Amherst, Nova Scotia (1881 census)
Amherst was a census subdivision in Nova Scotia, recorded in the 1881 Census of Canada with a population of 4,457. The administrative centroid was at approximately 45.812°N, 64.173°W.
Population
In 1881, Amherst had a population of 4,457: 2,216 male and 2,241 female residents. Population density was 39.9 people per square mile.
Population trajectory across census years
| Year | Population |
|---|---|
| 1871 | 3,606 |
| 1881 | 4,457 |
| 1891 | 2,548 |
Cross-year identity established by spatial polygon overlap (SAME_AS chains across the Canadian Census Subdivision boundary files).
Boundary continuity (non-identical overlaps)
Spatial polygon overlaps with adjacent census years where the boundary shifted enough that the SAME_AS chain didn't merge them. These show where the territory came from and went to even when it isn't tracked as the same persistent place.
Later boundary forms
- In a later year, this CSD contained Amherst, Town—Ville, 1891 (4.3% of this CSD's polygon).
Neighbouring Census Subdivisions in 1881
In the 1881 census, Amherst shared boundaries with:
Full census record, 1881
The 1881 census recorded 67 measurements for this Census Subdivision across 5 categories. Tables below are collapsible.
Population & families (12 variables)
| Variable | Value |
|---|---|
| FAM NO | 832 |
| Number of families | 832 |
| Number of females | 2,241 |
| Number of males | 2,216 |
| Number of married females | 733 |
| Number of married males | 735 |
| Number of married persons | 1,468 |
| Number of widowed females | 135 |
| Number of widowed males | 61 |
| Number of widowed persons | 196 |
| POP TOT | 4,457 |
| Total population | 4,457 |
Age structure (3 variables)
| Variable | Value |
|---|---|
| Number of single females under 18 | 1,373 |
| Number of single males under 18 | 1,420 |
| Number of single persons under 18 | 2,793 |
Buildings & housing (5 variables)
| Variable | Value |
|---|---|
| Number of dwellings that are temporary shanties | 6 |
| Number of houses under construction | 5 |
| Number of inhabited houses | 755 |
| Number of occupied houses | 761 |
| Number of uninhabited houses | 34 |
Agriculture (27 variables)
| Variable | Value |
|---|---|
| Acres of hay crops | 10,291 |
| Acres of potatoes | 723 |
| Acres of wheat | 686 |
| BAR BU | 2,139 |
| Bushels of barley produced in the past year | 2,139 |
| Bushels of buckwheat produced in the past year | 13,065 |
| Bushels of clover, timothy, or other grass seed produced in the past year | 130 |
| Bushels of corn produced in the past year | 4 |
| Bushels of oats produced in the past year | 34,946 |
| Bushels of other root crops produced in the past year | 5,178 |
| Bushels of peas and beans produced in the past year | 214 |
| Bushels of potatoes produced in the past year | 136,995 |
| Bushels of rye produced in the past year | 45 |
| Bushels of spring wheat produced in the past year | 11,447 |
| Bushels of turnips produced in the past year | 17,721 |
| BWT BU | 13,065 |
| CRN BU | 4 |
| HAY AC | 10,291 |
| HAY TONS | 15,256 |
| OAT BU | 34,946 |
| PEA AND BEN BU | 214 |
| POT AC | 723 |
| POT BU | 136,995 |
| RYE BU | 45 |
| Tons of hay produced in the past year | 15,256 |
| WHT AC | 686 |
| WHT SP BU | 11,447 |
Other recorded variables (20 variables)
| Variable | Value |
|---|---|
| C UNMD F | 1,373 |
| C UNMD M | 1,420 |
| C UNMD TOT | 2,793 |
| D OCC | 761 |
| FEMALE | 2,241 |
| GRA BU | 130 |
| H CON | 5 |
| H INHAB | 755 |
| H UNINH | 34 |
| MALE | 2,216 |
| MD F | 733 |
| MD M | 735 |
| MD TOT | 1,468 |
| NUMBER CD | 22 |
| OTHR ROOT BU | 5,178 |
| SHAN | 6 |
| TUR BU | 17,721 |
| WID F | 135 |
| WID M | 61 |
| WID TOT | 196 |
Identifiers
- TCP UID:
NS022001— year-scoped identifier from the Canadian Census Subdivision boundary file - Persistent place ID:
PLACE_NS030002— computed from spatial-overlap chains across census years - Wikidata: not yet grounded. This page covers a place whose persistent identity has not yet been linked to a Wikidata entity. Identification is via TCP UID and spatial polygon only.
Sources
Census tabulations from the 1881 Census of Canada, transcribed and georeferenced by the Canadian Peoples / TCP project, hosted at the HGIS Lab, University of Saskatchewan. Persistent place identity computed from spatial-overlap chains across all available census years (1851–1921). Identity grounding to Wikidata performed via the HGIS Canada Knowledge Graph project's MCP-assisted disambiguation pipeline. See the About / Methodology page for the full data pipeline.
Cite this page
Clifford, J. (2026). "Amherst, Nova Scotia (1881 census)" in HGIS Canada Knowledge Graph. Retrieved from https://jimclifford.ca/hgiscanada/places/ns/amherst-ns022001-1881/.