Mulgrave, Nova Scotia

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Mulgrave
Mulgrave Post Office
Mulgrave Post Office
Official seal of Mulgrave
Seal
Nickname(s): 
Deep Water Port
Motto(s): 
"Come be a part of our Family"
Mulgrave is located in Nova Scotia
Mulgrave
Mulgrave
Location of Mulgrave, Nova Scotia
Coordinates: 45°36′48″N 61°23′30″W / 45.61333°N 61.39167°W / 45.61333; -61.39167Coordinates: 45°36′48″N 61°23′30″W / 45.61333°N 61.39167°W / 45.61333; -61.39167
Country Canada
Province Nova Scotia
MunicipalityGuysborough County
Founded1800
IncorporatedDecember 1, 1923
Government
 • MayorRalph Hadley[1]
 • Governing BodyMulgrave Town Council
 • MLALloyd Hines (L)
 • MPRodger Cuzner (L)
Area
 (2016)[2]
 • Total17.83 km2 (6.88 sq mi)
Elevation
48 m (157 ft)
Population
 • Total722
 • Density40.5/km2 (105/sq mi)
Time zoneUTC-4 (AST)
Postal code
B0E 2G0
Area code(s)902
Telephone Exchange747
Median Earnings*$40,339
NTS Map011F11
GNBC CodeCBAQK
Websitewww.townofmulgrave.ca
  • Median household income, 2005 ($) (all households)

Mulgrave is a town on the Strait of Canso in Guysborough County, Nova Scotia, Canada. The town's current name was adopted in 1859 to honour the colonial Lieutenant Governor, the Earl of Mulgrave. The town of Mulgrave lies on the Strait of Canso opposite the town of Port Hawkesbury.

History[edit]

Mulgrave was first settled as McNair's Cove by British Loyalists fleeing from the American Revolution and soon became a part of the lumber trade with the English in the early part of the nineteenth century. In 1818, the lumber trade ended and the economy shifted to fishing, becoming by 1830 the major occupation. In 1833, a ferry service began between the Nova Scotia mainland and Cape Breton Island began. The ferry made an important contribution to the local economy. Steam power was introduced in 1863, boosting the amount of traffic that could be ferried.

The economy was badly affected however, when in 1870 trade agreements in the fishing industry were cancelled to protect the American fish market, and the local fishing industry collapsed. Gradually, people began moving away, and by 1880 more than a third of the population moved, mainly to New England in search of employment.[3]

The Scotia rail ferry on the Strait of Canso around the turn of the twentieth century

By the early 1900s the railroad industry had now become the main industry and Mulgrave was becoming a bustling terminal, equipped with freight sheds, marshalling yards, and auxiliary services of an efficient railway centre. Adding to the economy were a new lobster factory and a new rail ferry, which further increased capacity across the Strait of Canso to Port Hawkesbury. Ferry service through Mulgrave provided a rail and road gateway for traffic from mainland Nova Scotia and the rest of Canada to Cape Breton and Newfoundland. In 1923, the community was incorporated as a town.

In 1955, Mulgrave suffered a new blow to its economy with the opening of the Canso Causeway which immediately removed both road and rail traffic through the town. Recovery has been slow.

Demographics[edit]

Historical population
YearPop.±%
19561,227—    
19611,145−6.7%
19811,099−4.0%
1991935−14.9%
1996896−4.2%
YearPop.±%
2001904+0.9%
2006879−2.8%
2011794−9.7%
2016722−9.1%
[4] [5]

In the 2016 Census of Population conducted by Statistics Canada, the Town of Mulgrave recorded a population of 722 living in 310 of its 327 total private dwellings, a change of −9.1% from its 2011 population of 794. With a land area of 17.83 km2 (6.88 sq mi), it had a population density of 40.5/km2 (104.9/sq mi) in 2016.[2]

Public services[edit]

The headquarters of the Eastern Counties Regional Library is in Mulgrave.

Notable residents[edit]

  • Wallace MacDonald (b. may 5 1891) - silent film actor and director (d. Santa Barbar California

See also[edit]

References[edit]

  1. ^ http://www.townofmulgrave.ca/mayor-and-town-council.html
  2. ^ a b c "Population and dwelling counts, for Canada, provinces and territories, and census subdivisions (municipalities), 2016 and 2011 censuses – 100% data (Nova Scotia)". Statistics Canada. February 8, 2017. Retrieved February 12, 2017.
  3. ^ Town of Mulgrave, History of Mulgrave
  4. ^ Census 1956-1961
  5. ^ "I:\ecstats\Agency\BRIAN\census2" (PDF). Archived from the original (PDF) on 2013-10-05. Retrieved 2013-11-01.

External links[edit]