Parrsboro

Parrsboro
Community
Main Street Parrsboro
Flag Seal Logo
Motto: Parrsboro 'Rocks'
Parrsboro Location of Parrsboro
Coordinates: 45°24′21″N 64°19′33″W / 45.40583°N 64.32583°W / 45.40583; -64.32583Coordinates: 45°24′21″N 64°19′33″W / 45.40583°N 64.32583°W / 45.40583; -64.32583
Country	Canada
Province	Nova Scotia
Municipality	Municipality of the County of Cumberland
Founded	1670
Incorporated	July 15, 1889
Dissolved	November 1, 2016
Electoral Districts      Federal	Cumberland-Colchester-Musquodoboit Valley
Provincial	Cumberland South
Government
• Councilor	Norman Rafuse
• MLA	Jamie Baillie (PC)
• MP	Bill Casey (L)
Area (2016)
• Total	14.80 km2 (5.71 sq mi)
Highest elevation	47 m (154 ft)
Lowest elevation	0 m (0 ft)
Population (2016)
• Total	1,205
• Density	81.4/km2 (211/sq mi)
Time zone	AST (UTC-4)
• Summer (DST)	ADT (UTC-3)
Postal code	B0M 1S0
Area code(s)	902
Telephone exchange	254
Median Earnings*	$27,472
NTS Map	021H08
GNBC Code	CBCYW
Website	parrsboro.ns.ca
Median household income, 2005 ($) (all households) Places in Nova Scotia

Parrsboro is a Canadian community located in Cumberland County, Nova Scotia.

A regional service centre for southern Cumberland County, the community is also known for its port on the Minas Basin, the Ship's Company Theatre productions, and the Fundy Geological Museum.

Before the arrival of European settlers, Parrsboro was a portage point for Mikmaq travellers along the Minas Basin and Cumberland County river systems. The native inhabitants called the region "Awokum," meaning a 'short-cut' or 'passing-over point.'

The first European settlers were the Acadians in 1670 at the western mouth of the Parrsboro Harbour, near Partridge Island. After they were expelled in 1755, they were replaced by New England Planters. The centre of settlement gradually shifted from Partridge Island to the sheltered estuary of the Parrsboro River where a harbour and surrounding mills grew. The settlement, at first named Mill Village, was renamed Parrsboro in honour of Nova Scotia Governor John Parr in 1784, and the town was incorporated on July 15, 1889.

Parrsboro thrived in the mid 19th century as the hub of a string of shipbuilding communities from Economy to Advocate collectively known as the "Parrsboro Shore". The town became a port of registry in 1850 for over 115 locally built schooners as well as giant square riggers, culminating in the largest, the ship Glooscap in 1891. In its peak years of the 1890s, over 1646 ships arrived and departed annually.