Cumberland County, Nova Scotia

Cumberland County
County
Flag Seal
Location of Cumberland County, Nova Scotia
Coordinates:
Country	Canada
Province	Nova Scotia
Towns	Amherst / Oxford / Parrsboro
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	Terry E. Farrell (NSLP) Jamie Baillie (PCNS)
• MP	Scott Armstrong (CPC)
Area
• Land	4,271.14 km2 (1,649.10 sq mi)
Population (2011)
• Total	31,353
• Density	7.3/km2 (19/sq mi)
• Change 2001-06	1.7%
• Census divisions  Subdivision A  Subdivision B  Subdivision C  Subdivision D  - Towns  Amherst  Oxford  Parrsboro	2,261 3,781 5,525 4,454 9,505 1,178 1,401
Time zone	AST (UTC-4)
• Summer (DST)	ADT (UTC-3)
Area code(s)	902
Dwellings	18,153
Median Income*	$38,433 CDN
Website	www.cumberland county.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.

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

Demographics

Population trend

Census	Population	Change (%)
2006	32,046	1.7%
2001	32,605	3.5%
1996	33,804	1.4%
1991	34,284	1.6%
1986	34,819	1.2%
1981	35,231	N/A
1871	23,518	N/A

Mother tongue language (2011)

Language	Population	Pct (%)
English only	29,645	97.32%
French only	370	1.21%
Non-official languages	345	1.13%
Multiple responses	100	0.33%

Ethnic Groups (2006)

Ethnic Origin	Population	Pct (%)
Canadian	14,580	46.8%
English	12,385	39.7%
Scottish	9,870	31.7%
Irish	6,775	21.7%
French	4,730	15.2%
German	2,470	7.9%
Dutch (Netherlands)	1,045	3.4%
North American Indian	945	3.0%

Communities

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

Incorporated communities

• Towns
  • Amherst
  • Oxford
  • Parrsboro

• Villages
  • Pugwash
  • River Hebert

Census subdivisions

• Cumberland, Subd. A
• Cumberland, Subd. B
• Cumberland, Subd. C
• Cumberland, Subd. D

Access Routes

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

• 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
• Black Lake listings within Nova Scotia.

External links

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