West Lawrencetown, Nova Scotia
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West Lawrencetown is a
residential A residential area is a land used in which housing predominates, as opposed to industrial and commercial areas. Housing may vary significantly between, and through, residential areas. These include single-family housing, multi-family residen ...
community within the
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 ...
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 ...
on the Eastern Shore on Route 207 along the scenic route
Marine Drive Marine Drive may refer to: Roads Bangladesh * Cox Bazar-Tekhnaf Marine Drive, world's longest marine drive road. Canada *Marine Drive (Nova Scotia), a scenic route in Nova Scotia * Marine Drive (Greater Vancouver), a number of roadways in Metro ...
.


History

Despite the British Conquest of Acadia in 1710, Nova Scotia remained primarily occupied by Catholic Acadians and Mi'kmaq.
Father Le Loutre's War Father Le Loutre's War (1749–1755), also known as the Indian War, the Mi'kmaq War and the Anglo-Mi'kmaq War, took place between King George's War and the French and Indian War in Acadia and Nova Scotia. On one side of the conflict, the Briti ...
began when
Edward Cornwallis Edward Cornwallis ( – 14 January 1776) was a British career military officer and was a member of the aristocratic Cornwallis family, who reached the rank of Lieutenant General. After Cornwallis fought in Scotland, putting down the Jacobi ...
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), which were signed after
Dummer's War Dummer's War (1722–1725) is also known as Father Rale's War, Lovewell's War, Greylock's War, the Three Years War, the Wabanaki-New England War, or the Fourth Anglo-Abenaki War. It was a series of battles between the New England Colonies and the ...
.; ; Also see http://www.northeastarch.com/vieux_logis.html 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), Dartmouth (1750), Bedford (Fort Sackville) (1751), Lunenburg (1753) and Lawrencetown (1754). In 1754,
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
Lieutenant Governor A lieutenant governor, lieutenant-governor, or vice governor is a high officer of state, whose precise role and rank vary by jurisdiction. Often a lieutenant governor is the deputy, or lieutenant, to or ranked under a governor — a "second-in-comm ...
Charles Lawrence, mindful of the threat the French posed at
Fortress Louisbourg The Fortress of Louisbourg (french: Forteresse de Louisbourg) is a National Historic Site and the location of a one-quarter partial reconstruction of an 18th-century French fortress at Louisbourg on Cape Breton Island, Nova Scotia. Its two sie ...
on
Cape Breton Island Cape Breton Island (french: link=no, île du Cap-Breton, formerly '; gd, Ceap Breatainn or '; mic, Unamaꞌki) is an island on the Atlantic coast of North America and part of the province of Nova Scotia, Canada. The island accounts for 18. ...
, of the intentions of the
Mi'kmaq The Mi'kmaq (also ''Mi'gmaq'', ''Lnu'', ''Miꞌkmaw'' or ''Miꞌgmaw''; ; ) are a First Nations people of the Northeastern Woodlands, indigenous to the areas of Canada's Atlantic Provinces and the Gaspé Peninsula of Quebec as well as the northe ...
and the
Acadians The Acadians (french: Acadiens , ) are an ethnic group descended from the French who settled in the New France colony of Acadia during the 17th and 18th centuries. Most Acadians live in the region of Acadia, as it is the region where the des ...
, offered land grants to twenty families, who referred to their settlement as Lawrence's Town, which became Lawrencetown.


Geography

Situated approximately 24 km east of
Halifax Harbour Halifax Harbour is a large natural harbour on the Atlantic coast of Nova Scotia, Canada, located in the Halifax Regional Municipality. Halifax largely owes its existence to the harbour, being one of the largest and deepest ice-free natural harbo ...
, West Lawrencetown is located on a peninsula in the Atlantic Ocean formed by Cole Harbour to the west and Lawrencetown Lake (a natural harbour) to the east. The community of Upper Lawrencetown is located northwest along the Highway 107 corridor and the coastal community of Lawrencetown is to the southeast where
Lawrencetown Beach Provincial Park Lawrencetown may refer to: *Lawrencetown, County Down, Northern Ireland * Lawrencetown, County Galway, Ireland * Lawrencetown, Annapolis County, Nova Scotia, Canada * Lawrencetown, Halifax County, Nova Scotia, Canada **East Lawrencetown, Nova Scot ...
is situated. The area has a unique
micro climate A microclimate (or micro-climate) is a local set of atmospheric conditions that differ from those in the surrounding areas, often with a slight difference but sometimes with a substantial one. The term may refer to areas as small as a few squa ...
as a result of the shallow waters of Cole Harbour and Lawrencetown Lake which are heated by the daytime sun and retained by an abandoned
railway Rail transport (also known as train transport) is a means of transport that transfers passengers and goods on wheeled vehicles running on rails, which are incorporated in tracks. In contrast to road transport, where the vehicles run on a pre ...
embankment constructed across the waterway which acts as a barrier to tidal exchange. As a result, West Lawrencetown experiences fewer fog days compared to other areas along the Eastern Shore.


Beaches

West Lawrencetown is also the home of three beaches. Lawrencetown Beach, a south-facing stretch of sand that unfurls lazily for nearly 1.5 km (1 mi), is renowned as a prime destination for local and international surfers, located along Route 207, twenty-five miles from the hustle and cosmopolitan bustle of downtown Halifax. The second beach is Conrad's Beach located at the end of Conrad Road. Stoney Beach is located on the 207 west of Lawrencetown Beach. Lawrencetown Beach is a provincial park and was one of the first beaches in the province to be supervised by the Nova Scotia Lifeguard Service who have been on duty there since 1973.


Notes


References

Texts * Grenier, John. The Far Reaches of Empire. War in Nova Scotia, 1710-1760. Norman: U of Oklahoma P, 2008. * * * Links
West Lawrencetown

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