After the War, tens of thousands of United Empire Loyalists from the American Colonies flooded Halifax, and many of their descendants still reside in the city today.
Halifax subsequently grew to incorporate all of the north, south, and west ends of the peninsula with a central business district concentrated in the southeastern end along "The Narrows."
Sable Island, being part of Halifax County, is also jurisdictionally part of HRM, despite being located 180 km offshore.
Some of this growth has been spurred by offshore oil and natural gas economic acitivity but much has been due to a population shift from rural Nova Scotian communities to the Halifax urban area.
Halifax played an even bigger role in the Allied naval war effort of World War II.
The city's economy slumped after the war, although reconstruction from the Halifax Explosion brought new housing and infrastructure as well as the establishment of the Halifax Shipyard.
The Halifax Explosion decimated the city's north end, killing roughly 2,000 inhabitants, injuring 9,000, and leaving tens of thousands homeless and without shelter.
Halifax provided the base for the capture of Louisbourg in 1758 and operated as a major naval base for the remainder of the war.
In 1969, the City of Halifax grew westward of the peninsula by amalgamating several communities from the surrounding Halifax County; namely Fairview, Rockingham, Spryfield, Purcell's Cove, and Armdale.
Halifax was now the bastion of British strength on the East Coast of North America.
Founded in 1749 by Great Britain, the "City of Halifax" was incorporated in 1841.
The revenues which were taken from this invasion were used after the war to found Dalhousie University which is today Halifax's largest university.
Halifax became a lifeline for preserving Britain during the Nazi onslaught of the Battle of Britain and the Battle of the Atlantic, the supplies helping to offset a threatened amphibious invasion by Germany.
The American Civil War again saw much activity and prosperity in Halifax.
The 1960s-1990s saw less suburban sprawl than in many comparable Canadian cities in the areas surrounding Halifax.
Most dramatic was the victory of the Halifax-based British frigate HMS Shannon which captured the American frigate USS Chesapeake and brought her to Halifax as prize.
Halifax became a hotbed of political activism as the winds of responsible government swept British North America during the 1840s, following the rebellions against oligarchies in the colonies of Upper and Lower Canada.
During the 1990s, Halifax like many other Canadian cities, amalgamated with its suburbs under a single municipal government.
The fleet was to meet in Chebucto (Halifax Harbour) on British-held peninsular Nova Scotia after crossing the Atlantic, take water and proceed to Louisbourg.
The outpost was named in honor of George Montague-Dunk, 2nd Earl of Halifax, who was the President of the British Board of Trade.
One such ship, the Tallahassee, became a legend in Halifax as it made a daring escape from Federal frigates heading to Halifax to capture it.
The American Revolutionary War was not at first uppermost in the minds of most residents of Halifax.
The regional airport, colloquially called Bern-Belp or Belpmoos, is connected to several Swiss and European cities.
The only theatre of War to be commanded by a Canadian was the North Western Atlantic, commanded by the Admiral in Halifax.
After World War Two, Halifax did not experience the postwar economic malaise it had so often experienced after previous wars.
The City of Halifax is the largest city in Atlantic Canada and the traditional political capital of the province of Nova Scotia.
Throughout the conflict, and for a considerable time afterwards, thousands more refugees, often 'in a destitute and helpless condition'2 had arrived in Halifax or other ports in Nova Scotia.
On April 1, 1996, the government of Nova Scotia amalgamated the four municipalities within Halifax County and formed Halifax Regional Municipality, a single-tier regional government covering that whole area.
Crown interest in Halifax was reduced, and most importantly, New England turned its eyes west, to the French territory now available due to the defeat of Montcalm at the Plains of Abraham.
An important East coast port and center of maritime commerce and fishing, both Halifax's history and economy have been tied to the booms and busts of its Atlantic location.
HRM is an amalgamation of all municipal governments in Halifax County, these being the cities of Halifax and Dartmouth, town of Bedford, and Municipality of the County of Halifax).
Early in the War, an expedition under Lord Dalhousie left Halifax to capture the Area of Castine, Maine, which they held for the entirety of the war.
Nova Scotian and Maritimers were recruited through Halifax for the Crimean War.
In 1995, an Act to Incorporate the Halifax Regional Municipality received Royal Assent in the provincial legislature and the Halifax Regional Municipality, or "HRM" (as it is commonly called) was created on April 1, 1996.
Today the community of Halifax is more compact than most Canadian urban areas although expanses of suburban growth have occurred in neighboring Dartmouth, Bedford and Sackville.
After confederation Halifax retained its British military garrison until British troops were replaced by the Canadian army in 1906.