Stellarton, Nova Scotia

From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia

Stellarton is a town located in the Canadian province of Nova Scotia, Canada at a latitude of 45°34' North and longitude of 62°40' West. As of the 2001 census, Stellarton had a population of 4,809 and a median age of 39.4 years. In 1991, the population was 5,237.

[edit] History

Coal was discovered in the Pictou County area by the Native peoples before the arrival of Europeans. In the 1790's coal quickly became a key focus of the local economy. The Foord Coal seam (from which the main street of Stellarton derrives its name) runs through most of the town and is part of the greater Stellarton Basin/Pictou Coalfield. As part of an area recognized by geologists for its unique oil shales and thick coal seams, the Foord seam is said to be the thickest in the world with estimate of coal seams being as thick as 48 feet.

First known as Albion Mines, the town was incorporated in 1889 as Stellarton and owes its name to one of its oil shales. This coal came to be known as "stellarite" because of the "stars of fire" given off by its sparky flame. The town is still home to coal mining operations, an open air strip mine is operated by Pioneer Coal.

Stellarton is unique for its painted firehydrants, each adorned with a costume representative of a town inhabitant or profession.

The Canadian supermarket chain Sobeys is based out of Stellarton, and its corporate offices and grocery subsidiaries provides a fair percentage of the town's employment. Sobeys is majority owned by Empire Co Ltd.

Former Premier of Nova Scotia John Hamm makes his home in Stellarton, as does Loel Campbell, drummer for the bands Wintersleep, Contrived, The Holy Shroud, The Remains of Brian Borcherdt, and several others.

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	Nova Scotia
Counties	Annapolis - Antigonish - Cape Breton - Colchester - Cumberland - Digby - Guysborough - Halifax - Hants - Inverness - Kings - Lunenburg - Pictou - Queens - Richmond - Shelburne - Victoria - Yarmouth
Regional Municipalities	Cape Breton - Halifax - Queens
Incorporated Towns	Amherst - Annapolis Royal - Antigonish - Berwick - Bridgetown - Bridgewater - Canso - Clark's Harbour - Digby - Hantsport - Kentville - Lockeport - Lunenburg - Mahone Bay - Middleton - Mulgrave - New Glasgow - Oxford - Parrsboro - Pictou - Port Hawkesbury - Shelburne - Springhill - Stellarton - Stewiacke - Trenton - Truro - Westville - Windsor - Wolfville - Yarmouth
Other Communities	Bedford - Bible Hill - Cole Harbour - Dartmouth - Dominion - Eastern Passage - Fall River - Glace Bay - Greenwood - Halifax (former city) - Liverpool - Louisbourg - Lower Sackville - New Minas - New Waterford - North Sydney - Sydney - Sydney Mines - Weymouth