Digby, Nova Scotia

History

Digby was called Oositookun, meaning ear of land by the Mi'kmaq band government. A small group of New England Planters settled in the area of the town in the 1760s naming it Conway However Digby was formally settled and surveyed as a town in June 1783 by the United Empire Loyalists under the leadership of Sir Robert Digby.

The town developed a sizable shipping fleet in the 19th century. One famous Digby vessel was the brigantine Dei Gratia, which discovered the famous mystery ship Mary Celeste in 1872. The town became an important regional transportation centre in the 1890s with the arrival of the Dominion Atlantic Railway. Trains connected with a series of steamships such as the City of Monticello and later the SS Princess Helene.

Digby's history is preserved and interpreted by the Admiral Digby Museum, located facing the harbour in the historic Woodrow/Dakin home, one of oldest houses in the town

Tourism

Tourism has played an important role in Digby during the 20th century beginning with the establishment of railway and steamship links that opened the town and surrounding communities as an-easy-to-reach destination for larger urban centres in eastern North America. A landmark in this industry was the construction of the Digby Pines Resort on the town's outskirts. Built in 1905 and then purchased in 1917 by the Dominion Atlantic Railway, the resort provided a focal point to the local tourism industry with a large expansion in 1927. The Pines attracted notable visitors including early film star Theda Bara who spent her honeymoon there in 1921. Expanded several times since, it was bought by the Government of Nova Scotia after the Dominion Atlantic sold its hotels. About 20 additional motels, Inns and Bed and Breakfast operations are based in Digby making tourism an important employer.

The annual Scallop Days Festival, held the first week of August annually, brings the fishing and tourism industries together to showcase the town’s history and heritage to the tourists. The festival offers a variety of themed activities for all ages, including scallop shucking contests, a parade, and an exhibition of local artists.

Wharf Rat Rally

Since 2004, Digby has become the destination of the largest motorcycle rally in Atlantic Canada, the annual Wharf Rat Rally. It attracts many times the town's population; the town of 2,000 residents grows to 50,000 people, including 25,000 motorcycles. So many that schools and some roads have to close for the day due to crowds and motorcycle traffic. The Wharf Rat Rally event is held the weekend of Labour Day in August/September each year.

Fishing

Fishing has been an essential economic activity since the town's settlement. Digby's schooner fishery reached its peak in the early 1900s, documented by the famous Canadian historian and photographer Frederick William Wallace. In later years, trawlers, especially those harvesting scallops became the mainstay.

A restaurant in Stornoway, Lewis, Scotland, Digby Chick, is named after a fish from Digby.

Government

The town is governed by a mayor and 4 councilors. The offices of Digby County are located immediately adjacent to the town. Digby is represented provincially by the riding of Digby-Annapolis and federally by the riding of West Nova. Numerous provincial and federal services for the county and western Nova Scotia such Access Nova Scotia and the Department of Community and Social Services are located in Digby.

Shopping and services

There are two groceries stores located in Digby, both Atlantic Superstore and Sobeys. There is also a Walmart, a Canadian Tire, a Home Hardware, a Dollarama, and a Shoppers Drug Mart.

Restaurants include franchises such as two Tim Hortons locations, Dairy Queen, Subway, Pizza Delight, Kentucky Fried Chicken, and McDonald's along with several other locally owned restaurants filling the downtown Water Street area. Most of the locally owned restaurants serve seafood dishes with a high concentration on scallops. Many restaurants close during the winter months due to the slow tourism during that time.

Downtown also has locally owned shops.

Circle K, Ultramar, Shell, and Esso have gas stations located in Digby.

There is a Royal Canadian Mounted Police (RCMP) station located on Victoria Street.

The Digby General Hospital, located on Warwick Street, provides medical care to the residents, including primary care, inpatient, restorative care, ambulatory, day surgery. Although they note on the website they provide emergency care, it is only available when a physician is available. Currently, the DGH is closed most Wednesdays (8 am to 8 pm) and Fridays (8 am to 8 pm). During those periods, patients are redirected to the CEC (collaborative emergency centre) in Annapolis Royal, Nova Scotia or Yarmouth, Nova Scotia in the case of an emergency.

Located in Digby are Royal Bank, CIBC, and Scotiabank.

Demographics

In the 2016 Census of Population conducted by Statistics Canada, the Town of Digby recorded a population of 2,060 living in 1,036 of its 1,145 total private dwellings, a change of 2999570000000000000♠−4.3% from its 2011 population of 2,152. With a land area of 3.15 km² (1.22 sq mi), it had a population density of 654.0/km² (1,693.8/sq mi) in 2016.

Notable residents

Public library

Parks