Pictou County Populated Places

The Canadian Geographical Names Data Base (CGNDB) is Canada’s national bank of official geographical names, containing nearly 350,000 currently approved names. It is maintained by Natural Resources Canada  and coordinated by the Geographical Names Board of Canada.

Populated Place, recognized in the CGNDB refers to any location where people live or have lived, ranging from large cities to communities and neighbourhoods. The term encompasses a variety of subcategories, each with its own definition and criteria. They are distinguished from other feature types such as terrain features, hydrographic features or administrative areas. The classification system assigns each place into several subcategories, each with specific definitions and criteria.

Pictou County Populated Places are then broken up into a range of subcategories, each with specific definitions and purposes. The following table summarizes the principal subcategories, their definitions, and representative examples.

• Town: an incorporated urban municipality
• Community: a group of dwellings or a settlement, typically unincorporated.
• Neighbourhood:  a named area within a larger place, often with informal boundaries.
• Locality: a named place or area, often unincorporated, may or may not have significant population
• Woodland Area: A populated place or settlement located within or associated with a forested area.
• Railway Point: A settlement or location established around a railway station or siding, often now historical.

Note: The above list is not exhaustive, but more so subcategories related to Pictou County Populated Place; the CGNDB includes additional subcategories and regional variations.