I am thinking about moving to New Waterford, Nova Scotia...?

Question

Has anyone been there? What is it like? Is it a good place for my children to go to school! Thanks for your help.

I am moving there for work... Might be, I'm not sure yet if i will take the new position. I heard that the town has a large drug problem and high teen pregnancy rate

Answer 1

why do you think you are moving? you are either moving or you are not. well anyways, i have never been there, but dress warm, it'll be cold.

Answer 2

New Waterford is in the industrialized part of Cape Breton. It is an old coal mining town. Not much goes on there really. Sydney is Nova Scotia's second largest community, next to Halifax, which is not far from New Waterford. Schools should be ok but not great. Nova Scotia is well behind other provinces like Ontario and BC when it comes to education. Housing will be lower cost than other parts of Canada and Halifax for that matter. New Waterford is not a wealthy community. I don't want to put you off moving to Nova Scotia, because it is a great place to live. But the best urban part is Halifax by far, and the rest of has some of the best countryside and seaside Canada can offer. And yes, the people are wonderful.

Answer 3

I certainly have been there - and I used to live not far from there in Sydney River. I'm not sure why you would specifically want to live in New Waterford as Sydney is the major city and is quite close (about 20 minutes away). You might want to think about living in Sydney and just travelling to work. I think most ppl's morning commutes are 20 minutes or more anyhow. Sydney has great shopping centres and grocery stores.

New Waterford is a pretty town and I think most of the stereotypes stem from the movie "New Waterford Girl" LOL I don't know where you're living now, but there are problems with drugs and teen pregnancy all across this country, and the more rural areas are no exception. If they're doing okay where they are now, they should be fine there. If you're worried about how your kids might fit in to a new place, I would suggest a larger school in Sydney. Speaking from experience, it's harder for kids to fit in when they're the new kid in a small town. Forgetting New Waterford (and I don't really have anything bad to say about it except that it's a bit out of the way) Cape Breton is an absolutely wonderful place to raise your children. You might not be aware of this, but there is an incredible amount of local culture and pride. There are ppl of all different heritages there, but for the most part there is a strong Scottish Gaelic heritage. There are always ceilidhs (fiddle sessions/dances) and Gaelic events. Cape Breton is known for having some of the most friendly ppl in the world, and its incredible scenery. Just recently is was rated the 4th most beautiful island in the world by Travel & Leisure magazine (beating out Hawaii at number 9). You can go around the Cabot Trail easily in a day and have the time of your lives. If you do decide to move there I would suggest making the most of your time and getting right into the culture. Maybe your kids would be interested in stepdancing or fiddle/piano lessons? Music and dance is an important part of most Cape Bretoners' lives, and it often keeps kids on the straight and narrow. When you move to a new place I find it's better to dive right into the culture instead of being content with feeling like the outsider. Unlike most areas across the country there are lots of community events which make it easier to meet ppl. FYI: a "square dance" is not what might come to your mind, it's basically a ceilidh (with fiddle music) but with ppl stepdancing with partners in a "square" set. Lots of laughter and fun at every event.

Check out these links to get a sense of the place:

Listen to some typical ceilidhs here: http://www.capebretonlive.com/

Info on CB culture and the Celtic Colours festival held every October: http://www.celtic-colours.com/culture.html

NS tourism - you can order a free guide and map here that has lots of info: http://novascotia.com/en/home/planatrip/gettingaround/scenic_travelways/cabot_trail/default.aspx

CB events calendar: http://capebretonisland.com/cgi-bin/calendar/vertical.pl

Community internet portals: http://www.centralcapebreton.com/

http://www.capebreton.com/

Cape Breton school board: http://www.cbv.ns.ca/SchoolBoard/
If you have any girls, Holy Angels is a public all girls' school.

As a side note, an area of Sydney you might want to avoid (ie the bad part of town) is Whitney Pier. It just has that reputation unfortunately. If you decide to move there (and I envy you for having the opportunity!) I think you will enjoy it, and after your kids get used to the place they should enjoy it too. Good luck!

Answer 4

New Waterford is a wonderful place to live. I have lived here all of my life and would not dream of living anywhere else on the planet. I am a Mom of 1 young child and my husband and I love it here. There is an isolated drug problem but to the best of my knowledge almost every community has a drug issue to some extent.

Answer 5

I have never been there but I have a friend who grew up in Nova Scotia and has nothing but beautiful things to say about the people and the area. I can't wait to check it out myself. I would go on a weekend trip with your kids and check it out.... get a feel for it.

Answer 6

I have never been there but the first thing you should do is see how your kids feel about that then if you guys all like that idea then go online and look up some info on the place! p.s. good luck!

Answer 7

ive never been to new waterford, but i used to live in halifax and greenwood. if you want to live somewhere better then new waterford id recommend moving to new minus,

Answer 8

Hello,
My auntie lives in there and she says its very good but she suggests that you search on-line (prefably on yahoo or google) and it should bring a list of what you want

I hope I was helpful if you have any other enquires please e-mail me.

Thanks.

Answer 9

its a beautiful place.

Answer 10

you should move to ontario, better schools in ont.