Yarmouth County

Yarmouth County is a rural county in the Canadian province of Nova Scotia. It has both traditional Anglo-Scottish and Acadian French culture as well as significant inland wilderness areas, including over 365 lakes and several major rivers. It comprises three municipalities: the Town of Yarmouth, the Municipality of the District of Yarmouth, and the Municipality of the District of Argyle.

History The name Yarmouth first appeared as a projected township in Nova Scotia in 1759. There is some speculation it was named after Yarmouth, Massachusetts, as some of the earliest English settlers arrived from Cape Cod on 9 June 1761. It is more likely the township was named after Lady Yarmouth, a mistress of King George II.

Originally the area was part of Lunenburg County. In 1761 it became part of Queens County; in 1784 it became part of Shelburne County and finally became a county on its own in 1836. The description of Yarmouth County was modified in 1846. It was then divided into two districts for court sessional purposes in 1856 – Yarmouth and Argyle. These two districts were subsequently incorporated as district municipalities in 1879. The county was a major international shipbuilding centre in the 19th century, producing hundreds of ships including the namesake County of Yarmouth in 1884.

In the second half of the 19th century, Yarmouth was the site of the creation of the Nova Scotia Duck Tolling Retriever.

Geography The only town in the county is Yarmouth, which is one of three municipalities that comprise the county. The others are the Municipality of the District of Yarmouth and the Municipality of the District of Argyle. There are no incorporated villages in the county. The county also includes the Acadia First Nations, Yarmouth Reserve 33.

Bunker's Island peninsula is located in Yarmouth Harbour.

Communities

Towns Yarmouth

Reserves Yarmouth 33

District municipalities Municipality of the District of Argyle Municipality of the District of Yarmouth

Demographics As a census division in the 2021 Census of Population conducted by Statistics Canada, Yarmouth County 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.

Population trendCensuses 1871-1941 Canada Yearbook 1943-1944Statistics Canada: 1996, 2001, 2006 censusCensus 1941-1951. Census Population Change (%) 2021 24,947 2.2% 2016 24,419 3.4% 2011 25,275 3.8% 2006 26,277 2.1% 2001 26,843 1.7% 1996 27,310 2.1% 1991 27,891 3.0% 1986 27,073 2.9% 1981 26,290 4.1% 1976 25,210 2.1% 1971 24,682 4.6% 1966 23,552 0.7% 1961 23,386 4.3% 1941 22,415 7.0% 1931 20,939 6.8% 1921 22,374 3.8% 1911 23,220 1.5% 1901 22,869 2.9% 1891 22,216 4.4% 1881 21,284 14.7% 1871 18,550 N/A

Mother tongue language (2016)2016 Census Language Population Pct (%) English 18,765 77.96% French 4,715 19.59% Non-official languages 290 1.20% English and French 265 1.10% English and non-official language 35 0.14% French and non-official language 5 0.02%

Ethnic groups (2006)2006 Statistics Canada Census Ethnocultural Portrait of Canada: Yarmouth County, Nova Scotia Ethnic origin Population Pct (%) Canadian 13,265 51.3% French 10,075 39.0% English 8,340 32.2% Scottish 3,995 15.4% Irish 3,215 12.4% Métis 2,740 10.6% Acadian 1,825 7.1% North American Indian 1,460 5.6% German 1,330 5.1% Dutch (Netherlands) 405 1.6%

+ Religion (2011)Statistics Canada National Household Survey, for Municipality of Yarmouth, 2011 census - 100% data Religion Population Pct (%) Catholic 11,050 55.92% No religious affiliation 5,040 25.51% Baptist 4,575 23.15% Other Christian 1,985 10.04% Anglican 730 3.69% United Church 585 2.96% Pentecostal 515 2.61% Muslim 55 0.28% Presbyterian 50 0.25% Buddhist 45 0.23% Lutheran 35 0.18% Other religions 30 0.15% Jewish 20 0.10% Traditional (Aboriginal) Spirituality 20 0.10% Hindu 15 0.08%

Income (2006) Income type By CAD Per capita income $19,856 Median Household Income $41,744 Median Family Income $50,019

Notable people Edgar Archibald (1885–1968), agricultural scientist Lucy Anne Rogers Butler (1841–1906), writer and social justice advocate Zach Churchill (b. 1984), Canadian politician Ryan Graves (b. 1995), Hockey player for the Pittsburgh Penguins

Yarmouth County

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