New Glasgow, Nova Scotia, is a charming town nestled in Pictou County, Canada. It's located on the banks of the East River of Pictou, which flows into Pictou Harbour, a sub-basin of the Northumberland Strait. With a population of 9,075 as per the 2016 census, New Glasgow is the heart of the province's fourth-largest urban area. This article explores the rich history, geography, climate, and culture of New Glasgow, Nova Scotia.
Scottish immigrants, including those aboard the ship Hector in 1773, settled the area of the East River of Pictou during the late 18th and early 19th centuries. Deacon Thomas Fraser first settled the area at the head of navigation on the East River of Pictou in 1784. The settlement was officially named "New Glasgow", after Glasgow in Scotland, in 1809, the same year its first trading post was developed.
The discovery of large coal deposits in the East River valley during the early 19th century saw New Glasgow, at the head of navigation, quickly develop into a manufacturing and port community. In 1829, a horse-drawn tramway was built using standard gauge rails from the settlement of Albion Mines (now Stellarton) to a wharf near New Glasgow. This was the first use of standard gauge rails in what would become Canada.
Talk of amalgamating the six municipal units in Pictou County has increased in recent years. Among the reasons for this, small towns adjacent to New Glasgow are having a hard time coping financially on their own due to the declining economy. Also, Pictou County has the most politicians per capita in Canada. With the Government of Nova Scotia having already amalgamated Halifax County, Cape Breton County, and Queens County into regional municipalities, Pictou County residents feel it is only a matter of time before that concept is introduced in Pictou County.
New Glasgow is located on Nova Scotia's north shore, 165 km (103 mi) northeast of Halifax, 110 km (68 mi) west of the Canso Causeway to Cape Breton and 20 km (12 mi) south of the Prince Edward Island ferry at Caribou. The town can be easily accessed from several exits off the Trans Canada Highway. It is in the Atlantic Time Zone, four hours behind UTC.
Köppen-Geiger climate classification system classifies New Glasgow's climate as humid continental (Dfb), with rainy and snowy cold winters and warm humid summers. The highest temperature ever recorded in New Glasgow was 36.0 °C (97 °F) on 10 August 2001. The coldest temperature ever recorded was −39.4 °C (−39 °F) on 2 February 1961.
In the 2021 Census of Population conducted by Statistics Canada, New Glasgow had a population of 9,471 living in 4,445 of its 4,782 total private dwellings, a change of 4.4% from its 2016 population of 9,075. With a land area of 9.96 km2 (3.85 sq mi), it had a population density of 950.9/km2 (2,462.8/sq mi) in 2021.
New Glasgow is divided into several neighbourhoods, each with its unique charm and character. These include the South End, Downtown, East Side, North End, and West Side. Each neighbourhood offers a unique blend of commercial and residential areas, with various amenities and attractions.
New Glasgow is home to several museums, including the Carmichael Stewart House Heritage Museum, local Military Museum, and local Sports Hall of Fame. The Glasgow Square Theatre, located on the downtown riverfront, is a 285-seat auditorium that hosts year-round concerts, plays, and other community functions. The theatre can be transformed into an outdoor amphitheatre, one of the few theatres in Canada (if not the only) that can do that.
New Glasgow's oldest summer event, The Festival of the Tartans, is a celebration of the town's Scottish roots. The town also hosts the New Glasgow Riverfront Jubilee during the first weekend in August, and the Race on the River Dragon Boat Festival in mid-August. These events feature local and national musical acts and teams representing local companies and organizations paddling along the East River to raise money for local charities.
