Pictou, Nova Scotia (1871 census)
Pictou was a census subdivision in Nova Scotia, recorded in the 1871 Census of Canada with a population of 3,462. The administrative centroid was at approximately 45.700°N, 62.638°W.
Population
In 1871, Pictou had a population of 3,462: 1,691 male and 1,771 female residents. Population density was 96.4 people per square mile.
Population trajectory across census years
| Year | Population |
|---|---|
| 1871 | 3,462 |
| 1881 | 743 |
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.
Earlier boundary forms
- In an earlier year, this CSD was contained in NO DATA, 1861 (0.2% share).
Later boundary forms
- In a later year, this CSD contained Pictou, 1881 (64.5% of this CSD's polygon).
- In a later year, this CSD contained Pictou, Town—Ville, 1881 (35.5% of this CSD's polygon).
Neighbouring Census Subdivisions in 1871
In the 1871 census, Pictou shared boundaries with:
Full census record, 1871
The 1871 census recorded 55 measurements for this Census Subdivision across 5 categories. Tables below are collapsible.
Population & families (10 variables)
| Variable | Value |
|---|---|
| Number of families | 651 |
| Number of females | 1,771 |
| Number of males | 1,691 |
| Number of married females | 520 |
| Number of married males | 526 |
| Number of married persons | 1,046 |
| Number of widowed females | 128 |
| Number of widowed males | 31 |
| Number of widowed persons | 159 |
| Total population | 3,462 |
Age structure (3 variables)
| Variable | Value |
|---|---|
| Number of single females under 18 | 1,123 |
| Number of single males under 18 | 1,134 |
| Number of single persons under 18 | 2,257 |
Buildings & housing (5 variables)
| Variable | Value |
|---|---|
| Number of dwellings that are temporary shanties | 6 |
| Number of houses under construction | 7 |
| Number of inhabited houses | 501 |
| Number of occupied houses | 507 |
| Number of uninhabited houses | 23 |
Agriculture (11 variables)
| Variable | Value |
|---|---|
| BAR BU | 1,694 |
| BWT BU | 58 |
| HAY AC | 758 |
| HAY TONS | 1,107 |
| OAT BU | 11,318 |
| PEA BU | 52 |
| POT AC | 115 |
| POT BU | 14,413 |
| Total area (acres) | 5,625 |
| WHT SP BU | 2,102 |
| WHT WTR BU | 24 |
Other recorded variables (26 variables)
| Variable | Value |
|---|---|
| ACRES | 165 |
| AREA | 5,625 |
| BEING BUILT | 7 |
| BEN BU | 54 |
| CD | 200 |
| CSD | 6 |
| FAMILIES | 651 |
| FEMALE | 1,771 |
| GRA BU | 36 |
| HOUSES OCCUPIED | 507 |
| INHABITED | 501 |
| MALE | 1,691 |
| MARRIED F | 520 |
| MARRIED M | 526 |
| MARRIED TOTAL | 1,046 |
| POPULATION | 3,462 |
| ROOT BU | 476 |
| SHANTIES | 6 |
| SINGLE F | 1,123 |
| SINGLE M | 1,134 |
| SINGLE TOTAL | 2,257 |
| TUR BU | 8,285 |
| UNINHABITED | 23 |
| WIDOWED F | 128 |
| WIDOWED M | 31 |
| WIDOWED TOTAL | 159 |
Identifiers
- TCP UID:
NS200006— year-scoped identifier from the Canadian Census Subdivision boundary file - Persistent place ID:
PLACE_NS020007— 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 1871 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). "Pictou, Nova Scotia (1871 census)" in HGIS Canada Knowledge Graph. Retrieved from https://jimclifford.ca/hgiscanada/places/ns/pictou-ns200006-1871/.