Lower Sackville, Nova Scotia

Before European colonization in 1749, the Mi'kmaq lived in this area for thousands of years.

In August 1749, Captain John Gorham, acting on orders from Governor Edward Cornwallis to establish a military fort named Fort Sackville. (The community was named after George Germain, 1st Viscount Sackville.[2]).

In the 1950s and 1960s it was a destination for Haligonians seeking entertainment at a drive-in cinema, a harness racing track (Sackville Downs), and an World War II bomber-plane ice cream parlour. Sackville Downs closed in 1986.

Lower Sackville experienced intensive suburban development from the 1970s onward due to new highway connections as well as a major development scheme by the Nova Scotia Housing Commission, later the Nova Scotia Department of Housing. Suburbanization contributed to a decline in agriculture in the community.

Before amalgamation into the Halifax Regional Municipality in 1996, Lower Sackville was an unincorporated part of Halifax County.

On 1 April 1996, Halifax County was dissolved and all of its places (cities, suburbs, towns, and villages) became communities of a single-tier municipality named Halifax Regional Municipality.

Today, Lower Sackville is a bedroom community of Halifax home to many established businesses, parks, and places of interest.

According to the 2013 Halifax Regional Municipality Urban Forest Master Plan, the community of Lower Sackville covers approximately 566 ha (1,400 acres) of land area.[3]

Lower Sackville is east of Lucasville; north--north-east of Bedford; south-east of Middle Sackville; and south-west of Windsor Junction.

The community is located approximately 18 km (11 mi) from Downtown Dartmouth, approximately 27 km (17 mi) from Downtown Halifax, and approximately 25 km (16 mi) from Halifax Stanfield International Airport.

Arenas

• Sackville Community Arena
• Sackville Sports Stadium

Community centres

• Acadia Centre
• Kinsmen Community Centre
• Sackville Heights Community Centre

Library

• Sackville Public Library

Museums

• Fultz House[5]

Parks

• Acadia Park
• Sackville Lakes Provincial Park

Pools

• Sackville Sports Stadium

Trails

• Bedford-Sackville Connector

The only demographic information that pertains to Lower Sackville is provided by Halifax Regional Council, and pertains to District 15 (Lower Sackville). District 15 (Lower Sackville) has 21,379 people living within its boundaries.[6] However, the community itself does not have any recent demographic information.

Lower Sackville has experienced ribbon/strip-style commercial development along Trunk 1 since the 1960s. Current retail chains include Canadian Tire, Cleve's Sporting Goods, Dollarama, Giant Tiger, Sobeys, and Atlantic Superstore. There are numerous independent restaurants-and-retailers located in this area as well. Most of the restaurants in the area are of the fast food variety, as well as other establishments that serve various cuisines.

The community is located northwest of the Halifax-Dartmouth urban core. Highway 101, Highway 102, Route 354, and Trunk 1 (called Sackville Drive within Lower Sackville) are highways that connect the community to the rest of the urban area, or beyond.

Lower Sackville is serviced by many Halifax Transit routes. The agency operates two transit terminals in the community: Cobequid Terminal in the south, and Sackville Terminal in the north.[7]

Halifax Transit routes

• Route 8 (Sackville)
• Route 82 (First Lake)
• Route 83 (Springfield)
• Route 84 (Glendale)
• Route 85 (Millwood)
• Route 86 (Beaver Bank)
• Route 87 (Sackville-Dartmouth)
• Route 88 (Bedford Commons)
• Route 93 (Bedford Highway)
• Route 182 (First Lake Express)
• Route 183 (Springfield Express)
• Route 185 (Millwood Express)
• Route 186 (Beaver Bank Express)

Lower Sackville has nine schools including five elementary schools, three junior high schools, and one high school. They are all administered by the Halifax Regional Centre for Education.

Elementary schools

• Caudle Park Elementary
• Cavalier Drive School
• Hillside Park Elementary
• Smokey Drive Elementary
• Sycamore Lane Elementary

Junior high schools

• A.J. Smeltzer Junior High
• Leslie Thomas Junior High
• Sackville Heights Junior High

High schools

• Sackville High School

• Charles Fenerty, inventor of newsprint made from wood pulp.
• Corey LeRue, musician in Canadian Pop Band Neon Dreams.
• Brad Marchand, NHL player for the Boston Bruins. (Originally from Lower Sackville but grew up in Upper Hammonds Plains, Nova Scotia)
• Adrian Morris, musician in Canadian Pop Band Neon Dreams.
• Nikki Payne, award-winning stand-up comedian and contestant on the 2006 edition of NBC television's reality show Last Comic Standing. Also, frequent juror on MuchMusic's show Video on Trial. She attended Millwood High School.
• James Sheppard, NHL player for the New York Rangers.