Pictou
Pictou
Miꞌkmawiꞌsimk: Piktuk Canadian Gaelic: Baile Phiogto | |
|---|---|
Pictou | |
| Nickname: Birthplace of New Scotland | |
| Motto: "As constant as the northern star" | |
| Coordinates: 45°40′53″N 62°42′43″W / 45.68139°N 62.71194°W | |
| Country | Canada |
| Province | Nova Scotia |
| Municipality | Pictou County |
| Founded | 1767 |
| Incorporated | Apr 30, 1873 |
| Government | |
| • Mayor | Jim Ryan |
| • Governing Body | Pictou Town Council |
| • MLA | Marco MacLeod (PC) |
| • MP | Sean Fraser (L) |
| Area (2021) | |
• Total | 7.99 km2 (3.08 sq mi) |
| Highest elevation | 54 m (177 ft) |
| Lowest elevation | 0 m (0 ft) |
| Population (2021) | |
• Total | 3,107 |
| • Density | 388.7/km2 (1,007/sq mi) |
| Demonym | Pictonian |
| Time zone | UTC-4 (AST) |
| • Summer (DST) | UTC-3 (ADT) |
| Postal code | B0K |
| Area code | 902 |
| Telephone Exchange | 485 |
| Median Earnings* | $55,600 |
| NTS Map | 11E10 New Glasgow |
| GNBC Code | CBDPK |
| Website | www |
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Pictou (/ˈpɪktoʊ/ PIK-toh; Canadian Gaelic: Baile Phiogto Miꞌkmawiꞌsimk: Piktuk) is a town in Pictou County, in the Canadian province of Nova Scotia. Located on the north shore of Pictou Harbour, the town is approximately 10 km (6 miles) north of the larger town of New Glasgow.
Once an active shipping port and the shire town of the county, today Pictou is primarily a local service centre for surrounding rural communities and the primary tourist destination in this region of Nova Scotia.
The name Pictou derives from the Mi'kmaq name Piktuk, meaning "explosive place", a reference to the river of pitch that was found in the area, or perhaps from methane bubbling up from coal seams below the harbour.