Truro, Nova Scotia
From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
| Part of a series about Places in Nova Scotia |
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| Towns of Nova Scotia | |
| Truro | |
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| Motto: Begun In Faith, Continued In Determination | |
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| Community statistics | |
| Area | 37.62 km² |
| Population | 11,457a |
| Population density | 304.5/sq kma |
| Earnings | 30,327b |
| Latitude | 45° 21′ 53″ N N |
| Longitude | 63° 16′ 48″ W W |
| Elevation | 19 Meters Meters |
| Government | |
| Mayor | Mayor W.R. (Bill) Mills |
| Governing body | Truro Town Council |
| Founded | 1759 |
| Incorporated | June 18, 1875 |
| Other information | |
| Website | http://www.town.truro.ns.ca |
| Time zone | AST (UTC-4) |
| Postal code | B2N |
| Telephone Exchange | 902 - 306 472 790 791 792 798 799 |
| Footnotes | |
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a According to StatCan Census Year 2006 |
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Truro (2001 population 11,457; area population 44,276) is a town in central Nova Scotia, Canada. Truro is the shire town of Colchester County and is located on the south side of the Salmon River floodplain, close to the river's discharge point into the eastern end of Cobequid Bay.
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[edit] History
The town was first settled in 1761 by Presbyterians of predominantly Ulster Scottish origin who came from Ireland via New England. It is named after the city of Truro in Cornwall, England. Originally a small farming community, the construction of the Nova Scotia Railway between Halifax, and Pictou in 1858 caused the municipality to experience a fast rate of growth. It was officially incorporated in 1875.
[edit] "Hub of Nova Scotia"
Today, Truro is known as the "Hub of Nova Scotia" as it is located at the junction between the Canadian National Railway, running between Halifax and Montreal, and the Cape Breton and Central Nova Scotia Railway, running between Truro and Sydney. Until the 1980s, Truro also hosted a junction between the Canadian National and Canadian Pacific Railway's former Dominion Atlantic Railway line running through Windsor and down the Annapolis Valley to Yarmouth, Nova Scotia.
An important highway interchange is located just north of Truro in the rural community of Onslow where Nova Scotia Highway 102 (Veterans Memorial Highway) ends at Nova Scotia Highway 104, a part of the Trans-Canada Highway. The Nova Scotia Trunk highways 2 and 4 intersect in the town as with the Glooscap Trail and Nova Scotia Route 236.
[edit] Notables
Famous natives and residents of Truro include:
- Leo McKay, Jr., Novelist, Literary Arts Teacher for Cobequid Educational Centre
- Jeff Douglas, Actor, Joe of I Am Canadian
- Robert Stanfield, politician
- Portia White, singer
- Cory Bowles, actor/dancer/muscian
- Sir Adams George Archibald, Father of Confederation
- John Gray, playwright
- Lenore Zann, actress
- Lewis MacKenzie, retired Major-General; former peacekeeping forces leader in Bosnia
- Frank McKay, musician
- Peter Yeadon, renowned architect
- Barry Stagg, singer/songwriter/playwright/musician
- Lyle Carter, National Hockey League goaltender for one season
- Bob Harvey aka "Smokin' Bob Harvey", renowned professional Boxer
[edit] Other facts
- The neighbouring village of Bible Hill is home to the Nova Scotia Agricultural College, the only university-level agricultural institution in Atlantic Canada (it is operated by the Nova Scotia Department of Agriculture).
- Truro itself is home to a campus of the Nova Scotia Community College, located on the campus of the former Nova Scotia Teachers College, a normal school operated by the Nova Scotia Department of Education.
- The Salmon River running along Truro's northern boundary is renowned for the natural occurrence of a tidal bore, one of the largest in North America, and a direct result of the power of the tides of the Bay of Fundy.
- Truro features unique wooden sculptures created from the stumps of elm trees which were lost due to Dutch Elm disease. The tree sculptures are located throughout the downtown core. These tree sculptures have led to Truro now being known as "the tree sculpture capital of Nova Scotia"
- Victoria Park is a 160 hectare (400 acre) protected forest on the southern boundary of the town and contains Lepper Brook, which has two waterfalls that may be enjoyed from several walking trails.
- Truro is home to one of Canada's last remaining successful textile mills, Stanfield's Limited. Stanfield's is known throughout Canada for its t-shirts, socks and undergarments. Other products manufactured in Truro include carpeting, Crossley Carpet Mills, and molded/film plastic products.
- The town and surrounding area have a variety of cultural events throughout the year, most famously a tulip festival, held each spring, and the bike race held by Hub Cycle.
- The genre of local musicians vary from country and western to punk rock.
- Four sections of the Berlin Wall are displayed in an empty lot (once occupied by a Zellers store) on Prince Street in the central business district.
- The neighbouring unincorporated community of Salmon River on the town's eastern boundary was named Hockeyville in a national competition held in the Spring of 2006.
- Truro shares another name with its counterpart - Victoria Park is named after Victoria Gardens in Truro, England.
[edit] See also
- Central Nova Tourist Association — Tourism association representing Cumberland County and Colchester County, including Truro.
[edit] External links
- Town of Truro (official website)
- Central Nova Tourist Association (official website)
