Timberlea, Nova Scotia

Timberlea is a community located on the rural/suburban fringe of the Halifax Regional Municipality in Nova Scotia, Canada. 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.

History

In the 1800s, Timberlea was often referred to as Bowser's Station, after Angus Bowser, who ran a hotel near the area's train station near Greenwood Heights. 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 12th, 1947.

Contemporary issues

Today, the area is a steadily growing residential area. There is discussion over preserving a substantially large area of crown land for park near the lakes. Tentative plans are being discussed over the prospect of a community library, and construction and Restoration of a "Fraser's Mill Museum", commemorating the saw mill once owned by the Fraser family.

Demographics

*Population - 5477
*Total Dwellings - 1860
*Total Land Area - 6.2885 Km²
*BLT Elementary Population - 800 children

References

* [http://broadband.gc.ca/demographic_servlet/community_demographics/4924 Demographics]

* [http://halifax.ca/civicaddress/documents/Timberlea.pdf HRM Civic Address Map]