South Shore (Nova Scotia)

The South Shore is a region of Nova Scotia, Canada. It is the Atlantic coast running southwest from Halifax Harbour to the western end of the peninsula at Yarmouth.

The South Shore is an important area for tourism in the province, with it being home to many cottages, hotels, and tourist attractions. The provincial scenic travelway, the "Lighthouse Route" runs on Trunk 3 through most centres along the shore. The tourism industry is concentrated in the towns of Lunenburg, Chester, Mahone Bay, Liverpool and the fishing community of Peggys Cove. The largest community in the region is the town of Bridgewater, which is the commercial and industrial centre, although it is not a major tourism draw. Yarmouth and Shelburne are the other large towns.

Politically, the South Shore is part of the Halifax West, South Shore—St. Margaret's, and West Nova ridings at the federal level.

History

The South Shore was one of the first areas of North America to be colonized by Europeans following the French settlement at Port-Royal in 1605. The region, without good agricultural land, was only sparsely inhabited by the Acadians, although several settlements were established in present-day Shelburne County and the Lahave River valley. When the British took control of the region in 1713, they initiated a program of importing colonists from continental Europe, known as the Foreign Protestants, mostly from Germany and Switzerland. To this day the South Shore retains many German place names and surnames as well as a distinct accent compared to the New England settlers' influence in the Annapolis Valley or the Highland Scots' influence in northeastern Nova Scotia and Cape Breton Island.

On Dec. 19, 1906, the Halifax and Southwestern Railway opened between Halifax and Yarmouth, finishing a project that had begun in 1885, and bringing more reliable land transport to the region. Although the South Shore did not play a major role during the First World War, the area saw significant military activity during the Second World War and the ensuing Cold War, as Shelburne and Mill Cove became home to Royal Canadian Navy bases, and a Pinetree Line radar station was established by the Royal Canadian Air Force at Baccaro. In 1966, Canada's first satellite communications (SATCOM) earth station began operations at Mill Village. In the 1970s and 1980s, the Highway 103 arterial highway was built.

During the 20th century, the South Shore became the centre of Nova Scotia's fishing industry, as fishers in small boats operated from numerous tiny villages dotted along the coast. The larger communities also had fish plants and port facilities for larger off-shore trawlers, which began to see increased use following the Second World War. During the 1960s and 1970s the small fishers began to be displaced by these giant trawlers and the way of life on the South Shore began to end, as more and more people were forced away from the primary resource industry (the fishery). Today, the South Shore economy is still dominated by the fishery, but it has diversified as the tertiary or service industry (instigated by post-war tourism) became increasingly important. As in many parts of Nova Scotia, many South Shore fishing communities all but disappeared as residents moved to Halifax, or further west in Canada.

A completely different culture developed as the scenic area became one of Nova Scotia's major tourist destinations. Land prices skyrocketed as wealthy Americans and Ontarians sought to buy (what they felt was) cheap shore-front land for recreational cottages. The towns became infused with trendy restaurants and stores dedicated to the tourist trade.