Discover Pictou County
Through History,
Geography and Maps

Located in the north central part of Nova Scotia (between latitudes 45° 15′ & 45° 50′ N,  longitudes 62° 05′ & 63° 10′ W), Pictou County covers an area of about 2,845 square kilometers, with a population over 43,700 (about half in urban and half in rural areas). It is bounded by Antigonish County to the east, Colchester County to the West, and Guysborough County to the south.

The name Pictou was derived from the Mi’kmaq word “piktook” meaning “explosive place” or “place of explosions” – a reference to the noise caused by the tidal bore action located within Pictou Harbor.

The region has a rich Maritime History, and contains close to 200 km of shorelines. The first settlers here were primarily of Scottish and English descents.  It became a destination for waves of Scottish immigrants, often referred to as the “Pictou Scots,” who were fleeing poverty and overpopulation in Scotland. They arrived in the late 1700s and early 1800s, primarily to work in the county’s timber, fishing, and shipbuilding industries.  The town of Pictou, which is located on the harbor, also became the center of these industries and it developed into an important port for trade and shipping.

During the 1800s, the county also played an important role in Canada’s early industrialization. Iron mines were established in the county and the first industrial-scale steelworks in Canada was established in Trenton, Nova Scotia, by 1883. Coal was discovered at Albion Mines (later became known as the Town of Stellarton) around 1978, and became the dominant industry for about the next 125 years, bringing an influx of immigrants from Europe to the area. During the early 1900s the axis of commerce and industry moved away from Atlantic Canada inland towards Quebec and Ontario.

Today, Pictou County continues to be a place of great natural beauty and is a popular tourist destination, with a vibrant culture and history, celebrated annually by many festival and events.