Fall River

Fall River, Nova Scotia

Fall River’s name is derived from a stream running between Miller Lake and Lake Thomas which had a waterfall. These falls supplied water power for several mills during the 19th century as well as a local electrical utility during the early 20th century. The waterfall was demolished in the late 1950s as a result of the construction of the 102 or Bicentennial Highway leading to Halifax; the waterfall was located where the 4-lane expressway currently runs up the hill from the crossing of Lake Thomas to the interchange with Highway 118 at Miller Lake.

The Mi’kmaq Nation and its predecessors were known to have inhabited Fall River prior to European settlement, using the waterways for a portage route connecting with the Shubenacadie Valley.The Mik’maq reportedly used this waterway to attack the settlement at Halifax in its early days during a conflict with English settlers.

Growth:

Fall River has been expanding rapidly over the past 10 years with the construction of a Sobeys Supermarket and surrounding shopping centre. There are a number of major subdivisions in Fall River, the first being called The Schwarzwald and developed in the mid 1970s. The second subdivision is Fall River Village. Fall River Village was established in 1973 with over 1000 acres of land. The newest subdivisions are St. Andrews West and Kinloch Estates,which opened in February 2009. The subdivision itself is nestled between St. Andrews Lake and Kinsac Lake with extensive waterfrontage on both lakes.