New Waterford, Nova Scotia
| New Waterford | |
|---|---|
 New Waterford
|
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| Coordinates: 46°15′08″N 60°05′38″W / 46.25222°N 60.09389°WCoordinates: 46°15′08″N 60°05′38″W / 46.25222°N 60.09389°W | |
| Country | Canada |
| Provinces of Canada | Nova Scotia |
| Regional Municipality | Cape Breton Regional Municipality |
| Incorporated Town | 1913 |
| Dissolved | August 1, 1995 |
| Area | |
| • Land | 20.81 km2 (8.03 sq mi) |
| Population (2011) From Statistics Canada |
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| • Total | 8,942 |
| • Density | 429.7/km2 (1,113/sq mi) |
| • Change (2006-11) |
 7.4% |
| Time zone | AST (UTC-4) |
| • Summer (DST) | ADT (UTC-3) |
| Canadian Postal code | B1H |
| Area code(s) | 902 |
| Telephone Exchange | 862 |
New Waterford is a Canadian urban community in Nova Scotia's Cape Breton Regional Municipality.
Formerly known as Barrachois (from barachois, meaning small port, lagoon or pond), its present name is likely derived from the Irish seaport Waterford, from which many early settlers came. Coal mining in the vicinity began as early as 1854 at Lingan and later at Low Point in 1865. New Waterford is located northeast of Sydney, Nova Scotia. It is located near the ocean and is bordered on one side by cliffs. New Waterford has a rather flat terrain and has several fresh water lakes located nearby.
New Waterford is a fishing port and former coal-mining community that has been in economic decline in recent years. There are ongoing efforts to revitalize the area's economy including a slow but steady increase in jobs in the technology sector. Many residents had been reliant on the coal and steel industries, which are now closed. The last local mine closed in 2001.
Senior citizens make up a disproportionate number of town residents due to a long running unemployment problem and the economic development plans of the government which focused on propping up older declining industries. This had the effect of worsening employment prospects for younger workers resulting in a large migration of these younger workers from New Waterford to other areas of the country where opportunities were available.
At 8:30pm every day the local fire department sets off its siren. This has a long history, and continues in tradition to this day. The original intent of the whistle was for curfew.
On July 25, 1917, 65 people were killed in a coal mine explosion at New Waterford's No. 12 Colliery.
The town was the setting for the 1999 comedic coming-of-age film New Waterford Girl.
New Waterford Girl is a dark comedy about Moonie Pottie, a gifted teenager, who dreams of life beyond her small town. She becomes inspired when a 15-year-old girl from New York moves in next door. Starring many local actors and mostly Canadian talent, it is set in the mid 1970s. Most of the scenes in the movie were actually filmed in the town of North Sydney.
Ann-Marie MacDonald, Canadian author set her #1 Bestseller entitled Fall on Your Knees in New Waterford, set in the early 20th century.
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