Westville | |
---|---|
Nickname: The Gateway to Northern Nova Scotia | |
Coordinates: 45°33′N62°42′W / 45.550°N 62.700°W Coordinates: 45°33′N62°42′W / 45.550°N 62.700°W | |
Country | Canada |
Province | Nova Scotia |
Municipality | Pictou County |
Incorporated | August 20, 1894 |
Government | |
• Mayor | Lennie White |
• Governing Body | Westville Council |
• MLA | Tim Houston (PC) |
• MP | Sean Fraser (L) |
Area (2016) [1] | |
• Total | 14.23 km2 (5.49 sq mi) |
Elevation | 70.1 m (230.0 ft) |
Population | |
• Total | 3,628 |
• Density | 254.9/km2 (660/sq mi) |
Demonym | Westvillian |
Time zone | UTC-4 (AST) |
• Summer (DST) | UTC-3 (ADT) |
Postal code span | B0K 2A0 |
Area code | 902 |
Telephone Exchange | 396, 695 |
NTS Map | 11E10 New Glasgow |
GNBC Code | CBOLU |
Website | westville.ca |
Westville is a town in Pictou County, Nova Scotia, Canada. It is located immediately west of Stellarton and about four kilometres southwest of New Glasgow, the major town in the area.
Originally called Acadian Village, [2] the name Westville was chosen because the community was west of the Albion Mines (now Stellarton). [3]
Westville has a long history of coal mining dating back to 1864 when coal was first discovered. The opening of the Acadia Mine followed in 1866. Westville, along with Stellarton, was once home to a thriving coal mining industry. At its peak, during World War I, Westville boasted three underground workings; the Black Diamond, the Acadia, and the Drummond. Westville was the site of the Drummond Mine explosion on May 13, 1873.
The last underground mine, the Drummond pit, closed in the 1970s. Extensive open-pit mining on the Drummond and Acadia sites was carried out throughout the 1980s and 1990s, by Pioneer Coal Limited of Antigonish, Nova Scotia.
In the early 1900s Westville also boasted the largest natural ice skating rink east of Montreal. Today the miner's monument at Acadia Park honoring those touched by the town's mining disasters, and a community centre is all that remains of its proud coal mining heritage. The war memorial was sculpted by the renowned Emanuel Hahn.
Like many coal towns Westville was a hotbed of sports. Baseball was very popular among the miners. One of the Westville baseball teams was crowned Maritime champion in 1927 and the legendary Babe Ruth visited the town in 1936 and hit a ball over the centre field fence. The town also sponsored championship cricket, lacrosse, football and hockey teams.
In the 2021 Census of Population conducted by Statistics Canada, Westville had a population of 3,540 living in 1,567 of its 1,660 total private dwellings, a change of -2.4% from its 2016 population of 3,628. With a land area of 14.24 km2 (5.50 sq mi), it had a population density of 248.6/km2 (643.9/sq mi) in 2021. [10]
While mainly a bedroom community, Westville's Main Street features banks, shops, restaurants and other amenities. A Nova Scotia highway rest stop was opened at the end of Cowan Street off exit 21 of Highway 104, part of the Trans-Canada Highway.
One of the largest Canada Day celebrations in Atlantic Canada takes place in Westville. The five-day event includes a county fair, street parade, and annual guest bands from around the world. The year 2007 marked the 100th anniversary of Westville's Canada Day celebrations.
Hants County is an historical county and census division of Nova Scotia, Canada. Local government is provided by the West Hants Regional Municipality, and the Municipality of the District of East Hants.
Cumberland County is a county in the Canadian province of Nova Scotia.
Guysborough County is a county in the Canadian province of Nova Scotia.
Pictou County is a county in the province of Nova Scotia, Canada. It was established in 1835, and was formerly a part of Halifax County from 1759 to 1835. It had a population of 43,657 people in 2021, a decline of 0.2 percent from 2016. Furthermore, its 2016 population is only 88.11% of the census population in 1991. It is the sixth most populous county in Nova Scotia.
New Glasgow is a town in Pictou County, in the province of Nova Scotia, Canada. It is situated on the banks of the East River of Pictou, which flows into Pictou Harbour, a sub-basin of the Northumberland Strait.
Faro is a town in the central Yukon, Canada, the home of the now abandoned Faro Mine. It was the largest open-pit lead–zinc mine in the world as well as a significant producer of silver and other natural resources. The mine was built by the Ralph M. Parsons Construction Company of the United States with General Enterprises Ltd. of Whitehorse being the main subcontractor. As of 2021, the population is 440, down from its peak population of 1,652 in 1981. Faro was named after the card game of the same name.
Pictou is a town in Pictou County, in the Canadian province of Nova Scotia. Located on the north shore of Pictou Harbour, the town is approximately 10 km north of the larger town of New Glasgow.
Stellarton is a town located in the Canadian province of Nova Scotia. It is adjacent and to the south of the larger town of New Glasgow. In pioneer times the area was called Coal Mines Station, and from 1833 until 1889, it was known as Albion Mines. The town was incorporated as Stellarton in 1889 and owes its name to a specific type of torbanite which came to be known as "stellarite" because of the "stars of fire" given off by its sparky flame.
Central Nova is a federal electoral district in Nova Scotia, Canada that was represented in the House of Commons of Canada from 1968 until 1996. In 1996, Antigonish County and part of Guysborough County were placed with Pictou County in a new electoral boundaries configuration to form the electoral district of Pictou-Antigonish-Guysborough. A new version of Central Nova was established in 2003 and — in conjunction with the Pictou-Antigonish-Guysborough iteration — represented a significant electoral boundaries change with specific reference to Antigonish County. Between 1867 and 1997, Antigonish County was not in a riding that included Pictou County; rather, it comprised either its own electoral district (Antigonish), or part of other districts shared with Eastern Nova Scotia (Antigonish-Guysborough) and Cape Breton Island communities. In 2013, part of Antigonish County was "placed back" with communities in the electoral district of Cape Breton Canso, a riding which had emerged in part from the former Cape Breton Highlands Canso riding in 1996. The current version of Central Nova includes Pictou County, parts of Antigonish and Guysborough Counties and extends into Halifax Regional Municipality.
Antigonish is a town in Antigonish County, Nova Scotia, Canada. The town is home to St. Francis Xavier University and the oldest continuous Highland games outside Scotland. It is approximately 160 kilometres northeast of Halifax, the provincial capital.
Davis Day, also known as Miners' Memorial Day is an annual day of remembrance observed on June 11 in coal mining communities in Nova Scotia, Canada to recognize all miners killed in the province's coal mines.
Guysborough, officially named the Municipality of the District of Guysborough, is a district municipality in Guysborough County, Nova Scotia, Canada. Statistics Canada classifies the district municipality as a municipal district.
Donkin is a Canadian rural village with a population of 532 as of 2021. Located on the picturesque coastline of Nova Scotia's Cape Breton Island, it is a part of the Cape Breton Regional Municipality. The smaller communities of Port Caledonia and Schooner Pond are directly adjacent to the village proper, connected by a single strip of road called the Donkin Highway.
The Drummond Mine explosion, also called the Drummond Colliery Disaster, was a mining accident that happened in Westville, Pictou County, Nova Scotia on May 13, 1873.
The following outline is provided as an overview of and topical guide to Nova Scotia:
Pioneer Coal Limited is a Canadian mining company based in Antigonish, Nova Scotia.
Antigonish County is a historical county and census division of Nova Scotia, Canada. Local government is provided by the Municipality of the County of Antigonish, the Town of Antigonish, and by two reserves: Pomquet and Afton 23, and Summerside 38.
The Middle River of Pictou is a Canadian river located in Pictou County, Nova Scotia.
The Municipality of the County of Inverness is a county municipality on Cape Breton Island, Nova Scotia, Canada. It provides local government to about 17,000 residents of the historical county of the same name, except for the incorporated town of Port Hawkesbury and the Whycocomagh 2 Miꞌkmaq reserve, both of which are enclaves. Public services are provided in the areas of recreation, tourism, administration, finance, and public works.
The Canadian province of Nova Scotia is divided into 49 municipalities, of which there are three types: regional (4), town (25), and county or district municipality (20).
WESTVILLE was chosen because the community was west of the Albion Mines which was the former name of Stellarton.