When St. Mary's Township was established in 1818 it was partly in Sydney County and partly in Halifax County. In 1822 that part of St. Mary's Township which had been in Halifax County was annexed to the County of Sydney.
In 1836 Sydney County was diminished in size when Guysborough County was established out of what had been part of it. In 1863 the name of the County of Sydney was changed to Antigonish County. The word Antigonish is of Mi'kmaq origin, possibly derived from Nalegitkoonecht meaning "where branches are torn off". It is said that there were bears in the area that broke down branches to get beech nuts.
In 1879, the province officially incorporated the County of Antigonish as a municipality.[6]
In 2001, the Town of Antigonish applied to annex 1,600 hectares from the surrounding county so it could expand. The Municipality responded that the annexation would hurt its tax base so it instead applied for a total merger, or amalgamation. The issue was sent to the Nova Scotia Utility and Review Board, and in 2005 it was decided that amalgamation of the Town and Municipality would better serve both parties. The board also ordered a plebiscite, promising to consider the results when making a final decision. The results were mixed, with 84% of Municipality residents voting yes to amalgamation and 74% of Town residents voting no. Voter turn-out was 45%. The board ultimately rejected the proposal for amalgamation, citing lack of public support.[7]
As a census division in the 2021 Census of Population conducted by Statistics Canada, Antigonish County had a population of 20,129 living in 8,711 of its 10,145 total private dwellings, a change of 4.3% from its 2016 population of 19,301. With a land area of 1,456.42 km2 (562.33 sq mi), it had a population density of 13.8/km2 (35.8/sq mi) in 2021.[8]
Forming the majority of the Antigonish County census division, the Municipality of the County of Antigonish, including its Subdivisions A and B, had a population of 15,101 living in 6,371 of its 7,327 total private dwellings, a change of 3.5% from its 2016 population of 14,584. With a land area of 1,448.72 km2 (559.35 sq mi), it had a population density of 10.4/km2 (27.0/sq mi) in 2021.[9]
Canada
Nova Scotia
4.3%
