Economic region in Nova Scotia, Canada
The
Annapolis Valley
is a valley and region in the province of
Nova Scotia
, Canada. It is located in the western part of the
Nova Scotia peninsula
, formed by a
trough
between two parallel mountain ranges along the shore of the
Bay of Fundy
.
Statistics Canada
defines the Annapolis Valley as an economic region, composed of
Annapolis County
,
Kings County
, and
Hants County
.
Geography
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The valley measures approximately 126 kilometres (78 mi) in length from
Digby
and the
Annapolis Basin
in the west to
Wolfville
and the
Minas Basin
in the east, spanning the counties of
Digby
,
Annapolis
and
Kings
.
Some also include the western part of
Hants County
, including the towns of
Hantsport
and
Windsor
even further to the east, but geographically speaking they are part of the
Avon River
valley.
The steep face of basaltic
North Mountain
shelters the valley from the adjacent Bay of Fundy and rises over 260 metres (850 ft) in elevation near
Lawrencetown
.
[2]
The granitic
South Mountain
rises to a somewhat higher elevation and shelters the valley from the climate of the Atlantic Ocean approximately 100 kilometres further south on the province's
South Shore
.
The shelter provided by these two mountainous ridges has produced a
microclimate
which provides relatively mild temperatures for the region and, coupled with the fertile glacial sedimentary soils on the valley floor, the region is conducive to growing vegetable and fruit crops.
[3]
Particularly famous for its apple crop, the valley hosts in excess of 1,000 farms of various types, the majority being relatively small family-owned operations.
Within the valley itself are two major rivers, the
Annapolis River
which flows west from Caribou Bog in the central part of the valley into Annapolis Basin, and the
Cornwallis River
which flows east from Caribou Bog into Minas Basin. The North Mountain ridge forms the north side of the Annapolis Valley. Also flowing east, in two smaller valleys north of the Cornwallis River, are the Canard River and the Habitant River, both of which also flow into the Minas Basin.
History
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Long settled by the
Mi'kmaq
nation, the valley experienced French settlement at the
Habitation at Port-Royal
, near modern-day Annapolis Royal in the western part of the valley, beginning in 1605. From there, the Acadians spread throughout the Valley, in various communities, building dykes to claim the tidal lands along the Annapolis and Cornwallis Rivers. They continued throughout the Annapolis Valley until the British-ordered
expulsion
of
Acadians
in 1755 which is memorialized at
Grand-Pre
in the eastern part of the valley.
New England Planters
moved in to occupy the abandoned Acadian farming areas and the region also saw subsequent settlement by
Loyalist
refugees of the
American Revolutionary War
, as well as foreign Protestants. These were followed by significant numbers of freed Africans in the
War of 1812
, Irish immigrants in the mid-19th century and Dutch immigrants after
World War II
. Agriculture in the Annapolis valley boomed in the late 19th century with the arrival of the
Windsor and Annapolis Railway
, later the
Dominion Atlantic Railway
, which developed large export markets for Annapolis Valley apples.
The
Annapolis Valley Regional Library
was established in 1949. It was the first regional library system in Nova Scotia.
[4]
Economy
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The Valley has traditionally been built on a diversified agricultural industry, with a wide range of output ranging from livestock to fruit trees and berries. The last quarter-century has also seen the development of a wine industry, with such notable wineries as
Gaspereau Vineyards
winning national and international awards for their produce.
Today, the Valley is still largely dominated by agriculture but also has a growing diversity in its economies, partly aided by the importance of post-secondary education centres provided by
Acadia University
in Wolfville, and the
Nova Scotia Community College
campuses located in
Kentville
,
Middleton
, Lawrencetown, and Digby.
Michelin
has an important truck tire manufacturing plant in
Waterville
and the
Department of National Defence
has its largest
air force
base in
Atlantic Canada
located at
CFB Greenwood
along with an important training facility at
Camp Aldershot
, near Kentville.
Tourism is also an important industry and the Annapolis Valley is known for its scenic farmland, although today some is threatened with suburban development in the eastern end, and a great deal has been abandoned. The valley also struggles with pollution from farm runoffs and residential sewers in its two major rivers, the Annapolis River and the Cornwallis River. The Annapolis Valley additionally has become home to the majority of Nova Scotia wineries, located in either the Gaspereau Valley or in the Canning, Grand Pre, or Bear River areas.
[5]
The Valley is home to the annual
Apple Blossom Festival
, held in late spring. In July is the annual Steer Bar-B-Que in Kingston, and Heart of the Valley Festival in Middleton. August sees Mud Creek Days in Wolfville and the Annapolis Valley Exhibition in Lawrencetown. Bridgetown's Cider Festival comes in mid-September. The Canadian Deep Roots Music Festival is held each year at the end of September in Wolfville, a community-based festival, supported by both the Town of Wolfville and Acadia University and built by over 100 volunteers, and on in-kind and financial support from virtually all sectors of the Valley community. Late October sees Wolfville and Kings County play host to
Devour! The Food Film Fest
, an annual international film festival celebrating all things culinary. Farmers markets in Annapolis Royal, Bridgetown, Middleton, Kentville, Kingsport, Berwick and Wolfville bring a produce and other goods to the public every week. In the fall, there is the Pumpkin People in Kentville.
Communities
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Communities in the Valley from west to east include:
References
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External links
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45°00′N
64°55′W
/
45.000°N 64.917°W
/
45.000; -64.917