About Pictou County

Pictou County is a county that resides in the province of Nova Scotia, Canada. Pictou county was established in 1835, and was formerly part of Halifax county from 1759 to 1835. Currently, Pictou is ranked the sixth most populous county in Nova Scotia!

Originally, Pictou was the receiving point for many Scottish immigrants moving to a new home in northern Nova Scotia and Cape Breton Island following the Highland Clearances of the late 18th and early 19th centuries. This resulted in the towns slogan which is “The Birthplace of New Scotland”.

Pictou County is fairly large with a land area of 2,846.28 km2 and includes the towns of New Glasgow, Stellarton, Pictou, Westville, and Trenton. The County is bounded by the Northumberland Strait, Antigonish County, Guysborough County, and Colchester County. The overall population density as measured in 2016 was 7.4/km2 and the predominant language that is spoken in Pictou County is English.

The towns of New Glasgow, Stellarton, Pictou, Westville and Trenton as mentioned above each have their own town councils. The Municipality of Pictou County serves the other remaining rural areas, which also includes Pictou Island. The Pictou County District Planning Commision provides planning, development, and waste disposal services to all the communities in the county.

Resource based industries in the area include but are not limited to coal mining, forestry, fishing and agriculture. Tourism also plays a large part in the economy during the summer time. In 2006, the tourism industry employed approximately 1,200 people and brought in about 45 million dollars to the economy. There are also around 2,400 small and medium-sized businesses that collectively generate more than 15,000 jobs. Pictou County also has a Chamber of Commerce which is a business advocacy group that speaks as a united voice on behalf of the businesses in the community.

Pictou can be considered a tight knit community; many of the towns and villages host their own parades and events throughout the year to put on display their communities pride. For example, Read By The Sea is an annual one day literary festival held in the village of River John. The New Scotland Days Festival in Pictou each September is a celebration of the county’s Scottish heritage. Pictou has also hosted the Lobster Carnival every July since its inception in 1934 and has been voted the best festival in Canada. New Glasgow’s Art at Night is an annual one night art event that takes place in downtown New Glasgow. These are just a few of the notable events that take place in Pictou County every year.

If any of this has piqued your interest, then you’re just scratching the surface on what Pictou County has to offer. So don’t be shy and come visit, or better yet contact one of our local real estate specialists to show you what makes Pictou County such a desirable destination to live.