View source for Hants County, Nova Scotia

{{Short description|County in Nova Scotia, Canada}}
{{Use Canadian English|date=April 2019}}
{{Use dmy dates|date=July 2021}}
{{Infobox settlement
|official_name = Hants County
|other_name =
|native_name =
|nickname =
|settlement_type = [[List of counties of Nova Scotia|County]]
|motto =
|image_skyline =
|imagesize =
|image_caption =
|image_flag =
|flag_size =
|image_seal =
|seal_size =
|image_shield =
|shield_size =
|city_logo =
|citylogo_size =
|image_map = HantsCounty.png
|mapsize = 275px
|map_caption = Location of Hants County, Nova Scotia
|image_map1 =
|mapsize1 =
|map_caption1 =
|subdivision_type = Country
|subdivision_name = Canada
|subdivision_type1 = [[Provinces and territories of Canada|Province]]
|subdivision_name1 = [[Nova Scotia]]
|subdivision_type2 = Municipalities
|subdivision_name2 = [[Municipality of the District of East Hants|East Hants]] / [[West Hants Regional Municipality]]
|subdivision_type3 = 
|subdivision_name3 = 
|subdivision_type4 =
|subdivision_name4 =
|seat_type =Electoral districts<br>[[List of Canadian federal electoral districts|Federal]]
|seat =<br>[[Kings—Hants]]
|parts_type =[[List of Nova Scotia provincial electoral districts|Provincial]]
|parts =[[Hants East]] / [[Hants West]]
|government_footnotes =
|government_type =
|leader_title =
|leader_name =
|established_title = Established
|established_date = June 17, 1781
|extinct_title          = Divided into District Municipalities
|extinct_date           = April 17, 1879
|area_footnotes =<ref name="SC2006">[http://www12.statcan.gc.ca/census-recensement/2006/dp-pd/prof/92-591/details/page.cfm?Lang=E&Geo1=CD&Code1=1208&Geo2=PR&Code2=13&Data=Count&SearchText=hants&SearchType=Begins&SearchPR=01&B1=Custom&Custom=1000,7000,8000 2006 Statistics Canada Community Profile: Hants County, Nova Scotia]</ref>
|area_total_km2 =
|area_land_km2 = 3049.08
|area_water_km2 =
|area_water_percent =
|population_as_of = 2006
|population_footnotes =<ref name="SC2006"/><ref>[https://archive.today/20130115151016/http://www12.statcan.ca/english/census06/data/popdwell/Table.cfm?T=301&SR=2601&S=1&O=A&RPP=100&PR=0&CMA=0/ Statistics Canada] Population and dwelling counts, for Canada and census subdivisions (municipalities), 2006 and 2001 censuses - 100% data</ref>
|population_note =
|population_total = 41,182
|population_density_km2 = 13.5
|population_blank1_title = Change&nbsp;<small>2001-06</small>
|population_blank1 = {{profit}}1.7%
|population_blank2_title = [[Census]]&nbsp;Rankings<br> - ''[[List of municipalities in Nova Scotia#District municipalities|District municipalities]]''<br> [[Municipality of the District of East Hants|East Hants]]<br> [[Municipality of the District of West Hants|West Hants]]<br> - ''Towns''<br> [[Hantsport]] <br> &nbsp;[[Windsor, Nova Scotia|Windsor]] <br> &nbsp;- ''Reserves''<br> [[Indian Brook 14]]
|population_blank2 =<br> <br> <br> 21,387 (179 of 5,008)<br> 13,881 (272 of 5,008)<br> <br> 1,191 (1,839 of 5,008)<br> 3,709 (862 of 5,008)<br> <br> 1,014 (2,039 of 5,008)
|population_density_blank1_km2 =
|population_density_blank1_sq_mi =
|timezone = [[Atlantic Time Zone|AST]]
|utc_offset = −04:00
|timezone_DST = ADT
|utc_offset_DST = −03:00
|coordinates = {{coord|45|06|N|63|54|W|region:CA-NS_type:adm2nd|display=inline,title}}
|elevation_footnotes =
|elevation_m =
|postal_code_type =
|postal_code =
|area_code = [[Area code 902|902]]
|blank_name =Dwellings
|blank_info =17,277
|blank1_name =Median Income*
|blank1_info =$49,630
|footnotes = *Median household income, 2005 (all households)
}}

'''Hants County''' is a historical county and [[Census divisions of Canada|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]]. 

==History==
=== Formation ===
The county of Hants was established June 17, 1781, on territory taken from [[Kings County, Nova Scotia|Kings County]] that consisted of the townships of Windsor, Falmouth and Newport.<ref>{{cite book |last=Duncanson |first=John V. |date=1989 |title=Rawdon and Douglas: Two Loyalist Townships in Nova Scotia |url=https://archive.org/details/rawdondouglastwo0000dunc/ |location=Belleville, Ontario |publisher=Mika Publishing Company |page=3 |isbn=0921341342 |access-date=2025-01-27}}</ref>{{efn|The words of the minutes of the Council of Nova Scotia for June 17, 1781 make it clear that the distance from [[Horton, Nova Scotia|Horton]] (the County town of Kings County) and the inconvenience of crossing the Avon River to transact county business were factors which led to a separate county being formed. Four and a half years later its boundaries were more precisely defined and set forth by the Governor and Council in 1785. The boundary lines of Hants were duly surveyed and confirmed by the Lieutenant Governor 1828.}} The name Hants is a long-standing abbreviation for the English county of [[Hampshire]], from the Old English name ''Hantescire''. In 1861, Hants County was divided for court sessional purposes into two districts named [[Municipality of the District of East Hants|East Hants]] and West Hants. In 1879, the two districts were incorporated as [[List of municipalities in Nova Scotia#District municipalities|district municipalities]]. In 2020, the [[Windsor, Nova Scotia|Town of Windsor]] amalgamated with the District of West Hants to become the West Hants Regional Municipality.<ref>{{cite web |last1=Thompson |first1=Ashley |title=How council landed on the new name West Hants Regional Municipality |url=https://www.thechronicleherald.ca/news/provincial/how-council-landed-on-the-new-name-west-hants-regional-municipality-445966/ |website=www.saltwire.com |publisher=Saltwire |access-date=28 July 2021 |language=en}}</ref>

=== 18th century - origins ===
====Miꞌkmaq====
[[File:MonumentPeaceTreaty1752.jpg|left|thumb|Monument to the Treaty of 1752, [[Shubenacadie First Nation]], [[Nova Scotia]]]]
The [[Miꞌkmaq]] are the [[indigenous peoples in Canada|indigenous peoples]] who lived on these lands for centuries. In the course of their historical relationship with the [[Acadians]], many Miꞌkmaq became Catholic and therefore played an active role in the Acadian resistance to the Protestant British annexation of Hants County. They were clearly supporters of [[Jean-Louis Le Loutre|Abbe LeLoutre's]] work in protecting Acadian and Miꞌkmaq and ultimately Catholic interests in the region. Within Hants County, they fought in the [[Battle at St. Croix]] on the [[St. Croix River (Nova Scotia)|St. Croix River]].

There is a long history of missionary work in Hants County, such as the work of [[Silas Tertius Rand]]'s work on [[Glooscap First Nation]] near [[Hantsport]]. There are still Miꞌkmaq communities in Hants County such as [[Indian Brook 14]] (the home of the famous activist [[Anna Mae Aquash]]) and [[Shubenacadie 13]]. Shubenacadie is the oldest community in Hants County. There is a significant monument in the middle of the reserve to Major [[Jean-Baptiste Cope]], the signatory to the peace [[Treaty of 1752]] with the British, which was recently upheld by the [[Supreme Court of Canada]] (1985).

==== Acadians ====
[[File:FortEdwardWindsorNovaScotiaCanada.JPG|thumb|[[Fort Edward (Nova Scotia)|Fort Edward]] (built 1750). The oldest [[blockhouse]] in North America.]]
The first Acadians to settle in present-day Hants County (known as [[Pisiguit]]) established farms at (present day [[Falmouth, Nova Scotia|Falmouth]]) in the early 1680s, as the 1686 census shows a number of families on well established farms utilizing dyked pastures. More [[Acadia]]n villages soon followed spreading along the shores of the Piziquid and St. Croix rivers. One of these was at present day [[Windsor, Nova Scotia|Windsor]]. With an expanding population the region by 1722 was split into two parishes (see [[Pisiquit]]). The l'Assomption parish church was situated on a hill overlooking the confluence of the Pisiquit and Saint Croix rivers where in 1750 it was pulled down by the Acadians under orders from the British to make way for [[Fort Edward (Nova Scotia)|Fort Edward]]. By the early 1700s Acadians migrated all along the shore of Hants County to the [[Shubenacadie River]]. One of the most prominent Acadians from this area was [[Noël Doiron]] who is the namesake of the community of [[Noel, Nova Scotia|Noel]]. With the founding of both Halifax (1749) and Fort Edward, there was an [[Acadian Exodus]] that involved an emigration of most of the Acadians from the Municipality of East Hants (1750) and from West Hants (Pisiguit) as well. They left British Nova Scotia for French occupied [[Prince Edward Island]].<ref>{{cite book|last=Patterson|first=Stephen E.|chapter=1744–1763: Colonial Wars and Aboriginal Peoples|editor1=Phillip Buckner|editor2=John G. Reid|title=The Atlantic Region to Confederation: A History|url=https://books.google.com/books?id=P2spDwAAQBAJ&pg=PP1|year=1994|publisher=University of Toronto Press|isbn=978-1-4875-1676-5|page=141|jstor=10.3138/j.ctt15jjfrm}}</ref> During the 1755 [[Expulsion of the Acadians]] the majority of those Acadians remaining were deported to various locations along the eastern seaboard of the [[Thirteen Colonies]], most notably [[New England]] and [[Maryland]]. The Expulsion of the Acadians from Hants County began at exactly the same time as it happened at [[Grand-Pré, Nova Scotia|Grand-Pré]], with the Acadian men being imprisoned within the walls of Fort Edward. Fort Edward was one of four British forts in Acadia to imprison Acadians throughout the nine years of the expulsion.

==== New England Planters ====
[[File:HantsCountyTownshipMap1879.jpg|thumb|Hants County Township Map, 1879]]
After the Acadians were removed from the area of present-day Hants County, [[New England Planters]] began to arrive and settle the vacated lands (1760). They formed the townships of Windsor, Falmouth and Newport. Many arrived from [[Rhode Island]].<ref>[https://archive.org/stream/americanav10p1amer#page/n51/mode/1up Rhode Island Settlers in Nova Scotia]</ref> One of the Planters of note during this period was [[Henry Alline]] who led the [[Old and New Light|New Light]] revival of the [[Great Awakening]] in the region. Alline's movement had a significant impact on the stance the New Englander Planters took with respect to the troubles building in the colonies to the west, between their British masters, and brethren who remained in New England, that led to the [[American Revolutionary War|Revolutionary War]]. Alline's Newlight congregations were the progenitors of the [[Baptists in Canada|Baptist movement in Canada]].<ref>Beverley, James and Barry Moody, Editors. The Journal of Henry Alline. Lancelot Press for the Acadia Divinity School and the Baptist Historical Committee. 1982.</ref><ref>Bumsted, J. M. Henry Alline. Lancelot Press, Hantsport, 1984.</ref><ref>Rawlyk, George. The Sermons of Henry Alline. Lancelot Press for Acadia Divinity College and The Baptist Historical Committee of the United Baptist Convention of the Atlantic Provinces. 1986.</ref>

==== Ulster Irish ====
The next wave of immigration to Hants County was the [[Ulster Scots people]] who settled all along the Cobequid shore such as the O'Briens in [[Noel, Nova Scotia|Noel]] (1771) and the Putnams in [[Maitland, Hants County, Nova Scotia|Maitland]].

==== American Loyalists ====
During the [[American Revolution]], [[Fort Edward (Nova Scotia)|Fort Edward]] played a pivotal role defending Halifax from a possible land attack and serving as the headquarters in [[Atlantic Canada]] for [[84th Regiment of Foot (Royal Highland Emigrants)]]. After the American Revolution, the [[Rawdon, Nova Scotia|Rawdon Township]] and [[Douglas, Nova Scotia|Douglas Township]] were created for [[Loyalist (American Revolution)|American Loyalists]] (1784). The Douglas Township ([[Kennetcook]] and area) was settled by the 84th Regiment of Foot. The Rawdon Township was settled by loyalists from [[South Carolina]] whose lives had been saved in the [[Siege of Ninety-Six]] by [[Francis Rawdon-Hastings, 1st Marquess of Hastings|Lord Rawdon]] and the 84th Regiment of Foot.

=== 19th century - shipbuilding and confederation ===

==== Plaster War ====
Windsor developed its [[gypsum]] deposits, usually selling it to American markets at [[Passamaquoddy Bay]]. Often this trade was illegal. In 1820 an effort to stop this smuggling trade resulted in the "Plaster War", in which local smugglers resoundingly defeated the efforts of [[New Brunswick]] officials to bring the trade under their control.<ref>Smith, Joshua (2007). Borderland Smuggling: Patriots, Loyalists, and Illicit Trade in the Northeast, 1780-1820. Gainesville, FL: UPF. pp. passim. {{ISBN|0-8130-2986-4}}.</ref>

==== Shipbuilding ====
Productive timber lands and tidal building sites made Hants County an important shipbuilding centre in the 19th century. Loyalist merchant [[Abraham Cunard]] was an early shipbuilder in the county. Cunard's efforts were surpassed by much larger yards by the mid 19th century, including the [[William Dawson Lawrence]] shipyard in [[Maitland, Hants County, Nova Scotia|Maitland]] which built the ''[[William D. Lawrence (ship)|William D. Lawrence]]'', the largest wooden ship ever built in Canada, and [[Ezra Churchill]]'s in Hantsport.

====Great Hants Campaign (1869)====
[[Image:Joehowe.JPG|thumb|[[Joseph Howe]], MP for Hants County]]
The Honourable [[Joseph Howe]] was the first member of parliament for Hants County (1867).<ref name="ReferenceA">Joseph Howe: The Briton Becomes Canadian, 1848-1873 By [[J. Murray Beck]]</ref> He campaigned in the county with an agenda to punish those politicians who have forced Nova Scotia to participate in the formation, and [[Canadian Confederation|become a part of Canada]] without a mandate or referendum from the people. Over the next two years in office, deciding not to mobilize to join America or become a colony independent of Britain, Howe determined that Nova Scotia's best option was to remain in Canada and to fight for "better terms. While most Nova Scotians remained supportive of the [[Anti-Confederation Party|Anti-Confederation Campaign]] during this time period, Howe ran in Hants County bi-election of 1869 to get a mandate from the people to see if they wanted him to continue to support Nova Scotia's entry into Canada. What ensued was one of the most expensive political campaigns in Nova Scotia's history.<ref name="ReferenceA"/> The whole country watched to see if Howe would be returned to Ottawa to lead Nova Scotia into Confederation on the best terms possible. Howe toured the whole county and eventually won, which eventually led to all of Nova Scotia accepting Canada.<ref>Joseph Schull. "The Night They Killed Joe Howe" ''Ottawa Citizen'' - Jun 30, 1956</ref>

=== 20th century ===

Hants County produced two Olympians, both of whom came from along the Noel shore (see [[Athletics at the 1928 Summer Olympics – Men's marathon]]). Along with the great literary figure in Nova Scotia's history, Thomas Chandler Haliburton, Hants produced [[Alden Nowlan]], [[George Elliott Clarke]] and others. The celebrated folk artist Sidney Kelsie who later made his career in Edmonton, Alberta was born in Hants County in 1928. Folk singer [[Stan Rogers]] made the community of [[Upper Rawdon, Nova Scotia|Rawdon]] famous by writing the song "The Rawdon Hills".

==Natural resources: wood, fish, gypsum, barite, oil and gold==
The wood in the county was both used to build the many wooden ships, but it was also used as an export resource on the wooden ships. For this purpose, the [[Midland Railway (Canada)|Midland Railway]] was also built through the County (1901), connecting Windsor and Truro.

The county is noted for very large deposits of [[gypsum]], some of which was at one time shipped from [[Walton, Nova Scotia|Walton]]. The world's largest open pit gypsum mine is located in Milford, East Hants and currently produces approximately 8,000 tons of gypsum daily. George Elliot Clarke's poem, "West Hants County", tells of the difficult condition of black workers in the gypsum mines.

[[Baryte|Barite]] was also an extremely important ore to Hants County. The largest barite mine in the world was in Walton and that; combined with the gypsum and lumbering, made Walton the second busiest port in Nova Scotia in the 1950s. The mine produced in total 4.5 million tonnes of barite, between 1941 and 1978. Silver, lead, zinc and copper were also found in the same mine and over 360,000 tonnes were mined. It is estimated that there are still about 1 million tonnes of barite left in the deposit.
 
Gold was mined at [[Renfrew, Nova Scotia|Renfrew]], near [[Nine Mile River, Nova Scotia|Nine Mile River]], The village was the home of one of the largest gold mines in the province. There were other gold mines in the community of [[Rawdon Gold Mines, Nova Scotia|Rawdon Gold Mines]]. There is currently oil exploration in and around [[Kennetcook]].

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

;Towns
*[[Hantsport, Nova Scotia|Hantsport]]
*[[Windsor, Nova Scotia|Windsor]]

;Reserves
*[[Indian Brook 14]]

;Municipalities
*[[Municipality of the District of East Hants]]
*[[West Hants Regional Municipality]]

== Demographics ==
As a [[Census divisions of Canada|census division]] in the [[2021 Canadian census|2021 Census of Population]] conducted by [[Statistics Canada]], Hants County had a population of {{nts|45140}} living in {{nts|18862}} of its {{nts|20306}} total private dwellings, a change of {{percentage|{{#expr:45140-42558}}|42558|1}} from its 2016 population of {{nts|42558}}. With a land area of {{convert|3049.18|km2|sqmi|abbr=on}}, it had a population density of {{Pop density|45140|3049.18|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 | accessdate=April 2, 2022}}</ref>

{{col-begin|width=60%}}
{{col-2}}
;Population trend<ref>[http://www66.statcan.gc.ca/eng/acyb_c1943-44-eng.aspx?opt=/eng/1943-44/194301510081_p.%2081.pdf Censuses 1871-1941]</ref><ref>Statistics Canada: [[Canada 1996 Census|1996]], [[Canada 2001 Census|2001]], [[Canada 2006 Census|2006]] census</ref>
{| class="wikitable"
|-
! Census
! Population
! Change (%)
|-
| 2016
| 42,558
| {{profit}}0.6%
|-
| 2011
| 42,304
| {{profit}}2.7%
|-
| 2006
| 41,182
| {{profit}}1.7%
|-
| 2001
| 40,513
| {{profit}}2.6%
|-
| 1996
| 39,483
| {{gain}}4.3%
|-
| 1991
| 37,843
| {{gain}}3.5%
|-
| 1986
| 36,548
| {{gain}}10.3%
|-
| 1981
| 33,121
| N/A
|-
| 1941
| 22,034
|
|-
| 1931
| 19,393
|
|-
| 1921
| 19,739
|
|-
| 1911
| 19,703
|
|-
| 1901
| 20,056
|
|-
| 1891
| 22,052
|
|-
| 1881
| 23,359
|
|-
| 1871
| 21,301
| N/A
|}

{{col-2}}
;Mother tongue language (2011)<ref>Statistics Canada: [[Canada 2011 Census|2011]] census</ref>
{| class="wikitable"
|-
! Language
! Population
! Pct (%)
|-
| English only
| 40,330
| 96.14%
|-
| French only
| 525
| 1.25%
|-
| Non-official languages
| 950
| 2.26%
|-
| Multiple responses
| 145
| 0.34%
|}
{{col-2}}
;Ethnic groups (2006)<ref name="SC2006-Ethnicity">[http://www12.statcan.gc.ca/census-recensement/2006/dp-pd/hlt/97-562/pages/page.cfm?Lang=E&Geo=CD&Code=1208&Table=2&Data=Count&StartRec=1&Sort=3&Display=All 2006 Statistics Canada Census Ethnocultural Portrait of Canada: Hants County, Nova Scotia]</ref>
{| class="wikitable"
|-
! Ethnic Origin
! Population
! Pct (%)
|-
| [[Canadians|Canadian]]
| 18,915
| 46.3%
|-
| [[English Canadians|English]]
| 14,175
| 34.7%
|-
| [[Scottish Canadians|Scottish]]
| 11,300
| 27.7%
|-
| [[Irish Canadians|Irish]]
| 8,360
| 20.5%
|-
| [[French Canadians|French]]
| 4,730
| 11.6%
|-
| [[German Canadians|German]]
| 4,720
| 11.6%
|-
| [[First Nations in Canada|North American Indian]]
| 2,195
| 5.4%
|-
| [[Dutch Canadians|Dutch (Netherlands)]]
| 2,010
| 4.9%
|}
{{col-end}}

==Access routes==
Highways and numbered routes that run through the county, including external routes that start or finish at the county limits:<ref>Atlantic Canada Back Road Atlas {{ISBN|978-1-55368-618-7}} Pages 67-68, 80-81</ref>
{{col-begin}}
{{col-4}}
*Highways
**{{jct|state=NS|Hwy|101}}
**{{jct|state=NS|Hwy|102}}
{{col-4}}
*Trunk routes
**{{jct|state=NS|Trunk|1}}
**{{jct|state=NS|Trunk|2}}
**{{jct|state=NS|Trunk|14}}
{{col-4}}
*Collector routes:
**{{jct|state=NS|Route|202}}
**{{jct|state=NS|Route|214}}
**{{jct|state=NS|Route|215}}
**{{jct|state=NS|Route|236}}
**{{jct|state=NS|Route|354}}
{{col-4}}
*External routes:
**None
{{col-end}}

== Notable residents ==
{{Main category|People from Hants County, Nova Scotia}}

==See also==
{{Portal|Canada|Nova Scotia}}
*[[List of counties of Nova Scotia]]
*[[List of communities in Nova Scotia]]
*[[Mount Uniacke, Nova Scotia]]
*[[Richard John Uniacke]]

==Notes==
{{notelist}}

==References==
{{Reflist}}

==Further reading==
{{refbegin}}
* {{cite book |last=Mosher |first=Edith |date=1979 |title=White Rock: The Story of Gypsum in Hants County |url=https://archive.org/details/whiterockstoryof0000mosh/ |url-access=registration |location=Hantsport, N.S. |publisher=[[Lancelot Press]] |isbn=0-8899-9115-4}}
* {{cite book |last=Shand |first=Gwendolyn Vaughan |date=1979 |title=Historic Hants County |url=https://archive.org/details/historichantscou0000shan/ |url-access=registration |location=Halifax, N.S. |publisher=McCurdy Printing Co. |lccn=80473596}}
* {{cite book |last=Whittier |first=Ralph B. |date=2001 |orig-date=1979 |title=Notes on the Early History of Central Hants County |url= |location=Windsor, N.S. |publisher=West Hants Historical Society |isbn=978-0-9680-6414-6}}
{{refend}}

==External links==
{{Commons category}}
*[http://ns1763.ca/hantsco/hantscondx.html Photographs of historic monuments in Hants County] {{Webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20100915184245/http://ns1763.ca/hantsco/hantscondx.html |date=15 September 2010 }}

{{Geographic Location (8-way)
 | Centre = Hants County
 | North = ''[[Minas Basin]]''
 | Northeast =
 | East = [[Colchester County, Nova Scotia|Colchester County]]
 | Southeast =
 | South = [[Halifax Regional Municipality]]
 | Southwest =
 | West = [[Lunenburg County, Nova Scotia|Lunenburg County]]
 | Northwest = [[Kings County, Nova Scotia|Kings County]]
}}
{{NSEastHants}}
{{NSWestHants}}
{{Subdivisions of Nova Scotia}}
{{Authority control}}

[[Category:Hants County, Nova Scotia| ]]
[[Category:Counties of Nova Scotia]]