Halifax

Halifax is the capital and largest Canadian city of the province of Nova Scotia, and the economic center of the Atlantic Provinces.

It is an important economic center in the Canadian Atlantic with a large concentration of government services and private sector companies. The main employers and economic generators include the Department of National Defense, the University of Dalhousie, the University of Saint Mary, the Halifax Shipyard, various levels of government and the Port of Halifax. Agriculture, fishing, mining, forestry and the extraction of natural gas are the main resource industries found in the rural areas of the municipality. Halifax was ranked by MoneySense magazine as the fourth best place to live in Canada in 2012, was first on a list of "big cities for quality of life" and ranked second on a list of "big cities of the future", both directed by the fDi Magazine for the cities of North and South America. In addition, Halifax has consistently placed in the top 10 for its ability to do business in the cities of North and South America, as conducted by the magazine fDi.

Halifax has a humid continental climate, with warm summers and relatively mild winters, which is due to the moderation of the Gulf Stream. The climate is generally milder in the winter or cooler in the summer than areas in similar latitudes in the interior, with the remaining temperature (with occasional notable exceptions) between about -8 ° C (18 ° F) and 24 ° C (75 ° F). January is the coldest month, being the only month with a maximum that is slightly below the freezing point at -0.1 ° C (31.8 ° F), while August is the warmest. The sea strongly influences the climate of the area, causing a significant seasonal delay in summer, with August being significantly warmer than June and with September being the third month smoother in terms of average temperature. The January average is only 1.1 ° C colder than the isotherm for the oceanic climate.

The urban area of Halifax is an important economic center in eastern Canada with a large concentration of government services and private sector companies. Halifax is the commercial, banking, governmental and cultural center of the maritime region. The city's largest employment sectors include commerce (36,400 jobs), medical assistance and social assistance (31,800 jobs), professional services (19,000 jobs), education (17,400 jobs) and public administration (15,800 jobs). Halifax's economy is growing, and Canada's Conference Board forecasts strong GDP growth of 3.0% by 2015.

Major employers and economic generators include the Department of National Defense, the Port of Halifax, Irving Shipbuilding, the Nova Scotia Health Authority, the IMP Group, Bell Aliant, Emera, the Bedford Institute of Oceanography, government, banks, and universities.

The municipality has a growing concentration of manufacturing industries and is becoming an important multimodal transport hub through growth in the port, the Halifax Stanfield International Airport, and the improvement of rail and road connections. Halifax is one of the four main container ports in Canada in terms of the volume of cargo handled. A real estate boom in recent years has led to numerous new real estate developments, including the gentrification of some former working-class areas.

Agriculture, fishing, mining, forestry and the extraction of natural gas are the main resource industries found in the rural areas of the municipality. The largest agricultural district in Halifax is in the Musquodoboit Valley; The total number of farms in Halifax is 150, of which 110 are family owned. The fishing ports are found along all coastal areas, and some have an independent port authority, such as the industrial port of Sheet Harbor, and others are managed as ports of small vessels under federal control of Fisheries and Oceans Canada.