Municipality of the District of Clare


Clare, officially named the Municipality of the District of Clare, is a district municipality in western Nova Scotia, Canada. Statistics Canada classifies the district municipality as a municipal district.

Geography

Primarily an Acadian region, the Municipality of the District of Clare occupies the western half of Digby County. Most of the municipality's settled areas are located along St. Marys Bay, a sub-basin of the Gulf of Maine.

History

The township was settled in 1768 by Acadian families who had returned from exile. It was named "Clare" by then Lieutenant Governor of Nova Scotia, Michael Francklin. The name comes from the County Clare in Ireland.

Present day

The municipality is mainly inhabited by Acadians and conducts its business in both English and French, although the most commonly used language is French. The only French university in the province of Nova Scotia, Université Sainte-Anne, is located in Church Point. The area hosts the oldest and largest annual Acadian Festival, as well as Nova Scotia's first Gran Fondo cycling event.

Demographics

In the 2016 Census of Population conducted by Statistics Canada, the Municipality of the District of Clare recorded a population of 8,018 living in 3,691 of its 4,681 total private dwellings, a change of from its 2011 population of 8,319. With a land area of, it had a population density of in 2016.
LanguagePopulationPct
French only5,07562.19%
English only2,74533.64%
Both English and French2402.94%
Other languages851.04

Ethnic OriginPopulationPct
French4,40550.9%
Canadian4,06547.0%
Acadian1,95022.5%
English1,38016.0%
Irish7558.7%
Scottish6457.5%
Métis5055.8%
First Nations3454.0%
German2653.1%

Communities

Access routes

Highways and numbered routes that run through the district municipality, including external routes that start or finish at the municipal boundary:
Musical groups from the area include:
The song M'en allant par Saulnierville Station written by Denis Comeau and recorded by Suroît is a song about the local community of Saulnierville Station.
Filmmaker: