| Official Name: | Yarmouth County |
| Native Name: | |
| Settlement Type: | County |
| Mapsize: | 275px |
| Subdivision Type: | Country |
| Subdivision Name: | Canada |
| Subdivision Type1: | Province |
| Subdivision Name1: | Nova Scotia |
| Subdivision Type2: | District municipalities |
| Subdivision Name2: | Yarmouth Argyle |
| Subdivision Type3: | Towns |
| Subdivision Name3: | Yarmouth |
| Seat Type: | Electoral Districts Federal |
| Seat: | West Nova |
| Parts Type: | Provincial |
| Parts: | Yarmouth Argyle-Barrington |
| Established Title: | Established |
| Established Date: | 1836 |
| Extinct Title: | Divided into District Municipalities |
| Extinct Date: | April 17, 1879 |
| Area Footnotes: | [1] |
| Area Land Km2: | 2121.64 |
| Population As Of: | 2021 |
| Population Footnotes: | [2] [3] |
| Population Total: | 24,947 |
| Population Density Km2: | 11.8 |
| Population Blank1 Title: | Change 2016-21 |
| Population Blank1: | 2.2% |
| Population Blank2 Title: | Census Rankings - District municipalities Argyle Yarmouth - Towns Yarmouth - Reserves Yarmouth 33 |
| Timezone: | AST |
| Utc Offset: | −04:00 |
| Timezone Dst: | ADT |
| Utc Offset Dst: | −03:00 |
| Coordinates: | 43.9°N -113°W |
| Area Code: | 902 |
| Blank Name: | Dwellings |
| Blank Info: | 12,342 |
| Blank1 Name: | Median Income* |
| Blank1 Info: | $41,744 CDN |
| Blank2 Name: | NTS Map |
| Blank3 Name: | GNBC Code |
| Blank3 Info: | CBUEA[4] |
| Footnotes: |
|
Yarmouth County is a rural county in the Canadian province of Nova Scotia. It has both traditional Anglo-Scottish and Acadian French culture as well as significant inland wilderness areas, including over 365 lakes and several major rivers. It comprises three municipalities: the Town of Yarmouth, the Municipality of the District of Yarmouth, and the Municipality of the District of Argyle.
The name Yarmouth first appeared as a projected township in Nova Scotia in 1759. There is some speculation it was named after Yarmouth, Massachusetts, as some of the earliest English settlers arrived from Cape Cod on 9 June 1761. It is more likely the township was named after Lady Yarmouth, a mistress of King George II.
Originally the area was part of Lunenburg County. In 1761 it became part of Queens County; in 1784 it became part of Shelburne County and finally became a county on its own in 1836. The description of Yarmouth County was modified in 1846. It was then divided into two districts for court sessional purposes in 1856 – Yarmouth and Argyle. These two districts were subsequently incorporated as district municipalities in 1879. The county was a major international shipbuilding centre in the 19th century, producing hundreds of ships including the namesake County of Yarmouth in 1884.
In the second half of the 19th century, Yarmouth was the site of the creation of the Nova Scotia Duck Tolling Retriever.
The only town in the county is Yarmouth, which is one of three municipalities that comprise the county. The others are the Municipality of the District of Yarmouth and the Municipality of the District of Argyle. There are no incorporated villages in the county. The county also includes the Acadia First Nations, Yarmouth Reserve 33.
Bunker's Island peninsula ia located in Yarmouth Harbour.[5]
See main article: List of communities in Yarmouth County, Nova Scotia.
As a census division in the 2021 Census of Population conducted by Statistics Canada, Yarmouth County had a population of living in of its total private dwellings, a change of from its 2016 population of . With a land area of 2121.64km2, it had a population density of in 2021.[6]
| Census | Population | Change (%) | |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2021 | 24,947 | 2.2% | |
| 2016 | 24,419 | 3.4% | |
| 2011 | 25,275 | 3.8% | |
| 2006 | 26,277 | 2.1% | |
| 2001 | 26,843 | 1.7% | |
| 1996 | 27,310 | 2.1% | |
| 1991 | 27,891 | 3.0% | |
| 1986 | 27,073 | 2.9% | |
| 1981 | 26,290 | 4.1% | |
| 1976 | 25,210 | 2.1% | |
| 1971 | 24,682 | 4.6% | |
| 1966 | 23,552 | 0.7% | |
| 1961 | 23,386 | 4.3% | |
| 1941 | 22,415 | 7.0% | |
| 1931 | 20,939 | 6.8% | |
| 1921 | 22,374 | 3.8% | |
| 1911 | 23,220 | 1.5% | |
| 1901 | 22,869 | 2.9% | |
| 1891 | 22,216 | 4.4% | |
| 1881 | 21,284 | 14.7% | |
| 1871 | 18,550 | N/A |
| Language | Population | Pct (%) | |
|---|---|---|---|
| English | 18,765 | 77.96% | |
| French | 4,715 | 19.59% | |
| Non-official languages | 290 | 1.20% | |
| English and French | 265 | 1.10% | |
| English and non-official language | 35 | 0.14% | |
| French and non-official language | 5 | 0.02% |
| Ethnic origin | Population | Pct (%) | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Canadian | 13,265 | 51.3% | |
| French | 10,075 | 39.0% | |
| English | 8,340 | 32.2% | |
| Scottish | 3,995 | 15.4% | |
| Irish | 3,215 | 12.4% | |
| Métis | 2,740 | 10.6% | |
| Acadian | 1,825 | 7.1% | |
| North American Indian | 1,460 | 5.6% | |
| German | 1,330 | 5.1% | |
| Dutch (Netherlands) | 405 | 1.6% |
| Religion | Population | Pct (%) | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Catholic | 11,050 | 55.92% | |
| No religious affiliation | 5,040 | 25.51% | |
| Baptist | 4,575 | 23.15% | |
| Other Christian | 1,985 | 10.04% | |
| Anglican | 730 | 3.69% | |
| United Church | 585 | 2.96% | |
| Pentecostal | 515 | 2.61% | |
| Muslim | 55 | 0.28% | |
| Presbyterian | 50 | 0.25% | |
| Buddhist | 45 | 0.23% | |
| Lutheran | 35 | 0.18% | |
| Other religions | 30 | 0.15% | |
| Jewish | 20 | 0.10% | |
| Traditional (Aboriginal) Spirituality | 20 | 0.10% | |
| Hindu | 15 | 0.08% |
| Income type | By CAD | |
|---|---|---|
| Per capita income | $19,856 | |
| Median Household Income | $41,744 | |
| Median Family Income | $50,019 |