Port Hood, Nova Scotia
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Port Hood is a quiet seaside village (2001 pop. 1462[1]) on the west coast of Cape Breton Island and the shire town of Inverness County, Nova Scotia, Canada. Local residents are predominantly English-speaking Roman Catholics, the population core having Highland Scottish ancestry; MacDonalds/MacDonnells mostly. The village is located on Trunk 19 (the "Ceilidh Trail"), approximately 30-minutes drive north from the Canso Causeway which links mainland Nova Scotia to Cape Breton Island.
The economy of Port Hood revolves around farming (especially dairy cattle) and fishing; lobster and northern bluefin tuna particularly. However, most residents of Port Hood commute to work in communities like Port Hawkesbury. Port Hood experienced an economic boom from 1880 to 1910 with the coal mining, fishing and marine trade. A fire in July of 1942 destroyed much of the town's business district.
Construction of Highway 105 (the Trans-Canada Highway) between North Sydney and the Canso Causeway in the 1960s resulted in the re-routing of most Cabot Trail tourism traffic. The Cabot Tail is now advertised with its start and end-point in Baddeck, bypassing the traditional western approach to the Cabot Trail through Judique, Port Hood, Inverness and Margaree Harbour, and thus decreasing tourism traffic on the Ceilidh Trail.
Port Hood is known to have some of the warmest waters in Eastern Canada. Its miles of golden sandy beaches draw in tourists from across the globe during the summer season. It is also home to the Chestico Museum.
In December 2005, just before Christmas, thousands of timber logs measuring 2.5 metres began washing up on the coast of Port Hood. A helicopter survey by the Department of Natural Resources showed the timber was spread over 30 kilometres. The lost cargo came from a barge that lost its load travelling from Nova Scotia to Newfoundland on December 3rd, 2005. The lost cargo is estimated to be around 725m³
Port Hood is the birthplace of all-star (ice) hockey, Olympic gold medal winner Al MacInnis, as well as that of Grey Cup Canadian Football League Champion Bruce Beaton. The late "Godfather of Celtic Music" in Canada, John Allen Cameron also hailed from this small town well known as hotbeds for fiddle and traditional celtic music. Harness racing is a popular activity of many locals. Port Hood Island is located just off-shore from the village of Port Hood.
