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Cape Breton County | |
|---|---|
County | |
 Location of Cape Breton County, Nova Scotia | |
| Coordinates:46°00′N60°18′W / 46.0°N 60.3°W /46.0; -60.3 | |
| Country | Canada |
| Province | Nova Scotia |
| Municipality | Cape Breton Regional Municipality |
| Established | December 10, 1765 |
| Separated into Colony | 1784 |
| Reannexed to Nova Scotia | 1820 |
| Incorporated | April 17, 1879 |
| Amalgamated | August 1, 1995 |
| Electoral Districts Federal | Cape Breton—Canso /Sydney—Victoria |
| Provincial | Cape Breton Centre /Cape Breton North /Cape Breton Nova /Cape Breton South /Cape Breton West /Glace Bay |
| Government | |
| • Mayor-Warden | Amanda McDougall |
| • Council | Cape Breton Regional Council |
| Area | |
• Total | 2,470.62 km2 (953.91 sq mi) |
| Population (2006) | |
• Total | 109,330 |
| • Density | 44.3/km2 (115/sq mi) |
| Time zone | UTC-4 (AST) |
| Area code | 902 |
| Median Earnings* | $40,451 |
Part of a series aboutPlaces in Nova Scotia | |
Cape Breton County is one of eighteencounties in the Canadianprovince ofNova Scotia. It is located onCape Breton Island.
From 1879 to 1995, the area of the county excluded from towns and cities was incorporated as theMunicipality of the County of Cape Breton to provide local government services. Since 1995 the only municipality in the county has been a single-tier municipality calledCape Breton Regional Municipality. For statistical purposes, theFirst Nationsreserves ofEskasoni 3 andMembertou 28B are included in the county, but are separate entities.
Taking its name from Cape Breton, the most easterly point of the island which was called after theBretons ofBrittany, the county has what is probably the oldest surviving European name to have been used to designate part of North America.
By proclamation of October 17, 1763 after termination of theSeven Years' War,Cape Breton Island was formally annexed to Nova Scotia. For a time thereafter Cape Breton Island was part ofHalifax County. On December 10, 1765, Cape Breton Island was set apart as a separate county under the nameCape Breton County.
From 1784 to 1820, Cape Breton Island was established as a separatecolony with a Lieutenant Governor and a nominated Executive Council, but without an elected house of assembly. Not until after Cape Breton Island was re-annexed to Nova Scotia in 1820 did it receive representation in an elected legislature.
Although subdivided into three districts in 1824, Cape Breton County was co-extensive with Cape Breton Island from 1820 to 1835 when the county was divided into three separate and distinct counties:
In 1851,Victoria County was formed out of the northeastern part of Cape Breton County and a year later, in 1852, the present boundaries of Cape Breton County were defined by the colonial government in Halifax.
As acensus division in the2021 Census of Population conducted byStatistics Canada, Cape Breton County had a population of98,318 living in43,799 of its48,020 total private dwellings, a change of-0.4% from its 2016 population of98,722. With a land area of 2,457.21 km2 (948.73 sq mi), it had a population density of40.0/km2 (103.6/sq mi) in 2021.[1]
Trunk 4
Trunk 22
Trunk 28
Hwy 105 (TCH)
Hwy 125
Hwy 162
Route 216
Route 223
Route 239
Route 255
Route 305
Route 327Cape Breton County had several incorporated municipalities within its boundaries:
In the early 1990s the provincial government began to examine duplication of municipal services in Nova Scotia. One of the recommendations arising from this study was that all of Cape Breton County be amalgamated. On August 1, 1995, all seven municipal units in the county were dissolved and replaced by a single tier municipality called theCape Breton Regional Municipality (CBRM).
The new regional municipality's boundary included all of Cape Breton County except for theEskasoni andMembertouFirst Nations.
Cape Breton County continues to exist as a county in Nova Scotia, but all municipal government and service delivery is provided by either the Cape Breton Regional Municipality or the First Nations, with no additional county level government or administration or any lower-level town or city-level government or administration.
| Regional municipalities | | |
|---|---|---|
| First Nations | ||
| Indian reserves | ||
| Former municipalities | ||
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