Cumberland County, Nova Scotia
Encyclopedia
Cumberland County is a county
in the Canadian
province of Nova Scotia
.
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
.
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
.
Mother tongue language (2006)
Ethnic Groups (2006)
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County
A county is a jurisdiction of local government in certain modern nations. Historically in mainland Europe, the original French term, comté, and its equivalents in other languages denoted a jurisdiction under the sovereignty of a count A county is a jurisdiction of local government in certain...
in the Canadian
Canada
Canada is a North American country consisting of ten provinces and three territories. Located in the northern part of the continent, it extends from the Atlantic Ocean in the east to the Pacific Ocean in the west, and northward into the Arctic Ocean...
province of Nova Scotia
Nova Scotia
Nova Scotia is one of Canada's three Maritime provinces and is the most populous province in Atlantic Canada. The name of the province is Latin for "New Scotland," but "Nova Scotia" is the recognized, English-language name of the province. The provincial capital is Halifax. Nova Scotia is the...
.
History
The name Cumberland was applied by Lieutenant-Colonel Robert MoncktonRobert Monckton
Robert Monckton was an officer of the British army and a colonial administrator in British North America. He had a distinguished military and political career, being second in command to General Wolfe at the battle of Quebec and subsequently being the Governor of New York State...
to the captured Fort Beauséjour
Fort Beauséjour
Fort Beauséjour, was built during Father Le Loutre's War from 1751-1755; it is located at the Isthmus of Chignecto in present-day Aulac, New Brunswick, Canada...
on June 18, 1755 in honour of the third son of King George II
George II of Great Britain
George II was King of Great Britain and Ireland, Duke of Brunswick-Lüneburg and Archtreasurer and Prince-elector of the Holy Roman Empire from 11 June 1727 until his death.George was the last British monarch born outside Great Britain. He was born and brought up in Northern Germany...
, William Augustus, Duke of Cumberland, victor at Culloden
Battle of Culloden
The Battle of Culloden was the final confrontation of the 1745 Jacobite Rising. Taking place on 16 April 1746, the battle pitted the Jacobite forces of Charles Edward Stuart against an army commanded by William Augustus, Duke of Cumberland, loyal to the British government...
in 1746 and Commander in Chief of the British forces. The Mi'kmaq
Mi'kmaq language
The Mi'kmaq language is an Eastern Algonquian language spoken by nearly 9,100 Mi'kmaq in Canada and the United States out of a total ethnic Mi'kmaq population of roughly 20,000. The word Mi'kmaq is a plural word meaning 'my friends' ; the adjectival form is Míkmaw...
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
Colchester County, Nova Scotia
Colchester County is a county in the Canadian province of Nova Scotia.-History:The appellation Colchester was applied in 1780 to the district previously called "Cobequid," and was derived from the town of Colchester in Essex...
.
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
Eatonville, Nova Scotia
Eatonville is a former lumber and shipbuilding village in Cumberland County, Nova Scotia. It includes a large tidal harbour at the mouth of the Eatonville Brook beside several dramatic sea stacks known as the "Three Sisters". It was founded in 1864 and abandoned in the 1940s...
and New Yarmouth
New Yarmouth, Nova Scotia
New Yarmouth is an abandoned farming and forestry community which is now part of the Cape Chignecto Provincial Park in Cumberland County, Nova Scotia near the village of Advocate.- Geography :...
.
Geography
The county has a total area of 4271.23 km² (1,649.1 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
Joggins, Nova Scotia
Joggins is a Canadian rural community located in western Cumberland County, Nova Scotia. On July 7, 2008 a 15 km length of the coast constituting the Joggins Fossil Cliffs was officially inscribed on the World Heritage List.- History :...
to River Hebert
River Hebert, Nova Scotia
River Hebert is a village on the River Hebert in Cumberland County, Nova Scotia, Canada.It is approximately 25 kilometres southwest of Amherst...
and on to Athol
Athol, Nova Scotia
Athol is a very small community along Route 302 in the Canadian province of Nova Scotia. It is located between Amherst, Nova Scotia and Parrsboro, Nova Scotia....
and Springhill
Springhill, Nova Scotia
-Coal mining:The first industrial coal mining in the area took place in the 1870s after a rail connection was built by the Springhill and Parrsboro Coal and Railway Company to the newly completed Intercolonial Railway at neighbouring Springhill Junction....
.
Agriculture is concentrated on wild blueberry
Blueberry
Blueberries are flowering plants of the genus Vaccinium with dark-blue berries and are perennial...
harvesting throughout the Cobequid Hills, as well as mixed farms located in the Tantramar Marshes
Tantramar Marshes
The Tantramar Marshes is a National Wildlife Area on the southern part of the Isthmus of Chignecto, which joins Nova Scotia to New Brunswick and the Canadian mainland. It is the site of the historic Battle of Fort Beauséjour, the final chapter in the long battle for Acadia by the British and French...
region, the Northumberland Strait
Northumberland Strait
The Northumberland Strait is a strait in the southern part of the Gulf of Saint Lawrence in eastern Canada...
coastal plain, and the Wentworth Valley
Wentworth Valley
The Wentworth Valley is a valley in the Cobequid Hills of northwestern Nova Scotia, Canada.The valley is located in a glacial trough north of Folly Mountain and comprises the lowest elevation pass through the Cobequids...
.
The northwestern edge of Cumberland County forms part of the Isthmus of Chignecto
Isthmus of Chignecto
The Isthmus of Chignecto is an isthmus bordering the Maritime provinces of New Brunswick and Nova Scotia which connects the Nova Scotia peninsula with North America....
, the natural land bridge connecting the Nova Scotia peninsula
Nova Scotia peninsula
The Nova Scotia peninsula is a peninsula on the Atlantic coast of North America.-Location:The Nova Scotia peninsula is part of the province of Nova Scotia, Canada and is connected to the neighbouring province of New Brunswick through the Isthmus of Chignecto...
to North America
North America
North America is a continent wholly within the Northern Hemisphere and almost wholly within the Western Hemisphere. It is also considered a northern subcontinent of the Americas...
. As such, the county hosts several important transportation corridors, including Highway 104
Nova Scotia Highway 104
Highway 104 in Nova Scotia runs from the New Brunswick border near Amherst to St. Peter's. Except for the portion on Cape Breton Island between Port Hawkesbury and St. Peter's, it is part of the Trans-Canada Highway....
(the Trans-Canada Highway
Trans-Canada Highway
The Trans-Canada Highway is a federal-provincial highway system that joins the ten provinces of Canada. It is, along with the Trans-Siberian Highway and Australia's Highway 1, one of the world's longest national highways, with the main route spanning 8,030 km...
and CN Rail
Canadian National Railway
The Canadian National Railway Company is a Canadian Class I railway headquartered in Montreal, Quebec. CN's slogan is "North America's Railroad"....
's Halifax-Montreal railway line.
Four towns are located in Cumberland County: Amherst
Amherst, Nova Scotia
Amherst is a Canadian town in northwestern Cumberland County, Nova Scotia.Located at the northeast end of the Cumberland Basin, an arm of the Bay of Fundy, Amherst is strategically situated on the eastern boundary of the Tantramar Marshes 3 kilometres east of the interprovincial border with New...
, Springhill
Springhill, Nova Scotia
-Coal mining:The first industrial coal mining in the area took place in the 1870s after a rail connection was built by the Springhill and Parrsboro Coal and Railway Company to the newly completed Intercolonial Railway at neighbouring Springhill Junction....
, Parrsboro
Parrsboro, Nova Scotia
Parrsboro is a Canadian town located in Cumberland County, Nova Scotia.The town is known for its port on the Minas Basin, the Ship's Company Theatre productions and the Fundy Geological Museum.-History:...
, and Oxford
Oxford, Nova Scotia
Oxford is a town in Cumberland County, Nova Scotia, Canada east of Amherst. The town is directly serviced by Routes 104, 204, 301, and 321.-History:...
.
Demographics
Population trend| 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)
| 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)
| 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 CommunitiesAccess Routes
Highways and numbered routes that run through the county, including external routes that start or finish at the county limits:- Highways
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- Trunk Routes
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- Collector Routes:
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- External Routes:
- New Brunswick Route 2New Brunswick Route 2Route 2 is a major provincial highway in the Canadian province of New Brunswick, carrying the main route of the Trans-Canada Highway in the province...
New Brunswick Route 970New Brunswick Route 970Route 970 is a long provincial highway located entirely in Westmorland County, New Brunswick, Canada. The highway connects Nova Scotia Route 366 at Tidnish Bridge, Nova Scotia to Route 15 and Route 16 at Port Elgin...
- New Brunswick Route 2
See also
- List of communities in Nova Scotia
- Central Nova Tourist AssociationCentral Nova Tourist AssociationThe Central Nova Tourist Association is one of seven provincially recognized tourist associations that work directly with It is a membership based organization that is dedicated to promoting and supporting tourism in the Central Nova Scotia region .-Area Information:image:...
— Tourism Association Representing Cumberland County. - Royal eponyms in CanadaRoyal eponyms in CanadaIn Canada, a number of sites and structures are named for royal individuals, whether a member of the past French Royal Family, British Royal Family, or present Canadian Royal Family, thus reflecting the country's status as a constitutional monarchy under the Canadian Crown.-King Francis I:-Queen...
External links
- Cumberland County official site
- Photographs of the Cumberland County War Memorial monument, Amherst
- Photographs of historic monuments in Cumberland County