Sydney, NS
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Sydney Mi'kmaq: Cibou Gaelic: Baile Shidni |
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| Population centre | |
Sydney, Nova Scotia, as seen from Westmount. Prominent landmarks include the Civic Centre, and the CJCB-TV transmitter tower on Hardwood Hill.
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| Nickname(s): The Steel City | |
 Sydney
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| Coordinates: 46°08′11″N 60°11′44″W / 46.13631°N 60.19551°WCoordinates: 46°08′11″N 60°11′44″W / 46.13631°N 60.19551°W | |
| Country |
 Canada
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| Province |
 Nova Scotia
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| Regional Municipality | Cape Breton Regional Municipality |
| Founded | 1785 |
| Incorporated City | 1904 |
| Dissolved | 1 August 1995 |
| Named for | Thomas Townshend, 1st Viscount Sydney |
| Area | |
| • Total | 25.2 km2 (9.7 sq mi) |
| Highest elevation | 66 m (217 ft) |
| Lowest elevation | 0 m (0 ft) |
| Population (2011) | |
| • Total | 31,597 |
| • Density | 1,300/km2 (3,300/sq mi) |
| • Metro density | 718.50/km2 (1,860.9/sq mi) |
| "Metro" population based on a 43 km2 or 17 sq mi sample that is larger than the old boundaries for the former City of Sydney, pre-1995. | |
| Time zone | AST (UTC−4) |
| • Summer (DST) | ADT (UTC−3) |
| Canadian Postal code | B1L - S |
| Area code(s) | 902 & 782 |
| Telephone Exchange | 202, 217, 270, 284, 304, 317, 322, 371, 408, 509, 537, 539, 549 560-5, 567, 574, 577, 578, 595, 979 |
| Highways |
 Hwy 125 Trunk 4 Trunk 22 Trunk 28 Route 305 Route 327
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| Website | sydney |
Sydney is a population centre and former city in Nova Scotia, Canada. Situated on Cape Breton Island's east coast, it belongs administratively to the Cape Breton Regional Municipality. Sydney was founded in 1785 by the British; it was incorporated as a city in 1904, and dissolved on 1 August 1995, when it was amalgamated into the regional municipality. It served as the Cape Breton Island colony's capital, until 1820, when the colony merged with Nova Scotia and the capital moved to Halifax.
A rapid population expansion occurred just after the turn of the 20th century, when Sydney was home to one of North America's main steel mills. During both the First and Second World Wars, it was a major staging area for England-bound convoys. The post-war period witnessed a major decline in the number of people employed at the Dominion Steel and Coal Corporation (DOSCO) steel mill, and the Nova Scotia and Canadian governments had to nationalize it in 1967 to save the region's biggest employer, forming the new crown corporation called the Sydney Steel Corporation (SYSCO). The city's population steadily decreased since the early 1970s due to the plant's fortunes, and SYSCO was finally closed in 2001. Today, the main industries are in customer support call centres and tourism. Together with Sydney Mines, North Sydney, New Waterford and Glace Bay Sydney forms the Industrial Cape Breton region.
Prior to a permanent settlement being established, there was significant activity along the shore. During the American Revolution, on 1 November 1776, John Paul Jones - the father of the American Navy - set sail in command of Alfred to free hundreds of American prisoners working in the coal mines in eastern Cape Breton. Although winter conditions prevented the freeing of the prisoners, the mission did result in the capture of the Mellish, a vessel carrying a vital supply of winter clothing intended for John Burgoyne's troops in Canada. A few years into the war there was also a naval engagement between French ships and a British convoy off Sydney, Nova Scotia, near Spanish River (1781), Cape Breton. The French were recoaling their ships and defeated a British convoy. Six French sailors were killed and 17 British, with many more wounded.
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