Timberlea, Nova Scotia
Encyclopedia
Timberlea is a community located on the rural/suburban fringe of the Halifax Regional Municipality in Nova Scotia
, Canada
, along the St. Margaret's Bay Rd (Highway #3), which extends from the Armdale Rotary to the Head of St. Margaret's Bay. It begins about 8 miles/13 km from downtown Halifax. The name means a broad meadow in a forest.
Timberlea is a part of the Timberlea-Prospect
provincial electoral district. Bill Estabrooks
of the New Democratic Party
has been the member of the Legislative Assembly
since 1999. It is a part of the "Beechville-Lakeside-Timberlea" (BLT) area, and is bounded on the side closer to Halifax by Lakeside
, and on the other side (at exit 4 on the 103 highway) by Hubley
.
in 1904, the community was referred to as Bowser's Station, after Angus Bowser, who ran a hotel near the area's train station near Greenwood Heights. It was renamed Timberlea in 1922 to reflect the importance of the forest and lumbering. Aubrey Fraser was an early settler in the area, and he, his father and brothers stationed a saw mill along the Nine Mile River. Almost a decade following the Halifax Explosion, the Bowser's Hotel was sold to Mr. and Mrs. William Miller. It had been a frequent stop for people traveling along the St. Margaret's Bay Road, between Halifax
and Yarmouth
. The Hotel was leveled in a fire, on the night of December 12, 1947. Until the early 1990s, it was a semi-rural, fairly close-knit community. Subsequently, several large developments such as Greenwood Heights have substantially increased the population, and it is now mostly a suburban community.
. The western portion of Governor's Lake, and all of Fraser's Lake are with the community. The flora is predominantly softwood and mixed Boreal Forest, and the bedrock is granite throughout, with many outcrops including several areas of barrens which offer good blueberry and huckleberry picking.
bed from Beechville to Hubley into well maintained hiking/cycling/ATV rail trail
which connects with a similar 32 km stretch maintained by the similar St. Margaret's Bay organization.
The Bluff Trail, a 30 kilometre network of non-motorized wilderness trails, branches off the BLT Trail at Cranberry Lake. Swimming is available at Governor's Lake and, if a good community access point can be re-established on Fraser's Lake, which offers opportunities for kayaking and canoeing. There are tennis and basketball courts and a ball diamond in Greenwood Heights, several basket ball nets and a well-build playground at the BLT Elementary School, and tennis courts and a skateboard facility at the Lakeside Community Center. Indoor recreation programs are run year-round at this center as well.
, and construction and restoration of a "Fraser's Mill Museum", commemorating the saw mill at the source of Nine Mile River, which was once owned by the Fraser family. Large-scale developments in the community, such as a planned golf-course and subdivision on the north side of the connector between St. Margaret's Bay Rd. and the 103 highway which is destroying a large forest, have been temporarily halted because of concerns over the ability of Nine Mile River, the main watershed in the area, to handle more sewerage. Loss of wilderness area and increasing suburban burdens have also fed opposition to the planned construction Highway 113, a new highway connector from Timberlea Currently, Timberlea can be considered a "bedroom community", since there are a very limited number of business and services in the immediate area.
Nova Scotia
Nova Scotia is one of Canada's three Maritime provinces and is the most populous province in Atlantic Canada. The name of the province is Latin for "New Scotland," but "Nova Scotia" is the recognized, English-language name of the province. The provincial capital is Halifax. Nova Scotia is the...
, Canada
Canada
Canada is a North American country consisting of ten provinces and three territories. Located in the northern part of the continent, it extends from the Atlantic Ocean in the east to the Pacific Ocean in the west, and northward into the Arctic Ocean...
, along the St. Margaret's Bay Rd (Highway #3), which extends from the Armdale Rotary to the Head of St. Margaret's Bay. It begins about 8 miles/13 km from downtown Halifax. The name means a broad meadow in a forest.
Timberlea is a part of the Timberlea-Prospect
Timberlea-Prospect
Timberlea—Prospect is a provincial electoral district in Nova Scotia, Canada, that elects one member of the Nova Scotia House of Assembly.Its Member of the Legislative Assembly since 1998 has been Bill Estabrooks of the Nova Scotia New Democratic Party .-Members of the Legislative Assembly:This...
provincial electoral district. Bill Estabrooks
Bill Estabrooks
Bill Estabrooks is a Member of the Legislative Assembly of Nova Scotia and currently Minister of Transportation and Infrastructure Renewal. He represents the riding of Timberlea-Prospect for the NDP....
of the New Democratic Party
New Democratic Party
The New Democratic Party , commonly referred to as the NDP, is a federal social-democratic political party in Canada. The interim leader of the NDP is Nycole Turmel who was appointed to the position due to the illness of Jack Layton, who died on August 22, 2011. The provincial wings of the NDP in...
has been the member of the Legislative Assembly
Member of the Legislative Assembly
A Member of the Legislative Assembly or a Member of the Legislature , is a representative elected by the voters of a constituency to the legislature or legislative assembly of a sub-national jurisdiction....
since 1999. It is a part of the "Beechville-Lakeside-Timberlea" (BLT) area, and is bounded on the side closer to Halifax by Lakeside
Lakeside, Nova Scotia
Lakeside, Nova Scotia is a community of the Halifax Regional Municipality in the Canadian province of Nova Scotia....
, and on the other side (at exit 4 on the 103 highway) by Hubley
Hubley, Nova Scotia
Hubley is a residential community within the Halifax Regional Municipality Nova Scotia on Trunk 3 between Upper Tantallon and Timberlea 12.64 kilometers from Halifax- Communications :*The first three digits of the postal code are B3Z...
.
History
The community was first known as Nine Mile River after the river in the centre of the community which fed several early mills. The St. Margaret's Bay Road was routed through the village in the mid 19th century, relocated for an earlier location further south. Several hotels were established to cater to travelers and later sportsmen and the Nine Mile River was crossed by an arched stone bridge which still survives, one of the only surviving stone bridges in Nova Scotia. After the arrival of the Halifax and Southwestern RailwayHalifax and Southwestern Railway
The Halifax and Southwestern Railway was a historic Canadian railway operating in the province of Nova Scotia. The H&SW was created in spring 1901 when William Mackenzie and Donald Mann approached the provincial government with plans to finish the abortive plans for a railway from Halifax to...
in 1904, the community was referred to as Bowser's Station, after Angus Bowser, who ran a hotel near the area's train station near Greenwood Heights. It was renamed Timberlea in 1922 to reflect the importance of the forest and lumbering. Aubrey Fraser was an early settler in the area, and he, his father and brothers stationed a saw mill along the Nine Mile River. Almost a decade following the Halifax Explosion, the Bowser's Hotel was sold to Mr. and Mrs. William Miller. It had been a frequent stop for people traveling along the St. Margaret's Bay Road, between Halifax
City of Halifax
Halifax is a city in Canada, which was the capital of the province of Nova Scotia and shire town of Halifax County. It was the largest city in Atlantic Canada until it was amalgamated into Halifax Regional Municipality in 1996...
and Yarmouth
Yarmouth, Nova Scotia
Yarmouth is a town and fishing port located on the Gulf of Maine in rural southwestern Nova Scotia, Canada. It is the shire town of Yarmouth County. The town is located in the heart of the world's largest lobster fishing grounds and has Canada's highest lobster catch.- History :The townsite may...
. The Hotel was leveled in a fire, on the night of December 12, 1947. Until the early 1990s, it was a semi-rural, fairly close-knit community. Subsequently, several large developments such as Greenwood Heights have substantially increased the population, and it is now mostly a suburban community.
Geography
Timberlea is fairly flat on the northern side of the St. Margaret's Bay Rd., and the topography rises on the southern side, to the 103 highway. The community is mostly situated within the watershed of Nine Mile River, which empties into Shad Bay, near Peggy's Cove on the St. Margaret's BaySt. Margaret's Bay
St. Margaret's Bay may refer to:In Canada* St. Margarets Bay, Nova Scotia on the South Shore of Nova Scotia* St. Margarets Bay, Nova Scotia , a political division* Head of St. Margarets Bay, Nova ScotiaIn England...
. The western portion of Governor's Lake, and all of Fraser's Lake are with the community. The flora is predominantly softwood and mixed Boreal Forest, and the bedrock is granite throughout, with many outcrops including several areas of barrens which offer good blueberry and huckleberry picking.
Recreational opportunities
The area has good out-door recreational facilities and opportunities. The Beechville Lakeville Timberlea (BLT) Rails to Trails Association (see link below) has turned its 13 kilometres of the old Halifax and Southwestern RailwayHalifax and Southwestern Railway
The Halifax and Southwestern Railway was a historic Canadian railway operating in the province of Nova Scotia. The H&SW was created in spring 1901 when William Mackenzie and Donald Mann approached the provincial government with plans to finish the abortive plans for a railway from Halifax to...
bed from Beechville to Hubley into well maintained hiking/cycling/ATV rail trail
Rail trail
A rail trail is the conversion of a disused railway easement into a multi-use path, typically for walking, cycling and sometimes horse riding. The characteristics of former tracks—flat, long, frequently running through historical areas—are appealing for various development. The term sometimes also...
which connects with a similar 32 km stretch maintained by the similar St. Margaret's Bay organization.
The Bluff Trail, a 30 kilometre network of non-motorized wilderness trails, branches off the BLT Trail at Cranberry Lake. Swimming is available at Governor's Lake and, if a good community access point can be re-established on Fraser's Lake, which offers opportunities for kayaking and canoeing. There are tennis and basketball courts and a ball diamond in Greenwood Heights, several basket ball nets and a well-build playground at the BLT Elementary School, and tennis courts and a skateboard facility at the Lakeside Community Center. Indoor recreation programs are run year-round at this center as well.
Contemporary issues
There is discussion over preserving a substantially large area of crown land for a park near the lakes. Tentative plans are being discussed over the prospect of a community libraryLibrary
In a traditional sense, a library is a large collection of books, and can refer to the place in which the collection is housed. Today, the term can refer to any collection, including digital sources, resources, and services...
, and construction and restoration of a "Fraser's Mill Museum", commemorating the saw mill at the source of Nine Mile River, which was once owned by the Fraser family. Large-scale developments in the community, such as a planned golf-course and subdivision on the north side of the connector between St. Margaret's Bay Rd. and the 103 highway which is destroying a large forest, have been temporarily halted because of concerns over the ability of Nine Mile River, the main watershed in the area, to handle more sewerage. Loss of wilderness area and increasing suburban burdens have also fed opposition to the planned construction Highway 113, a new highway connector from Timberlea Currently, Timberlea can be considered a "bedroom community", since there are a very limited number of business and services in the immediate area.
Demographics
- Population - 5477
- Total Dwellings - 1860
- Total Land Area - 6.2885 Km²
- BLT Elementary Population - 800 children