Truro

Truro, NS, incorporated as a town in 1875, population 12 059 (2011c), 11 765 (2006c). The Town of Truro is located along the Salmon River 100 km northeast of Halifax on Cobequid Bay, MINAS BASIN. The MIKMAQ had a village along the river and their name for the area described how the powerful TIDES affected the rivers flow near its mouth. Today their descendants form the nearby Millbrook First Nation.

A land grant including the area was awarded in 1689 by Louis XIV, and ACADIANS were present as early as 1701, finally leaving in 1755 in the turbulent year of the expulsion. The Acadians spelled the Mikmaq name as Cobequit (or Cobequid), and it received its present name in 1759 from New England settlers and likely honours Truro in Cornwall, Eng. Transports of settlers arrived in the 1760s and further development of the town began.

A major railway centre since the days of the INTERCOLONIAL RAILWAY, Truro is a terminus for people travelling to most parts of Nova Scotia. Metal foundries, machinery, printing and lumbering have bolstered the economy in the past. The Brookfield Dairy Co (purchased in 1972 by Scotsburn Dairy and located here since 1894) is a major employer. Stanfield's Textile Mills, the towns oldest surviving industry established in 1870, is still a large employer. In addition, Crossley Carpet Mills Ltd, a polymer manufacturer, and Andrs Wines Ltd (now Andrew Peller Ltd), are located in Truro. Always a thriving farming area, Truro is home to the NOVA SCOTIA AGRICULTURAL COLLEGE (founded in 1905), the one agricultural college in Atlantic Canada. The Nova Scotia Teachers College (1855-1997) was also located here and its facilities are now used as a campus of Nova Scotia Community College.

Author JANICE MILTON

Links to Other Sites
Truro
The official web site of the Town of Truro, NS.

Colchester County
The official web site of Colchester County, located on the Bay of Fundy in Nova Scotia.

Bird's Eye Views of Nova Scotia's Historic Places
Check out the interactive maps and travel along a nineteenth century street. Click on a highlighted building or place and see what it looks like today. And, find out about its heritage value and preservation history from the Nova Scotia Register of Historic Places.

Millbrook First Nation
The website for the Millbrook First Nation. Check out the history of this Mi'kmaq community, news about current events, language links, and more.

Atlantic Provinces Chambers of Commerce
The website for the Atlantic Provinces Chambers of Commerce (APCC), formerly the Maritime Board of Trade. Formed in 1896, this organization promotes and supports business and economic development in Atlantic Canada. Click on "Chambers" for links to local Chambers of Commerce.

Nova Scotia: Community Profiles
Search for statistical profiles of communities in the Province of Nova Scotia.