Port Hawkesbury, Nova Scotia, also known as Baile a' Chlamhain in Scottish Gaelic, is a charming municipality nestled in southern Cape Breton Island, Canada. Although it lies within the historical county of Inverness, it is not part of the Municipality of Inverness County.
The history of Port Hawkesbury dates back to the end of glaciation around 13,500 years ago, with the region becoming largely ice-free 11,000 years ago. The earliest evidence of Palaeo-Indian settlement in the region follows rapidly after deglaciation. Several thousand years ago, the province's territory became part of the Mi'kmaq nation of Mi'kma'ki, which includes present-day Maritimes, parts of Maine, Newfoundland, and the Gaspé Peninsula. Port Hawkesbury is located in the traditional Mi'kmaw district of Unama'ki.
In 1605, French colonists established the first permanent European settlement in future Canada at Port Royal, founding what would become known as Acadia. The first European settlements on Île Royale (as the French called Unama'ki) were established at present-day Englishtown in 1629 and the following year at St. Peter's, just 40 kilometres away from present-day Port Hawkesbury. However, neither settlement lasted past 1659. European settlers did not return to the island until Louisbourg was re-established by the French in 1713. By 1763, most of Acadia, including what had now become Cape Breton Island, had come under British control.
Port Hawkesbury was founded in 1789 as Ship Harbour and was later renamed in honour of Admiral Sir Edward Hawke, who commanded the ship that brought Governor Edward Cornwallis to Halifax. Incorporated in 1889, the community built ships for the timber export trade in the early and mid-19th century. Today, the town is largely a service centre for western Cape Breton Island, with many of its residents working in large industries, particularly the pulp and paper plant in the industrial park located in the adjacent community of Point Tupper, Richmond County.
The municipality of Port Hawkesbury spans an area of 8.1 square kilometres and boasts a population density of 396.6 persons per square kilometre as of 2016. This contrasts with the provincial land area of 52,940 square kilometres and a population density of 17.4 persons per square kilometre.
Port Hawkesbury experiences a Humid continental climate (Dfb). Due to its proximity to surrounding bodies of water, seasons tend to be delayed compared to areas further inland. Precipitation is high, with fall and winter being the wettest times of the year and summer being the driest. Winters are cold, snowy, and stormy with frequent snowstorms, while summer is the most pleasant time of year, with significantly less precipitation and warm temperatures.
In the 2021 Census of Population conducted by Statistics Canada, Port Hawkesbury had a population of 3,210 living in 1,415 of its 1,523 total private dwellings, a slight decrease of -0.1% from its 2016 population of 3,214. With a land area of 8.1 km2, it had a population density of 396.3/km2 in 2021.
