, which is an extension of the Halifax Harbour. The community traces its history to the establishment of Fort Sackville by the British military in 1749. The village that grew around the fort adopted the name Bedford in 1850.

History
The area of Bedford has evidence of indigenous peoples dating back thousands of years. Petroglyphs are found at Bedford Petroglyphs National Historic Site. The Bedford area is known as Kwipek to the Mi'kmaq First Nation.

Edward Cornwallis arrived to establish Halifax with 13 transports on June 21, 1749. By unilaterally establishing Halifax the British were violating earlier treaties with the Mi'kmaq (1726). The British quickly began to build other settlements. To guard against Mi'kmaq, Acadian and French attacks on the new Protestant settlements, British fortifications were erected in Halifax (1749), Bedford (Fort Sackville) (1749), Dartmouth (1750), Lunenburg (1753) and Lawrencetown (1754).

The history of Bedford began when Governor Cornwallis organised his men and began the construction of a road leading to Minas Basin on the Bay of Fundy after establishing the garrison at Halifax. To protect it, he hired John Gorham and his Rangers to erect a fort on the shore of Bedford Basin. It was named Fort Sackville after Lionel Sackville, 1st Duke of Dorset. The area around the fort became known as Sackville until the mid-1850s, when it became Bedford.

The village adopted the name Bedford around 1850. The name is in honour of John Russell, 4th Duke of Bedford, Secretary of State for the colonies in 1749. In 1996, Bedford was amalgamated with Halifax, Dartmouth, and Halifax County Municipality to form the Halifax Regional Municipality (HRM).

Get in
Bedford is on the northwestern end of Bedford Basin, an extension of the Halifax Harbour, which ends just before Nova Scotia Highway 102 and the Bedford Bypass, next to Lower Sackville. Bedford is at the junctions of Trunks 1, 2, and 7.



Get around
Bedford is well serviced by taxis, buses, roads, highways, sidewalks, and walking paths.

Do

 * Bedford is a well-established sailing community, and is home to the Bedford Basin Yacht Club and Marina.
 * The Light Up Bedford Parade is an annual parade that runs along the Bedford Highway from Bedford Place Mall and ends at DeWolf Park. At the park there is a hot chocolate stand, Christmas carol singing, contests, and prizes. At the conclusion of the parade, a Christmas tree is lit. The parade takes place on the Sunday following the Light Up Halifax Parade, which is usually mid-November.
 * The Light Up Bedford Parade is an annual parade that runs along the Bedford Highway from Bedford Place Mall and ends at DeWolf Park. At the park there is a hot chocolate stand, Christmas carol singing, contests, and prizes. At the conclusion of the parade, a Christmas tree is lit. The parade takes place on the Sunday following the Light Up Halifax Parade, which is usually mid-November.
 * The Light Up Bedford Parade is an annual parade that runs along the Bedford Highway from Bedford Place Mall and ends at DeWolf Park. At the park there is a hot chocolate stand, Christmas carol singing, contests, and prizes. At the conclusion of the parade, a Christmas tree is lit. The parade takes place on the Sunday following the Light Up Halifax Parade, which is usually mid-November.