Antigonish County, Nova Scotia

Antigonish County, Nova Scotia is a county in the Canadian province of Nova Scotia. It is located in northern Nova Scotia on the Northumberland Strait and its county seat is the town of Antigonish.

Background

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.

The town of Antigonish is home to Saint Francis Xavier University . Antigonish County is also home to Pomquet Village, a small Acadian village dating back to 1774.

Communities

Towns
- Antigonish

Reserves
- Pomquet and Afton 23
- Summerside 38

Unincorporated

Census Subdivisions
- Antigonish, Subd. A
- Antigonish, Subd. B

Highways

Highways that run through Antigonish are as follows:

Arterial Highways: Trans-Canada Highway #104
Trunk Highways: #4, #7, #16
Collector Highways: #245, #316, #337

Protected Areas

Arisaig Provincial Park
Bayfield Provincial Park
Beaver Mountain Provincial Park
Eigg Mountain-James River wilderness area
Pomquet Beach Provincial Park

External links