Counties_of_Nova_Scotia
The Canadian province of Nova Scotia has a historical system of 18 counties that originally had appointed court systems for local administration before the establishment of elected local governments in 1879. The historical counties continue as census divisions used by Statistics Canada in administering the Canadian census.
| Counties of Nova Scotia | |
|---|---|
| Location | Province of Nova Scotia |
| Number | 18 |
| Populations | 7,373 (Guysborough) – 440,072 (Halifax) |
| Areas | 1,244.24 km² (Richmond) – 5,495.71 km² (Halifax) |
| Government |
|
| Subdivisions | |
Before the establishment of rural municipalities in the form of county municipalities and district municipalities in 1879, local government in the historical counties was administered by appointed courts of sessions including justices appointed by the Crown with support from local proprietors selected to grand juries.[2] These courts of sessions met "in the counties to hear cases, make regulations, authorize assessments, and appoint local officers."[2] On April 17, 1879, the original non-elected courts of sessions were abolished in favour of elected councils when The County Incorporation Act came into force, which stated
The Inhabitants of every County and Sessional District in this Province ... shall be a body corporate under the name of the Municipality of the respective county or district, as the case may (be), ...[2]
As a result, 12 county municipalities were established, while the remaining 6 counties, which were previously divided into districts for court sessional purposes, were established as district municipalities.[2] Today, 9 of the original 12 remain incorporated as county municipalities, with 3 eventually becoming regional municipalities in 1995 and 1996,[3] while Statistics Canada uses all 18 historical counties as census divisions for statistical purposes in the Canadian census.[4] County municipalities and district municipalities provide local government to the residents of the historical counties living outside of incorporated towns and regional municipalities.[2][3]
| County[5] | County seat[6] | Established | Organization of county | Population (2021)[4] |
Population (2016)[4] |
Change [4] |
Land area (km²)[4] |
Population density[4] |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Annapolis | Annapolis Royal | 1759 | County municipality | 21,252 | 20,591 | +3.2% | 3,183.23 | 6.7/km2 |
| Antigonish | Antigonish | 1785 | County municipality | 20,129 | 19,301 | +4.3% | 1,456.42 | 13.8/km2 |
| Cape Bretona | Sydney | 1765 | Regional municipality | 98,318 | 98,722 | −0.4% | 2,457.21 | 40.0/km2 |
| Colchester | Truro | 1835 | County municipality | 51,476 | 50,585 | +1.8% | 3,627.50 | 14.2/km2 |
| Cumberland | Amherst | 1759 | County municipality | 30,538 | 30,005 | +1.8% | 4,275.77 | 7.1/km2 |
| Digby | Digby | 1837 | District municipality | 17,062 | 17,323 | −1.5% | 2,512.28 | 6.8/km2 |
| Guysborough | Guysborough | 1836 | District municipality | 7,373 | 7,625 | −3.3% | 4,037.16 | 1.8/km2 |
| Halifaxb | Halifax | 1759 | Regional municipality | 440,072 | 403,390 | +9.1% | 5,477.53 | 80.3/km2 |
| Hants | Windsor | 1781 | District municipality | 45,140 | 42,558 | +6.1% | 3,049.18 | 14.8/km2 |
| Inverness | Port Hood | 1835 | County municipality | 17,346 | 17,235 | +0.6% | 3,817.61 | 4.5/km2 |
| Kings | Kentville | 1759 | County municipality | 62,914 | 60,600 | +3.8% | 2,120.31 | 29.7/km2 |
| Lunenburg | Lunenburg | 1759 | District municipality | 48,599 | 47,126 | +3.1% | 2,906.47 | 16.7/km2 |
| Pictou | Pictou | 1835 | County municipality | 43,657 | 43,748 | −0.2% | 2,844.10 | 15.4/km2 |
| Queensc | Liverpool | 1762 | Regional municipality | 10,501 | 10,351 | +1.4% | 2,393.44 | 4.4/km2 |
| Richmond | Arichat | 1835 | County municipality | 8,914 | 8,964 | −0.6% | 1,246.08 | 7.2/km2 |
| Shelburne | Shelburne | 1784 | District municipality | 13,704 | 13,966 | −1.9% | 2,462.58 | 5.6/km2 |
| Victoria | Baddeck | 1851 | County municipality | 7,441 | 7,089 | +5.0% | 2,836.19 | 2.6/km2 |
| Yarmouth | Yarmouth | 1836 | District municipality | 24,947 | 24,419 | +2.2% | 2,121.64 | 11.8/km2 |
| Total counties | — | — | — | 969,383 | 923,598 | +5.0% | 52,824.71 | 18.4/km2 |
a county boundaries contiguous with those of the Cape Breton Regional Municipality.
b county boundaries contiguous with those of the Halifax Regional Municipality.
c county boundaries contiguous with those of the Region of Queens Municipality.
- County government has been defunct since 1879 for 6 counties now administered by district municipalities, and since 1995/1996 for 3 counties now administered by regional municipalities.
- "The Establishment of Elective Rural Municipal Government in Nova Scotia" (PDF). Government of Nova Scotia: Department of Municipal Affairs. pp. 1, 2. Retrieved December 27, 2016.
- "Nova Scotia Annual Report of Municipal Statistics for the fiscal year ended March 31, 2014" (PDF). Department of Municipal Affairs. 2014. p. 12. Archived (PDF) from the original on March 4, 2016. Retrieved December 29, 2016.
- "Population and dwelling count highlight tables, 2021 Census". Statistics Canada. February 9, 2022. Retrieved August 2, 2023.
- "History of County Boundaries". Province of Nova Scotia: Department of Municipal Affairs. October 8, 2015. Retrieved December 27, 2016.
- Foster Stockwell (2004). A Sourcebook for Genealogical Research: Resources Alphabetically by Type and Location. McFarland & Company, Inc., Publishers. p. 205. ISBN 9780786484386. Retrieved December 29, 2016.