| Cumberland County | |||
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| — County — | |||
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| Location of Cumberland County, Nova Scotia | |||
| Coordinates: | |||
| Country | Canada | ||
| Province | Nova Scotia | ||
| Towns | Amherst / Oxford / Parrsboro / Springhill | ||
| Established | August 17, 1759 | ||
| Incorporated | April 17, 1879 | ||
| Electoral Districts Federal |
Cumberland—Colchester—Musquodoboit Valley |
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| Provincial | Cumberland North / Cumberland South | ||
| Government | |||
| • Type | Cumberland County Municipal Council | ||
| • Warden | Keith Hunter | ||
| • MLA | Brian Skabar (NDP) Jamie Baillie (PC) |
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| • MP | Scott Armstrong (C) | ||
| Area[1] | |||
| • Land | 4,271.14 km2 (1,649.1 sq mi) | ||
| Population (2006)[1][2] | |||
| • Total | 32,046 | ||
| • Density | 7.5/km2 (19.4/sq mi) | ||
| • Change 2001-06 | 1.7% | ||
| • Census Rankings - Census divisions Subdivision A Subdivision B Subdivision C Subdivision D - Towns Amherst Oxford Parrsboro Springhill |
2,261 (1,224 of 5,008) 3,781 (850 of 5,008) 5,525 (634 of 5,008) 4,454 (737 of 5,008) 9,505 (401 of 5,008) 1,178 (1,852 of 5,008) 1,401 (1,679 of 5,008) 3,941 (819 of 5,008) |
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| Time zone | AST (UTC-4) | ||
| • Summer (DST) | ADT (UTC-3) | ||
| Area code(s) | 902 | ||
| Dwellings | 18,153 | ||
| Median Income* | $38,433 CDN | ||
| Website | www.cumberlandcounty.ns.ca | ||
| *Median household income, 2005 (all households) | |||
Cumberland County is a county in the Canadian province of Nova Scotia.
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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.
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.
Four towns are located in Cumberland County: Amherst, Springhill, Parrsboro, and Oxford.
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Population trend[3]
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Mother tongue language (2006)[1]
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Ethnic Groups (2006)[1]
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For a list of communities in Cumberland County, see List of Communities
Highways and numbered routes that run through the county, including external routes that start or finish at the county limits:[4]
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| New Brunswick (Westmorland County) |
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| Chignecto Bay | Northumberland Strait | |||
| Cumberland County | ||||
| Minas Basin | Colchester County |