| Stellarton | |
| Other Name: | Gaelic Méinnean Na h-Albann |
| Settlement Type: | Town |
| Nickname: | Stelly,[1] |
| Motto: | "Spirit, People, Pride" |
| Pushpin Map: | Nova Scotia |
| Pushpin Label Position: | right |
| Pushpin Map Caption: | Location of Stellarton in Nova Scotia |
| Coordinates: | 45.5567°N -62.66°W |
| Subdivision Type: | Country |
| Subdivision Name: | Canada |
| Subdivision Type1: | Province |
| Subdivision Type2: | Municipality |
| Subdivision Name1: | Nova Scotia |
| Subdivision Name2: | Pictou County |
| Established Title: | Founded |
| Established Date: | 1790s |
| Established Title1: | Incorporated |
| Established Date1: | October 22, 1889 |
| Leader Title: | Mayor |
| Leader Name: | Darren Stroud |
| Leader Title1: | Governing body |
| Leader Name1: | Stellarton Town Council |
| Area Footnotes: | (2016)[2] |
| Area Total Km2: | 8.99 |
| Elevation Min M: | 19 |
| Population Total: | 4208 |
| Population As Of: | 2016 |
| Population Density Km2: | 468.1 |
| Population Demonym: | Stellartonian |
| Postal Code Type: | Postal Code |
| Postal Code: | B0K 1S0 |
| Area Code: | 902 |
| Leader Title2: | MLA |
| Leader Name2: | Danny MacGillivray (PC) |
| Leader Title3: | MP |
| Leader Name3: | Sean Fraser (L) |
| Elevation Max M: | 65 |
| Timezone: | AST |
| Utc Offset: | -4 |
| Timezone Dst: | ADT |
| Utc Offset Dst: | -3 |
| Blank Name: | Telephone Exchanges |
| Blank Info: | 301, 331, 419, 507, 513, 600, 601, 616, 695, 752, 753, 754, 755, 759, 771, 921, 928, 931, 934, 952, 967 |
Stellarton is a town located in the Canadian province of Nova Scotia. It is adjacent and to the south of the larger town of New Glasgow. In pioneer times the area was called Coal Mines Station, and from 1833 until 1889, it was known as Albion Mines.[3] The town was incorporated as Stellarton in 1889 and owes its name to a specific type of torbanite which came to be known as "stellarite" because of the "stars of fire" given off by its sparky flame.[4]
In the 1790s, coal quickly became a key focus of the local economy. The Foord coal seam (from which the main street of Stellarton derives its name) runs through most of the town and is part of the greater Stellarton Basin/Pictou Coalfield. As part of an area recognized by geologists for its unique oil shales and thick coal seams, the Foord seam is said to be the thickest in the world with estimate of coal seams being as thick as 48 feet.
In the 1820s, the mines were taken over by the General Mining Association which intensified production with new technology including the first steam engine in Nova Scotia for pumping and in 1839 Samson, the oldest railway locomotive in Canada which carried coal to waiting ships.[5]
Samson is now preserved at the Nova Scotia Museum of Industry in Stellarton.
In the 2021 Census of Population conducted by Statistics Canada, Stellarton had a population of living in of its total private dwellings, a change of from its 2016 population of . With a land area of 8.99km2, it had a population density of in 2021.[6]
The town is still home to coal mining operations, the Stellarton Surface Coal Mine has been operated by Pioneer Coal since 1980.
The Canadian grocery chain Sobeys is based out of Stellarton, and its corporate offices and grocery subsidiaries provides a fair percentage of the town's employment. Sobeys subsidiaries based in Stellarton include Big 8 Beverages, TRA Cash and Carry, Eastern Sign-Print and Regional Distribution Centre.
One business that did not work out was the Clairtone factory, the brainchild of entrepreneurs Peter Munk and David Gilmour, encouraged by local businessman and politician Frank H. Sobey.
Stellarton is home to the Nova Scotia Museum of Industry, part of the Nova Scotia Museum system. Stellarton is noted for its painted fire hydrants, each adorned with a costumed representative of a town inhabitant or profession.
The Stellarton Memorial Rink is a Rink in Stellarton that was made in 1945 to remember the soldiers that died in World War I and World War II The rink is still standing today but has not been used for several years