Homes For Sale in North Sydney

Transportation

Shopping, Food and Nightlife

Greenery & Character

Why live in North Sydney?

North Sydney has long been considered one of the most desirable places to live in Eastern Nova Scotia. This East Coast community has a vibrant downtown core, access to great schools, and endless opportunities to enjoy the outdoors. Separated from the urban community of Sydney by a small inlet, North Sydney is a safe, family-oriented neighbourhood with plenty of beaches, parks, and other amenities. Indian Beach, Lockman’s Beach, Northwest Bar, and Swivel Point are a few of the top beaches in the area. They are great for swimming, boating, or simply taking a relaxing walk. Meanwhile, some of the best parks are Munro Park, Smelt Brook Park, and Bobby Joe Ryan Memorial Park. Of course, no discussion of parks and the outdoors in North Sydney is complete without mentioning Cape Breton Highlands National Park. This national park, widely regarded as one of the most beautiful national parks in all of Canada, is roughly an hour and a half by car. The park features one-third of the famous Cabot Trail, as well as an extensive network of hiking trails, many of which feature stunning ocean views and plenty of wildlife viewing, like moose, deer, bobcats, and more. Thus, Cape Breton Island is a popular year-round destination for North Sydney locals. Beyond the incredible nature that you have available to you in North Sydney, there are several other attractions in the area like Northside Downs, North Sydney’s very own horse racing course and Seaview Golf & Country Club. You will find even more places to visit in nearby Glace Bay and Sydney, like the Miners Museum, the Big Fiddle (the world’s largest fiddle), Cossit House Museum, Whitney Pier Historical Society and Museum, the Highland Arts Theatre, Cape Breton Farmers’ Market, and Breton Brewing Co. More than the culture, historical, and natural attractions that surround North Sydney, the community is affordable, which makes it a great place for people of all ages to settle.

Quality and diversity of education in North Sydney

Public education for the area of Cape Breton is offered by the Cape Breton Victoria Regional Centre for Education. Currently, North Sydney is home to one public elementary school, Ferrisview Elementary. However, there are several other public schools nearby in the community of Sydney Mines. The closest high school and middle school to North Sydney are Memorial Composite High School and Sydney Mines Middle School, both of which are located in Sydney Mines (roughly 9 minutes by car). As for private schools, there is one main private school near North Sydney, which is Munro Academy - Northside Campus. There are several more in Sydney, like Sydney Academy and Harbourview Montessori. As for post-secondary education, Cape Breton University is the largest public university nearby. It is just 25 minutes by car from North Sydney. Sydney is also home to the CBBC Career College and the Canadian Coast Guard College. Many students also opt to attend university or college outside of Cape Breton, such as St. Francis Xavier University in Antigonish (roughly two hours from North Sydney), or the many post-secondary schools in the Halifax Regional Municipality (approximately four and a half hours by car), like Dalhousie University, St. Mary’s University, Mount Saint Vincent University, NSCAD University, University of King’s College, and the Atlantic School of Theology.

Most populous cities in North Sydney

Given the small size and population of North Sydney (it is home to just over 5,000 permanent residents), it is not typically divided up into neighbourhoods. That said, some of the main neighbourhoods that surround North Sydney include Sydney Mines, Georges River, Balls Creek, Florence, Edwardsville, Westmount, Sydney, South Bar, and Victoria Mines.

Quality of infrastructure for North Sydney

Believe it or not, North Sydney is served by public transit. Specifically, it is Transit Cape Breton that is responsible for operating buses to and from North Sydney. Coach bus services are provided by Maritime Bus, which has a station in North Sydney. With Maritime Bus, residents can travel all over Nova Scotia, New Brunswick, Prince Edward Island, and eastern Quebec. That said, most residents choose to get around by car, which is easy to do given that Highway 105 and Highway 125 both run through North Sydney. Further, many people don’t know that North Sydney has a bustling ferry port. In fact, it serves as the western terminus of the Marine Atlantic ferry service. This service connects Newfoundland with Nova Scotia, which is why North Sydney has been nicknamed "The Gateway To Newfoundland.” Marine Atlantic ferries transport passengers from the ferry terminal in North Sydney to the ports of Channel-Port aux Basques and Argentia in Newfoundland. Now that travelling by car, bus, and boat have been covered, let’s move on to air travel. In nearby Sydney, there is a regional airport, the J.A. Douglas McCurdy Sydney Airport. Air Canada and WestJet operate a number of routes out of this airport, allowing Sydney residents the chance to fly to other parts of Canada and Nova Scotia without having to travel to Halifax. However, if you’re looking to travel abroad or on a different airline, you will need to travel to Halifax Stanfield International Airport, the largest airport in Atlantic Canada located approximately four hours by car from North Sydney. As for healthcare, Nova Scotia Health operates a hospital in North Sydney, the Northside General Hospital. Residents can also visit the Cape Breton Regional Hospital in Sydney, which is the largest on the island.

Safety and security for North Sydney

The Cape Breton Regional Police Service is the police force that keeps North Sydney safe and secure. That said, North Sydney is a safe place to live with low crime rates. Further, if you are in an emergency, you can call 9-1-1. In terms of natural disasters, the main threat to North Sydney is hurricanes.

North Sydney property market

North Sydney has a strong property market that is also very affordable. This makes it an attractive place to move for newcomers. Given the small size of the community, most properties that you will find here are detached, single-family homes and bungalows.

Standard of living in North Sydney

North Sydney offers an excellent quality of life. The community is small, quiet, and charming, with unparalleled access to nature. Given its proximity to Sydney, residents can take advantage of the many urban amenities in Sydney without having to live in a busier setting. North Sydney also has a low cost of living compared to other parts of Nova Scotia and Canada. If you don’t believe us, consider the fact that a Leger survey listed nearby Sydney as one of the ten Most Liveable Places in Canada in 2021.

Something wonderful about North Sydney

You may be surprised to learn that North Sydney has been a popular filming location through the years. For example, many scenes in the 1995 Margaret’s Museum starring Helena Bonham Carter were shot in North Sydney. Similarly, two 1999 films were shot in the Nova Scotia community, New Waterford Girl and Win Again. For the latter film, North Sydney was used to represent a small town in Newfoundland. Meanwhile, this isn’t North Sydney’s only brush with fame. The region is the birthplace of several notable figures, like the Oscar-winning actor Harold Russell, as well as several NHL hockey players, including Paul Andrea, Bobby Smith, and Flash Hollett.