Digby | |
|---|---|
 An aerial view of Digby | |
 Seal | |
| Nickname: "The Scallop Capital of The World" | |
  Digby Location of Digby, Nova Scotia | |
| Coordinates:44°37′20″N65°45′38″W / 44.62222°N 65.76056°W /44.62222; -65.76056 | |
| Country | Canada |
| Province | Nova Scotia |
| County | Digby |
| Founded | June 1783 |
| Incorporated | February 25, 1890 |
| Electoral Districts Federal | Acadie—Annapolis |
| Provincial | Digby—Annapolis |
| Government | |
| • Type | Town Council |
| • Mayor | Mike Bartlett |
| • Governing Body | Digby Town Council |
| • MLA | Jill Balser(PC) |
| • MP | Chris d'Entremont(L) |
| Area (2021)[1] | |
• Total | 3.16 km2 (1.22 sq mi) |
| Highest elevation | 152 m (499 ft) |
| Lowest elevation | 0 m (0 ft) |
| Population (2021)[1] | |
• Total | 2,001 |
| • Density | 634/km2 (1,640/sq mi) |
| • Change (2016-21) |  2.9% |
| • Dwellings | 1,133 (1,030 occupied) |
| Demonym | Digbyite |
| Time zone | UTC-4 (AST) |
| • Summer (DST) | UTC-3 (ADT) |
| Canadian Postal code | B0V 1A0 |
| Area code | 902 |
| Telephone Exchange | 245 |
| Median Earnings* | 43,200 |
| Website | www |
| |
Digby is a Canadian town in southwesternNova Scotia. It is in the historicalcounty of Digby and a separate municipality from theMunicipality of the District of Digby. The town is situated on the western shore of theAnnapolis Basin near the entrance to theDigby Gut, which connects the basin to theBay of Fundy.
Named afterAdmiral Robert Digby, the town has ascallop fishing fleet. TheMVFundy Rose ferry service connects the town toSaint John, New Brunswick.
Digby is called Oositookun, meaning ear of land, by theMi'kmaq. A small group ofNew England Planters settled in the area of the town in the 1760s naming it Conway.[2] However Digby was formally settled and surveyed as a town in June 1783 by theUnited Empire Loyalists under the leadership of SirRobert Digby.
The town developed a sizable shipping fleet in the 19th century. One famous Digby vessel was the brigantineDei Gratia, which discovered the famous mystery shipMary Celeste in 1872. The town became an important regional transportation centre in the 1890s with the arrival of theDominion Atlantic Railway. Trains connected with a series of steamships such as theCity of Monticello and later theSSPrincess Helene.
Digby's history is preserved and interpreted by theAdmiral Digby Museum, located facing the harbour in the historic Woodrow/Dakin home, one of oldest houses in the town.
Tourism has played an important role in Digby during the 20th century beginning with the establishment of railway and steamship links that opened the town and surrounding communities as an-easy-to-reach destination for larger urban centres in eastern North America. A landmark in this industry was the construction of theDigby Pines Resort on the town's outskirts. Built in 1905 and then purchased in 1917 by theDominion Atlantic Railway, the resort provided a focal point to the local tourism industry with a large expansion in 1927. The Pines attracted notable visitors including early film starTheda Bara who spent her honeymoon there in 1921.[3] Expanded several times since, it was bought by the Government ofNova Scotia after the Dominion Atlantic sold its hotels. About 20 additional motels, inns and bed and breakfast operations are based in Digby making tourism an important employer.[4]
The annual Scallop Days Festival, held the first week of August, brings the fishing and tourism industries together to showcase the town's history and heritage to the tourists. The festival offers a variety of themed activities for all ages, including scallop shucking contests, a parade, and an exhibition of local artists.[5]
Since 2004, Digby has become the destination of the largest motorcycle rally in Atlantic Canada, the annualWharf Rat Rally. It attracts many times the town's population; the town of 2,000 residents grows to 50,000 people, including 25,000 motorcycles. So many that schools and some roads have to close for the day due to crowds and motorcycle traffic.[6] The Wharf Rat Rally event is held the weekend ofLabour Day in August/September each year.[7]
Fishing has been an essential economic activity since the town's settlement. Digby's schooner fishery reached its peak in the early 1900s, documented byFrederick William Wallace. Later, trawlers, especially those harvestingscallops became the mainstay.
The town council consists of a mayor and four councillors. The offices ofDigby County are located immediately adjacent to the town. Digby is represented provincially by the riding ofDigby-Annapolis and federally by the riding ofWest Nova. Numerous provincial and federal services for the county and western Nova Scotia such Access Nova Scotia[8] and the Department of Community and Social Services are located in Digby.[9]
There is aRoyal Canadian Mounted Police (RCMP) station located on Victoria Street.[10]
The Digby General Hospital, located on Warwick Street, provides medical care to the residents of Digby. This includes Emergency Care, Primary Care, Inpatient Care, Restorative Care, Ambulatory Care, Day Surgery, Renal Dialysis.[11] Although they provide emergency care, the Emergency Room does close occasionally due to a lack of physician or nursing coverage. During closures, patients are advised to go to the nearest hospital (Yarmouth or Kentville).[12] As of March 2024, the base cost for a visit to the Emergency Room at the hospital for a non-Canadian visitor is $897.50 Canadian; that fee excludes any doctor's fees, tests, or medicines. Similar charges apply in other hospitals and clinics.
Digby is located approximately 105 km (65 mi) fromYarmouth, and about 230 km (140 mi) fromDowntown Halifax.[13][14]
| Year | Pop. | ±% |
|---|---|---|
| 1901 | 1,150 | — |
| 1911 | 1,247 | +8.4% |
| 1921 | 1,230 | −1.4% |
| 1931 | 1,412 | +14.8% |
| 1941 | 1,657 | +17.4% |
| 1951 | 2,047 | +23.5% |
| 1956 | 2,145 | +4.8% |
| 1961 | 2,308 | +7.6% |
| 1981 | 2,558 | +10.8% |
| 1986 | 2,525 | −1.3% |
| 1991 | 2,311 | −8.5% |
| 1996 | 2,199 | −4.8% |
| 2001 | 2,111 | −4.0% |
| 2006 | 2,092 | −0.9% |
| 2011 | 2,152 | +2.9% |
| 2016 | 2,060 | −4.3% |
| 2021 | 2,001 | −2.9% |
| [15][16][1] | ||
In the2021 Census of Population conducted byStatistics Canada, Digby had a population of2,001 living in1,030 of its1,133 total private dwellings, a change of-2.9% from its 2016 population of2,060. With a land area of 3.16 km2 (1.22 sq mi), it had a population density of633.2/km2 (1,640.1/sq mi) in 2021.[1]
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44°37′20″N65°45′38″W / 44.62222°N 65.76056°W /44.62222; -65.76056 (Digby)
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