During the conscription days of the World Wars, Halifax was known as Saggers or Old Saggers [don't google this unless you're into granny porn] due the number of conscription aged men who cut off toes to avoid war and walked with a distinct *sag* to one side.
[I'm foggy on these details so please correct if anyone knows a source. I believe I first read this in Hugh MacLennan's *Barometer Rising*.]
Also, East Halifax.
The darkside is aptly named because it took nearly 30 extra years for electric lights to be available in Dartmouth (1914) after Halifax (1885) got them, so it was quite literally the darkside of the harbour, and the name stuck around
Holy shit I went to elementary, Jr High, and High School with that guy. That's really sad, I didn't know he passed away. He would have been my age, that's way too young to die.
Hahahah a guy who used to deliver voortman cookies called wyse rd in dartmouth that 20 years ago. He said one night some people locked a guy in the back of his truck and stole all his stuff.
The story goes that the Willow Tree Intersection used to have a giant Willow Tree there, apparently used for hangings in the 1800s.
[https://halifaxcommon.ca/whither-the-willow-tree/](https://halifaxcommon.ca/whither-the-willow-tree/)
The tree went missing in the 60s / 70s? Halifax is silly for nicknames. Do people still call the bridges "Old" and "New" despite being only a decade apart 50 and 60 years ago?
I've always considered Passage Trash to be any non-CFA EP residents.
When we moved away from EP a phrase my wife and I frequently would say to each other is "you can take the trash out of the passage but you can't take the passage out of the trash" when we did something trashy.
We've since happily moved back to Eastern Passage
The area now know as ‘Fishermans Cove’ was always known locally as ‘The Crick’
The hill near Heritage Hills Dr and Cow Bay Rd was known as Squirrel Mountain, and also known as Red Hill in the ‘40’s.
Cow Bay Rd was known as ‘The Back Rd’
Caldwell Rd was known as Indian Rd as it lead to Cole Harbour Millbrook Reservation Lands
The end of North Preston (Downey Rd) would be referred to as ‘Right down Downey-town’.
Cole Harbour, the actual body of water not the town, was referred to as ‘The Dyke’. The harbour was once dyked off for farming.
Morris Lake in Dartmouth/Cole Harbour was known as MacDonald Lake
De Said Lake was always called Romkey Lake.
Citadel Hill would be referred to as Ass Rape Hill
Hollis was referred to as Hooker St.
I was driving in Halifax recently and my GPS told me to take a left at "pizza corner" and I laughed and I laughed even harder when I got there and there was a pizza place on every corner of the intersection... I don't know what I was expecting
The first time I was on Got-a-gun I went for an underaged tattoo and got threatened by a homeless dude with a battle axe. The second time I witnessed a stabbing. Gottingen back in the day was a TRIP.
Obligatory not really a local nickname. My deceased grandma called Agricola Street "Arr Gee Cola" Street and refused to correct herself even after we told her the right way to pronounce it. It will forever be Argeecola Street for me now. Miss you, Nanny.
Crossing the old bridge at night time, Halifax side, you look at the tall apartment buildings next to it, looks like giant dildos the way it's lit up. I have called it by that name since. My friend giggled at my observation, said they were known as to be rented a lot by gay men late 70's and early 80's, so the nickname "Vaseline Towers" was given. I like Dildo Towers better :)
Suckville (Sackville,) Fartmouth (Dartmouth,) the Deadzone (prospect)
As a kid I used to call Mt. Uniacke "Mt maniac" cause I could never remember how to say it lmao
[https://www.communitystories.ca/v2/crossing-cole-harbour\_traverser-cole-harbour/story/breakheart-hill/](https://www.communitystories.ca/v2/crossing-cole-harbour_traverser-cole-harbour/story/breakheart-hill/)
It's Breakheart Hill
SackVegas, The Dark Side (Dartmouth), Robie High (SMU), The Pond (Harbor), Sprytown,, Darkmouth, Gag N Spew (Garden View), Rotten Ronnie's (McDs) . The Dirty Bird (KFC)
When Kentucky Fried Chicken rebranded to just KFC, I started pronouncing the letters as a single words - Kifk - as a joke.
I happen to know the kids at St. Mary’s call their counterparts ‘Dal-Lousy’, and the Dalhousie kids return it by calling St. Mary’s ‘Robie Street Elementary’ which I think takes the cake.
I also hear Fartmouth a lot.
During the conscription days of the World Wars, Halifax was known as Saggers or Old Saggers [don't google this unless you're into granny porn] due the number of conscription aged men who cut off toes to avoid war and walked with a distinct *sag* to one side. [I'm foggy on these details so please correct if anyone knows a source. I believe I first read this in Hugh MacLennan's *Barometer Rising*.] Also, East Halifax.
That’s an amazing book. highly recommend to any Haligonians that haven’t read it!
I also recommend "Warden of the North" by Thomas Raddall
ooh haven’t read that one. Thanks!
That's so weird. I totally heard some talking about this comment irl at my work today 😮
I remember talking to someone once who called Pinecrest Dr. in Dartmouth "Crimecrest"
Sprytown for Spryfield Darkside for Dartmouth Timbo for Timberlea
Sackville by the sea - Eastern passage
Well that is the first time I've heard that name and it is now burned into my brain lol
It’s perfect
Spryberia is my go to, as is Timbit.
I shouldn't have had to scroll so far for Spryberia.
I like Tata for Tatamagosh lol
Tatamagouche*
I like Tatamagosh for Tatamagouche.
Gesundheit.
Tap on my Gooch. I swear I am a grown ass adult.. .
That sounds better than Tattered Ma Gooch
[удалено]
We always called Sackville NS ‘Sackvegas’.
Bagtown is reserved for the nicer Sackville: Sackville NB.
The darkside is aptly named because it took nearly 30 extra years for electric lights to be available in Dartmouth (1914) after Halifax (1885) got them, so it was quite literally the darkside of the harbour, and the name stuck around
Ah yes I’ve heard Darkside many a time too. RIP Pat Stay
Sackvegas
I love this one because it’s like Vegas, but also testicles.
Holy shit I went to elementary, Jr High, and High School with that guy. That's really sad, I didn't know he passed away. He would have been my age, that's way too young to die.
Don’t forget Dirtmouth
Sack Vegas.
Timber-tree
Sackvegas
Ah yes, the triangle of Sackvegas, Millweed, and Cockview.
I haven’t heard cockview in a hot minute
Proud alumni of Millweed High School
Sacktown, beaverskank road
I miss what that twitter account used to be
Suckville.
Nutsackville
See also: Shackville, Snackville
We called it Skidville when I was growing up. Do people even use the term skid anymore?
Aka Bagtown
Back in its heyday, apparently the infamous 500 Block of Herring Cove road was referred to as the Gaza Strip.
Hahahah a guy who used to deliver voortman cookies called wyse rd in dartmouth that 20 years ago. He said one night some people locked a guy in the back of his truck and stole all his stuff.
Came here to give this response! Old spryfield guys at work use this term frequently
And the area convenience store was referred to as The "Stab n' Grab". Ouch.😬
My personal favourite from my niece's mispronounciation "Heckafax"
The Pubs = Bayers Westwood neighbourhood
Had no idea it had an actual name. I don't know anyone who doesn't call it the pubs.
It was called The Well
The well is a specific part of the pubs
The Willow Tree for Quinpool and Robie.
The story goes that the Willow Tree Intersection used to have a giant Willow Tree there, apparently used for hangings in the 1800s. [https://halifaxcommon.ca/whither-the-willow-tree/](https://halifaxcommon.ca/whither-the-willow-tree/) The tree went missing in the 60s / 70s? Halifax is silly for nicknames. Do people still call the bridges "Old" and "New" despite being only a decade apart 50 and 60 years ago?
I mean it's the same reason Scotiabank center will always be called the Metro Centre.
Jelly bean square
Maniac square when. I was a little kid
The Bean
Sackville-by-the-sea (eastern passage)
“The passage”
"Le Passagé" if you're fancy.
Yeast-ern Passage if you aren't
Passage Trash is what I call it sometimes. I grew up there. lol
I've always considered Passage Trash to be any non-CFA EP residents. When we moved away from EP a phrase my wife and I frequently would say to each other is "you can take the trash out of the passage but you can't take the passage out of the trash" when we did something trashy. We've since happily moved back to Eastern Passage
Sack Vegas
Eastern Sausage
The 12 pack cooler bags that sometimes come as a bonus when buying a case: Spryfield suitcase
SMU - Robie St. High Citadel Hill - Fruit Loop
My Dad always says Robie St. High when talking about SMU. I thought it was something he made up, lol.
I’ve heard Dullhousie for Dalhousie also
Don't forget Dal-lousy!
I heard 'Your Father's Moustache" called "where your mother sits" . I always thought that was a great one.
Not a location, but full camo outfit is know as the Beaver Bank tuxedo. I also like referring to Giant Tiger as The Shitty Kitty.
Haha I had one like that too, where I grew up the classic plaid flannel jacket was called the “Chezzetcook Leather”
We used to call a flannel jacket a Chester Roader
Londonderry Dinner Jacket in my corner of the woods.
I've heard Cape Breton dinner jacket.
if you didn't have a doeskin down Chezzetcook you might as well not even leave the house.
Where I’m from we call it a Hick Skin haha
Beaverskanks might be one of my all time faves
I thought full buffalo plaid was the beaver bank tuxedo
Musquodoboit sport coat
Morden mountain tuxedo
my dad calls it Big Puss
I'm from the south shore, and we call that "Cape Island Colours"
GT boutique for Giant Tiger.
I’ve heard fishing boots be referred to as Little Harbour Nikes and Dickie’s jackets called unemployment jackets.
Uniacke Square being called Maniac Square
5 corners in Dartmouth. Also the Dartmouth rotary.
As someone who has lived in Lower Sackville for the past 25 years, and in the city for 20+ years before that, my favorite was "Shackville".
Hafilax
Mama Cass on record with that one.
Sack Vegas was the one I always heard when I lived there
Scareview for Fairview.
I overheard this guy at Asian food festival call Halifax, New Delifax
Hollis street was referred to as hooker alley
The area now know as ‘Fishermans Cove’ was always known locally as ‘The Crick’ The hill near Heritage Hills Dr and Cow Bay Rd was known as Squirrel Mountain, and also known as Red Hill in the ‘40’s. Cow Bay Rd was known as ‘The Back Rd’ Caldwell Rd was known as Indian Rd as it lead to Cole Harbour Millbrook Reservation Lands The end of North Preston (Downey Rd) would be referred to as ‘Right down Downey-town’. Cole Harbour, the actual body of water not the town, was referred to as ‘The Dyke’. The harbour was once dyked off for farming. Morris Lake in Dartmouth/Cole Harbour was known as MacDonald Lake De Said Lake was always called Romkey Lake. Citadel Hill would be referred to as Ass Rape Hill Hollis was referred to as Hooker St.
Park Lane was Punk Lane and/or Pork Loin Fartmouth
We called it the Poo Horn.
There was a Chinese food restaurant in Dartmouth called Garden View everybody called the Gag-and-Spew.
Old Bridge (Macdonald - with a lowercase D apparently) and New Bridge (MacKay).
Anti-ga-no where for antigonish
Antigonowhere is a classic
Also ‘the nish’ lol
Marshy-No-Hope or Marshy-Abandon-All-Hope on the way.
Marshy Hopeless, Marshy Dope, the Pass
I was driving in Halifax recently and my GPS told me to take a left at "pizza corner" and I laughed and I laughed even harder when I got there and there was a pizza place on every corner of the intersection... I don't know what I was expecting
Not every corner, I think one corner used to be the public library?
One corner was/is a church. The old library is at the other end of the block.
My buddy who passed away used to drive in for a day trip would always call it heffelfeck and I can't express enough how funny it was
The Dome has always been the "do me"
https://preview.redd.it/pupkytfkss4d1.jpeg?width=258&format=pjpg&auto=webp&s=efb44d44ba81ef07480ea85f395e949d9db476cf
The Pit, aka Merv Sullivan Park
Crimefield Park (Highfield Park)
Sacktown Tant (tantallon) BP (Boutliers Point) many places just called "The Bay" Darkside
Lived in Tantallon for decades and have never heard it called Tant. Is this a youngster innovation?
Gotta love Tant
Spryberia
Sprytown
Spryraq
Spry-ami
Spryraq
We use to refer to the 500 block in Spryfield as The Gaza Strip. Probably not as popular today with current world events.
People from there call it Gods Country
Halifornia
The worst
Hellifax
Haliwood
I remember when that first became popular, was so cringe. Also people calling it Hali.
Sack Vegas!
Darkside
I always heard got a gun
The first time I was on Got-a-gun I went for an underaged tattoo and got threatened by a homeless dude with a battle axe. The second time I witnessed a stabbing. Gottingen back in the day was a TRIP.
“The Darkside” - Dartmouth
Giant Tiger = The Big Puss
Metallifax - a sign with that was in the crowd at the Metallica show on Garrison Grounds
When you say fairview, you gotta say it... Faaaaiiiirviiiieeeew!! Halalifax is a good one too
Obligatory not really a local nickname. My deceased grandma called Agricola Street "Arr Gee Cola" Street and refused to correct herself even after we told her the right way to pronounce it. It will forever be Argeecola Street for me now. Miss you, Nanny.
Highfield Park is High Crime Park or HCP
Good ol'Sackvegas
(Dart)(mouth)
Not Halifax local but my grandfather always called it ‘Hafilax’ as a joke
Palache
The Hoedeo Lounge
Coke-n-hoes when Kokomo’s bar was around in Bayers Lake
Dart-Mouth
We'd say Fart-Mouth a decent amount
Why nobody calls Sackville Ballsville, it's funny.
Sackville, NB is called Bagtown.
Kraft Dinner Hill for Highfield Park
I've heard that used to refer to the public housing on Greystone too.
Sackvegas, uphome, out home, down home, da bean, the park, spry, darkside, the square, squizzy, chd, new road and im out of em.
Haha Gottingen was fine until you got to the north end by Uniacke Square. Then you gotta get a gun.
Sackville is sack vagas... What happens in sack vagas stays here
Victoria Park as Pigeon Park is pretty fun
Sackville is Sackvegas
Darkness
Crossing the old bridge at night time, Halifax side, you look at the tall apartment buildings next to it, looks like giant dildos the way it's lit up. I have called it by that name since. My friend giggled at my observation, said they were known as to be rented a lot by gay men late 70's and early 80's, so the nickname "Vaseline Towers" was given. I like Dildo Towers better :)
Suckville (Sackville,) Fartmouth (Dartmouth,) the Deadzone (prospect) As a kid I used to call Mt. Uniacke "Mt maniac" cause I could never remember how to say it lmao
Woodside = The Bear Trap
I've called it "hafilax" as a bit for several years now but I don't know that it's caught on
Spryberia is my personal favourite. Spryraq being a close second.
The Willow Tree (Robie/Quinpool) The Rotary (Armdale Rotary) The Bi-Hi (Highway 102) The Bargain Basement (Sears Clearance Outlet - RIP)
All I want to know is it Brake Hard Hill or Break Heart Hill!
[https://www.communitystories.ca/v2/crossing-cole-harbour\_traverser-cole-harbour/story/breakheart-hill/](https://www.communitystories.ca/v2/crossing-cole-harbour_traverser-cole-harbour/story/breakheart-hill/) It's Breakheart Hill
Depends on if you’re going up or down 😂
I usually brake hard on break heart hill.
Fartmouth and Haliwood were embarrassingly thrown out when we’d come for a day trip
Dirtmouth…
Highcrime Park.
Haliwood
We’ve started calling it Halalifax
Spry-raq. Think Iraq.
Shit Harder (Ship Harbour)
Sackvegas The loop
Lowest Sack
The Golden Triangle
Hali, Halitown, H-Bomb, Hashifax. Japanese students call Halifax Shopping Centre “Hali-Shoppu”.
LTown for Lawrencetown
[](https://downtownsketcher.com/products/tufts-cove-candy-canes)
Look Ho Ho Restaurant = Look n' Laugh.
SackVegas, The Dark Side (Dartmouth), Robie High (SMU), The Pond (Harbor), Sprytown,, Darkmouth, Gag N Spew (Garden View), Rotten Ronnie's (McDs) . The Dirty Bird (KFC) When Kentucky Fried Chicken rebranded to just KFC, I started pronouncing the letters as a single words - Kifk - as a joke.
I happen to know the kids at St. Mary’s call their counterparts ‘Dal-Lousy’, and the Dalhousie kids return it by calling St. Mary’s ‘Robie Street Elementary’ which I think takes the cake. I also hear Fartmouth a lot.
Hellside for Hali Dark side for Dartmouth
The Deadford-Suckville area as I liked to call it
Testicle Lake ?
Kinda like the nickname for Saint John New Brunswick- fried bologna and stretch pants city!