Amherst

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Amherst is a Canadian town located in northwestern Cumberland County, Nova Scotia. The current population is only more than 9,500 inhabitants.

The town of Amherst is located on an arm of the Bay of Fundy at the northeast end of the Cumberland Basin. It is strategically situated 3 kilometers east of the interprovincial border with New Brunswick on the eastern boundary of the Tantramar Marshes. The town sit about 65 kilometres east of Moncton, New Brunswick. It is also situated 60 kilometres southwest of the New Brunswick abutment of the Confederation Bridge to Prince Edward Island at Cape Jourimain.

The town is the biggest town and the county seat of Cumberland County. The name given to the town by the Micmac peoples was "Nemcheboogwek." It actually meant "going up rising ground" that was a reference to the higher lands east of the Tantramar Marshes. The Acadians who lived here as early as 1672 called the town Les Planches. It was named Amherst by the very first pioneer, Colonel Joseph Morse, in honour of Lord Jeffery Amherst, the commander-in-chief of the British Army within North America throughout the Seven Years' War. Locally, the name is pronounced with a silent "h" as "AM-erst".

The town was initially colonized during the year 1764 by immigrants from Yorkshire after the expulsion of the Acadians, with the original settlement being situated three kilometres southwest of the current town on the seashore of the Bay of Fundy. These early settlers were joined by United Empire Loyalists (Loyalists who fled the American colonies in the American Revolution). A mill was built on the present townsite, and the residents moved to be near work.

In the 19th century, Amherst became an important regional centre for shipbuilding and various services to faraway communities. An indication of the town's significance in Canadian history is seen with its four Fathers of Confederation: Edward B. Chandler, Robert B. Dickey, Jonathan McCully, and Sir Charles Tupper.

Amherst is the retail hub for Cumberland County and the southeastern section of Westmorland County. The town has numerous large box stores, like for example Sobeys, Wal-Mart, Zellers, Atlantic Superstore, Canadian Tire, Kent Building Supplies, and Shoppers Drug Mart, in addition to several fast food restaurants and auto dealerships. There are also smaller independent retailers and restaurants in the downtown area, located amongst several historic buildings. The town's location on Highway 104, that is part of the Trans-Canada Highway, has transformed South Albion street and Robert Angus Drive into a highway service centre.