New Minas, Nova Scotia
Encyclopedia
New Minas is a village located in the eastern part of Kings County
in Nova Scotia
's Annapolis Valley
. As of 2001, the population was 4,300.
New Minas borders the town of Kentville
to the west and the unincorporated community of Greenwich
to the east. The town of Wolfville, Nova Scotia
is further east on the other side of Greenwich. New Minas is approximately 100 km northwest of Halifax.
The village is located on the south bank of the Cornwallis River and was originally part of Acadia
. Acadians were responsible for the construction of dykes to drain the land of waters from the river and the nearby Minas Basin
. Following the transfer to British control under the Treaty of Utrecht
in 1713 the area became part of Horton Township.
New Minas was predominantly a farming and agriculture community until construction of the Highway 101
expressway in the 1970s. As it was located between the population centres of Kentville and Wolfville, New Minas soon saw a shopping centre and numerous big box retail outlets and fast food shops established to make the village the retail centre for the eastern Annapolis Valley. The village is also serviced by the Windsor and Hantsport Railway
and has several food processing and agricultural businesses.
Over the past ten years, New Minas has been witness to a commercial boom which has seen many large retail outlets set up shop, while pre-existing retailers and many others have rebuilt into larger venues. One of the woes of the village is its heavy concentration of minimum-wage, service industry jobs. Other similarly sized communities nearby have a much wider range of income opportunities: Wolfville is an area supported by higher-education jobs with Acadia University, and Kentville is an area who supports itself with an industrial park, hospital and an orientation toward professional centres.
New Minas is also 'Soccer Capital of Atlantic Canada', boasting arguably the nicest soccer venues in the Annapolis Valley. Annually, the village hosts the New Minas Invitational Soccer Tournament in August, where in the past as many as 210 teams have participated from all over Atlantic Canada. The 3-day tournament is now a festival of sorts, known as 'New Minas Days' during which there are other non-sporting events, including a fireworks show. The village has also played host to the Senior Canadian Men's Soccer Championships during which many renovations were done to the soccer facilities, resulting in the superior venue that it is today.
Kings County, Nova Scotia
Kings County is a county in the Canadian province of Nova Scotia.Kings County is located in central Nova Scotia on the shore of the Bay of Fundy with its northeastern part also forming the western shore of the Minas Basin....
in 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...
's Annapolis Valley
Annapolis Valley
The Annapolis Valley is a valley and region in the Canadian province of Nova Scotia. It is located in the western part of the Nova Scotia peninsula, formed by a trough between two parallel mountain ranges along the shore of the Bay of Fundy.-Geography:...
. As of 2001, the population was 4,300.
New Minas borders the town of Kentville
Kentville, Nova Scotia
Kentville is a town in Kings County, Nova Scotia. It is one of the main towns in the Annapolis Valley, and it is the county seat of Kings County. As of 2006, the town of Kentville had a population of 5,815 people....
to the west and the unincorporated community of Greenwich
Greenwich, Nova Scotia
Greenwich is a Canadian rural community located in eastern Kings County, Nova Scotia.The community is bordered to the south by the Wolfville Ridge, immediately west of the town of Wolfville and east of the village of New Minas...
to the east. The town of Wolfville, Nova Scotia
Wolfville, Nova Scotia
Wolfville is a small town in the Annapolis Valley, Kings County, Nova Scotia, Canada, located about northwest of the provincial capital, Halifax. As of 2006, the population was 3,772....
is further east on the other side of Greenwich. New Minas is approximately 100 km northwest of Halifax.
The village is located on the south bank of the Cornwallis River and was originally part of Acadia
Acadia
Acadia was the name given to lands in a portion of the French colonial empire of New France, in northeastern North America that included parts of eastern Quebec, the Maritime provinces, and modern-day Maine. At the end of the 16th century, France claimed territory stretching as far south as...
. Acadians were responsible for the construction of dykes to drain the land of waters from the river and the nearby Minas Basin
Minas Basin
The Minas Basin is an inlet of the Bay of Fundy and a sub-basin of the Fundy Basin located in Nova Scotia, Canada. It is known for its extremely high tides.- Geography :- Boundary :...
. Following the transfer to British control under the Treaty of Utrecht
Treaty of Utrecht
The Treaty of Utrecht, which established the Peace of Utrecht, comprises a series of individual peace treaties, rather than a single document, signed by the belligerents in the War of Spanish Succession, in the Dutch city of Utrecht in March and April 1713...
in 1713 the area became part of Horton Township.
New Minas was predominantly a farming and agriculture community until construction of the Highway 101
Nova Scotia Highway 101
Highway 101 is an east-west highway in Nova Scotia that runs from Bedford to Yarmouth.The highway follows a route along the southern coast of the Bay of Fundy through the Annapolis Valley. Between its western terminus at Yarmouth to Weymouth, the highway is 2-lane controlled access. Between...
expressway in the 1970s. As it was located between the population centres of Kentville and Wolfville, New Minas soon saw a shopping centre and numerous big box retail outlets and fast food shops established to make the village the retail centre for the eastern Annapolis Valley. The village is also serviced by the Windsor and Hantsport Railway
Windsor and Hantsport Railway
The Windsor and Hantsport Railway is a railway operating in Nova Scotia between Windsor Junction and New Minas with a spur at Windsor which runs several miles east, serving two gypsum quarries at Wentworth Creek and Mantua....
and has several food processing and agricultural businesses.
Over the past ten years, New Minas has been witness to a commercial boom which has seen many large retail outlets set up shop, while pre-existing retailers and many others have rebuilt into larger venues. One of the woes of the village is its heavy concentration of minimum-wage, service industry jobs. Other similarly sized communities nearby have a much wider range of income opportunities: Wolfville is an area supported by higher-education jobs with Acadia University, and Kentville is an area who supports itself with an industrial park, hospital and an orientation toward professional centres.
New Minas is also 'Soccer Capital of Atlantic Canada', boasting arguably the nicest soccer venues in the Annapolis Valley. Annually, the village hosts the New Minas Invitational Soccer Tournament in August, where in the past as many as 210 teams have participated from all over Atlantic Canada. The 3-day tournament is now a festival of sorts, known as 'New Minas Days' during which there are other non-sporting events, including a fireworks show. The village has also played host to the Senior Canadian Men's Soccer Championships during which many renovations were done to the soccer facilities, resulting in the superior venue that it is today.