Goffs is a Canadian rural community in

Nova Scotia Nova Scotia is a Provinces and territories of Canada, province of Canada, located on its east coast. It is one of the three Maritime Canada, Maritime provinces and Population of Canada by province and territory, most populous province in Atlan ...

Halifax Regional Municipality Halifax is the capital and most populous municipality of the Provinces and territories of Canada, Canadian province of Nova Scotia, and the most populous municipality in Atlantic Canada. As of 2024, it is estimated that the population of the H ...

. Located in the north-central part of Halifax County, Goffs is situated on the Old Guysborough Road ( Route 212) immediately east of the

Halifax Stanfield International Airport Halifax Stanfield International Airport is a Canadian airport in Goffs, Nova Scotia, a rural community of the Halifax Regional Municipality. It serves the Halifax region, mainland Nova Scotia, and adjacent areas in the neighbouring Maritime p ...

. The community was first settled by people of African descent beginning in 1784, originally as two separate settlements called West Settlement and the Grove. After several years of fundraising, a school was finally built to educate the community in 1932, enrolling seventeen children. Prior to the establishment of this school, the mostly African Nova Scotian community would have had no access to education. Much of the community's land was

expropriated Eminent domain, also known as land acquisition, compulsory purchase, resumption, resumption/compulsory acquisition, or expropriation, is the compulsory acquisition of private property for public use. It does not include the power to take and t ...

in 1960 in order to expand the Halifax Stanfield International Airport. The Guysborough Road United Baptist Church, established in 1872, was relocated to Goffs Road as a result and later closed in the 1990s. Approximately 130

Black Nova Scotians Black Nova Scotians (also known as African Nova Scotians, Afro-Nova Scotians, and Africadians) are Black Canadians whose ancestors primarily date back to the Colonial history of the United States, Colonial United States as Slavery in the United S ...

lived in the area in 1970. The church as well as many graves were moved for the third time in 1984. In 1985, a further 2,000 acres were taken from land owners to construct the Aerotech Industrial Park. As of the 2016 Census, 20 Black residents still live in the area. The community is home to the 9-hole Airlane Golf Club and the Goffs Volunteer Fire Department, part of the Halifax Regional Fire and Emergency Service. It also has approximately 200 residents living within the boundaries of the community. There has been recent development with new homes in the last decade and the closest body of water is Mud Lake.

References

Communities in Halifax, Nova Scotia Unincorporated communities in Nova Scotia {{HalifaxNS-geo-stub