| Pictou County Siorramachd Pictou (Gaelic) |
|||
|---|---|---|---|
| — County — | |||
|
|||
| Location of Pictou County, Nova Scotia | |||
| Coordinates: | |||
| Country | Canada | ||
| Province | Nova Scotia | ||
| Towns | New Glasgow / Pictou / Stellarton / Trenton / Westville | ||
| Established | 1835 | ||
| Electoral Districts Federal |
Central Nova |
||
| Provincial | Pictou Centre / Pictou East / Pictou West | ||
| Government | |||
| • Type | Municipality of Pictou County | ||
| Area[1] | |||
| • Land | 2,845.26 km2 (1,098.6 sq mi) | ||
| Population (2006)[1][2] | |||
| • Total | 46,513 | ||
| • Density | 16.3/km2 (42.2/sq mi) | ||
| • Change 2001-06 | 1.0% | ||
| • Census Rankings - Census divisions Subdivision A Subdivision B Subdivision C - Towns New Glasgow Stellarton Pictou Westville Trenton - Reserves Fisher's Grant 24 |
6,412 (566 of 5,008) 6,103 (588 of 5,008) 9,038 (421 of 5,008) 9,455 (404 of 5,008) 4,717 (720 of 5,008) 3,813 (844 of 5,008) 3,805 (846 of 5,008) 2,741 (1,060 of 5,008) 429 (3,222 of 5,008) |
||
| Time zone | AST (UTC−4) | ||
| • Summer (DST) | ADT (UTC−3) | ||
| Area code(s) | 902 | ||
| Dwellings | 21,768 | ||
| Median Earnings* | $43,475 CDN | ||
| Website | county.pictou.ns.ca | ||
| *Median household income, 2005 (all households) | |||
Pictou County is a county in the Canadian province of Nova Scotia. It was established in 1835, and was formerly a part of Halifax County from 1759 to 1835. It had a population of 46,513 people in 2006, which represents a decline of 6.3 percent from 1991. It is the sixth most populous county in Nova Scotia.
Contents |
The origin of the name "Pictou" is obscure. Possible Mi'kmaq derivations include "Piktook" meaning an explosion of gas, and "Bucto" meaning fire, possibly related to the coal fields in the area. It might also be a corruption of Poictou, an old province in France. Nicolas Denys named the harbour La rivière de Pictou in the 1660s.[3][4][5]
Pictou County includes the towns of New Glasgow, Stellarton, Pictou, Westville and Trenton.
|
Population trend[6]
|
Mother tongue language (2006)[1]
|
Ethnic Groups (2006)[1]
|
Pictou County is wholly within the federal electoral district of Central Nova. The county has been represented federally by Conservative MPs since 1957, with the exception of 1993-1997 when a Liberal MP was elected.
In the Nova Scotia Legislature, the county is represented by three NDP MLAs.
The towns of New Glasgow, Stellarton, Pictou, Westville and Trenton each have their own town councils. The Municipality of Pictou County serves the remaining rural areas, including Pictou Island. Amalgamation of these six municipal units is occasionally considered.[7][8] Pictou County District Planning Commission provides planning, development and waste disposal services to all the communities in the county.
Pictou Landing First Nation has reserves at Pictou Landing, Fisher's Grant and Merigomish Harbour.
Resource based industries include coal mining, forestry, fishing and agriculture. Manufacturing industries include Michelin Tire, Northern Pulp and Scotsburn Dairy. Convergys Inc operate a call center in New Glasgow. Tourism is an important part of the economy during the summer, and in 2006 employed 1200 people and brought 45 million dollar to the economy.[9] Rail car manufacturer Trenton Works was closed in 2007 when owners Greenbrier moved production to Mexico. There are 2,400 small and medium-sized businesses that collectively generate more than 15,000 jobs.[10]
Pictou Regional Development Commission is a partnership of the municipal units in Pictou County that works to stimulate business growth, build economic infrastructure and carry out community strategic planning. The Pictou County Chamber of Commerce is a business advocacy group that speaks as a united voice on behalf of the business community.
Two highways designated as part of the national Trans-Canada Highway system provide the only controlled-access roads in the county. They are Highway 104, which traverses the county from west to east, and Highway 106 the short north-south spur to the Northumberland Ferries Limited terminal at Caribou.
The Cape Breton and Central Nova Scotia Railway is a freight line connecting Truro to Sydney, with spurs at Stellarton and Trenton serving local industries such as Trenton Generating Station. Via Rail Canada abandoned passenger rail service in the county on January 15, 1990, following nation-wide budget cuts.
Acadian Lines provide motor coach service to New Glasgow, Sutherland River and Barney's River.
Northumberland Ferries Limited operates a seasonal passenger-vehicle ferry service from Caribou, Nova Scotia to Wood Islands, Prince Edward Island. A separate passenger-only ferry service is also operated seasonally from Caribou to Pictou Island.[1]
Trenton Aerodrome is a private commercial airport owned and operated by Sobeys.
Highways and numbered routes that run through the county, including external routes that start or finish at the county limits:[11]
|
|
Pictou County is served by the daily newspaper The News and the weekly newspaper The Advocate. The only locally based radio station is CKEC-FM, but stations in other counties and Prince Edward Island also provide coverage. A monthly sports and recreation paper is distributed monthly through the mail at no charge. www.sports-report.ca
There are two performance spaces in the county, the DeCoste Centre in Pictou and Glasgow Square in New Glasgow. Read By The Sea is an annual one day literary festival held in River John. The Hector Festival in Pictou each summer is a celebration of the county's Scottish heritage. Many of the towns and villages host their own parades and events throughout the year.
Museums include the Northumberland Fisheries Museum in Pictou and the Museum of Industry in Stellarton.
There are claims by a Johnston family of Pictou, Nova Scotia that the Mad Trapper of Rat River was Owen Albert Johnston from Pictou County.[13]
For a list of communities in Pictou County, see List of communities.
| Northumberland Strait | ||||
| Colchester County | Antigonish County | |||
| Pictou County | ||||
| Halifax Regional Municipality | Guysborough County |