Colchester County

Colchester County is a county in the Canadian province of Nova Scotia. With a population of 50,585[2][4] the county is the fourth largest in Nova Scotia. Colchester County is located in north central Nova Scotia.

This article is about the county in Nova Scotia. For the grammar school in Colchester, Essex, see Colchester County High School.
Colchester County
County
Municipality of the County of Colchester[1]
From top proceeding clockwise: Creamery Square in Tatamagouche, beach near Bass River, Glooscap monument in Millbrook, farm near Stewiacke, NSCC in Truro.
Flag
Seal
Nickname(s): 
Municipality of Colchester
Motto(s): 
"We Prosper From Our Resources"
Location of Colchester County, Nova Scotia
Coordinates: 45°21′56″N 63°16′32″W
Country Canada
Province Nova Scotia
TownsStewiacke / Truro
VillagesBible Hill / Tatamagouche
Established1835
IncorporatedApril 17, 1879
Electoral Districts      
Federal
Cumberland—Colchester—Musquodoboit Valley
ProvincialColchester North / Colchester-Musquodoboit Valley / Truro-Bible Hill
Government
 • TypeColchester County Municipal Council
 • MayorChristine Blair
Area
 • Land3,628.12 km2 (1,400.82 sq mi)
Population
 (2016)[2][3]
 • Total50,585
 • Density13.9/km2 (36/sq mi)
 • Change 2011-16
0.8%
Time zoneUTC-4 (AST)
 • Summer (DST)UTC-3 (ADT)
Area code(s)902 | 782
Dwellings25,378
Median Income*$42,782 CDN
Websitecolchester.ca
  • Median household income, 2005 (all households)

The majority of the county is governed by the Municipality of the County of Colchester, the county also is home to two independent incorporated towns, Stewiacke and Truro, two village commissions in Bible Hill and Tatamagouche, and the Millbrook 27 First Nations reserve.

History
Main article: History of Nova Scotia

The glaciers began their retreat from in the Maritimes approximately 13,500 years ago.[5] The earliest evidence of Palaeo-Indian settlement in the region follows rapidly after deglaciation. The record of continuous habitation through the paleo and archaic period over ten thousand years culminated in the development of the culture, traditions, and language now known as the Mi'kmaq.[6] For several thousand years the territory of the province has been a part of the territory of the Mi'kmaq nation of Mi'kma'ki. Mi'kma'ki includes what is now the Maritimes, parts of Maine, Newfoundland and the Gaspé Peninsula. Colchester County is located in the traditional Mi'kmaw districts of Sipekni'katik to the south and west, and Epekwitk aq Piktuk to the north and east.

French colonization of the area began during the 1680s. Acadian settlers were farmers were accustomed to farming on dyked lands in France. They used normally salty but fertile marshes that were found on the banks of the Minas Basin and through the use of dykes and aboiteaux that allowed fresh water to enter but kept out the salt-water tide.

The appellation Colchester was applied in 1780 to the district previously called "Cobequid," and was derived from the town of Colchester in Essex. The old name Cobequid was derived from the Mi'kmaq word "Wagobagitk" meaning "the bay runs far up", in reference to the area surrounding the easternmost inlet of the Minas Basin, a body of water called Cobequid Bay.

The District of Colchester, which was at first part of Halifax County, was established as a county in its own right in 1835. In 1838 a distinct line of division between Cumberland County and Colchester County was established. Two years later, in 1840, the Township of Parrsboro was divided and part of it annexed to Colchester County. In 1871, the boundaries between the Counties of Hants and Colchester and between the Counties of Halifax and Colchester were established. In 1880 the boundary between the Counties of Halifax and Colchester was revised. Eventually in 1897 a portion of the boundary between the Counties of Colchester and Cumberland was fixed and defined.

The question of the boundary between Colchester and Cumberland Counties was the subject of a Commission of Inquiry established in 1946. The report was filed in the office of the Provincial Secretary and in the office of the Department of Lands and Forests in January 1959. Certified copies of it were sent to the Registrars of Deeds for the Counties of Colchester, Cumberland and Kings.

Government
The village of Tatamagouche

The Municipality of the County of Colchester is governed by a municipal council composed of a Mayor elected at-large and 11 Councillors elected to represent districts. Municipal Council is responsible oversee the provision of the services of municipal government. Municipal governments in Nova Scotia are Council–manager governments, meaning that the Council provides policy direction and approves the budget, and the Chief Administrative Officer oversees the administrative operations and implement Council's policies. Directly delivered services include services such as fire protection, public works, roads, and water. The municipality participates in shared services, such as police, solid waste management, library services, and the Rath Eastlink Community Centre.

The municipal operating budget was $29.1 million in 2017/18.[7] The current mayor is Christine Blair.[8] Municipal governments in Nova Scotia are elected every four years and the most recent round of elections took place on October 15, 2016.[9] The provincial legislation that creates and empowers the municipality is the Nova Scotia Municipal Government Act.[10]

While the majority of the land area of county is governed by the Municipal Council of the Municipality of the County of Colchester the county also includes two independently incorporated towns, Stewiacke and Truro, as well as the independently governed Millbrook First Nation. Within the county are also two communities with incorporated village commissions in Bible Hill and Tatamagouche which are a part of the county wide municipality but are created to provide additional village services. Colchester is represented by three ridings in the Nova Scotia House of Assembly and two ridings in Canada's House of Commons.

Communities
Main article: List of communities in Colchester County, Nova Scotia
Towns
Villages
Unincorporated communities
Reserves
County municipality and county subdivisions
  • Municipality of the County of Colchester
    • Colchester Subdivision A
    • Colchester Subdivision B
    • Colchester Subdivision C

Demographics

As a census division in the 2016 Census of Population conducted by Statistics Canada, Colchester County recorded a population of 50,585 living in 22,229 of its 25,378 total private dwellings, a change of -0.8% from its 2011 population of 50,968. With a land area of 3,628.12 km2 (1,400.82 sq mi), it had a population density of 13.9/km2 (36.1/sq mi) in 2016.[11]

Forming the majority of the Colchester County census division, the Municipality of the County of Colchester recorded a population of 36,091 living in 15,246 of its 17,814 total private dwellings in the 2016 Census of Population, a change of -1.5% from its 2011 population of 36,624. With a land area of 3,572.49 km2 (1,379.35 sq mi), it had a population density of 10.1/km2 (26.2/sq mi) in 2016.[12]

Access Routes

Highways and numbered routes that run through the county, including external routes that start or finish at the county limits:[17]

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gollark: But I've turned computers off before.
gollark: But can he turn it off?
gollark: Pearl launchers? WHat?
gollark: You could use a dispenser for pearls

See also

References
  1. Municipality of Colchester
  2. 2006 Statistics Canada Community Profile: Colchester County, Nova Scotia
  3. Statistics Canada Population and dwelling counts, for Canada and census subdivisions (municipalities), 2006 and 2001 censuses - 100% data
  4. Population and dwelling counts, for Canada and census subdivisions (municipalities), 2011 and 2006 censuses - 100% data
  5. Stea, Robert (1998). "Deglaciation of Nova Scotia: Stratigraphy and chronology of lake sediment cores and buried organic sections" (PDF). erudit. Géographie physique et Quaternaire. Retrieved 30 March 2018.
  6. "A Mi'kmaw History". Parks Canada. Parks canada. Archived from the original on 2018-03-31. Retrieved 30 March 2018.
  7. "2017/18 Budget". Colchster County. Retrieved 5 May 2018.
  8. https://www.colchester.ca/council
  9. http://www.cbc.ca/news/canada/nova-scotia/municipal-election-mayors-towns-county-municipality-district-1.3807237
  10. https://nslegislature.ca/sites/default/files/legc/statutes/municipal%20government.pdf "Municipal Government Act"
  11. "Population and dwelling counts, for Canada, provinces and territories, and census divisions, 2016 and 2011 censuses – 100% data (Nova Scotia)". Statistics Canada. February 8, 2017. Retrieved February 12, 2017.
  12. "Population and dwelling counts, for Canada, provinces and territories, and census subdivisions (municipalities), 2016 and 2011 censuses – 100% data (Nova Scotia)". Statistics Canada. February 8, 2017. Retrieved February 12, 2017.
  13. Censues 1871-1941
  14. Statistics Canada: 1996, 2001, 2006 census
  15. Statistics Canada: 2011 census
  16. 2006 Statistics Canada Census Ethnocultural Portrait of Canada: Colchester County, Nova Scotia
  17. Atlantic Canada Back Road Atlas ISBN 978-1-55368-618-7 Pages 52-53, 67-69
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