List of municipalities in Nova Scotia

Location of Nova Scotia in Canada

Distribution of Nova Scotia's 51 municipalities by municipal status type

Nova Scotia is the seventh-most populous of Canada's provinces and territories with 921,727 residents as of 2011 and is the second-smallest province in land area at approximately 53,000 km² (20,000 sq mi).^[1] Nova Scotia's 51 incorporated municipalities are either regional municipalities, rural municipalities (county municipalities or district municipalities), or towns. Municipalities in Nova Scotia are incorporated under the Municipal Government Act (MGA).^[2] This act gives municipal councils the power to make bylaws for "health, well being, safety and protection of persons" and "safety and protection of property" in addition to a few expressed powers.^[3]

Municipalities

Regional municipalities

Nova Scotia has three regional municipalities. The largest regional municipality by population is Halifax, which is the capital and largest municipality of Nova Scotia by population. Halifax's 390,096 residents represent 42% of the total population of the province. Halifax is also the largest municipality by land area at 5,490.28 km² (2,119.81 sq mi).^[4]

Rural municipalities

County municipalities

Distribution of Nova Scotia's 18 historical counties by municipal status

Of Nova Scotia's 18 historical counties, 9 are incorporated as county municipalities. Of the remaining 9 counties, 3 are now regional municipalities, while municipal governance in the remaining 6 is provided at the local level through a combination of district municipalities and towns.

District municipalities

Nova Scotia has 12 district municipalities. Nova Scotia's largest and smallest district municipalities by population are Lunenburg and St. Mary's with 25,118 and 2,354 residents respectively.^[4] Nova Scotia's largest district municipality by size is Guysborough which spans 2,111.42 km² (815.22 sq mi) and the smallest by size is Yarmouth at 585.75 km² (226.16 sq mi).^[4]

Towns

Distribution of Nova Scotia's 27 towns by population

A town is a type of municipality in the Canadian Province of Nova Scotia. Towns are incorporated by order by the Nova Scotia Utility and Review Board pursuant to sections 383 through 388 of Nova Scotia's MGA.^[5]

Nova Scotia had 31 towns at the time of the 2011 Census.^[4] This total has since been reduced to 27 due to the dissolution of the towns of:

• Canso on July 1, 2012 to become part of the Municipality of the District of Guysborough;^[6][7]
• Bridgetown on April 1, 2015 to become part of the Municipality of the County of Annapolis;^[6]
• Springhill on April 1, 2015 to become part of the Municipality of the County of Cumberland;^[6] and
• Hantsport on July 1, 2015 to become part of the Municipality of the District of West Hants.^[8]

In the 2011 Census, the remaining 27 towns had a cumulative population of 100,588 and an average population of 3,725. Nova Scotia's largest and smallest towns by population are Truro and Annapolis Royal with 12,059 and 481 residents respectively.^[4] These two towns are also Nova Scotia's largest and smallest by land area at 37.63 km² (14.53 sq mi) and 2.04 km² (0.79 sq mi) respectively.^[4]

List of municipalities

Halifax is Nova Scotia's capital and largest municipality by population.

Cape Breton is Nova Scotia's second-most populated municipality.

Municipal type	Population (2011)	Population (2006)	Change (%)	Land area (km²)	Population density (per km^2)
Cape Breton	Regional municipality	97,398	102,250	−4.7	2,433.35	40.0
Halifax	Regional municipality	390,096	372,679	4.7	5,490.28	71.1
Queens	Regional municipality	10,917	11,177	−2.3	2,392.85	4.6
Annapolis[lower-alpha 1]	County municipality	18,526	19,165	−3.3	3,177.49	5.8
Antigonish[lower-alpha 2]	County municipality	15,065	14,600	3.2	1,452.67	10.4
Colchester[lower-alpha 3]	County municipality	37,489	36,837	1.9	3,572.39	10.5
Cumberland[lower-alpha 4]	County municipality	19,180	19,962	−3.9	4,233.48	4.5
Inverness[lower-alpha 5]	County municipality	14,581	15,519	−6.0	3,822.29	3.81
Kings[lower-alpha 6]	County municipality	47,772	47,994	−0.5	2,091.72	22.8
Pictou[lower-alpha 7]	County municipality	21,745	21,982	−1.1	2,798.01	7.8
Richmond	County municipality	9,293	9,740	−4.6	1,244.24	7.5
Victoria	County municipality	7,115	7,594	−6.3	2,870.85	2.5
Argyle	District municipality	align=center| 8,252	8,656	−4.7	1,528.10	5.4
Barrington	District municipality	align=center| 6,994	7,331	−4.6	631.94	11.1
Chester	District municipality	align=center| 10,599	10,741	−1.3	1,122.22	9.4
Clare	District municipality	align=center| 8,319	8,813	−5.6	852.82	9.8
Digby	District municipality	align=center| 7,463	7,986	−6.5	1,655.88	4.5
East Hants	District municipality	align=center| 22,111	21,397	3.3	1,786.47	12.4
Guysborough	District municipality	align=center| 4,189	4,681	−10.5	2,111.42	2.0
Lunenburg	District municipality	align=center| 25,118	25,164	−0.2	1,759.64	14.3
Shelburne	District municipality	align=center| 4,408	4,828	−8.7	1,818.49	2.4
St. Mary's	District municipality	align=center| 2,354	2,587	−9.0	1,909.59	1.2
West Hants	District municipality	align=center| 14,165	13,871	2.1	1,241.95	11.4
Yarmouth	District municipality	align=center| 10,105	10,304	−1.9	585.75	17.3
Amherst	Town	9,717	9,505	2.2	12.02	808.4
Annapolis Royal	Town	481	444	8.3	2.04	235.8
Antigonish	Town	4,524	4,236	6.8	5.15	879.2
Berwick	Town	2,454	2,454	0.0	6.66	368.6
Bridgewater	Town	8,241	7,944	3.7	13.60	605.8
Clark's Harbour	Town	820	860	−4.7	2.90	282.7
Digby	Town	2,152	2,092	2.9	3.14	686.1
Kentville	Town	6,094	5,815	4.8	17.35	351.2
Lockeport	Town	588	646	−9.0	2.32	253.4
Lunenburg	Town	2,313	2,317	−0.2	4.01	576.9
Mahone Bay	Town	943	904	4.3	3.13	301.4
Middleton	Town	1,749	1,829	−4.4	5.44	321.6
Mulgrave	Town	794	879	−9.7	17.81	44.6
New Glasgow	Town	9,562	9,455	1.1	9.93	963.3
Oxford	Town	1,151	1,178	−2.3	10.76	106.9
Parrsboro	Town	1,305	1,401	−6.9	14.88	87.7
Pictou	Town	3,437	3,813	−9.9	7.94	432.9
Port Hawkesbury	Town	3,366	3,517	−4.3	8.11	414.8
Shelburne	Town	1,686	1,879	−10.3	9.00	187.3
Stellarton	Town	4,485	4,717	−4.9	8.99	498.8
Stewiacke	Town	1,438	1,421	1.2	17.67	81.4
Trenton	Town	2,616	2,741	−4.6	6.00	435.7
Truro	Town	12,059	11,765	2.5	37.63	320.5
Westville	Town	3,798	3,805	−0.2	14.39	264.0
Windsor	Town	3,785	3,709	2.0	9.06	417.8
Wolfville	Town	4,269	3,772	13.2	6.45	661.7
Yarmouth	Town	6,761	7,162	−5.6	10.56	640.3
Total regional municipalities	—	498,411	486,106	2.5	10,316.48	48.3
Total county municipalities	—	190,766	193,393	−1.4	25,263.14	7.6
Total district municipalities	—	124,077	126,359	−1.8	17,004.18	7.3
Total towns	—	100,588	100,260	0.3	266.94	376.8
Total municipalities	—	913,842	906,118	0.9	52,850.83	17.3

Former municipalities

Nova Scotia has undergone reforms to local government in the last few decades, which has seen various municipalities dissolve into surrounding municipalities or amalgamate to form larger municipalities. The Municipality of the County of Cape Breton, the City of Sydney, and the towns of Dominion, Glace Bay, Louisbourg, New Waterford, North Sydney, and Sydney Mines dissolved and amalgamated on April 1, 1995 to form the Cape Breton Regional Municipality. The City of Halifax along with the City of Dartmouth, Town of Bedford, and Municipality of the County of Halifax also dissolved and amalgamated on April 1, 1996 to become the Halifax Regional Municipality. The Town of Canso dissolved July 1, 2012 to become part of the Municipality of the District of Guysborough. The Town of Bridgetown dissolved on April 1, 2015 to become part of the Municipality of the County of Annapolis. The Town of Springhill also dissolved on April 1, 2015, becoming part of the Municipality of the County of Cumberland. Most recently, the Town of Hantsport dissolved on July 1, 2015 to become part of the Municipality of the District of West Hants.

See also

• Demographics of Nova Scotia
• Geography of Nova Scotia
• List of census agglomerations in Atlantic Canada
• List of communities in Nova Scotia
• List of counties of Nova Scotia
• List of designated places in Nova Scotia
• List of population centres in Nova Scotia
• List of towns in Nova Scotia
• List of villages in Nova Scotia

Notes

1. Figures exclude the incorporated towns of Annapolis Royal and Middleton.
2. Figures exclude the incorporated town of Antigonish.
3. Figures exclude the incorporated towns of Stewiacke and Truro.
4. Figures exclude the incorporated towns of Amherst, Oxford, and Parrsboro.
5. Figures exclude the incorporated town of Port Hawkesbury.
6. Figures exclude the incorporated towns of Berwick, Kentville, and Wolfville.
7. Figures exclude the incorporated towns of New Glasgow, Pictou, Stellarton, Trenton, and Westville.

References

1. "Population and dwelling counts, for Canada, provinces and territories, 2011 and 2006 censuses". Statistics Canada. January 13, 2014. Retrieved November 22, 2014.
2. http://www.canlii.org/en/ns/laws/stat/sns-1998-c-18/latest/part-1/sns-1998-c-18-part-1.pdf
3. http://www.community.gov.yk.ca/pdf/ma_pt.pdf
4. "Population and dwelling counts, for Canada, provinces and territories, and census subdivisions (municipalities), 2011 and 2006 censuses (Nova Scotia)". Statistics Canada. December 18, 2012. Retrieved January 29, 2013.
5. "Municipal Government Act". Office of the Legislative Counsel, Nova Scotia House of Assembly. June 19, 2012. Retrieved January 29, 2013.
6. "Nova Scotia Annual Report of Municipal Statistics for the fiscal year ended March 31, 2014" (PDF). Nova Scotia Department of Municipal Affairs. pp. 2, 11. Retrieved January 1, 2016.
7. "Decision NSUARB-MB-10-2" (PDF). Nova Scotia Utility and Review Board. January 19, 2012. Retrieved January 29, 2013.
8. "Current Events News: Notice to Hantsport Residents – Special Election District 8". Municipality of the Town of Hantsport. Retrieved January 1, 2016.