Clare, officially named the Municipality of the District of Clare, is a district municipality in south Nova Scotia, Canada. Statistics Canada classifies the district municipality as a municipal district.

Geography The Municipality of the District of Clare occupies the western half of Digby County. Most of the municipality's settled areas are located along St. Marys Bay, a sub-basin of the Gulf of Maine.

History The township was settled in 1768 by Acadian families who had returned to Nova Scotia from exile. Prior to the establishment of Clare, the Mi'kmaq knew the area as Wagweiik. The mouth of Salmon River is thought to be a traditional summer settlement of the Mi'kmaq and several artifacts have been found there, as well as at Meteghan, Major's Point and other sites . Place names like Hectanooga, Mitihikan (Meteghan), and Chicaben (Church Point) are found in the area. They also had a principal settlement by River Allen near Cape Sainte-Marie used for fishing and as a canoe route . The Mi'kmaq also used a fishing weir system for catching mackerel and herring that they taught to the new settlers, which they continued to use until well into the 1900s, and fish drying techniques that continue today. They also caught eels, seals, clams, urchins and other sea life, as well as berries, medicinal plants and other coastal resources. As new settlers arrived in the 1760s–1780s, the Mi'kmaq were instrumental in helping the new Acadians survive and become skilled in surviving the harsh winters along the coast. By the 1800s most Mi'kmaq had left the area to live on the Reserve in Bear River, while still returning for fishing, hunting, trade and ceremony throughout the year. It was named "Clare" by then Lieutenant Governor of Nova Scotia, Michael Francklin. The name comes from the County Clare in Ireland.

Present day The municipality is inhabited by many Acadians and their descendants and conducts its business in both English and French, although the official language is English and both languages are used. The only French university in the province of Nova Scotia, Université Sainte-Anne, is located in Church Point (Pointe-de-l'Église / Chicoben) and 47% of the adult population has a postsecondary education. The area hosts the oldest and largest annual Acadian Festival, as well as Nova Scotia's first Gran Fondo cycling event, which was cancelled in 2020 due to COVID-19, but resumed again in 2023.

Demographics

In the 2021 Census of Population conducted by Statistics Canada, the Municipality of the District of Clare had a population of living in of its total private dwellings, a change of from its 2016 population of . With a land area of , it had a population density of in 2021.

+ Mother tongue language (2016) Language Population Pct (%) French 4,775 62.19% English 2,775 33.64% Other languages 85 1.04

+ Ethnic Groups (2016) Ethnic Origin Population Pct (%) Canadian 3795 47.3% French 3380 42.1% Acadian 2215 27.6% Métis 1395 17.3% English 1310 16.3% Irish 860 10.7% Scottish 570 7.1% First Nations 485 6.0% German 260 3.2%

Communities

Access routes Highways and numbered routes that run through the district municipality, including external routes that start or finish at the municipal boundary:Atlantic Canada Back Road Atlas Page 84

Highways

Trunk Routes

Collector Routes:

External Routes: None

Culture Musical groups from the area include: Grand Dérangement Blou Radio Radio BeauPhare DPS Sweet Tuesday Cy

The song M'en allant par Saulnierville Station written by Denis Comeau and recorded by Suroît is a song about the local community of Saulnierville Station.

Musicians from the area include: P'tit Belliveau Arthur Comeau Johnny Comeau Jacobus Marc à Paul à Jos Kenneth Saulnier Micaela Comeau [Just Micci]

Filmmaker: Phil Comeau

See also List of francophone communities in Nova Scotia List of municipalities in Nova Scotia

References

External links