Antigonish County


The Municipality of the County of Antigonish is a municipality in the province of Nova Scotia, Canada. It is also known as Antigonish County. It is located in northern Nova Scotia on the Northumberland Strait.

History

The County of Sydney was created in 1784. Its boundaries were established by Governor and Council on December 16, 1785.
When St. Mary's Township was established in 1818 it was partly in Sydney County and partly in Halifax County. In 1822 that part of St. Mary's Township which had been in Halifax County was annexed to the County of Sydney.
In 1836 Sydney County was diminished in size when Guysborough County was established out of what had been part of it. In 1863 the name of the County of Sydney was changed to Antigonish County. The word Antigonish is of Mi'kmaq origin, possibly derived from Nalegitkoonecht meaning "where branches are torn off". It is said that there were bears in the area that broke down branches to get beech nuts.
In 1879, the County of Antigonish was officially incorporated as a municipality by the province.

Annexation and Amalgamation

In 2001, the Town of Antigonish applied to annex 1,600 hectares from the surrounding county so it could expand. The Municipality responded that the annexation would hurt its tax base so it instead applied for a total merger, or amalgamation. The issue was sent to the Nova Scotia Utility and Review Board, and in 2005 it was decided that amalgamation of the Town and Municipality would better serve both parties. The board also ordered a plebiscite, promising to consider the results when making a final decision. The results were mixed, with 84% of Municipality residents voting yes to amalgamation and 74% of Town residents voting no. Voter turn-out was 45%. The board ultimately rejected the proposal for amalgamation, citing lack of public support.

Communities

For a list of communities in Antigonish County, see List of communities

Towns

Highways and numbered routes that run through the county, including external routes that start or finish at the county limits: