Whitney Pier is a distinct part of Sydney, Nova Scotia which slopes up from the east side of Sydney Harbour in three successive ridges. It is a triangle-shaped area located on the north east corner of the city, containe d in about three square miles. Whitney Pier is well-defined geographically: it is surrounded by the ocean, the steel plant, and the blueberry barrens reaching up to the Radar Base. It is effectively separated from the "suburb" of South Bar by MacLennan's Brook. The only connection wit h the rest of Sydney ("over town") is a huge overpass which travels over the railway tracks between the steel plant and the now defunct Coke Ovens. It is politically defined as Ward V and Ward VI, but there is no formal declaration of the geographical boundaries of Whitney Pier. Yet, residents and outsiders alike recognize both the physical and social boundaries of the unique community.

The Varied landscape of Whitney Pier is the physical evidence of the community's experience. The different types of buildings...homes, halls, churches, stores...are symbolic of the multi-ethnic character and industrial nature of the Whitney Pier way of li fe, and also of the layering effect of the community's history.

Whitney Pier has not been static, no has its growth consistently followed the patterns set by the early years. Movements of ethnic groups within the Pier, ethnic intermarriage, and the outmigration to other parts of Canada have all resulted in a constant ly changing community. Yet the foundations of the place and its people remain firm, and Whitney Pier is a place noted as much for its solidarity as for its diversity. Whitney Pier's sense of place is expressed with staunch pride in being "FROM THE PIER, DEAR!"

Return to the Table