Digby, Nova Scotia

Digby in 1906.

Digby is called Oositookun, meaning ear of land, by the Mi'kmaq. A small group of New England Planters settled in the area of the town in the 1760s naming it Conway.[2] 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.

The Admiral Digby Museum.

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.[3] 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.[4]

The annual Scallop Days Festival, held the first week of August, 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.[5]

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 Frederick William Wallace. Later, trawlers, especially those harvesting scallops became the mainstay.

The town council consists of a mayor and four councillors. 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[8] and the Department of Community and Social Services are located in Digby.[9]

There are two grocery stores located in Digby, both Atlantic Superstore and Sobeys. There is also a Walmart, a Canadian Tire, a Home Hardware, a Dollarama, a Shoppers Drug Mart, a Maritime Travel, a Telus and a Bell Aliant.

Restaurants include franchises such as two Tim Hortons locations, Dairy Queen, Subway, Pizza Delight, KFC, 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.

Irving Oil and 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.[10]

The Digby General Hospital, located on Warwick Street, provides medical care to the residents, including primary care, inpatient, restorative care, ambulatory, day surgery.[11] 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.[12] In October 2018, the base cost for a walk-in visit to the clinic at the hospital for a non-Canadian visitor was $900 Canadian; that fee excluded any doctor's charges, tests, or medicines. Similar charges applied at walk-in clinics located in Annapolis Royal, Yarmouth and other nearby towns.

Banks located in Digby are RBC Royal Bank, CIBC, and Scotiabank, while the Ultramar has a Toronto-Dominion Bank ATM.

Digby is located approximately 105 km (65 mi) from Yarmouth, and about 230 km (140 mi) from Downtown Halifax.[13][14]

In the 2021 Census of Population conducted by Statistics Canada, Digby had a population of 2,001 living in 1,030 of its 1,133 total private dwellings, a change of -2.9% from its 2016 population of 2,060. With a land area of 3.16 km² (1.22 sq mi), it had a population density of 633.2/km² (1,640.1/sq mi) in 2021.[17]

• Digby
• 
  Main Street of Digby.
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  Harbour of Digby.
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  Balancing Rock near Digby.
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  Tidal Boatworks, Digby 2008.
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  Mist on Digby bay.

• Pop Smith, major league baseball player
• Maud Lewis, One of Canada's best known folk artists

• Isaiah W. Wilson Memorial Library; Digby

• Annapolis Basin Provincial Park
• Central Grove Provincial Park
• Digby Campground and Fun Park
• Digby Parks & Recreation
• Lake Midway Provincial Park

• List of municipalities in Nova Scotia

Wikivoyage has a travel guide for Digby.

• Official website

44°37′20″N 65°45′38″W