Northwest Arm

<gallery></gallery>The Northwest Arm, originally named Sandwich River, is an inlet in eastern Canada off the Atlantic Ocean in Nova Scotia's Halifax Regional Municipality.

Geography

Part of Halifax Harbour, it measures approximately 3.5&nbsp;km in length and 0.5&nbsp;km in width and defines the western side of the Halifax Peninsula. The waterway is oriented along a bearing of 135º (southeast) and 315º (northwest).

The Northwest Arm contains several small islands including Melville Island, home of the Armdale Yacht Club, and Deadman's Island, at the northwestern end near Armdale.

There is a public beach (the only one on the Arm) located at Sir Sanford Fleming Park which has only recently been deemed safe for swimming since the Harbor Solutions Project began operations in 2008.

History

The Mi'kmaq Nation called this water body "Waygwalteech" which translates to "salt water all the way up". Early English settlers called it the "Sandwich River" and also the "Hawkes River".

It was officially named the North West Arm on 1 March 1921 and it was changed to Northwest Arm on 4 April 1933.

Shoreline development

Much of the shoreline of the Northwest Arm, referred to locally as "the Arm," is fronted by private residences.

The Northwest Arm is the location of several parks, notably Point Pleasant Park at the southern entrance to the Arm on the Halifax Peninsula. Sir Sandford Fleming Park...
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