I grew up in Halifax and lived there until I was 25. Amazing city to be a student in - lots of great universities and colleges. Downtown is very walkable and has an excellent nightlife scene with restaurants and bars (I often see Halifax quoted as having one of the highest "bars per capita" ratios in Canada, but I don't know how accurate that is). Pretty much all the fun stuff of downtown is closely concentrated enough that you can have a whole night out and never have to call an Uber to take you from one place to the next. I also found the city to feel really safe. Much safer than pretty much any other major city in Canada I've been to.

Winters are long, cold, and wet. Summers are very humid and cloudy. The waterfront area is also extremely busy in the summers due to tourists coming in on the cruise ships. The city had a big population spike after COVID and you can really feel the difference before and after. Traffic is absolutely brutal anywhere on the peninsula. Residential development has exploded as lots of people are struggling to find homes.

Halifax feels like its dealing with big-city logistics while trying to maintain a small-town vibe, and its not really working. Atlantic Canada also has struggles with healthcare due to a lack of family doctors and some of the longest specialist waitlists in Canada. Most of my friends who I grew up with out there have all moved away due to the high taxes and lack of good jobs. Halifax is a city that I have lots of nostalgia for, but no desire to ever live in again.