Antigonish

Antigonish is the main town in the Northumberland Shore region of Nova Scotia. Antigonish is primarily a service hub for the surrounding region, with the largest employers being St. Martha's Regional Hospital and St. Francis Xavier University.

Understand
Before European settlement, the area was the site of a seasonal Mi'kmaq settlement. The modern town was founded in 1784 and named Dorchester, but by the 1820s was commonly called Antigonish.

In the 1920s, the "Antigonish Movement" began at St. Francis Xavier University in Antigonish, improving the economic and social conditions across Canada’s Maritimes. This eventually lead to the current credit union systems of Maritime Canada.

The town is the episcopal seat of the Roman Catholic Diocese of Antigonish, and thus is one of the smallest towns in Canada to have a cathedral.

By car
Antigonish is at the junction of the Highway 104 (Trans-Canada Highway) and Highway 7. On Highway 104, Antigonish is approximately east of New Glasgow and  east of Truro.

By bus

 * Its route between Halifax and Sydney includes stops in Dartmouth, Halifax Airport, Truro, New Glasgow, Antigonish, Port Hawkesbury, and North Sydney. Travel time to North Sydney from Halifax is 3.25 hours, from Truro is 1.5 hours, from North Sydney is 2.5 hours, and from Sydney is 3.5 hours.
 * Travel to Antigonish from the following destinations involving same day transfers is as follows:
 * From Moncton (4 hours) with a transfer in Truro.
 * From Charlottetown (5.25 hours) with transfers in Amherst and in Truro.
 * From Bathurst (7.5 hours), Campbellton (8.75 hours). Edmundston (10.75 hours), Fredericton (7 hours), Miramichi (6.5 hours), and Saint John (7.25 hours) with transfers in Moncton and Truro.
 * From Bathurst (7.5 hours), Campbellton (8.75 hours). Edmundston (10.75 hours), Fredericton (7 hours), Miramichi (6.5 hours), and Saint John (7.25 hours) with transfers in Moncton and Truro.

Get around
Antigonish Community Transit runs a single bus route that runs on an hourly schedule M-F 9AM-4PM. They also offer a door-to-door service.

There are multiple taxi services in town.

See
The town has some distinctive architecture, particularly the campus of St. Francis Xavier University.



Buy
On the west side of town, there are the usual big box stores.

Go next
Cape George Point is a half-hour's drive north of Antigonish. The views are spectacular (on a clear day, you can see both Cape Breton and Prince Edward Island) For those interested in literary travel, the point is the setting of Robert Munsch's book Lighthouse.

West to New Glasgow (and on to Truro), east to Cape Breton (the Canso Causeway is only 40 minutes away), or southeast to Guysborough.