Colchester County, Nova Scotia

Colchester County
Colchester County
	County
Municipality of the County of Colchester
; Flag	; Seal
	Motto: "We Prosper From Our Resources"
	; Location of Colchester County, Nova Scotia
	Coordinates: 45°24′N 63°18′W / 45.4°N 63.3°WCoordinates: 45°24′N 63°18′W / 45.4°N 63.3°W
Country	Canada
Province	Nova Scotia
Towns	Stewiacke / Truro
Villages	Bible Hill / Tatamagouche
Established	1835
Incorporated	April 17, 1879
Electoral Districts ; Federal	; Cumberland—Colchester—Musquodoboit Valley
Provincial	Colchester North / Colchester-Musquodoboit Valley / Truro-Bible Hill
Government
• Type	Colchester County Municipal Council
• Mayor	Bob Taylor
Area
• Land	3,627.69 km2 (1,400.66 sq mi)
Population (2006)
• Total	50,023
• Density	13.8/km2 (36/sq mi)
• Change 2001-06	1.5%
• Census Rankings; - Census divisions; Subdivision A; Subdivision B; Subdivision C; - Towns; Truro; Stewiacke; - Reserves; Millbrook 27	; ; 3,525 (892 of 5,008); 19,297 (195 of 5,008); 13,312 (278 of 5,008); ; 11,765 (317 of 5,008); 1,421 (1,659 of 5,008); ; 703 (2,565 of 5,008)
Time zone	AST (UTC-4)
• Summer (DST)	ADT (UTC-3)
Area code(s)	902
Dwellings	22,951
Median Income*	$42,782 CDN
Website	colchester.ca
	Median household income, 2005 (all households);

Colchester County is a county in the Canadian province of Nova Scotia.

History[edit]

The appellation Colchester was applied in 1780 to the district previously called "Cobequid," and was derived from the town of Colchester in Essex. The old name Cobequid was derived from the Mi'kmaq word "Wagobagitk" meaning "the bay runs far up", in reference to the area surrounding the easternmost inlet of the Minas Basin, a body of water called Cobequid Bay.

The District of Colchester, which was at first part of Halifax County, was established as a county in its own right in 1835. In 1838 a distinct line of division between Cumberland County and Colchester County was established. Two years later, in 1840, the Township of Parrsboro was divided and part of it annexed to Colchester County. In 1871, the boundaries between the Counties of Hants and Colchester and between the Counties of Halifax and Colchester were established. In 1880 the boundary between the Counties of Halifax and Colchester was revised. Eventually in 1897 a portion of the boundary between the Counties of Colchester and Cumberland was fixed and defined.

The question of the boundary between Colchester and Cumberland Counties was the subject of a Commission of Inquiry established in 1946. The report was filed in the office of the Provincial Secretary and in the office of the Department of Lands and Forests in January 1959. Certified copies of it were sent to the Registrars of Deeds for the Counties of Colchester, Cumberland and Kings.

Communities[edit]

Incorporated communities[edit]

Towns
- Stewiacke
- Truro

Villages
- Bible Hill
- Tatamagouche

Native reserves
- Millbrook 27

Census Subdivisions

Towns in Colchester County are Stewiacke and Truro. Each has its own local governing council. All other communities in the county are located within one of eleven geographically determined districts, each of which provides a representative to County Council. Additionally, a mayor is elected for the whole county. The mayor also sits on county council.

For a list of communities in Colchester County, see List of Communities.

Demographics[edit]

Population trend^[4]

Census	Population	Change (%)
2006	50,023	1.5%
2001	49,307	0.1%
1996	49,262	3.3%
1991	47,683	5.7%
1986	45,093	4.3%
1981	43,244	N/A
1871	23,331	N/A

Mother tongue language (2011)^[5]

Language	Population	Pct (%)
English only	48,580	96.34%
French only	560	1.11%
Non-official languages	1,065	2.11%
Multiple responses	225	0.45%

Ethnic Origin (2006)^[6]

Ethnic Origin	Population	Pct (%)
Canadian	20,510	41.4%
Scottish	19,455	39.3%
English	16,060	32.4%
Irish	11,155	22.5%
French	5,880	11.9%
German	4,085	8.3%
Dutch (Netherlands)	2,480	5.0%
North American Indian	2,100	4.2%