Editing Cumberland County, Nova Scotia

{{Use mdy dates|date= June 2021}}
{{Infobox settlement
| name               = Cumberland County
| official_name      = Municipality of the County of Cumberland
| other_name         = 
| native_name        = {{nativename|mic|Kwesomalegek}}
| nickname           = 
| named_for          = [[Prince William, Duke of Cumberland]]
| settlement_type    = [[List of counties of Nova Scotia|County]]
| motto              = 
| image_skyline      = 
| imagesize          = 
| image_caption      = 
| image_flag         = Cumberland County NS flag.gif
| flag_size          = 
| image_seal         = 
| seal_size          = 
| image_shield       = 
| shield_size        = 
| city_logo          = 
| citylogo_size      = 
| image_map          = CumberlandCounty.png
| mapsize            = 275px
| map_caption        = Location of Cumberland County, Nova Scotia
| image_map1         = 
| mapsize1           = 
| map_caption1       = 
| subdivision_type   = Country
| subdivision_name   = Canada
| subdivision_type1  = Province
| subdivision_name1  = [[Nova Scotia]]
| subdivision_type2  = Towns
| subdivision_name2  = [[Amherst, Nova Scotia|Amherst]] / [[Oxford, Nova Scotia|Oxford]]
| subdivision_type3  = 
| subdivision_name3  = 
| subdivision_type4  = 
| subdivision_name4  = 
| seat_type          = Electoral&nbsp;Districts&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;<br>[[List of Canadian federal electoral districts|Federal]]
| seat               = <br>[[Cumberland—Colchester]]
| parts_type         = [[List of Nova Scotia provincial electoral districts|Provincial]]
| parts              = [[Cumberland North]] / [[Cumberland South]]
| government_footnotes = 
| government_type    = Cumberland County Municipal Council
| leader_title       = Mayor
| leader_name        = Rod Gilroy
| leader_title1      = MLA
| leader_name1       = [[Elizabeth Smith-McCrossin]] (Independent)<br>[[Tory Rushton]] ([[Progressive Conservative Party of Nova Scotia|PCNS]])
| leader_title2      = MP
| leader_name2       = [[Stephen Ellis (politician)|Stephen Ellis]] ([[Conservative Party of Canada|CPC]])
| leader_title3      = 
| leader_name3       = 
| leader_title4      = 
| leader_name4       = 
| established_title  = Established
| established_date   = August 17, 1759
| established_title2 = Incorporated
| established_date2  = April 17, 1879
| established_title3 = <!-- Incorporated (city) -->
| established_date3  = 
| area_magnitude     = 
| unit_pref          = 
| area_footnotes     = <ref name="SC2006">{{Cite web|url=https://www12.statcan.gc.ca/census-recensement/2021/dp-pd/prof/details/page.cfm?Lang=E&SearchText=Cumberland&DGUIDlist=2021A00031211&GENDERlist=1,2,3&STATISTIClist=1&HEADERlist=0|title=Community Profiles from the 2006 Census, Statistics Canada - Census Division|date=February 9, 2022 }}</ref>
| area_total_km2     = 
| area_land_km2      = 4275.77
| area_water_km2     = 
| area_total_sq_mi   = 
| area_land_sq_mi    = 
| area_water_sq_mi   = 
| area_water_percent = 
| area_urban_km2     = 
| area_urban_sq_mi   = 
| area_metro_km2     = 
| area_metro_sq_mi   = 
| population_as_of   = 2021
| population_footnotes = <ref name="SC2006"/><ref>[https://www12.statcan.gc.ca/census-recensement/2021/dp-pd/prof/details/page.cfm?Lang=E&SearchText=Cumberland&DGUIDlist=2021A00031211&GENDERlist=1,2,3&STATISTIClist=1&HEADERlist=0] Population and dwelling counts, for Canada and census subdivisions (municipalities), 2006 and 2001 censuses - 100% data</ref>
| population_note    = 
| population_total   = 30538
| population_density_km2 = 7.1
| population_density_sq_mi = 
| population_metro   = 
| population_density_metro_km2 = 
| population_density_metro_sq_mi = 
| population_urban   = 
| population_density_urban_km2 = 
| population_density_urban_sq_mi = 
| population_blank1_title = Change&nbsp;<small>2011-16</small>
| population_blank1  = {{gain}}1.8%
| population_blank2_title = ''Census&nbsp;divisions'' <br> &nbsp;Subdivision A <br> &nbsp;Subdivision B <br> &nbsp;Subdivision C <br> &nbsp;Subdivision D <br> &nbsp;- ''Towns'' <br> &nbsp;[[Amherst, Nova Scotia|Amherst]] <br> &nbsp;[[Oxford, Nova Scotia|Oxford]] <br> &nbsp;[[Parrsboro, Nova Scotia|Parrsboro]]
| population_blank2  = 
| timezone           = [[Atlantic Standard Time Zone|AST]]
| utc_offset         = -4
| timezone_DST       = [[Atlantic Standard Time Zone|ADT]]
| utc_offset_DST     = -3
| coordinates        = {{coord|45.7|N|64.1|W|region:CA-NS_type:adm2nd|display=inline,title}}
| elevation_footnotes = 
| elevation_m        = 
| elevation_ft       = 
| postal_code_type   = 
| postal_code        = 
| area_code          = [[Area code 902|902]]
| blank_name         = Dwellings
| blank_info         = 18,445
| blank1_name        = Median Income*
| blank1_info        = $38,433 [[Canadian dollar|CAD]]
| website            = [http://www.cumberlandcounty.ns.ca/ www.cumberland county.ns.ca]
| footnotes          = *Median household income, 2005 (all households)
}}

'''Cumberland County''' is a [[county]] in the [[Provinces and territories of Canada|Canadian province]] of [[Nova Scotia]].

Cumberland was named in 1755 in honour of the Duke of Cumberland to replace [[Fort Beausejour|Beausejour]]. The historic county was founded in 1759 when the English system of administration was installed to complement settlement during the Charles Lawrence governorship, and was later divided at the partitioning of the province and in 1840. The area thrived in the 19th century with the development of lumbering, shipbuilding, and coal mining, but rural outmigration and deforestation led to some communities being abandoned in the 20th century. The county spans an area of 4,271.23&nbsp;km<sup>2</sup> making it Nova Scotia's second largest county, with resources including extensive forest land, several mineral resources, and agricultural areas that concentrate on wild blueberry harvesting. As of the 2021 census, Cumberland County had a population of 30,538, with the majority residing in the Municipality of the County of Cumberland. The county includes two towns, Amherst and Oxford, and two large population centres, Parrsboro and Springhill.

==History==
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 of Great Britain|George II]], [[William Augustus, Duke of Cumberland]], victor at [[Battle of Culloden|Culloden]] in 1746 and Commander in Chief of the British forces. The [[Mi'kmaq language|Mi'kmaq]] name for the area was ''Kwesomalegek'' meaning "hardwood point".

Cumberland County was founded on August 17, 1759, the largest of Nova Scotia's five original administrative divisions. It included the Passamoquody, Wolastoq and Mi'kmaq nations north of the Bay of Fundy which formed the mainland part of the province and former [[Acadia]], including all of what would become the province of New Brunswick.<ref>{{cite web |last=Canning |first=Kerr |date=2024-01-22 |title=Road to Cumberland |url=https://parrsboroshoredays.ca/the-hinterland/road-to-cumberland/}}</ref> 1765 saw for the partitioning of [[Sunbury County, Nova Scotia]] out of the western-most part of Cumberland, roughly dividing the county in half along Passamoquody/Wolastoqiyuk and Mi'kmaq territorial lines.

At the partitioning of the province, Cumberland county was severed by the provincial boundary at Chignecto isthmus, where the county now forms the northern-most part of the Province.

When the Township of Parrsboro was divided in 1840, one part was annexed to Cumberland County and the other part annexed to [[Colchester County, Nova Scotia|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, Nova Scotia|Eatonville]] and [[New Yarmouth, Nova Scotia|New Yarmouth]].

==Geography==
{{stack|[[File:Shoreview.jpg|thumb|left|Cumberland county landscape at [[Fraserville, Nova Scotia|Fraserville]] with [[Spencer's Island, Nova Scotia|Spencers Island]] in background]]}}

The county has a total area of {{convert|4,271.23|km2|sqmi|abbr=on}}.

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, Nova Scotia|Joggins]] to [[River Hebert, Nova Scotia|River Hebert]] and on to [[Athol, Nova Scotia|Athol]] and [[Springhill, Nova Scotia|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 [[Nova Scotia Highway 104|Highway 104]] (the [[Trans-Canada Highway]]) and [[Canadian National Railway|CN Rail]]'s Halifax-Montreal railway line. The county line bordering New Brunswick is around 30 kilometres long (18.5 miles). Cumberland is the only county in Nova Scotia that borders another province.

Two towns are located in Cumberland County: [[Amherst, Nova Scotia|Amherst]] and [[Oxford, Nova Scotia|Oxford]]. [[Parrsboro]] and [[Springhill, Nova Scotia|Springhill]] both have populations exceeding 1000 people, but lack their own town governments.

===Lakes===
*[[Slade Lake]]

== Demographics ==
As a [[Census divisions of Canada|census division]] in the [[2021 Canadian census|2021 Census of Population]] conducted by [[Statistics Canada]], Cumberland County had a population of {{nts|30538}} living in {{nts|14139}} of its {{nts|18363}} total private dwellings, a change of {{percentage|{{#expr:30538-30005}}|30005|1}} from its 2016 population of {{nts|30005}}. With a land area of {{convert|4275.77|km2|sqmi|abbr=on}}, it had a population density of {{Pop density|30538|4275.77|km2|sqmi|prec=1}} in 2021.<ref name=2021census>{{cite web | url=https://www150.statcan.gc.ca/t1/tbl1/en/tv.action?pid=9810000701 | title=Population and dwelling counts: Canada and census divisions | publisher=[[Statistics Canada]] | date=February 9, 2022 | access-date=April 2, 2022}}</ref>

Forming the majority of the Cumberland County census division, the Municipality of the County of Cumberland, including its Subdivisions A, B, C, and D, had a population of {{val|19964|fmt=commas}} living in {{val|9126|fmt=commas}} of its {{val|12988|fmt=commas}} total private dwellings, a change of {{percentage|{{#expr:19964-19402}}|19402|1}} from its 2016 population of {{val|19402|fmt=commas}}. With a land area of {{convert|4253.04|km2|sqmi|abbr=on}}, it had a population density of {{Pop density|19964|4253.04|km2|sqmi|prec=1}} in 2021.<ref name=2021censusCSD>{{cite web | url=https://www150.statcan.gc.ca/t1/tbl1/en/tv.action?pid=9810000203&geocode=A000212 | title=Population and dwelling counts: Canada, provinces and territories, census divisions and census subdivisions (municipalities), Nova Scotia | publisher=[[Statistics Canada]] | date=February 9, 2022 | access-date=April 2, 2022}}</ref>

{{col-begin|width=60%}}
{{col-2}}
'''Population trend'''<ref>{{Cite web|url=https://www66.statcan.gc.ca/eng/acyb_c1943-44-eng.aspx?opt=%2Feng%2F1943-44%2F194301510081_p.+81.pdf|title=Canada Year Book 1943-44|date=September 10, 2017|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20170910143421/https://www66.statcan.gc.ca/eng/acyb_c1943-44-eng.aspx?opt=%2Feng%2F1943-44%2F194301510081_p.+81.pdf|archive-date=2017-09-10}}</ref><ref>Statistics Canada: [[Canada 1996 Census|1996]], [[Canada 2001 Census|2001]], [[Canada 2006 Census|2006]] census</ref>
{| class="wikitable"
|-
! Census
! Population
! Change (%)
|-
| 2021 
| 30,538
| {{gain}}1.8%
|-
| 2016
|  30,005	
| {{loss}}4.3%
|-
| 2011
|  31,353	
| {{loss}}2.2%
|-
| 2006
|  32,046   	
| {{loss}}1.7%
|-
| 2001
|  32,605
| {{loss}}3.5%
|-
| 1996
|  33,804
| {{loss}}1.4%
|-
| 1991
|  34,284
| {{loss}}1.6%
|-
| 1986
|  34,819
| {{loss}}1.2%
|-
| 1981
|  35,231
| N/A
|-
| 1941
|  39,476
| 
|-
| 1931
|  36,366
|  
|-
| 1921
|  41,191
|  
|-
| 1911
|  40,543
|  
|-
| 1901
|  36,168
|  
|-
| 1891
|  34,529
| 
|-
| 1881
|  27,368
| 
|-
| 1871
|  23,518
| N/A
|}

{{col-2}}
'''Mother tongue language (2011)'''<ref>Statistics Canada: [[Canada 2011 Census|2011]] census</ref>
{| class="wikitable"
|-
! Language
! Population
! Pct (%)
|-
| English only
|  29,645
| 97.32%
|-
| French only
|  370
| 1.21%
|-
| Non-official languages
|   345
| 1.13%
|-
| Multiple responses
|   100
| 0.33%
|}

{{col-2}}
'''Ethnic Groups (2006)'''<ref name="SC2006-Ethnicity">{{Cite web|url=http://www12.statcan.gc.ca/census-recensement/2006/dp-pd/hlt/97-562/pages/page.cfm?Lang=E&Geo=CD&Code=1211&Table=2&Data=Count&StartRec=1&Sort=3&Display=All|title=Ethnocultural Portrait of Canada - Data table|date=April 2, 2008 }}</ref>
{| class="wikitable"
|-
! Ethnic Origin
! Population
! Pct (%)
|-
| [[Canadians|Canadian]]
|  14,580
| 46.8%
|-
| [[English Canadian|English]]
|  12,385
| 39.7%
|-
| [[Scottish Canadian|Scottish]]
|  9,870
| 31.7%
|-
| [[Irish Canadian|Irish]]
|  6,775
| 21.7%
|-
| [[French Canadian|French]]
|  4,730
| 15.2%
|-
| [[Canadians of German ethnicity|German]]
|  2,470
| 7.9%
|-
| [[Canadians of Dutch descent|Dutch (Netherlands)]]
|  1,045
| 3.4%
|-
| [[First Nations in Canada|North American Indian]] 
|  945
| 3.0%
|}
{{col-end}}

==Communities==
{{Main|List of communities in Cumberland County, Nova Scotia}}

;Towns
*[[Amherst, Nova Scotia|Amherst]]
*[[Oxford, Nova Scotia|Oxford]]
*[[Parrsboro]] (unincorporated)
*[[Springhill, Nova Scotia|Springhill]] (unincorporated)

;Villages
*[[Pugwash, Nova Scotia|Pugwash]]
*[[River Hebert, Nova Scotia|River Hebert]]

;County municipality and county subdivisions
*Municipality of the County of Cumberland
**[[Cumberland Subdivision A]]
**[[Cumberland Subdivision B]]
**[[Cumberland Subdivision C]]
**[[Cumberland Subdivision D]]

== Highways ==
*{{jct|province=NS|Trunk|2}}
*{{jct|province=NS|Trunk|4}}
*{{jct|province=NS|Trunk|6}}
*{{jct|province=NS|TCH|104}}
*{{jct|province=NS|NS|142}}
*{{jct|province=NS|Route|204}}
*{{jct|province=NS|Route|209}}
*{{jct|province=NS|Route|321}}

==See also==
{{Portal|Canada|Nova Scotia}}
* [[List of municipalities in Nova Scotia]]
* [[Central Nova Tourist Association]] &mdash; Tourism Association Representing Cumberland County.
* [[Royal eponyms in Canada]]
* [[Black Lake (Nova Scotia)|Black Lake listings within Nova Scotia.]]

==References==
{{Reflist}}

==External links==
{{Commons category}}
*[http://www.cumberlandcounty.ns.ca/ Cumberland County official site]
*[https://web.archive.org/web/20070927024716/http://ns1763.ca/cumberco/cumberlandwar.html  Photographs of the Cumberland County War Memorial monument, Amherst]
*[https://web.archive.org/web/20070313173816/http://ns1763.ca/cumberco/cumbercondx.html Photographs of historic monuments in Cumberland County]

{{Geographic Location (8-way)
 | Centre =  Cumberland County
 | North =  {{NB}} <br>([[Westmorland County, New Brunswick|Westmorland County]])
 | Northeast = 
 | East =   ''[[Northumberland Strait]]''<br>({{flagicon|PE}} [[Queens County, Prince Edward Island]])
 | Southeast = 
 | South =   [[Colchester County, Nova Scotia|Colchester County]]
 | Southwest = ''[[Minas Basin]]''
 | West = ''[[Chignecto Bay]]''
 | Northwest = 
}}
{{NSCumberland}}
{{Subdivisions of Nova Scotia}}
{{Authority control}}

[[Category:Cumberland County, Nova Scotia| ]]
[[Category:1759 establishments in Nova Scotia]]
[[Category:States and territories established in 1759]]
[[Category:County municipalities in Nova Scotia]]
[[Category:Prince William, Duke of Cumberland]]
[[Category:Counties of Nova Scotia]]