About Bedford Nova Scotia

The community of Bedford Nova Scotia is the jewel of the Halifax Regional Municipality.

Located on the shores of the gorgeous Bedford Basin the Bedford Nova Scotia community is one of the most beautiful anywhere. One only has to see sailboats navigating the Bedford basin in the summer to fall in love with this community.

Boasting a population estimated between 30,000 and 35,000, Bedford Nova Scotia is a small, friendly community. Bedford is strategically located. Halifax and Dartmouth are 15 minutes away as is the Halifax International Airport. Either city can be reached without crossing the bridges.

Two parks located on the Bedford basin provide stunning and relaxing waterfront views. Dewolfe Park is located within the Bedford Waterfront Development. It offers a 1 mile walking path along the shores of the basin as well as a spacious grassed area for free play or picnics. An elaborate pirate theme play structure is very popular with the children. This park also plays host to many community events such as Bedford Days, a summer festival held around the end of June each year and Light Up Bedford Parade at Christmas.

Lions Park is also located on the shores of the Bedford Basin. It boasts two heated swimming pools, several pieces of play equipment and a basketball court. The basketball court is legendary with some of the HRM's best basketball players learning how to play here and still using it on a regular basis. This park has a breathtaking view of the sailboats in the Bedford Yacht Club.

Bedford Nova Scotia also boasts hundreds of acres of protected parkland, walking and ski trails, Papermill and Sandy lakes all within the community. At Papermill Lake, located on the Halifax end of Bedford, you'll find two beaches that are enjoyed all summer and skating is enjoyed in winter.

There is plenty of shopping in Bedford Nova Scotia . Two mid size shopping malls, Sunnyside Mall and Bedford Place Mall, a box store shopping area called Bedford Commons and several smaller strip malls will satisfy most of your everyday shopping needs. Large scale Big Box store shopping is only minutes away at either Bayer's Lake or Dartmouth Crossing or you can visit one of the many shopping malls found throughout metro.

What makes Bedford Nova Scotia so great are its people. With a small population residents have an opportunity to get to know each other. People are generally very friendly. The community boasts a tremendous volunteer spirit. There are lots of community based groups to join and always much to do. The community is a safe place to raise children. The crime rate in the town is the lowest in all of HRM. Bedford has a wonderful cross section of housing. With some new subdivisions the availability of brand new or almost new housing is never a problem. Houses and condos from affordable to over a $1,000,000 are available. There are also older character homes for sale at anytime. The styles vary and I'm sure finding a style that suits you will not be a problem.

Bedford is a quaint suburban community. It is a wonderful place to live.....

 

Bedford Nova Scotia Real Estate and Homes For Sale

There are several very nice subdivisions in the Bedford Nova Scotia area. These include Bedford West,Waterbury Park, Cascades, Ravines of Bedford South, Basinview, Eaglewood, Oakmount and others. We have created detailed descriptions and photos of most of them . On the Index line above click on NEIGHBOURHOODS then scroll to Bedford Subdivisions. A sub menu will come up with the various subdivision pages.

To search MLS Real estate and Homes for sale in Bedford click  SEARCH BEDFORD REAL ESTATE AND MLS LISTINGS. You can also search Homes for Sale in Bedford West. Waterbury Park and Cascades by clicking here SEARCH BEDFORD WEST REAL ESTATE AND HOMES FOR SALE
For more information on real estate in Bedford go to our BEDFORD HOME BUYING GUIDE.

Bedford Nova Scotia Schools

 

​Basinview Elementary GradesRocky Lake Junior HighCharles P Allen High SchoolBeaubasin French SchoolÉcole Secondaire d’HalifaxBedford Academy Private SchoolBedford SouthSunnyside ElementarySunnyside Elementary - Fort Sackville9 - 9<>

 

The Bedford Nova Scotia School system is considered one of the best in Nova Scotia. It consists of one smaller elementary school, three larger elementary schools, a junior high school and a senior high school. Every child in Bedford Nova Scotia attends the same junior and senior high school. CP Allen High is one of the most respected high schools in Nova Scotia. CP Allen High School opened a new facility close to Bedford West Subdivision in September 2013.

Early French Immersion (P-6) is available in Bedford Nova Scotia but not in all elementary schools. Early French Immersion is available in Fort Sackville and Eaglewood schools. Children from all over Bedford Nova Scotia are able to attend the Early Immersion program at these schools. There is Late French Immersion offered at Rocky Lake Junior High and CP Allen High School.

 

There are two private schools in Bedford Nova Scotia . The Bedford Academy offers classes from grade primary to grade 9. Sandy Lake Academy offers grades primary to 6.

 

There are also two French only schools on the edge of Bedford Nova Scotia in Royale Hemlocks Subdivision.  École Beaubassin and École Secondaire d’Halifax offer French only schooling from grades primary to grade 12.

 

Note: School systems are constantly changing so some of the info here regarding the grades and make up of the schools may have changed after the creation of this page. We regularly update our site but check the school district for specific current information.

 

Commuting Times and Options in the Halifax Regional Municipality (HRM)

 

There are a several options in Bedford for getting to and from work or school. Unfortunately there are no train or subway systems. However you can drive, take a bus, take a ferry, drive a bike or use a combination of these. Which method you might choose will depend on where you live. For example if you live on the Dartmouth side of Bedford  in either Ridgevale or Eaglewood and work in downtown Halifax you might use the ferry on a regular basis. A ferry runs from two locations in Dartmouth to downtown Halifax. Commuters will either take a bus or drive to the ferry terminal and then take a ferry to Halifax. Ferries take about 12 minutes each way.

A good number of people take the bus to work from Bedford. Metro Transit runs the Halifax bus system. Buses run on regular schedule  in Bedford 7 days a week. So this is a popular means of commuting to work for people who live in Bedford.

Cost and availability of parking in Halifax might be a consideration for the means of transportation you choose. Parking is very limited and the cost can be high. If you are in the military there is limited parking at the Halifax dockyard, on a first come first served basis, and some limited off site parking on the streets. For this reason many military commuters often decide not to drive to work.

 

Bedford Nova Scotia Recreation and Leisure

 

There are many varied leisure activities in the Bedford Nova Scotia . Bedford has all types of sports available to its residents. From sailing to lawn bowling there is something for everyone.

Bedford Nova Scotia has excellent indoor ice surfaces, so ice sports are enjoyed all year round. The BMO Centre was opened in 2011 and houses 4 ice surfaces. The Rocky Lake Dome opened in 2010 and the rink at the Lebrun Center has been open for many years. Hockey, ringette, figure skating and public skates are very popular in the area.

Bedford is definitely a sailing community. It's location on the shores of the Bedford Basin is ideal for the sport. The community has its own yacht club and marina. The Bedford Basin Yacht Club offers sailing lessons in the summer for all levels.

Bedford Nova Scotia has two outdoor swimming pools at the Lions Park. These heated pools are open from late June to Late August and are open to the public. Swimming lessons are offered here during the summer months. The
location is spectacular with both pools overlooking the Bedford Basin. There is also outdoor swimming at Paper Mill Lake or Sandy Lake Park in the summer months. Bedford doesn't have an indoor pool but there are several a short drive away including the Sackville Sports Stadium and Canada Games Center. Bedford has a competitive summer swim team called the Bedford Beavers Swim Team. This team has hosted several Provincial swim meets and many of its members have won numerous competitions.

Basketball is very popular in Bedford Nova Scotia as is soccer and baseball. Volunteer associations such as Bedford Minor Basketball run most sports activities in the community.

Bedford Nova Scotia has its own lawn bowling facility. This has become a very popular sport in the community particularly with the seniors. Lawn bowling is available from late spring through the summer months.

 

 

Shopping in Bedford, Nova Scotia

 

There are two medium indoor size shopping malls in Bedford Nova Scotia, Sunnyside Mall and Bedford Place Mall, a small big box shopping area at the Bedford Commons and several strip malls with shops and services. Many larger malls and specialty stores are within a 15 minute drive from Bedford.

 

The Sunnyside Mall in Bedford Nova Scotia is considered a higher end shopping center where you can find more brand name items and designer clothes. It's anchor stores are Shopper's Drug Mart, Mark's Work Warehouse and Pete's Frootique.

The Bedford Place Mall has over 50 shops and services and provides several quality shopping destinations. The anchor stores at Bedford Place are Giant Tiger, Atlantic Superstore, Rona, Dollarama and the Nova Scotia Liquor Commission.

 

Bedford Commons is Bedford Nova Scotia's newest shopping area The stores are constantly changing but at the last update of this site they included Canadian Tire, Walmart, Staples, Winners, Dollarama, Sportcheck, Payless Shoes, Bouclaire, Reitmans, Bulk Barn and many others. Several other stores are planned for the site as well.

For grocery items there are two grocery stores. Sobeys and Atlantic Superstore grocery stores. Both are modern stores with excellent quality and variety of food and other items. There are also specialty food stores that are very popular such as Pete's Frootique, which has possibly the best selection of fruit and vegetables in Nova Scotia.

 

A 10-15 minute drive from Bedford Nova Scotia you will find Bayer's Lake Business Park in Halifax where the big " box " stores such as Costco, Business Depot, Best Buy, Winners, Walmart, Home Depot and many others are located. This is a popular shopping location. Dartmouth Crossing is also only a 15 minute drive from Bedford Nova Scotia. Dartmouth Crossing will also have the big box stores similar to Bayers Lake.