Hatchet LakeHalifax

TownGrade

C⁻

#2,163 of 2,556

This neighbourhood in Halifax has a population of 9,930. It is one of the 36 neighbourhoods that make up Halifax.

6 places within 19 kmMap →

Photo: WabbitWanderer from London, Canada · CC BY-SA 2.0

Population

9,930

people, Census 2021

Median age

47.8

years · Nova Scotia’s towns: 51.6

Postsecondary

59%

of residents 15 and over hold a postsecondary certificate, diploma or degree · Canadian towns: 56%

Walk, cycle, transit

walk, cycle or take transit to work · Canadian towns: 8%

Is Hatchet Lake a good place to live?

Overall, Hatchet Lake earns a C−: better than 20% of Canadian towns, and #36 of 88 in Nova Scotia. Prices are high against local incomes (C). Walkability is weaker too (C−). The rest of its grades are middling: C+ for safety, B− for health, C+ for jobs & income and B− for hazard risk.

Rents here are the metro area's average, shared by every town and neighbourhood in it. Safety less sure: this is the whole city's figure, because the city doesn't publish open neighbourhood crime rates. No School Grade: this province doesn't publish comparable results school by school. Health is graded on the health region's survey figures and life expectancy, with the distance to hospital giving the town its own spread.

WeakestC⁻Walkability

How Hatchet Lake grades

Each subject compares Hatchet Lake with Canadian towns of 2,500 or more, ordered by how far it is from the middle. Towns in other countries are graded separately.

How grading works

WalkabilityWeaker than most of the towns comparedC⁻Open →Cost of livingGraded on home prices against local incomesCOpen →SafetyAbout average among the towns comparedC⁺Open →Jobs & incomeGraded on incomes, poverty and employmentC⁺Open →Hazard riskBased on earthquake losses and radon in homes; a high wildfire risk can pull it downB⁻Open →HealthBased on how healthy residents are for their agesB⁻Open →

SchoolsWe don’t grade schools in Nova Scotia. The reason: the province reports its assessments by regional centre, and that series stops in 2019–20.–

How TownRatings grades Canadian towns →

What makes Hatchet Lake stand out

The 2 things Hatchet Lake does most differently from other towns.

Picked automatically from the data

Walk, cycle or transit to work

Getting around

3% walk, cycle or take transit

The median of Canadian towns: 8%

Statistics Canada, Census 2021

Home value ÷ household income

Housing

3.2 times household income

Against 4.7 for the median of Canadian towns

Median owner’s estimate $300,000, Census 2021; income for 2020.

The data

Data highlights are ordered by what stands out in Hatchet Lake.

HousingCost of living C

Most households in Hatchet Lake own their home: 91%, more than in both Nova Scotia’s towns and Canadian towns

$300,000median home value, 2021CCost of living Grade

Area-wide: rent as a share of income and monthly rent for a two-bedroom, counted over the Halifax metro area

Shelter took 30% or more of income for 11% of households, below Nova Scotia’s towns (13%) and Canadian towns (18%) alike. Rent took 24% of household income, above both Nova Scotia’s towns (21%) and Canadian towns (20%).

What homes were worth · The median owner’s estimate at the 2021 census

Hatchet Lake$300,000

Nova Scotia$250,000

Canadian towns$406,000

Census 2021	Hatchet Lake	Nova Scotia	Canada
Households owning their home	91%	82%	74%
Households spending 30%+ on shelter	11%	13%	18%
Rent as a share of income	24%	21%	20%

$1,828

monthly rent for a two-bedroom

Full pageHatchet Lake’s cost of living pageOpen the full Cost of living page

Owners and renters91% own their home Cost of living3.2 times household income · The median owner’s estimate, $300,000, against the median household income Renting$1,828 a month · A two-bedroom apartment, CMHC’s survey

Statistics Canada, Census 2021; CMHC Rental Market Survey via Statistics Canada · These are 2021 census values, as owners judged them, set against household income in 2020.

Climate

Hatchet Lake has milder winters than Nova Scotia’s towns or Canadian towns: January lows of −8.3°C

22.7°CJuly afternoons

Counting rain and snow alike, 1,414 mm falls in a year, about level with Nova Scotia’s towns (1,393 mm) and above Canadian towns (883 mm). Between the last spring frost, 30 April, and the first in autumn, 29 October, lie 181 days. Hatchet Lake sees July afternoons of 22.7°C on average. Most of the snow comes in January, about 54 cm.

Average high by season · ECCC normals, 1991–2020

Winter1.5°C

Spring8.8°C

Summer21.6°C

Autumn14.3°C

Normals, 1991–2020	Hatchet Lake	Nova Scotia	Canada
July afternoon high	22.7°C	23.1°C	25.5°C
Precipitation a year	1,414 mm	1,393 mm	883 mm
January night low	−8.3°C	−8.9°C	−13.5°C
Snowfall a year	215 cm	215 cm	141 cm

215 cm

of snow a year

133

days with frost a year

181

frost-free days, 30 Apr to 29 Oct

124

days with precipitation a year

Full pageHatchet Lake’s climate pageOpen the full Climate page

The yearJuly highs 22.7°C, January lows −8.3°C Rain and snow1,414 mm a year · Canadian towns: 883 mm Snow215 cm of snow a year Weather station21 km to the station · Shearwater

Environment and Climate Change Canada, Canadian Climate Normals 1991–2020 (Shearwater)

Outdoors

Protected land around Hatchet Lake beats 9 in 10 Canadian towns

14%of the land within 10 km protected

36% of the neighbourhood lies within a protected area. 98 km separate the town from Kejimkujik National Park and National Historic Site, its nearest national park. The 10 km around town hold 53 protected areas. For a swim, Campbell Point Park Beach is the nearest of 23 beaches within 5 km.

Protected land · of the land within 10 km

Hatchet Lake14%

Nova Scotia’s towns8.7%

Canadian towns2.3%

Outdoors	Hatchet Lake	Nova Scotia	Canada
Protected land within 10 km	14%	8.7%	2.3%
Public protected areas within 10 km	26	23.5	4

98 km

to Kejimkujik National Park and National Historic Site

At the edge

to West Dover Provincial Park

beaches within 5 km

public protected areas within 10 km

Full pageHatchet Lake’s outdoors pageOpen the full Outdoors page

Protected landof the land within 10 km Protected areas53 protected areas within 10 km · Five Bridge Lakes Wilderness Area National & provincial parks98 km to a national park · Kejimkujik National Park and National Historic Site Footpaths & routes4 named routes · The Bluff Wilderness Hiking Trail

Canadian Protected and Conserved Areas Database (CPCAD), OpenStreetMap routes and beaches

SafetySafety C⁺

Hatchet Lake earns a C+ for safety

71Crime Severity Index

Shared with the rest of the Halifax Metropolitan Area service area: Crime Severity Index, Violent Crime Severity Index, violent crime and property crime per 1,000

Violent incidents in its police area came to 13.8 per 1,000 residents a year, close to Nova Scotia’s towns (14.5) and above Canadian towns (12). Where it is policed, thefts, break-ins and damage came to 37.3 per 1,000 a year, close to Nova Scotia’s towns (36.2) and above Canadian towns (31.2).

Year by year · Crime Severity Index for each year

202372

202474

202569

2023–2025	Hatchet Lake	Nova Scotia	Canada
Property crime per 1,000	37.3	36.2	31.2
Violent crime	13.8	14.5	12

non-violent Crime Severity Index

31%

of incidents cleared, 2023–25

Full pageHatchet Lake’s safety reportOpen the full Safety report

Safety71 Crime Severity Index · The index weighs each crime Hatchet Lake’s police recorded by how serious it is.Questions“Is Hatchet Lake safe?”

Statistics Canada, Uniform Crime Reporting Survey, 2023–2025 average

Work & commuteJobs & income C⁺

Trips to work from Hatchet Lake take longer than from Nova Scotia’s towns or Canadian towns: 30 min on average

3%walk, cycle or take transit

How working residents got to work · census 2021

Car or van94%

Walk2%

Public transit1%

Census 2021	Hatchet Lake	Nova Scotia	Canada
Average trip	30 min	23 min	26 min

$93,000

median household income, 2020

24%

worked from home, May 2021

97%

of commuters work inside the municipality

Full pageHatchet Lake’s work & commute pageOpen the full Work & commute page

Unemployment9.5% unemployed · Of the labour force · Canadian towns: 9.9%Getting to work3% walk, cycle or take transit

Statistics Canada, Census 2021 (labour and commuting) · These are May 2021 figures, gathered while COVID-19 kept many people home or out of work.

Who lives here

Hatchet Lake: median age 47.8, 4,105 households

47.8median age

Over-65s are 20% of the population. 3% of residents belong to a visible minority, below Nova Scotia’s towns (4%) and Canadian towns (15%) alike. Children are 14% of the town.

Hatchet LakeNova ScotiaCanada

Nova ScotiaCanada

Ages · Share of residents in each age group, Census 2021

14%

Schooling · Highest qualification, residents 15 and over

No certificate, diploma or degree16%

Postsecondary qualification59%

Women and men · all residents

Women make up 50.2% of Hatchet Lake

Census 2021 put women at 4,985 and men at 4,940; women are 50.9% of Canada.

Who lives in Hatchet Lake
	Hatchet Lake	Nova Scotia	Canada
Under 15	14%	14%	16%
15 to 64	66%	62%	64%
65+	20%	25%	19%
No certificate, diploma or degree	16%	18%	16%
Postsecondary qualification	59%	54%	56%

Full pageHatchet Lake’s Who lives here pageOpen the full Who lives here page

Ages47.8 median age · 20% are 65 or over Households4,105 households English and French9% speak both · 0% speak French but not English

Statistics Canada, Census 2021; Nova Scotia and Canada: medians of towns of 2,500+

Schools

19 schools serve Hatchet Lake, 15 elementary schools, 1 secondary school and 3 schools for every grade

19schools within 3 km

No French-language school is among them; in Nova Scotia, 6% of schools are.

School	Level	Students	System
Atlantic Memorial Terence Bay ElementaryIn Hatchet LakeElementary	Elementary	–	English public
Brookside Junior HighIn Hatchet LakeAll grades · Grades 6–9	All grades · Grades 6–9	–	English public

See all 19 schools →

1.8 km

to the nearest secondary school

Full pageHatchet Lake’s schools pageOpen the full Schools page

Every school19 schools within 3 km · 15 elementary schools, 1 secondary school and 3 schools for every grade Language0 of 19 teach in French · 6% of schools in Nova Scotia Questions“What schools are there in Hatchet Lake?”

Provincial school lists and results, 2025-26 · In Nova Scotia, no schools grade. The province reports its assessments by regional centre, and that series stops in 2019–20.

Weather

Expect November days around 9°C in Hatchet Lake, nights around 1°C

9°Ca normal November afternoon

Snow is normal by November, about 19 cm over the month. By December, a normal day reaches 4°C and a night falls to −4°C. Rain and snow over a typical November come to 135 mm. Across the year, normals run from −8°C nights in January to 23°C afternoons in August.

Normal highs, the months ahead · ECCC normals, 1991–2020

November9°C

December4°C

January0°C

February1°C

Season	High	Low	Rain and snow
Winter	1°C	−7°C	394 mm
Spring	9°C	0°C	342 mm
Summer	22°C	13°C	297 mm
Autumn	14°C	6°C	382 mm

1°C

a normal November night

135 mm

of rain and snow in a normal November

Full pageHatchet Lake’s weather pageOpen the full Weather page

Next 24 hoursTemperature and chance of rain, hour by hour The week aheadECCC’s days ahead, beside the normals The yearWarmest August, coldest January

ECCC normals, 1991–2020 (Shearwater); the forecast is on the Weather page

Town hall

Halifax West, which takes in Hatchet Lake, is held by Lena Diab (Liberal Party of Canada)

No provincial riding is named for Hatchet Lake, as no open boundary file exists for the Nova Scotia House of Assembly that we could find.

Full pageHatchet Lake’s town hall & politics pageOpen the full Town hall & politics page

Who runs itRegional Municipality

Wikidata, MAMH, MMAH, Statistics Canada

Library & civic lifeCivic life grade B⁻

The nearest public library to Hatchet Lake is Captain William Spry Public Library, 12 km away

The next is Keshen Goodman Public Library (Clayton Park West), 14 km away.

Full pageHatchet Lake’s library & civic life pageOpen the full Library & civic life page

Places to belong1.1 charities per 1,000 residents

Provincial library statistics, OpenStreetMap, the CRA and Statistics Canada

Natural hazardsHazard risk B⁻

A flood study covers Hatchet Lake: 1 on the national inventory, the newest from Halifax Regional Municipality

Lowwildfire bandB⁻Hazard risk Grade

For earthquakes Hatchet Lake is middling, $0.018 a year per $1,000 against $0.030 for the typical town. In Health Canada’s survey, 13% of homes tested in the area exceeded 200 Bq/m³ (6.6% typical). Little of the land around Hatchet Lake has burned: 1.2% within 25 km since 1986, or 0.03% a year. Hatchet Lake doesn’t get its own radon tests figures; the ones here come from the Zone 6 health region. Nobody publishes earthquake risk for Hatchet Lake alone, so this card uses the figure for the city of Halifax.

Radon tests above the guideline · share of tested homes, 200 Bq/m³

Hatchet Lake13%

Nova Scotia’s towns13%

Canadian towns6.6%

Hazards	Hatchet Lake	Nova Scotia	Canada
Radon tests above the guideline	13%	13%	6.6%
Earthquake loss per $1,000 of buildings a year	$0.018	$0.018	$0.030

Low

wildfire band

2.2 km

to the nearest land burned since 1986

flood study on the national inventory

Full pageHatchet Lake’s flood & hazards pageOpen the full Flood & hazards page

FloodOne flood study on record WildfireLow wildfire band · 1.2% of the land within 25 km burned since 1986 Earthquakes$0.018 a year per $1,000 · Canadian towns: $0.030 Radon13% of tests above the guideline Be readyAlerts, FireSmart and radon tests

NRCan seismic risk model and burned areas, Health Canada radon survey, the Flood Hazard Map Inventory

HealthHealth B⁻

Around Hatchet Lake, 51% of adults call their health very good or excellent

51%very good or excellent healthB⁻Health Grade

Health survey and life expectancy for the Zone 4 - Central

The three chronic conditions the survey tracks average 18% of adults, between Nova Scotia’s towns (20%) and Canadian towns (17%). For 2022/2024, the region’s figure is 81.4 years at birth, 83.4 for women and 79.3 for men. The region has fewer smokers than Nova Scotia, 11% of adults to 14%. What sets Hatchet Lake apart within its region is a longer trip to hospital, 19 km for the average resident (3.7 km typical).

Very good or excellent health · adults, age-standardised

Hatchet Lake51%

Nova Scotia’s towns49%

Canadian towns52%

Health	Hatchet Lake	Nova Scotia	Canada
Smokers	11%	15%	12%
Chronic conditions (average share)	18%	20%	17%
Life expectancy at birth	81.4	80.0	81.5
Very good or excellent health	51%	49%	52%

81.4

years of life expectancy, 2022/2024

19 km

from homes to a hospital, on average

11%

of adults smoke, age-standardised

6.0 km

from homes to a pharmacy, on average

Full pageHatchet Lake’s health pageOpen the full Health page

Health survey51% very good or excellent health · adults, age-standardised Getting care19 km to a hospital · A pharmacy 6.0 km away on average The wider areaLife expectancy: women 83.4, men 79.3 Conditions and habits18% with chronic conditions · adults, age-standardised

Statistics Canada, Canadian Community Health Survey 2023/2024 and life expectancy 2022/2024; Open Database of Healthcare Facilities

History

Heritage in Hatchet Lake: 2 historic places, one of the highest rank

2historic places

The list takes in a provincial or municipal listing. Go back to 1894 and you reach St. John's Anglican Church, the oldest of them. Within 5 km of the town lies one more that belongs to it.

Historic places by designation · inside the town

Highest designations1

Other federal designations0

Provincial and local listings1

Among them

Lighthouse 1915
St. John's Anglican Church 1894

1894

oldest construction date on the record

18%

of homes built before 1961 · Canadian towns 18%

Heritage	Hatchet Lake	Nova Scotia	Canada
Homes built before 1961	18%	28%	18%

Full pageHatchet Lake’s history pageOpen the full History page

On the registers2 historic places inside the town Highest designations1 top designation · Lighthouse Older homesCanadian towns: 18%Questions“How many historic places does Hatchet Lake have?”

Canadian Register of Historic Places, Directory of Federal Heritage Designations, Québec’s Répertoire du patrimoine culturel, Wikidata; Census 2021 homes by period

Keep exploring

Everything we know about Hatchet Lake

15pages on Hatchet Lake

The big questions

SafetyC⁺Crime Severity Index 71 Housing & costCHomes 3.2 × income Property pricesSchools19 schools within 3 km HealthB⁻Life expectancy 81.4 in its region Work & commuteC⁺57% of adults in work Natural hazardsB⁻Wildfire band: low

Out and about

Outdoors14% of the land within 10 km protected AttractionsClimateJuly afternoons around 23°C WeatherECCC’s forecast, beside the normals

The story

Who lives hereMedian age 47.8 History2 places on the heritage registers Town hallFamous people

Nearby attractions

SS Atlantic Interpretative Centre and 11 more in and around Hatchet Lake

A first look at Hatchet Lake’s museums, historic sites and days out, and a few just outside town.

All attractions →

MuseumMuseumSS Atlantic Interpretative Centrein town

Art galleryWilliam deGarthe Art Galleryin town

GardenHalifax Public Gardens4.8 km outside town, to the northeast

FortPrince of Wales Tower4.7 km outside town, to the northeast

MuseumNova Scotia Museum of Natural History4.8 km outside town, to the northeast CathedralCathedralAll Saints Cathedral, Halifax4.7 km outside town, to the northeast

Photos: each place’s Wikidata image, from Wikimedia Commons under the licence below (our copy, resized).

Photo credits (4)

William deGarthe Art Gallery: Shellysimpson, CC BY-SA 4.0, Wikimedia Commons
Halifax Public Gardens: Hantsheroes, CC BY-SA 3.0, Wikimedia Commons
Prince of Wales Tower: Dennis G. Jarvis, CC BY-SA 2.0, Wikimedia Commons
Nova Scotia Museum of Natural History: Hal peridol, CC BY-SA 3.0, Wikimedia Commons

Famous people from around Hatchet Lake

One notable person was born in Hatchet Lake; with them, the best known born in the towns around it.

Their page →

Derek GaudetCanadian soccer player · born 1989

Troy RyanCanadian ice hockey coach · born in South End · born 1972

Suzanne GerriorAssociation football player · born in Westmount · born 1973

Photo credits

Troy Ryan: John Mac, CC BY-SA 2.0

About Hatchet Lake

Neighbourhood in Halifax

TownRatings splits Halifax into neighbourhoods drawn from census dissemination areas; Hatchet Lake is one of them, named from the city’s map or OpenStreetMap.

Statistics Canada: population estimates 2025 (17-10-0155), Census of Population 2021, 2021 census boundaries.

Population: 9,930 (people, 2021 estimate)
Province or territory: Nova Scotia
City: Halifax
Census subdivision: 1209034

Hatchet Lake’s neighbours

The nearest places of 1,000 or more. Statistics Canada

HarrietsfieldTimberleaMount RoyaleWestmountSouth EndFairviewHatchet Lake

How the neighbours grade

Town	People	km	Overall	Cost	Safety	Health
Hatchet Lake	9,930	—	C⁻	C	C⁺	B⁻
Harrietsfield	6,786	9.5	C⁻	C⁻	C⁺	B
Timberlea	11,014	12	B	C⁺	C⁺	B
Mount Royale	9,340	14	C	D	C⁺	B⁺
Westmount	23,207	14	C⁺	D⁻	C⁺	B⁺
South End	22,012	14	C	D	C⁺	B⁺
Fairview	16,296	15	C⁻	D⁻	C⁺	B⁺

People: Statistics Canada, Census 2021. Distances: centre to centre.

Sources: Statistics Canada, Census of Population 2021 · population estimates 2025 (17-10-0155) and 2021 census boundaries · Uniform Crime Reporting Survey 2023–25 (35-10-0026, 35-10-0183 to 35-10-0190) · CMHC rents as published by Statistics Canada (34-10-0133) · grades by TownRatings. Under the Statistics Canada Open Licence.

Adapted from Statistics Canada (Census of Population 2021, population estimates 2025, 2021 census boundaries) under the Statistics Canada Open Licence; this does not constitute an endorsement by Statistics Canada. Neighbourhood names in some cities © OpenStreetMap contributors (ODbL).