New Glasgow, Nova Scotia
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New Glasgow (2001 population 9,432; area population 46,965) is the largest town in Pictou County, Nova Scotia, Canada. It is situated on the banks of the East River, which flows into the Northumberland Strait, and which was once a commercial trade route. New Glasgow together with the neighbouring towns of Stellarton, Westville, Trenton, and Pictou make up the province's fourth largest urban area.
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History
Deacon Thomas Fraser first settled the area that would become New Glasgow in 1784. It was officially named "New Glasgow", after Old Glasgow in Scotland, in 1809, the same year its first trading post was developed. In 1840, George MacKenzie started the town’s first shipbuilding company, which eventually built or owned 34 vessels. Hundreds of ships have since been built along the East River. Scottish immigrants, including those on the Ship Hector in 1773, heavily settled the area.
Geography
Pictou County, and New Glasgow, are home to the warmest waters north of the Caribbean. It has a fairly moderate climate, and is found in the Atlantic Standard Timezone, four hours below UTC. New Glasgow is located along both sides of the East River, a tidal estuary with salt and fresh water.
Well-known People
See also: People from Pictou County, Nova Scotia
Well known people from New Glasgow include J.D. Fortune, current lead singer for INXS, who gained his fame through a television show called Rock Star: INXS, Also George Canyon The Canadian country singer whom placed second in the USA Network’s Nashville Star talent search in May 2004 was also born in New Glasgow. The loveable Bubbles from the hit series Trailer Park Boys is played by Mike Smith from the outskirts of New Glasgow. Other well known people from New Glasgow are former Nova Scotia Premier John Hamm, Peter MacKay, of the Conservative Party of Canada and current Minister of Foreign Affairs, Also Professional Hockey Players, Jon Sim from the Florida Panthers and Colin White from the New Jersey Devils.
Education
See also: List of Nova Scotia schools
There are a few schools in New Glasgow; including several primary-to-six elementary schools, a junior high school and a high school. The junior high school is made up of grades seven to nine. The high school, North Nova Education Centre, is made up of grades ten to twelve, and has students from four ‘feeder’ schools, East Pictou Middle School, New Glasgow Junior High School, Trenton Middle School and Thorburn Consolidated.
Employment
Major employers in the area include Michelin, Trenton Works (a rail car company) and Neenah Paper. Sobeys, a national grocery chain, is based in nearby Stellarton. Convergys Corporation employs 900+ people in a contact centre which provides customer service and technical support for Microsoft.