Editing Annapolis Valley (section)

==History==
[[Image:Annapolis Valley from lookoff1.JPG|thumb|left|Annapolis Valley from [[North Mountain (Nova Scotia)|North Mountain]] in Valleyview Provincial Park, north of [[Bridgetown, Nova Scotia|Bridgetown]]]]
[[File:Road to Blomidon Provincial Park.jpg|thumb|Eastern End, with the Minas Basin to the right]]
[[File:The Lookoff, North Mountain, Nova Scotia, Canada.jpg|thumb|Eastern end looking southeast across Annapolis Valley from "The Lookoff", North Mountain]]

Long settled by the [[Mi'kmaq]] nation, the valley experienced French settlement at the [[Habitation at Port-Royal]], near modern-day Annapolis Royal in the western part of the valley, beginning in 1605. From there, the Acadians spread throughout the Valley, in various communities, building dykes to claim the tidal lands along the Annapolis and Cornwallis Rivers. They continued throughout the Annapolis Valley until the British-ordered [[Expulsion of the Acadians|expulsion]] of [[Acadians]] in 1755 which is memorialized at [[Grand Pre, Nova Scotia|Grand-Pré]] in the eastern part of the valley.  [[New England Planters]] moved in to occupy the abandoned Acadian farming areas and the region also saw subsequent settlement by [[United Empire Loyalists|Loyalist]] refugees of the [[American Revolutionary War]], as well as foreign Protestants. These were followed by significant numbers of freed Africans in the [[War of 1812]], Irish immigrants in the mid-19th century and Dutch immigrants after [[World War II]]. Agriculture in the Annapolis valley boomed in the late 19th century with the arrival of the [[Windsor and Annapolis Railway]], later the [[Dominion Atlantic Railway]], which developed large export markets for Annapolis Valley apples.

The [[Annapolis Valley Regional Library]] was established in 1949. It was the first regional library system in Nova Scotia.<ref>{{Cite web |title=About the Library |url=https://valleylibrary.ca/about-the-library/ |access-date=11 June 2015 |website=Annapolis Valley Regional Library}}</ref>