Lansdowne is a rural locality situated within the broader community of Lansdowne Station, set within the rolling uplands west of the East River valley, the area is characterized by mixed forest, scattered farms, and a network of backroads that connect it to neighbouring communities.
Stellarton is one of the five Pictou County Towns, it is located along the East River south of the Town of New Glasgow. It was named after a bed of coal known as “stellar” or “oil” coal. The original name for the area was Albion Mines, the name given by the General Mining Association to their collieries in 1827. At a public meeting held in 1870, the place was renamed to “Stellarton” to represent the high-oil content coal known as Stella coal that was abundance in this area.
Stellarton has a rich history in coal mining and is the hometown of Sobeys, a Canadian Grocery icon.
Westville is one of five towns in Pictou County, it is located south west of Stellarton. The area was originally known as Acadia Village but was renamed to Westville at a public meeting in 1868, probably because it was the westernmost of the East River mining towns. The town was incorporated in August, 1894.
West River Station, once a busy railway stop, is a rural community located west of Lansdowne Station. Settlement in this area began around 1813. Peter Stewart, a native of Perthshire, who came to Nova Scotia in 1809, received a license of occupation and took up residence.
Lansdowne Station, once a busy railway stop, is a rural community located west of Glengarry Station and near the high ground around Gordon Summit. The community is named in 1884 in honor of Henry Charles Keith Petty-Fitzmaurice (the fifth Marquis of Landsdowne) who was Governor General of Canada (1883-1888). The naming coincided with the prominence of the Intercolonial Railway, whose Stellarton–Truro line passed directly through the area. The area became one of the many rural stops that linked farm communities, lumber camps, and small industries to larger markets.