Lunenburg County, Nova Scotia

County in Nova Scotia, Canada

44°30′N 64°30′W / 44.5°N 64.5°W / 44.5; -64.5CountryCanadaProvinceNova ScotiaDistrict
municipalitiesChester / LunenburgTownsBridgewater / Lunenburg / Mahone BayEstablishedAugust 17, 1759Divided into District MunicipalitiesApril 17, 1879Electoral Districts
Federal
South Shore–St. Margaret's ProvincialChester-St. Margaret's / Lunenburg / Lunenburg WestArea

^[2]

• Land2,906.47 km² (1,122.19 sq mi)Population

(2021)^[2]^[3]

• Total48,599 • Density16.7/km² (43/sq mi)Time zoneUTC-4 (AST) • Summer (DST)UTC-3 (ADT)Area code902Dwellings24,786Median Income*$43,257 CDN

Median household income, 2005 (all households)

Lunenburg County is a historical county and census division on the South Shore of the Canadian province of Nova Scotia. Major settlements include Bridgewater, Lunenburg, and Mahone Bay.

History

Named in honour of the British king who was also the duke of Brunswick-Lüneburg, it was established in 1759, when the Nova Scotia peninsula was divided into five counties. The county became smaller when new counties were created from its boundaries: Queens (1762), Hants (1781), Shelburne (1784), and Sydney (1784).

By Chapter 52 of the Statutes of 1863, Lunenburg County was divided into two districts for court sessional purposes – Chester and Lunenburg. That statute provided authority for the appointment of a Custos Rotulorum and for the establishment of a general sessions of the peace for the District of Chester, with the same powers as if it were a separate county. In 1879, the two districts were incorporated as district municipalities.

Governance

Today the county has no legal status, although its borders are coincident with the five municipalities contained within it:

the municipality of the District of Chester
the municipality of the District of Lunenburg
the town of Bridgewater
the town of Lunenburg
the town of Mahone Bay

The above municipalities comprise the entire territory of the county.^[4]

There are three Sipekneꞌkatik First Nation reserves in the county:

Demographics

As a census division in the 2021 Census of Population conducted by Statistics Canada, Lunenburg County had a population of 48,599 living in 22,443 of its 27,092 total private dwellings, a change of 3.1% from its 2016 population of 47,126. With a land area of 2,906.47 km² (1,122.19 sq mi), it had a population density of 16.7/km² (43.3/sq mi) in 2021.^[5]

Population trend^[6]^[7]

Census	Population	Change (%)
1871	23,834	N/A
1881	28,583	19.93%
1891	31,075	8.72%
1901	32,389	4.23%
1911	33,260	2.69%
1921	33,742	1.45%
1931	31,674	6.13%
1941	32,942	1.45%
1981	45,746	N/A
1986	46,483	2.5%
1991	47,634	4.1%
1996	47,561	0.2%
2001	47,591	0.1%
2006	47,150	0.9%
2011	47,313	0.3%
2016	47,126	0.4%
2021	48,599	3.1%

Mother tongue language (2011)^[8]

Language	Population	Pct (%)
English only	45,305	96.83%
French only	525	1.12%
Non-official languages	805	1.72%
Multiple responses	150	0.32%

Ethnic Groups (2006)^[9]

Ethnic Origin	Population	Pct (%)
Canadian	19,265	41.3%
German	16,290	34.9%
English	13,405	28.8%
Scottish	8,655	18.6%
French	6,360	13.6%
Irish	6,155	13.2%
Dutch (Netherlands)	3,105	6.7%
North American Indian	1,930	4.1%
Welsh	1,000	2.1%

Religious make-up (2001)^[10]

Religion	Population	Pct (%)
Protestant	34,220	72.80%
No religious affiliation	6,810	14.49%
Catholic	5,230	11.13%
Christian n.i.e.	535	1.14%
Muslim	80	0.17%
Jewish	70	0.15%
Christian Orthodox	20	0.04%
Hindu	20	0.04%
Buddhist	15	0.03%
Other religions	10	0.02%

Access routes

Highways and numbered routes that run through the county, including external routes that start or finish at the county boundary:^[11]

Highways
- Hwy 103

Trunk Routes

Collector Routes:
- Route 208
- Route 210
- Route 324
- Route 325
- Route 329
- Route 331
- Route 332

External Routes:
- None

References

^ "Terry's off".
^ ^a ^b "2006 Statistics Canada Community Profile: Lunenburg County, Nova Scotia". Archived from the original on 2011-07-06. Retrieved 2009-10-04.
^ [1] Population and dwelling counts, for Canada and census subdivisions (municipalities), 2006 and 2001 censuses - 100% data
^ Municipal Government Act
^ "Population and dwelling counts: Canada and census divisions". Statistics Canada. February 9, 2022. Retrieved April 2, 2022.
^ Censuses 1871-1941
^ Statistics Canada: 1996, 2001, 2006 census
^ Statistics Canada: 2011 census
^ 2006 Statistics Canada Census Ethnocultural Portrait of Canada: Lunenburg County, Nova Scotia
^ [2] Religious make-up, for Lunenburg County, 2001 census - 100% data
^ Atlantic Canada Back Road Atlas ISBN 978-1-55368-618-7 Pages 78-80, 86-87