Cumberland County, Nova Scotia

Cumberland County
—  County  —
Flag Seal
Location of Cumberland County, Nova Scotia
Coordinates: 45°42′N 64°06′W / 45.7°N 64.1°W / 45.7; -64.1Coordinates: 45°42′N 64°06′W / 45.7°N 64.1°W / 45.7; -64.1
Country	Canada
Province	Nova Scotia
Towns	Amherst / Oxford / Parrsboro / Springhill
Established	August 17, 1759
Incorporated	April 17, 1879
Electoral Districts       Federal	Cumberland—Colchester—Musquodoboit Valley
Provincial	Cumberland North / Cumberland South
Government
- Type	Cumberland County Municipal Council
- Warden	Keith Hunter
- MLA	Brian Skabar (NDP) Jamie Baillie (PC)
- MP	Scott Armstrong (C)
Area[1]
- Land	4,271.14 km2 (1,649.1 sq mi)
Population (2006)[1][2]
- Total	32,046
- Density	7.5/km2 (19.4/sq mi)
- Change 2001-06	1.7%
- Census Rankings  - Census divisions  Subdivision A  Subdivision B  Subdivision C  Subdivision D  - Towns  Amherst  Oxford  Parrsboro  Springhill	2,261 (1,224 of 5,008) 3,781 (850 of 5,008) 5,525 (634 of 5,008) 4,454 (737 of 5,008) 9,505 (401 of 5,008) 1,178 (1,852 of 5,008) 1,401 (1,679 of 5,008) 3,941 (819 of 5,008)
Time zone	AST (UTC-4)
- Summer (DST)	ADT (UTC-3)
Area code(s)	902
Dwellings	18,153
Median Income*	$38,433 CDN
Website	www.cumberlandcounty.ns.ca
*Median household income, 2005 (all households)

Cumberland County is a county in the Canadian province of Nova Scotia.

History

The name Cumberland was applied by Lieutenant-Colonel Robert Monckton to the captured Fort Beauséjour on June 18, 1755 in honour of the third son of King George II, William Augustus, Duke of Cumberland, victor at Culloden in 1746 and Commander in Chief of the British forces. The Mi'kmaq name for the area was "Kwesomalegek" meaning "hardwood point".

Cumberland County was founded on August 17, 1759. When the Township of Parrsboro was divided in 1840, one part was annexed to Cumberland County and the other part annexed to Colchester.

The dividing line between Cumberland and Colchester was established in 1840. In 1897, a portion of the boundary line between the Counties of Colchester and Cumberland was fixed and defined. The county thrived in the 19th century with the development of lumbering, shipbuilding and coal mining. Deforestation and rural outmigration in the 20th century led to the abandonment of some communities such as Eatonville and New Yarmouth.

Geography

Cumberland county landscape at Fraserville with Spencers Island in background

The county has a total area of 4,271.23 km² (1,649.13 sq mi).

Cumberland County is rich in natural resources with extensive forest land supporting lumber mills and pulp contractors. It has many mineral resources, including 2 operating salt mines. Until the 1970s it also had several coal mines which extracted coal from seams that run from Joggins to River Hebert and on to Athol and Springhill.

Agriculture is concentrated on wild blueberry harvesting throughout the Cobequid Hills, as well as mixed farms located in the Tantramar Marshes region, the Northumberland Strait coastal plain, and the Wentworth Valley.

The northwestern edge of Cumberland County forms part of the Isthmus of Chignecto, the natural land bridge connecting the Nova Scotia peninsula to North America. As such, the county hosts several important transportation corridors, including Highway 104 (the Trans-Canada Highway and CN Rail's Halifax-Montreal railway line.

Four towns are located in Cumberland County: Amherst, Springhill, Parrsboro, and Oxford.

Demographics

Population trend[3] Census Population Change (%) 2006 32,046 1.7% 2001 32,605 3.5% 1996 33,804 1.4% 1991 34,284 N/A

Mother tongue language (2006)[1] Language Population Pct (%) English only 30,230 96.97% Other languages 630 2.02% French only 285 0.91% Both English and French 30 0.10%

Ethnic Groups (2006)[1] Race Population Pct (%) White 30,640 98.28% Black 315 1.01% Arab 105 0.34% Asian 85 0.27%

Communities

For a list of communities in Cumberland County, see List of Communities

Access Routes

Highways and numbered routes that run through the county, including external routes that start or finish at the county limits:^[4]

Highways Hwy 104 (TCH)

Trunk Routes Trunk 2 Trunk 4 Trunk 6

Collector Routes: Route 204 Route 209 Route 242 Route 246 Route 301 Route 302 Route 321 Route 366 Route 368

External Routes: New Brunswick Route 2 New Brunswick Route 970

See also

• List of communities in Nova Scotia
• Central Nova Tourist Association — Tourism Association Representing Cumberland County.
• Royal eponyms in Canada

References

1. ^ ^{a b c d} 2006 Statistics Canada Community Profile: Cumberland County, Nova Scotia
2. ^ Statistics Canada Population and dwelling counts, for Canada and census subdivisions (municipalities), 2006 and 2001 censuses - 100% data
3. ^ Statistics Canada: 1996, 2001, 2006 census
4. ^ Atlantic Canada Back Road Atlas ISBN 978-1-55368-618-7 Pages 50-52, 65-68

External links

• Cumberland County official site
• Photographs of the Cumberland County War Memorial monument, Amherst
• Photographs of historic monuments in Cumberland County