Cape Breton County, Nova Scotia
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| Cape Breton County, Nova Scotia Siorramachd Cheap Breatuinn (Gaelic) |
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| — County — | |||
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| Coordinates: 46°00′N 60°18′W / 46.0°N 60.3°WCoordinates: 46°00′N 60°18′W / 46.0°N 60.3°W | |||
| Country |  Canada |
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| Province |  Nova Scotia |
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| Municipality | Cape Breton Regional Municipality | ||
| Electoral Districts Federal |
Cape Breton—Canso / Sydney—Victoria |
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| Provincial | Cape Breton Centre / Cape Breton North / Cape Breton Nova / Cape Breton South / Cape Breton West / Glace Bay | ||
| Government | |||
| • Mayor-Warden | John W. Morgan | ||
| • Council | Cape Breton Regional Council | ||
| Area | |||
| • Total | 2,470.62 km2 (953.91 sq mi) | ||
| Population (2006) | |||
| • Total | 109,330 | ||
| • Density | 44.3/km2 (115/sq mi) | ||
| Time zone | AST (UTC-4) | ||
| Area code(s) | 902 | ||
| Median Earnings* | $40,451 | ||
*Median household income, 2000 ($) (all households)
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Cape Breton County is a county in the Canadian province of Nova Scotia, on Cape Breton Island.
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[edit] History
Taking its name from Cape Breton, the most easterly point of the island which was called after the Bretons of Brittany, the county has what is probably the oldest surviving European name to have been used to designate part of North America.
By proclamation of October 17, 1763 after termination of the Seven Years' War, Cape Breton Island was formally annexed to Nova Scotia. For a time thereafter Cape Breton Island was part of Halifax County. On December 10, 1765, Cape Breton Island was set apart as a separate county under the name Cape Breton County.
From 1784 to 1820, Cape Breton Island was established as a separate colony with a Lieutenant Governor and a nominated Executive Council, but without an elected house of assembly. Not until after Cape Breton Island was re-annexed to Nova Scotia in 1820 did it receive representation in an elected legislature.
Although subdivided into three districts in 1824, Cape Breton County was co-extensive with Cape Breton Island from 1820 to 1835 when the county was divided into three separate and distinct counties:
- Cape Breton (Northeastern District)
- Richmond (Southern District) later called Richmond County
- Juste au Corps (Northwest District) later called Inverness County
In 1851, Victoria County was formed out of the northeastern part of Cape Breton County and a year later, in 1852, the present boundaries of Cape Breton County were defined by the colonial government in Halifax.
[edit] Municipal government
Cape Breton County had several incorporated municipalities within its boundaries:
- City of Sydney
- Town of Glace Bay
- Town of New Waterford
- Town of North Sydney
- Town of Sydney Mines
- Town of Louisbourg
The remaining rural unincorporated areas of the county were served by a county government called the Municipality of the County of Cape Breton which incorporated in 1962, providing limited services as policing (RCMP), fire, and garbage pick up.
In the early 1990s the provincial government began to examine duplication of municipal services in Nova Scotia. One of the recommendations arising from this study was that all of Cape Breton County be amalgamated. In August 1995 all seven municipal units in the county were dissolved and replaced by a single tier municipality called the Cape Breton Regional Municipality (CBRM).
The new regional municipality's boundary included all of Cape Breton County except for the Eskasoni and Membertou First Nations.
Cape Breton County continues to exist as a county in Nova Scotia, however all municipal government and service delivery is provided by either the Regional Municipality or the First Nations with no additional county level government or administration.
[edit] Communities
For a list of communities in Cape Breton County see: List of communities
