It is notable as the landing point for several transatlantic communications cables including the fastest connectivity between London, England, and New York City.
John Salusbury owned a 130 acres (53 ha) estate there in 1750, renting land to an early settler named Henry Lather.
The privateers were making their way back to New England in a shallop after the American ship Hope destroyed their vessel off the coast of Canso.
Early surveyor's maps list the community as Dunk Cove, named for George Montagu-Dunk, 2nd Earl of Halifax, also the namesake of the nearby city.
Today, Herring Cove's economy is dictated not by the fishery, but by its proximity to the HRM's urban core as a bedroom community.
In the late 1990s, the Hibernia Atlantic trans-Atlantic communications cable project landed its western terminus at Herring Cove at Hospital Point.
[11] Swimmers jump from Government Wharf into the frigid Atlantic waters on New Years Day, raising money for a local charity.
There are several hiking trails in the community; one begins at 'Hayes's garden's' (accessible from the coast road leading to Purcell's Cove) to "The Monument" and has become a popular place to picnic, and features a splendid view of the Atlantic.
At the highest point on the cliffs (30 m (98 ft) above sea level), there are two stone monuments constructed of granite boulders in memory of George Brown, a Canadian and Olympic rowing athlete.