View source for Pictou County

{{Short description|County in Nova Scotia}}
{{Use Canadian English|date=July 2023}}
{{Use dmy dates|date=July 2023}}
{{Infobox settlement
| official_name                  = Pictou County
| other_name                     = [[Canadian Gaelic|Gaelic]]: ''Siorramachd Phiogto''
| nickname                       = "PC"
| settlement_type                = [[List of counties of Nova Scotia|County]]
| motto                          = 
| image_skyline                  = 
| imagesize                      = 
| image_caption                  = 
| image_flag                     = FlagPictouCounty.svg
| flag_size                      = 
| image_seal                     = Seal of MOPC.svg
| seal_size                      = 
| image_shield                   = 
| shield_size                    = 
| city_logo                      = 
| citylogo_size                  = 
| image_map                      = PictouCounty.png
| mapsize                        = 
| map_caption                    = Location of Pictou 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              = Towns
| subdivision_name2              = [[New Glasgow, Nova Scotia|New Glasgow]] / [[Pictou]] / [[Stellarton]] / [[Trenton, Nova Scotia|Trenton]] / [[Westville, Nova Scotia|Westville]]
| subdivision_type3              = 
| subdivision_name3              = 
| subdivision_type4              = 
| subdivision_name4              = 
| seat_type                      = Electoral&nbsp;Districts&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;<br />[[List of Canadian federal electoral districts|Federal]]
| seat                           = <br />[[Central Nova]]
| parts_type                     = [[List of Nova Scotia provincial electoral districts|Provincial]]
| parts                          = [[Pictou Centre]] / [[Pictou East]] / [[Pictou West]]
| government_footnotes           = 
| government_type                = Five town councils and one rural municipality
| leader_title                   = 
| leader_name                    = 
| leader_title2                  = 
| leader_name2                   = 
| leader_title3                  = 
| leader_name3                   = 
| leader_title4                  = 
| leader_name4                   = 
| established_title              = Established
| established_date               = 1835
| established_title2             = Incorporated
| established_date2              = April 17, 1879
| established_title3             = 
| established_date3              = 
| area_magnitude                 = 
| unit_pref                      = 
| area_footnotes                 = <ref name="SC2006">{{cite web | url=https://www12.statcan.gc.ca/census-recensement/2021/dp-pd/prof/details/page.cfm?Lang=E&SearchText=Pictou&DGUIDlist=2021A00031212&GENDERlist=1,2,3&STATISTIClist=1&HEADERlist=0 | title=Profile table, Census Profile, 2021 Census of Population - Pictou, County (CTY) &#91;Census division&#93;, Nova Scotia | date=9 February 2022 }}</ref>
| area_total_km2                 = 
| area_land_km2                  = 2844.10
| area_water_km2                 = 
| area_total_sq_mi               = 
| area_land_sq_mi                = 
| area_water_sq_mi               = 
| area_water_percent             = 
| area_urban_km2                 = 
| area_urban_sq_mi               = 
| area_metro_km2                 = 
| area_metro_sq_mi               = 
| population_as_of               = 2021
| population_footnotes           = <ref name="SC2006"/><ref>https://www12.statcan.gc.ca/census-recensement/2021/dp-pd/prof/details/page.cfm?Lang=E&SearchText=Pictou&DGUIDlist=2021A00031212&GENDERlist=1,2,3&STATISTIClist=1&HEADERlist=0 Population and dwelling counts, for Canada and census subdivisions (municipalities), 2006 and 2001 censuses - 100% data</ref>
| population_note                = 
| population_total               = 43,657
| population_density_km2         = 15.4
| population_density_sq_mi       = 
| population_metro               = 
| population_density_metro_km2   = 
| population_density_metro_sq_mi = 
| population_urban                = 
| population_density_urban_km2    = 
| population_density_urban_sq_mi  = 
| population_blank1_title         = Change&nbsp;<small>2011-16</small>
| population_blank1               = {{loss}}0.2%
| population_blank2_title         = [[Census]]&nbsp;Rankings<br />&nbsp;- ''Census&nbsp;divisions''<br />&nbsp;Subdivision A <br /> &nbsp;Subdivision B<br />&nbsp;Subdivision C<br />&nbsp;- ''Towns''<br />&nbsp;[[New Glasgow, Nova Scotia|New Glasgow]]<br />&nbsp;[[Stellarton, Nova Scotia|Stellarton]]<br />&nbsp;[[Pictou, Nova Scotia|Pictou]]<br />&nbsp;[[Westville, Nova Scotia|Westville]]<br />&nbsp;[[Trenton, Nova Scotia|Trenton]]<br />&nbsp;- ''Reserves''<br />&nbsp;[[Fisher's Grant 24, Nova Scotia|Fisher's Grant 24]]
| population_blank2               = 
| timezone                        = [[Atlantic Time Zone|AST]]
| utc_offset                      = −4
| timezone_DST                    = [[Atlantic Daylight Time|ADT]]
| utc_offset_DST                  = −3
| coordinates                     = {{coord|45.5|N|62.6|W|region:CA-NS_type:adm2nd|display=inline,title}}
| elevation_footnotes             = 
| elevation_m                     = 
| elevation_ft                    = 
| postal_code_type                = 
| postal_code                     = 
| area_codes                       = [[Area codes 902 and 782|902, 782]]
| blank_name                      = Dwellings
| blank_info                      = 22,525
| blank1_name                     = Median Earnings*
| blank1_info                     = $43,475 [[Canadian dollar|CDN]]
| blank2_name                     = 
| blank2_info                     = 
| website                         = [https://munpict.ca/ munpict.ca]
| footnotes                       = *Median household income, 2005 (all households)
| name                            = 
}}
'''Pictou County''' is a [[county]] in the [[Provinces and territories of Canada|province]] of [[Nova Scotia]], Canada. It was established in 1835, and was formerly a part of [[Halifax County, Nova Scotia|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.

==Etymology==
The origin of the name "Pictou" is obscure. Possible [[Mi'kmaq language|Mi'kmaq]] derivations include "Piktook" meaning an explosion of gas, and "Bucto" meaning fire, possibly related to the coal fields in the area. It might also be a corruption of Poictou ([[Poitou]]), a former province of France. [[Nicolas Denys]] named the [[Pictou Harbour|harbour]] ''La rivière de Pictou'' in the 1660s.<ref>{{cite web|title=History of Pictou|work=Town of Pictou website|url=http://www.townofpictou.com/pictou_history.html|access-date=2008-10-19|url-status=dead|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20081228225703/http://www.townofpictou.com/pictou_history.html|archive-date=2008-12-28}}</ref><ref>{{cite web|title=Placenames of Pictou & Antigonish County|work=Pictou-Antigonish Regional Library website|url=http://www.parl.ns.ca/placenames/pictoup.html#Pictou|access-date=2008-10-19|url-status=dead|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20090416050103/http://www.parl.ns.ca/placenames/pictoup.html#Pictou|archive-date=2009-04-16}}</ref><ref>{{cite web|title=Pictou County Place Names and Origins|work=www.rootsweb.ancestry.com| url=http://www.rootsweb.ancestry.com/~nspictou/places.html|access-date=2008-10-19}}</ref>

==History==
The area of the modern Pictou County was a part of the [[Mi'kmaq|Miꞌkmaq]] nation of [[Mi'kma'ki]] (''mi'gama'gi'') at the time of European contact.<ref>{{cite web |title=Info Sheet – The Mi'kmaq |url=https://museum.novascotia.ca/sites/default/files/inline/documents/mikmaq1.pdf |url-status=live |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20211122213253/https://museum.novascotia.ca/sites/default/files/inline/documents/mikmaq1.pdf |archive-date=22 November 2021 |access-date=2 July 2019 |work=museum.novascotia.ca}}</ref>

[[File:HectorPioneerByJohnWilson.jpg|thumb|left|Hector Pioneer by renowned sculptor [[John Wilson (sculptor)|John Wilson]], Pictou, Nova Scotia]]

In the early 1600s [[France]] claimed the area as a part of [[Acadia]]. By the 1760s, small French settlements existed along the coast in the eastern part of the county near the mouth of the [[French River, Pictou County|French River]]. The largest of these was on the [[Big Island, Nova Scotia|Big Island at Merigomish]]. By the conclusion of the [[French and Indian War]] in 1763, and the [[Expulsion of the Acadians]], these had been abandoned.{{r|patterson1877|p=38}}

Pictou came under the control of [[Kingdom of Great Britain|Britain]] in 1763 after the [[French and Indian War]]. In 1765 the first British land grants were issued, including a grant to the Philadelphia Company. A number of families from that company left [[Philadelphia]] aboard the ''Hope'' in May 1767, and arrived at [[Pictou Harbour]] in June.<ref name="patterson1877">{{Cite book |last=Patterson |first=George |url=https://archive.org/details/historyofcountyo00pattuoft/ |title=A History of the County of Pictou, Nova Scotia |publisher=Dawson Brothers |year=1877 |location=Montreal}}</ref>{{rp|46–78}} In 1770 there were 120 settlers living in Pictou, of whom 93 were American, 18 were Irish, five were Acadian, and two each were Scottish and English.{{r|patterson1877|p=67}}

Pictou was a receiving point for many [[Scottish people|Scottish]] immigrants moving to a new home in northern Nova Scotia and [[Cape Breton Island]] following the [[Highland Clearances]] of the late 18th and early 19th centuries. Consequently, the town's slogan is "The Birthplace of [[Nova Scotia|New Scotland]]"; the first wave of immigrants from Scotland is acknowledged to have arrived on September 15, 1773, on the [[Hector (immigration ship)|''Hector'']].{{r|patterson1877|p=81}}

Coal was first discovered in Pictou County in 1798. A number of different individuals and companies were involved in the nascent coal industry; however, in 1825 the majority of mining rights in Nova Scotia was obtained by the [[General Mining Association]]. After surveying mines in Nova Scotia, they chose to start at the [[East River of Pictou]] and in the summer of 1827 they began operations there. By the end of the year the first steam engine in Nova Scotia was operating at [[Albion Mines]].{{r|patterson1877|pp=398-401}}

In 1839 the first locomotive in Canada to run on iron rails, the [[Samson (locomotive)|''Samson'']], was put into service at Albion Mines. It is the oldest surviving locomotive in Canada.

==Geography==
[[File:Ship Hector.jpg|thumb|left|alt=18th century replica of a wooden Dutch flute ship named Hector floating in harbour|Ship Hector replica floating in Pictou Harbour]]

Pictou County includes the towns of [[New Glasgow, Nova Scotia|New Glasgow]], [[Stellarton]], [[Pictou]], [[Westville, Nova Scotia|Westville]] and [[Trenton, Nova Scotia|Trenton]]. It is bounded by the [[Northumberland Strait]], [[Antigonish County]], [[Guysborough County]] and [[Colchester County]]. [[Pictou Harbour]] and its three rivers played a vital role in the early days of settlement, as a port of entry, a means of transport and for the export of lumber and coal.

==Demographics==
As a [[Census divisions of Canada|census division]] in the [[2021 Canadian census|2021 Census of Population]] conducted by [[Statistics Canada]], Pictou County had a population of {{nts|43657}} living in {{nts|19735}} of its {{nts|22410}} total private dwellings, a change of −0.2% from its 2016 population of {{nts|43748}}. With a land area of {{convert|2844.1|km2|sqmi|abbr=on}}, it had a population density of {{Pop density|43657|2844.1|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>

Forming the majority of the Pictou County census division, the Municipality of the County of Pictou, including its Subdivisions A, B, and C, had a population of {{val|20676|fmt=commas}} living in {{val|9146|fmt=commas}} of its {{val|11026|fmt=commas}} total private dwellings, a change of −0.1% from its 2016 population of {{val|20692|fmt=commas}}. With a land area of {{convert|2795.08|km2|sqmi|abbr=on}}, it had a population density of {{Pop density|20676|2795.08|km2|sqmi|prec=1}} in 2021.<ref name=2021censusCSD>{{cite web | url=https://www150.statcan.gc.ca/t1/tbl1/en/tv.action?pid=9810000203&geocode=A000212 | title=Population and dwelling counts: Canada, provinces and territories, census divisions and census subdivisions (municipalities), Nova Scotia | 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 (%)
|-
| 2021
| 43,657
| {{loss}}0.2%
|-
| 2016
|  43,748
| {{loss}}4.2%
|-
| 2011
|  45,643 
| {{loss}}1.9%
|-
| 2006
|  46,513   
| {{loss}}1.0%
|-
| 2001
|  46,965
| {{loss}}3.6%
|-
| 1996
|  48,718
| {{loss}}1.9%
|-
| 1991
|  49,649
| {{loss}}0.2%
|-
| 1986
|  49,772
| {{loss}}1.2%
|-
| 1981
|  50,350
| N/A
|-
| 1941
|  40,789
| 
|-
| 1931
|  39,018
|  
|-
| 1921
|  40,851
|  
|-
| 1911
|  35,858
|  
|-
| 1901
|  33,459
|  
|-
| 1891
|  34,541
| 
|-
| 1881
|  35,535
| 
|-
| 1871
|  32,114
| N/A
|}

{{col-2}}
'''Mother tongue (2011)'''<ref>Statistics Canada: [[Canada 2011 Census|2011]] census</ref>
{| class="wikitable"
|-
! Language
! Population
! Pct (%)
|-
| English only
|  43,580
| 96.93%
|-
| French only
|  445
| 0.99%
|-
| Non-official languages
|   765
| 1.70%
|-
| Multiple responses
|   165
| 0.37%
|}

{{col-2}}
'''Ethnic Groups (2006)'''
{{efn|Respondents who reported multiple ethnic origins are counted more than once in this table.}}<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=1212&Table=2&Data=Count&StartRec=1&Sort=3&Display=All 2006 Statistics Canada Census Ethnocultural Portrait of Canada: Pictou County, Nova Scotia]</ref>
{| class="wikitable"
|-
! Ethnic Origin
! Population
! Pct (%)
|-
| [[Scottish Canadian|Scottish]]
|  22,975
| 50.1%
|-
| [[Canadians|Canadian]]
|  17,800
| 38.8%
|-
| [[English Canadian|English]]
|  12,270
| 26.8%
|-
| [[Irish Canadian|Irish]]
|  9,535
| 20.8%
|-
| [[French Canadian|French]]
|  7,480
| 16.3%
|-
| [[Canadians of German ethnicity|German]]
|  3,115
| 6.8%
|-
| [[First Nations in Canada|North American Indian]] 
|  1,585
| 3.5%
|-
| [[Canadians of Dutch descent|Dutch (Netherlands)]]
|  1,555
| 3.4%
|}
{{col-end}}

==Politics==
Pictou County is wholly within the federal electoral district of [[Central Nova]]. Since the electoral district was reformed in 2004, only two MPs have held the office. Currently, the county is represented [[Parliament of Canada|federally]] by the [[Liberal Party of Canada|Liberal]] Party. The seat is held by Liberal MP [[Sean Fraser (politician)|Sean Fraser]], who was elected in 2015.

Pictou County is divided into three provincial electoral districts, namely [[Pictou Centre]], [[Pictou East]] and [[Pictou West]]. All three are currently held by [[Progressive Conservative Association of Nova Scotia|PC]] MLAs in the [[Nova Scotia House of Assembly|Nova Scotia Legislature]].

The towns of [[New Glasgow, Nova Scotia|New Glasgow]], [[Stellarton]], [[Pictou]], [[Westville, Nova Scotia|Westville]] and [[Trenton, Nova Scotia|Trenton]] each have their own town councils. The [[Municipality of Pictou County]]  serves the remaining rural areas, including Pictou Island. Amalgamation of these six municipal units is occasionally considered.<ref>{{cite web | title=Research Articles | work=pictoucountyamalgamation.com | url=http://pictoucountyamalgamation.com/?page=articles | access-date=2008-10-21 }} {{dead link|date=March 2018 |bot=InternetArchiveBot |fix-attempted=yes }}</ref><ref>{{cite web | title=Pictou Town Council Minutes, October 24, 2005 | work=Town of Pictou website | url=http://www.townofpictou.com/files/26.10-24-05(Oc.PDF | access-date=2008-10-21 | archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20110716095246/http://www.townofpictou.com/files/26.10-24-05(Oc.PDF | archive-date=2011-07-16 | url-status=dead }}</ref> Pictou County District Planning Commission provides planning, development and waste disposal services to all the communities in the county.

[[Pictou Landing First Nation]] has reserves at Pictou Landing, Fisher's Grant and Merigomish Harbour.

==Economy==
[[File:ScottPulpMill PictouCounty early1990s.jpg|thumb|The former Pictou County pulp mill employed roughly 300 employees directly, with hundreds more indirect jobs in related industries.<ref>[[Joan Baxter]] (2017), ''The Mill: Fifty Years of Pulp and Protest'', Pottersfield Press, e-edition, p. 319</ref>]]

Resource based industries include coal mining, forestry, fishing, and agriculture. Manufacturing industries include Michelin Tire, Northern Pulp and Scotsburn Dairy. Web.Com operate a call center in New Glasgow. One of the largest employers in the area is Sobeys. The company started in Stellarton, where its headquarters is still located today.<ref>Judith Hoegg Ryan (1995), "The Birthplace of New Scotland: An Illustrated History of Pictou County, Canada's Cradle of Industry", Formac Publishing, p. 177</ref> Tourism is an important part of the economy during the summer. In 2006 employed 1,200 people and brought 45 million dollars to the economy.<ref>{{cite web | title=About PCTA | work=The Pictou County Tourism Association website | url=http://www.tourismpictoucounty.com/about_pcta.html | access-date=2008-11-01}}</ref> Two provincially owned museums operate within the county, Stellarton's Nova Scotia Museum of Industry, and the McCulloch House Museum in Pictou. Rail car manufacturer [[Trenton Works]] was closed in 2007 when owners [[The Greenbrier Companies|Greenbrier]] moved production to Mexico. There are 2,400 small and medium-sized businesses that collectively generate more than 15,000 jobs.<ref>{{cite web | title=Planning vital for small businesses | work=The News website | url=http://www.ngnews.ca/index.cfm?sid=182067&sc=49 | access-date=2008-10-21 | archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20180524004018/http://www.ngnews.ca/index.cfm?sid=182067&sc=49 | archive-date=2018-05-24 | url-status=dead }}</ref>

The Pictou County [[Chamber of Commerce]] is a business advocacy group that speaks as a united voice on behalf of the business community.

==Transport==
Two highways designated as part of the national [[Trans-Canada Highway]] system provide the only controlled-access roads in the county. They are [[Nova Scotia Highway 104|Highway 104]], which traverses the county from west to east, and [[Nova Scotia Highway 106|Highway 106]] the short north–south spur to the [[Northumberland Ferries Limited]] terminal at [[Caribou, Nova Scotia|Caribou]].

The [[Cape Breton and Central Nova Scotia Railway]] is a freight line connecting [[Truro, Nova Scotia|Truro]] to [[Sydney, Nova Scotia|Sydney]], with spurs at Stellarton and Trenton serving local industries such as [[Trenton Generating Station]]. [[Via Rail Canada]] abandoned passenger rail service in the county on January 15, 1990, following nationwide budget cuts.

[[Maritime Bus]] provide [[motor bus|motor coach]] service to New Glasgow.

[[Northumberland Ferries Limited]] operates a seasonal passenger-vehicle ferry service from Caribou, Nova Scotia, to [[Wood Islands, Prince Edward Island|Wood Islands]], [[Prince Edward Island]]. A separate passenger-only ferry service is also operated seasonally from Caribou to [[Pictou Island (Nova Scotia)|Pictou Island]].<ref>{{cite web |author=Lucas Technology |url=http://www.pictouislandferry.ca/ |title=Pictou Island Ferry Service : Home Page |publisher= |date= |accessdate=2022-03-21 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20081018124850/http://www.pictouislandferry.ca/ |archive-date=18 October 2008 |url-status=dead}}</ref>

[[Trenton Aerodrome]] is a private commercial airport owned and operated by [[Sobeys]].

==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 53–54, 69–71</ref>
{{col-begin}}
{{col-4}}
*'''Highways'''
**{{jct|state=NS|TCH|104}}
**{{jct|state=NS|TCH|106}}
{{col-4}}
*'''Trunk routes'''
**{{jct|state=NS|Trunk|4}}
**{{jct|state=NS|Trunk|6}}
{{col-4}}
*'''Collector routes:'''
**{{jct|state=NS|Route|245}}
**{{jct|state=NS|Route|256}}
**{{jct|state=NS|Route|289}}
**{{jct|state=NS|Route|347}}
**{{jct|state=NS|Route|348}}
**{{jct|state=NS|Route|374}}
{{col-4}}
*'''External routes:'''
**None
{{col-end}}

==Media==
Pictou County is served by the weekly newspapers [[The News (New Glasgow)|''The News'']] and ''The Pictou Advocate''. Pictou County has two locally based radio station is [[CKEC-FM]] & [[CKEZ-FM]].
A sports and recreation paper is distributed monthly through the mail at no charge.<ref>{{cite web |url=http://www.sports-report.ca/ |title=www.sports-report.ca &#124; Reporting and Promoting Pictou County Sports & Recreation |access-date=2018-08-29 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20100115010820/http://www.sports-report.ca/ |archive-date=2010-01-15 |url-status=dead }}</ref>

==Culture==
There are two performance spaces in the county: the deCoste Centre in Pictou and Glasgow Square in New Glasgow. Both host local musicians and events, including the Festival of Summer Sounds series at the deCoste and the New Glasgow Riverfront Jubilee in August at the Glasgow Square.

Many of the towns and villages host their own parades and events throughout the year. Read By The Sea is an annual literary festival held in the village of River John. The New Scotland Days Festival in Pictou each September is a celebration of the county's Scottish heritage. Pictou also hosts the Lobster Carnival every July since 1934. It was voted the best festival in Canada.<ref>{{cite web|title=2016 Lobster Carnival|url=http://www.townofpictou.ca/visitors-guide/festivals-and-events/2014-lobster-carnival/|website=Town of Pictou|access-date=June 1, 2016}}</ref> New Glasgow's Art at Night is an annual one night art event in downtown New Glasgow.  Eventide Art Hub in New Glasgow hosts an Art Gallery, Artist Studios, and a retail space for artists and musicians to sell their work.

[[File:MOI Stellarton.jpg|thumb|The Nova Scotia Museum of Industry]]

Museums include the Northumberland Fisheries Museum, the Hector Heritage Quay, and the McCulloch House Museum in Pictou, the Pictou County Military Museum in Westville, the Carmichael House in New Glasgow, and the Museum of Industry in Stellarton.

Pictou County is also known for the regional pizza variant known as [[Pictou County Pizza]], which can be shipped to former residents living across Canada through UPS, and is available in frozen pizzas throughout the Maritimes.<ref name="pizza party">{{cite news|last1=Graham|first1=Monica|title=Pizza party pays off in Pictou County|url=http://thechronicleherald.ca/novascotia/1203594-pizza-party-pays-off-in-pictou-county|access-date=26 March 2016|publisher=The Chronicle-Herald|date=27 April 2014}}</ref><ref name="CBC1">{{cite news|title=Pictou County's 'brown sauce' pizza shipped to Fort McMurray|url=http://www.cbc.ca/news/canada/nova-scotia/pictou-county-s-brown-sauce-pizza-shipped-to-fort-mcmurray-1.2474097|access-date=26 March 2016|publisher=CBC|date=23 December 2013}}</ref>

==Notable people==
===Politics / Government===
*[[Jotham Blanchard]], responsible government advocate 
*[[Donald William Cameron]], former [[Premier of Nova Scotia]]
*[[John James Grant]], [[Lieutenant Governor of Nova Scotia]]
*[[John Hamm]], former Premier of Nova Scotia
*[[Simon Hugh Holmes|Simon Holmes]], former premier of Nova Scotia
*[[Peter MacKay]], federal [[Conservative Party of Canada|Conservative]] politician

===Music / Arts===
*[[George Canyon]], country singer
*[[J.D. Fortune]], musician, winner of the reality television show ''[[Rock Star: INXS]]''
*[[Dave Gunning]], folk singer
*[[Diego Klattenhoff]], actor, known for roles in ''[[Homeland (TV series)|Homeland]]'' and ''[[The Blacklist]]''
*[[Kris MacFarlane]], musician
*[[Mike Smith (actor)|Mike Smith]], actor and musician, better known as Bubbles from ''[[Trailer Park Boys]]''
*[[Christie MacDonald]], theatrical actress and soprano.

===Sports===
*[[Buddy Daye]], boxer and former [[Sergeant-at-arms]] of the [[Nova Scotia House of Assembly]]
*[[Troy Gamble]], former [[National Hockey League|NHL]] goaltender
*[[Jason MacDonald]], [[Mixed martial arts|MMA]] fighter
*[[Joey MacDonald]], former [[National Hockey League|NHL]] goaltender
*[[Lowell MacDonald]], former [[National Hockey League|NHL]] forward; awarded the [[Bill Masterton Memorial Trophy]] in 1973
*[[Jon Sim]], former [[National Hockey League|NHL]] forward; 1999 [[Stanley Cup]] winner
*[[Blayre Turnbull]], (ice hockey, born 1993) Canadian Women's National Hockey team, Olympian, Calgary Inferno [[CWHL]] forward
*[[Derrick Walser]], former [[National Hockey League|NHL]] defenceman
*[[Colin White (ice hockey, born 1977)|Colin White]], former [[National Hockey League|NHL]] defenceman; two-time (2000 & 2003) [[Stanley Cup]] winner

===Business / Commercial===
*[[Graham Fraser (industrialist)|Graham Fraser]], 19th century [[industrialist]], Founder of the [[TrentonWorks|Nova Scotia Steel Company]] and mayor of New Glasgow
*[[Frank H. Sobey]], businessman and entrepreneur; founder of the [[Sobeys]] supermarket chain

===Other===
*[[James Peter Robertson]], posthumously awarded the Victoria Cross in the First World War
*[[Whit Fraser]] [[Order of Canada|CC]], [[viceregal consort of Canada]], former [[CBC News|CBC]] and [[Inuit Broadcasting Corporation|IBC]] reporter and broadcaster, founding chair of the [[Polar Knowledge Canada|Canadian Polar Commission]], and former executive director of [[Inuit Tapiriit Kanatami]].
There are claims by a Johnston family of [[Pictou|Pictou, Nova Scotia]], that the [[Albert Johnson (criminal)|Mad Trapper of Rat River]] was Owen Albert Johnston from Pictou County.<ref>Interview, Information Morning, CBC Radio 1, Halifax Nova Scotia, 6:20am 15 January 2009</ref>

==Communities==
{{Main|List of communities in Pictou County, Nova Scotia}}
[[File:Pictou, Nova Scotia, Canada.jpg|thumb|[[Pictou, Nova Scotia|Pictou]]]]

===Towns===
*[[New Glasgow, Nova Scotia|New Glasgow]]
*[[Pictou]]
*[[Stellarton]]
*[[Trenton, Nova Scotia|Trenton]]
*[[Westville, Nova Scotia|Westville]]

===Reserves===
*[[Boat Harbour West 37|Boat Harbour West IR 37]]
*[[Fisher's Grant 24|Fisher's Grant IR 24]]
*[[Fisher's Grant 24G|Fisher's Grant IR 24G]]
*[[Merigomish Harbour 31|Merigomish Harbour IR 31]]

===County municipality and county subdivisions===
*Municipality of the County of Pictou
**[[Pictou, Subd. A, Nova Scotia|Pictou, Subd. A]]
**[[Pictou, Subd. B, Nova Scotia|Pictou, Subd. B]]
**[[Pictou, Subd. C, Nova Scotia|Pictou, Subd. C]]

==See also==
{{Portal|Canada|Nova Scotia}}
*[[Black Lake (Nova Scotia)]]
*[[List of municipalities in Nova Scotia]]
{{clear}}

==Notes==
{{Notelist}}

==References==
{{Reflist}}

==External links==
*{{Commons-inline}}
*[https://web.archive.org/web/20100711143406/http://www.pictoucounty.com/ Official Pictou County Portal]
*[http://www.county.pictou.ns.ca/ County of Pictou website]
*[http://ns1763.ca/pictouco/pictoucondx.html Photographs of historic monuments in Pictou County] {{Webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20120430172329/http://ns1763.ca/pictouco/pictoucondx.html |date=2012-04-30 }}
*[https://web.archive.org/web/20080625091821/http://www.pcdpc.com/ Pictou County District Planning Commission]
*[http://www.pictoucounty.ca/ Pictou County Community Website]
*[http://www.peopleofpictoucounty.blogspot.ca/?view=classic/ The People of Pictou County Blog, with photographs and quotes from residents of the region]

{{Geographic Location
|Centre    = Pictou County
|North     = ''[[Northumberland Strait]]''<br />([[Queens County, Prince Edward Island|Queens County]] & [[Kings County, Prince Edward Island|Kings County]] {{flagicon|PE}})
|Northeast =
|East      = [[Antigonish County, Nova Scotia|Antigonish County]]
|Southeast = 
|South     = [[Guysborough County, Nova Scotia|Guysborough County]]
|Southwest = [[Halifax Regional Municipality]]
|West      = [[Colchester County, Nova Scotia|Colchester County]]
|Northwest =
|image     =
}}
{{Subdivisions of Nova Scotia}}
{{Authority control}}

[[Category:Pictou County| ]]
[[Category:County municipalities in Nova Scotia]]
[[Category:Counties of Nova Scotia]]