Goff's is a Canadian rural community in
Nova Scotia
Nova Scotia ( ; ; ) is one of the thirteen provinces and territories of Canada. It is one of the three Maritime provinces and one of the four Atlantic provinces. Nova Scotia is Latin for "New Scotland".
Most of the population are native Eng ...
's
Halifax Regional Municipality
Halifax is the capital and largest municipality of the Provinces and territories of Canada, Canadian province of Nova Scotia, and the largest municipality in Atlantic Canada. As of the 2021 Census, the municipal population was 439,819, with 348 ...
.
Located in the north-central part of
Halifax County, Goff's 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 pro ...
.
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 (United States, Philippines), land acquisition (India, Malaysia, Singapore), compulsory purchase/acquisition (Australia, New Zealand, Ireland, United Kingdom), resumption (Hong Kong, Uganda), resumption/compulsory acquisition (Austr ...
in 1960 in order to expand the Halifax Stanfield International Airport. The Guysborough Road United Baptist Church, established in 1872, was relocated to Goff's Road as a result and later closed in the 1990s. Approximately 130
Black Nova Scotians
Black Nova Scotians (also known as African Nova Scotians and Afro-Nova Scotians) are Black Canadians whose ancestors primarily date back to the Colonial United States as slaves or freemen, later arriving in Nova Scotia, Canada, during the 18th ...
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
Explore HRM
Communities in Halifax, Nova Scotia
General Service Areas in Nova Scotia
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