Clare, officially named the Municipality of the District of Clare, is a district municipality in south Nova Scotia, Canada. Statistics Canada classifies the district municipality as a municipal district.
Geography
The Municipality of the District of Clare occupies the western half of Digby County. Most of the municipality's settled areas are located along St. Marys Bay, a sub-basin of the Gulf of Maine.
History
The township was settled in 1768 by Acadian families who had returned to Nova Scotia from exile.
Prior to the establishment of Clare, the Mi'kmaq knew the area as Wagweiik. The mouth of Salmon River is thought to be a traditional summer settlement of the Mi'kmaq and several artifacts have been found there, as well as at Meteghan, Major's Point and other sites [2]. Place names like Hectanooga, Mitihikan (Meteghan), and Chicaben (Church Point) are found in the area. They also had a principal settlement by River Allen near Cape Sainte-Marie used for fishing and as a canoe route [3]. The Mi'kmaq also used a fishing weir system for catching mackerel and herring that they taught to the new settlers, which they continued to use until well into the 1900s, and fish drying techniques that continue today. They also caught eels, seals, clams, urchins and other sea life, as well as berries, medicinal plants and other coastal resources. As new settlers arrived in the 1760s–1780s, the Mi'kmaq were instrumental in helping the new Acadians survive and become skilled in surviving the harsh winters along the coast. By the 1800s most Mi'kmaq had left the area to live on the Reserve in Bear River, while still returning for fishing, hunting, trade and ceremony throughout the year.
It was named "Clare" by then Lieutenant Governor of Nova Scotia, Michael Francklin. The name comes from the County Clare in Ireland.
{| class="wikitable"
|+ Mother tongue language (2016)
|-
! Ethnic Origin
! Population
! Pct (%)
|-
| Canadian
| 3795
| 47.3%
|-
| French
| 3380
| 42.1%
|-
| Acadian
| 2215
| 27.6%
|-
| Métis
| 1395
| 17.3%
|-
| English
| 1310
| 16.3%
|-
| Irish
| 860
| 10.7%
|-
| Scottish
| 570
| 7.1%
|-
| First Nations
| 485
| 6.0%
|-
| German
| 260
| 3.2%
|}
Communities
Access routes
Highways and numbered routes that run through the district municipality, including external routes that start or finish at the municipal boundary:
- Highways
- Trunk Routes
- Collector Routes:
- External Routes:
- None
Culture
Musical groups from the area include:
- Grand Dérangement
- Blou
- Radio Radio
- BeauPhare
- DPS
- Sweet Tuesday
- Cy
The song M'en allant par Saulnierville Station written by Denis Comeau and recorded by Suroît is a song about the local community of Saulnierville Station.
Musicians from the area include:
- P'tit Belliveau
- Arthur Comeau
- Johnny Comeau
- Jacobus
- Marc à Paul à Jos
- Kenneth Saulnier
- Micaela Comeau [Just Micci]
Filmmaker:
- Phil Comeau
See also
- List of francophone communities in Nova Scotia
- List of municipalities in Nova Scotia