Elmsdale, Nova Scotia

Elmsdale
Elmsdale
	Elmsdale Location within Nova Scotia
	Coordinates: 44°58′3″N 63°30′16″W / 44.96750°N 63.50444°W
Country	Canada
Province	Nova Scotia
Municipality	East Hants Municipality
District	2
Government
• Type	Regional Council
• Governing body	Municipal Council of East Hants
Area
• Land	2.99 km2 (1.15 sq mi)
Population (2021)
• Total	413
• Density	138.1/km2 (358/sq mi)
Time zone	UTC-4 (AST)
• Summer (DST)	UTC-3 (ADT)
Postal code	B2S
Area code	902
GNBC Code	CALGE

Elmsdale is an unincorporated community in Nova Scotia, Canada, located on the boundary of the East Hants Municipality and Halifax Regional Municipality.

History

Elmsdale owes its early growth to the construction of the Shubenacadie Canal and the Nova Scotia Railway. Demand for workers on these projects brought many new families into the area. One of the earliest was William Read who was granted 200 acres (0.81 km²) of land in 1785 at the confluence of the Nine Mile River and the Shubenacadie River.

In 1852, Alexander Fraser built the first house in what is now in the village proper, about 100 yards (91 m) from the railway crossing. In the next six years more houses were constructed near the crossing, including a hotel and a boarding house for railway workers.

The Elmsdale Presbyterian Church was completed in 1862. Its pastor, Rev. John Cameron and family came from Nine Mile River to live in the large residence he had built on the crest of a gentle slope overlooking the village. This house is still in existence and is currently The Briarwood Bed and Breakfast.

Geography

Elmsdale is centrally located in the province, between Truro and Halifax. The community is divided by the Shubenacadie River from the Halifax Regional Municipality.

Demographics

In the 2021 Census of Population conducted by Statistics Canada, Elmsdale had a population of 413 living in 167 of its 179 total private dwellings, a change of 14.7% from its 2016 population of 360. With a land area of 2.99 km² (1.15 sq mi), it had a population density of 138.1/km² (357.7/sq mi) in 2021.^[3]

Notable people

Hanson Dowell (1906–2000), president of the Canadian Amateur Hockey Association and member of the Nova Scotia House of Assembly^[4]

References

^ ^a ^b "Place names: Elmsdale". Canadian Geographical Names Database. Natural Resources Canada. Retrieved 1 February 2025.
^ "East Hants Municipal Electoral Districts 2024" (PDF). Municipality of East Hants. Retrieved 1 February 2025.
^ ^a ^b ^c "Population and dwelling counts: Canada and designated places". Statistics Canada. February 9, 2022. Retrieved May 9, 2022.
^ "Dowell, Hanson T. (The Honourable, QC) — 94". The Chronicle Herald. Halifax, Nova Scotia. September 25, 2000. p. 37. Archived from the original on October 4, 2021. Retrieved December 7, 2020.