WestphalHalifax

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

In July the thermometer climbs to 22.7°C by day, close to Nova Scotia’s towns (23.1°C) and below Canadian towns (25.5°C). Frost usually lifts by 30 April and returns around 29 October: 181 days without it. Most of the snow comes in January, about 54 cm. A normal December brings 156 mm of precipitation, more than any other month.

Westphal is graded a B for jobs & income

Workers spend 24 min getting to work, on average. By car: that was how just over nine in ten commuters travelled at the census.

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

Smoking is rarer than in the province: just over one in ten adults, against 14% for Nova Scotia. 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. What sets Westphal apart within its region is a longer trip to hospital, 6.7 km for the average resident (3.7 km typical).

Westphal is a town of owners: 92% of households own their home, above Nova Scotia’s towns and Canadian towns

Shelter took 30% or more of income for nearly one in ten households, below both Nova Scotia’s towns (13%) and Canadian towns (18%). Rent took a fifth of household income, close to both Nova Scotia’s towns (21%) and Canadian towns (20%).

Westphal is graded a C+ for safety

Area-wide: Crime Severity Index, Violent Crime Severity Index, violent crime and property crime per 1,000, counted over the Halifax Metropolitan Area service area

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). Violent incidents in its police area came to 13.8 per 1,000 residents a year, near Nova Scotia’s towns (14.5) and higher than Canadian towns (12).

Few places match Westphal for protected land nearby: more than nearly 9 in 10 Canadian towns

There is no national park within 100 km of the town. For a provincial park, Cole Harbour - Lawrencetown Provincial Park lies 0.2 km off. Waverley - Salmon River Long Lake Wilderness Area (8,621 ha) is the biggest, 5.0 km from town. 14 areas within 10 km are protected for nature.

A younger town: only 16% of people in Westphal are 65 or over, fewer than in Nova Scotia’s towns and across Canadian towns

Children under 15 make up 15%, higher than Nova Scotia’s towns (14%) yet lower than Canadian towns (16%). First Nations, Métis and Inuit people make up 4.9% of residents, above both Nova Scotia’s towns (4%) and Canadian towns (2.8%).

Westphal in November: highs near 9°C, lows near 1°C

Hour-by-hour figures come from ECCC’s Halifax (Shearwater) forecast, on the Weather page. Expect about 135 mm of rain and snow over November. A typical November adds 19 cm of snow. Normal highs peak at 23°C in August; nights bottom out at −8°C in January.

3 MPs share Westphal, which straddles Dartmouth—Cole Harbour and Central Nova

The Nova Scotia House of Assembly’s ridings aren’t published as open data we could find, so Westphal isn’t placed in one.

Westphal has no public library of its own; the nearest is Cole Harbour Public Library, 1.1 km away

After it comes Woodlawn Library (Portland Estates), 4 km away.

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

Fire reaches the land around Westphal now and then: 2.3% within 25 km since 1986 (0.06% a year), below the high band. In Health Canada’s survey, 13% of homes tested in the area exceeded 200 Bq/m³ (6.6% typical). For radon tests, the only official count covers all of the Zone 6 health region, Westphal included. Behind earthquake risk sits data gathered across the city of Halifax, with Westphal one part of it.

23 schools serve Westphal, 13 elementary schools, 8 secondary schools and 2 schools for every grade

In French: 2 of the 23 schools, where in Nova Scotia the share is 6%.