Antigonish County

This article is about the historical county. For the modern municipality, see Municipality of the County of Antigonish.

Antigonish County is a historical county and census division of Nova Scotia, Canada. Local government is provided by the Municipality of the County of Antigonish, the Town of Antigonish, and by two reserves: Pomquet and Afton 23, and Summerside 38.

Antigonish County Gaelic: Siorramachd Antaiginis
County
Location of Antigonish County, Nova Scotia
Coordinates: 45°36′N 61°54′W
Country	Canada
Province	Nova Scotia
Municipality	Municipality of the County of Antigonish
Established as Sydney County	1785
Renamed	1863
Incorporated	1879
Electoral Districts       Federal	Central Nova Cape Breton—Canso
Provincial	Antigonish
Government
• Type	Antigonish County Municipal Council
• Warden	Owen McCarron
• MLA	Michelle Thompson Conservative Party of Nova Scotia)[1]
• MP (Central Nova)	Sean Fraser (L)[2]
• MP (Cape Breton-Canso)	Rodger Cuzner (L)[3]
Area [4]
• Land	1,456.42 km2 (562.33 sq mi)
Population  (2021)[4][5]
• Total	20,129
• Density	13.8/km2 (36/sq mi)
• Change 2011-16	4.3%
Time zone	UTC-4 (AST)
• Summer (DST)	UTC-3 (ADT)
Area code	902
Dwellings	9,842
Median Earnings*	$49,581
NTS Map	011F12
GNBC Code	CBUCC
Median household income, 2005 (all households)

History

The County of Sydney was created in 1784.

When St. Mary's Township was established in 1818 it was partly in Sydney County and partly in Halifax County. In 1822 that part of St. Mary's Township which had been in Halifax County was annexed to the County of Sydney.

In 1836 Sydney County was diminished in size when Guysborough County was established out of what had been part of it. In 1863 the name of the County of Sydney was changed to Antigonish County. The word Antigonish is of Mi'kmaq origin, possibly derived from Nalegitkoonecht meaning "where branches are torn off". It is said that there were bears in the area that broke down branches to get beech nuts.

In 1879, the province officially incorporated the County of Antigonish as a municipality.^[6]

In 2001, the Town of Antigonish applied to annex 1,600 hectares from the surrounding county so it could expand. The Municipality responded that the annexation would hurt its tax base so it instead applied for a total merger, or amalgamation. The issue was sent to the Nova Scotia Utility and Review Board, and in 2005 it was decided that amalgamation of the Town and Municipality would better serve both parties. The board also ordered a plebiscite, promising to consider the results when making a final decision. The results were mixed, with 84% of Municipality residents voting yes to amalgamation and 74% of Town residents voting no. Voter turn-out was 45%. The board ultimately rejected the proposal for amalgamation, citing lack of public support.^[7]

The 2024 Boston Christmas Tree came from Mattie Settlement.^[8]

Demographics

As a census division in the 2021 Census of Population conducted by Statistics Canada, Antigonish County had a population of 20,129 living in 8,711 of its 10,145 total private dwellings, a change of 4.3% from its 2016 population of 19,301. With a land area of 1,456.42 km² (562.33 sq mi), it had a population density of 13.8/km² (35.8/sq mi) in 2021.^[9]

Forming the majority of the Antigonish County census division, the Municipality of the County of Antigonish, including its Subdivisions A and B, had a population of 15,101 living in 6,371 of its 7,327 total private dwellings, a change of 3.5% from its 2016 population of 14,584. With a land area of 1,448.72 km² (559.35 sq mi), it had a population density of 10.4/km² (27.0/sq mi) in 2021.^[10]

Population trend[11][12] Census Population Change (%) 2021 20,129 4.3% 2016 19,301 1.5% 2011 19,589 4.0% 2006 18,836 3.8% 2001 19,578 0.1% 1996 19,554 1.7% 1991 19,226 2.4% 1986 18,776 3.7% 1981 18,110 N/A 1941 10,545 1931 10,073 1921 11,580 1911 11,962 1901 13,617 1891 16,114 1881 18,060 1871 16,512 N/A

Mother tongue language (2011)[13] Language Population Pct (%) English only 18,150 93.32% French only 585 3.01% Non-official languages 590 3.03% Multiple responses 130 0.67%

Ethnic Groups (2006)[14] Ethnic Origin Population Pct (%) Scottish 9,265 49.5% Canadian 7,295 39.0% Irish 5,515 29.5% French 4,845 25.9% English 4,275 22.8% German 985 5.3% Dutch (Netherlands) 970 5.2% North American Indian 690 3.7% Acadian 480 2.6%

Census subdivisions

• Antigonish Subdivision A
• Antigonish Subdivision B

Major highways

Highways and numbered routes that run through the county, including external routes that start or finish at the county limits:^[15]

Highways Hwy 104 (TCH)

Trunk Routes Trunk 4 Trunk 7 Trunk 16

Collector Routes: Route 245 Route 316 Route 337 Route 344

External Routes: None

Protected areas

Antigonish Landing Wildlife Area

• Arisaig Provincial Park
• Antigonish Landing
• Bayfield Provincial Park
• Beaver Mountain Provincial Park
• Eigg Mountain-James River Wilderness Area
• Pomquet Beach Provincial Park^[16]

Notable residents

• Donald Chisholm, stockcar driver
• Mary-Colin Chisholm, stage, film and TV actor
• Moses Coady, Roman Catholic priest, adult educator, and leader of the Antigonish Movement
• Eric Gillis, long-distance runner and Olympian (2008, 2012, 2016)
• Max Haines, crime writer, columnist for the Toronto Sun
• Allan H. MacDonald, theoretical physicist
• Allan The Ridge MacDonald (1794–1868), local pioneer, and poet in Canadian Gaelic.
• Craig MacDonald, former professional hockey player
• Garfield MacDonald, Olympic Athlete
• John MacLean (d. 1848), local pioneer, poet and Seanchaidh. A highly important figure in both Scottish Gaelic literature and in that of Canadian Gaelic.
• Shauna MacDonald, actress, also known as "Promo Girl" on CBC Radio One
• Ryan MacGrath, musician and painter
• Al MacIsaac, Vice President Chicago Blackhawks
• Paul MacLean, assistant coach of the Toronto Maple Leafs
• Carole MacNeil, television journalist, former co-host of CBC News: Sunday and CBC News: Sunday Night
• Stephen McHattie, stage, film and TV actor
• Robyn Meagher, Olympic runner
• Carroll Morgan, Olympic heavyweight boxer
• Archbishop James Morrison, Catholic Bishop 1912
• Anne Simpson, poet
• Lewis John Stringer, Cross of Valour (Canada) Recipient, Wall of Valour^[17]
• The Trews, a rock band

See also

• List of communities in Nova Scotia
• List of municipalities in Nova Scotia

References

1. "Michelle Thompson". 19 August 2021.
2. "Sean Fraser". Parliament of Canada. Retrieved 26 May 2016.
3. "Rodger Cuzner". Parliament of Canada. Retrieved 26 May 2016.
4. "Profile table, Census Profile, 2021 Census of Population - Antigonish, County (CTY) [Census division], Nova Scotia". 9 February 2022.
5. Population and dwelling counts, for Canada and census subdivisions (municipalities), 2006 and 2001 censuses – 100% data
6. "Department of Municipal Affairs and Housing". Communications Nova Scotia. 8 December 2018. Retrieved 26 September 2020.
7. "Antigonish (Town), Re, 2006 NSUARB 112 (CanLII)". Canadian Legal Information Institute. 31 October 2006. Retrieved 26 May 2016.
8. "Christmas Tree for Boston From Antigonish County". Government of Nova Scotia. 6 November 2024. Retrieved 8 November 2024.
9. "Population and dwelling counts: Canada and census divisions". Statistics Canada. 9 February 2022. Retrieved 2 April 2022.
10. "Population and dwelling counts: Canada, provinces and territories, census divisions and census subdivisions (municipalities), Nova Scotia". Statistics Canada. 9 February 2022. Retrieved 2 April 2022.
11. Censuses 1871-1941
12. Statistics Canada: 1996, 2001, 2006 census
13. Statistics Canada: 2011 census
14. 2006 Statistics Canada Census Ethnocultural Portrait of Canada: Antigonish County, Nova Scotia
15. Atlantic Canada Back Road Atlas ISBN 978-1-55368-618-7 Pages 53-54, 69-71
16. "Day Use Parks". Nova Scotia Provincial Parks. Archived from the original on 1 April 2017. Retrieved 26 September 2020.
17. Stringer Sergeant Lewis John Stringer, C.V., C.D.

External links

• Antigonish County