The Municipality of the County of Victoria is a county municipality on Cape Breton Island, Nova Scotia, Canada. It provides local government to about 7,000 residents of the eponymous historical county except for the Wagmatcook 1 reserve. The municipal offices are in the village of Baddeck.
Municipality of the County of Victoria | |
|---|---|
County municipality | |
 Location of Victoria County, Nova Scotia | |
| Coordinates: 46°24′N 60°36′W / 46.4°N 60.6°W | |
| Country | Canada |
| Province | Nova Scotia |
| Founded | 1851 |
| Incorporated | 1879 |
| Electoral Districts Federal | Sydney—Victoria |
| Provincial | Victoria-The Lakes |
| Government | |
| • Type | Municipality of the County of Victoria |
| Area | |
| • Land | 2,870.85 km2 (1,108.44 sq mi) |
| Population | |
• Total | 7,089 |
| • Density | 2.5/km2 (6/sq mi) |
| • Change 2011-16 |  0.4% |
| Time zone | UTC-4 (AST) |
| • Summer (DST) | UTC-3 (ADT) |
| Area code | 902 |
| Dwellings | 4,437 |
| Median Income* | $44,134 CDN |
| Unemployment rate | 26.3% |
| Website | www.victoriacounty.com |
| |
History
editPrior to European settlement, the area was sparsely inhabited by the Miꞌkmaq, who hunted in the area.[3]
French Jesuits settled at St. Anns in 1629. British settlement began in the 1700s after the territory was had been by France.
In 1839, a property containing an inn, a tavern, and a post office was built in Baddeck. In 1841, Charles James Campbell opened a store, began shipbuilding, and developed coal mining.
In 1851, Victoria County was split from Cape Breton County, and Baddeck became the site for the new county's jail and court house, and later the site of Alexander Graham Bell's Beinn Bhreagh, a summer residence and research centre,[4] and the Bell Boatyard.[5] Bell is commemorated at the Alexander Graham Bell National Historic Site.
The county is named for Queen Victoria.[3]
Demographics
editAs a Census divisions of Canada in 2016, Victoria County had a population of 7,089 in 4,437 dwellings, a change of -0.4% from its 2011 population of 7,115.[6]
Economy
editFishing and tourism are the main industries.[7]
See also
edit- Communities in Victoria County, Nova Scotia
- Cabot Trail: a scenic drive that circles Cape Breton Highlands National Park in the north of the municipality.
References
edit- ^ a b "2006 Statistics Canada Community Profile: Victoria County, Nova Scotia". Archived from the original on 3 March 2016. Retrieved 28 July 2021.
- ^ Statistics Canada Population and dwelling counts, for Canada and census subdivisions (municipalities), 2006 and 2001 censuses - 100% data
- ^ a b Patterson, G.G. (1885). History of Victoria County. College of Cape Breton Press. ISBN 0-920336-02-7.
- ^ Tulloch, Judith (2006). The Bell Family in Baddeck: Alexander Graham Bell and Mabel Bell in Cape Breton. Halifax: Formac Publishing. ISBN 978-0-88780-713-8.
- ^ "Rick McGraw, "Alexander Graham Bell (1847-1922) the Boat Builder", Classic Boat Spring 2012, Issue 113, p. 24" (PDF). Archived (PDF) from the original on 9 April 2014. Retrieved 28 July 2021.
- ^ "Population and dwelling counts, for Canada, provinces and territories, and census divisions, 2016 and 2011 censuses – 100% data (Nova Scotia)". Statistics Canada. 8 February 2017. Archived from the original on 4 March 2021. Retrieved 12 February 2017.
- ^ "Key Industries". Victoria County. Municipality of the County of Victoria. Archived from the original on 28 July 2021. Retrieved 28 July 2021.