Victoria County, Subdivision BNova Scotia
Its census division is Victoria. Population 4,258: a town in Nova Scotia.
Is Victoria County, Subdivision B a good place to live?
More weak spots than strong ones. Jobs & income is its weak spot (D). Housing is within reach (B+). Overall, that makes a C−, better than 20% of Canadian towns. In the ranking it comes #38 of 88 in Nova Scotia. Its other grades sit near the middle: B− for walkability and B− for hazard risk.
This town's rent is the 2021 census rent scaled to 2025 by its province's ratio of surveyed to census rents: no rental survey covers it, so its Cost Grade is less sure. Safety is the police detachment's figure, shared with the towns and countryside around it. Crime here is counted against the people who live here, but many visitors or second-home owners add to it, so the rate per resident runs higher than residents' own risk. No School Grade: this province doesn't publish comparable results school by school. Health is graded on the health region's survey figures and life expectancy, with the distance to hospital giving the town its own spread.
How Victoria County, Subdivision B grades
Each subject compares Victoria County, Subdivision B with Canadian towns of 2,500 or more, ordered by how far it is from the middle. Towns in other countries are graded separately.
How TownRatings grades Canadian towns →
What makes Victoria County, Subdivision B stand out
The 3 things Victoria County, Subdivision B does most differently from other towns.
The data
Data highlights are ordered by what stands out in Victoria County, Subdivision B.
Fewer of Victoria County, Subdivision B’s 15-to-64s are in work than in 92% of Canadian towns
The commute to work averages 26 min.
How working residents got to work · census 2021
| Census 2021 | Victoria County, Subdivision B | Nova Scotia | Canada |
|---|---|---|---|
| Average trip | 26 min | 23 min | 26 min |
| Car or van | 92% | 92% | 89% |
Statistics Canada, Census 2021 (labour and commuting) · These are May 2021 figures, gathered while COVID-19 kept many people home or out of work.
For health, Victoria County, Subdivision B gets a C−
For Victoria County, Subdivision B itself the measure is access, and it lags: 11 km to the nearest hospital, where 3.7 km is typical. Life expectancy at birth in the region is 78.8 years, lower than both Nova Scotia’s towns (80.0) and Canadian towns (81.5). Across the region, 49% of adults say their health is very good or excellent, much as in Nova Scotia (48%).
Very good or excellent health · adults, age-standardised
| Health | Victoria County, Subdivision B | Nova Scotia | Canada |
|---|---|---|---|
| Chronic conditions (average share) | 21% | 20% | 17% |
| Life expectancy at birth | 78.8 | 80.0 | 81.5 |
| Smokers | 15% | 15% | 12% |
| Very good or excellent health | 49% | 49% | 52% |
Statistics Canada, Canadian Community Health Survey 2023/2024 and life expectancy 2022/2024; Open Database of Healthcare Facilities · Health survey and life expectancy: one figure for all of the Zone 3 - Eastern
Renting in Victoria County, Subdivision B costs 16% of household income, less than in Nova Scotia’s towns or Canadian towns
9% of households spent 30% or more of their income on shelter, lower than both Nova Scotia’s towns (13%) and Canadian towns (18%). The owner-occupied share of households is 87%.
What homes were worth · The median owner’s estimate at the 2021 census
| Census 2021 | Victoria County, Subdivision B | Nova Scotia | Canada |
|---|---|---|---|
| Households spending 30%+ on shelter | 9% | 13% | 18% |
| Rent as a share of income | 16% | 21% | 20% |
| Households owning their home | 87% | 82% | 74% |
Statistics Canada, Census 2021; CMHC Rental Market Survey via Statistics Canada · These are 2021 census values, as owners judged them, set against household income in 2020.
Few Canadian towns get more rain and snow than Victoria County, Subdivision B: 1,481 mm a year
A normal January brings 78 cm of snow, the most of any month. For the wettest month, look to December: 170 mm on average. Snowfall adds up to 281 cm a year, above both Nova Scotia’s towns (215 cm) and Canadian towns (141 cm). Midsummer afternoons in Victoria County, Subdivision B peak at about 23.4°C.
Average high by season · ECCC normals, 1991–2020
| Normals, 1991–2020 | Victoria County, Subdivision B | Nova Scotia | Canada |
|---|---|---|---|
| Snowfall a year | 281 cm | 215 cm | 141 cm |
| Precipitation a year | 1,481 mm | 1,393 mm | 883 mm |
| July afternoon high | 23.4°C | 23.1°C | 25.5°C |
| January night low | −9.1°C | −8.9°C | −13.5°C |
Environment and Climate Change Canada, Canadian Climate Normals 1991–2020 (Sydney)
The force covering Victoria County, Subdivision B records more serious violence than Nova Scotia’s towns or Canadian towns, at 121
Its police area records 20.6 violent incidents per 1,000 residents a year. Across the area its police cover, the Crime Severity Index averaged 83 over 2023–25, higher than both Nova Scotia’s towns (71) and Canadian towns (67). Thefts, break-ins and damage add up to 27 per 1,000 residents a year where it is policed. Victoria County, Subdivision B doesn’t get its own Crime Severity Index, Violent Crime Severity Index, violent crime and property crime per 1,000 figures; the ones here come from the Victoria County detachment area.
Year by year · Crime Severity Index for each year
| 2023–2025 | Victoria County, Subdivision B | Nova Scotia | Canada |
|---|---|---|---|
| Violent crime | 20.6 | 14.5 | 12 |
| Violent Crime Severity Index | 121 | 94 | 86 |
| Property crime per 1,000 | 27 | 36.2 | 31.2 |
| Crime Severity Index | 83 | 71 | 67 |
Statistics Canada, Uniform Crime Reporting Survey, 2023–2025 average
Protected land around Victoria County, Subdivision B beats nearly 9 in 10 Canadian towns
One named trail is close: the International Appalachian Trail (Nova Scotia). A drive of 21 km reaches Cape Breton Highlands National Park, the nearest national park. The tally of protected areas open to the public within 10 km is 196, above both Nova Scotia’s towns (23.5) and Canadian towns (4). Within its own boundary, 17% of the town is protected.
Protected land · of the land within 10 km
| Outdoors | Victoria County, Subdivision B | Nova Scotia | Canada |
|---|---|---|---|
| Public protected areas within 10 km | 196 | 23.5 | 4 |
| Protected land within 10 km | 12% | 8.7% | 2.3% |
Canadian Protected and Conserved Areas Database (CPCAD), OpenStreetMap routes and beaches
A median age of 56: Victoria County, Subdivision B is older than 96% of Canadian towns
Visible minorities make up 1.8% of the population, below Nova Scotia’s towns (4%) and Canadian towns (15%) alike. 5.8% of residents came to Canada as immigrants, above Nova Scotia’s towns (4.3%) but below Canadian towns (6.4%).
Ages · Share of residents in each age group, Census 2021
Schooling · Highest qualification, residents 15 and over
Women and men · all residents
Women make up 51.5% of Victoria County, Subdivision B
Of the 2021 count, 2,100 were women and 1,980 men (women across Canada: 50.9%).
| Victoria County, Subdivision B | Nova Scotia | Canada | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Under 15 | 12% | 14% | 16% |
| 15 to 64 | 56% | 62% | 64% |
| 65+ | 32% | 25% | 19% |
| No certificate, diploma or degree | 15% | 18% | 16% |
| Postsecondary qualification | 57% | 54% | 56% |
Statistics Canada, Census 2021; Nova Scotia and Canada: medians of towns of 2,500+
A normal November in Victoria County, Subdivision B runs from freezing to 8°C
Normal highs peak at 23°C in July; nights bottom out at −10°C in February. Then December: 3°C by day, −4°C at night. A typical November adds 9 cm of snow. A normal November brings 149 mm of rain and snow.
Normal highs, the months ahead · ECCC normals, 1991–2020
| Season | High | Low | Rain and snow |
|---|---|---|---|
| Winter | 0°C | −8°C | 440 mm |
| Spring | 7°C | −2°C | 340 mm |
| Summer | 22°C | 11°C | 287 mm |
| Autumn | 13°C | 5°C | 414 mm |
ECCC normals, 1991–2020 (Sydney); the forecast is on the Weather page
Jaime Battiste (Liberal Party of Canada) represents Victoria County, Subdivision B in Ottawa as MP for Cape Breton—Canso—Antigonish
No provincial riding is named for Victoria County, Subdivision B, as no open boundary file exists for the Nova Scotia House of Assembly that we could find.
Wikidata, MAMH, MMAH, Statistics Canada
Victoria County, Subdivision B has one public library, Baddeck Public Library
The library is 0.2 km from the centre of Victoria County, Subdivision B.
Provincial library statistics, OpenStreetMap, the CRA and Statistics Canada
Victoria County, Subdivision B’s hazards at a glance: a low wildfire record and 14% of area homes over the radon guideline
Radon tests for the Zone 5 health region
Little of the land around Victoria County, Subdivision B has burned: 0.1% within 25 km since 1986, or 0.002% a year. No one has filed a flood map for Victoria County, Subdivision B on the national inventory.
Radon tests above the guideline · share of tested homes, 200 Bq/m³
| Hazards | Victoria County, Subdivision B | Nova Scotia | Canada |
|---|---|---|---|
| Radon tests above the guideline | 14% | 13% | 6.6% |
| Earthquake loss per $1,000 of buildings a year | $0.013 | $0.018 | $0.030 |
NRCan seismic risk model and burned areas, Health Canada radon survey, the Flood Hazard Map Inventory
Victoria County, Subdivision B’s teenagers travel 40 km to the nearest high school
| School | Level | Students | System |
|---|---|---|---|
| Baddeck AcademyIn Victoria County, Subdivision BElementary | Elementary | – | English public |
| Schools within 3 km | Victoria County, Subdivision B | Nova Scotia | Canada |
|---|---|---|---|
| Nearest secondary school | 40 km | 4.3 km | 1.2 km |
Provincial school lists and results, 2025-26 · Ungraded on schools in Nova Scotia, because the province reports its assessments by regional centre, and that series stops in 2019–20.
Heritage in Victoria County, Subdivision B: 7 historic places, 2 of the highest rank
The oldest dated place, Saint Peter's and Saint John's Anglican Church, goes back to 1883. The list takes in 4 provincial or municipal listings and a heritage lighthouse. Homes from before 1961 make up 31% of the stock, above both Nova Scotia’s towns (28%) and Canadian towns (18%).
Historic places by designation · inside the town
Among them
| Heritage | Victoria County, Subdivision B | Nova Scotia | Canada |
|---|---|---|---|
| Homes built before 1961 | 31% | 28% | 18% |
Canadian Register of Historic Places, Directory of Federal Heritage Designations, Québec’s Répertoire du patrimoine culturel, Wikidata; Census 2021 homes by period
Everything we know about Victoria County, Subdivision B
Highland Village Museum and 4 more in and around Victoria County, Subdivision B
From museums to parks and historic sites: Victoria County, Subdivision B’s places to visit and those just beyond its edge, most famous first.
MuseumHighland Village Museumin town
MuseumAlexander Graham Bellin townArt galleryArt galleryEthan Rouse Nature and Wildlife Galleryin townMuseumMuseumGreat Hall of the Clans Highland Pioneers Museum Thein townMuseumMuseumIron Art2.4 km outside town, to the northPhotos: each place’s Wikidata image, from Wikimedia Commons under the licence below (our copy, resized).
Photo credits (2)
- Highland Village Museum: Highlandvillage, CC BY 3.0, Wikimedia Commons
- Alexander Graham Bell: Skeezix1000, CC BY-SA 3.0, Wikimedia Commons
Famous people from Victoria County, Subdivision B
8 notable people were born in Victoria County, Subdivision B.
Photo credits
John Alexander Douglas McCurdy: William James, Public domain · Mabel H. Grosvenor: Heritager, CC BY-SA 3.0 · George W. Rice: Moses Rice Studio, Washington D.C. Uploaded by Innapoy at en.wikipedia, Public domain · William Ross: William James Topley, Public domain · Aulay MacAulay Morrison: Montreal, Lovell, Public domain
About Victoria County, Subdivision B
Town in Nova Scotia
Every figure TownRatings gives for Victoria County, Subdivision B covers the municipality as Statistics Canada maps it, one census subdivision in Nova Scotia.
Statistics Canada: population estimates 2025 (17-10-0155), Census of Population 2021, 2021 census boundaries.
- Population
- 4,258 (people, 2025 estimate)
- Province or territory
- Nova Scotia
- Census division
- Victoria
- Census subdivision
- 1218001
Questions about Victoria County, Subdivision B
Who are the people of Victoria County, Subdivision B?
Visible minorities are 2% of the population, where the middle of Canadian towns is 15%. Immigrants make up 6%, and Indigenous people 4%.
What kind of homes are in Victoria County, Subdivision B?
88% of homes are single-detached houses, against 64% for the median of Canadian towns, and 0% are in apartment buildings of five storeys or more. A household averages 2.1 people; 32% are one person living alone.
Has Victoria County, Subdivision B grown?
It added people: 3,985 in 2016, 4,077 in 2021, 2.3% more, where the middle of Canadian towns grew 4.1%. Statistics Canada’s 2025 estimate is 4,258.
Sources: Statistics Canada, Census of Population 2021 · population estimates 2025 (17-10-0155) and 2021 census boundaries · Uniform Crime Reporting Survey 2023–25 (35-10-0026, 35-10-0183 to 35-10-0190) · CMHC rents as published by Statistics Canada (34-10-0133) · grades by TownRatings. Under the Statistics Canada Open Licence.
Adapted from Statistics Canada (Census of Population 2021, population estimates 2025, 2021 census boundaries) under the Statistics Canada Open Licence; this does not constitute an endorsement by Statistics Canada. Neighbourhood names in some cities © OpenStreetMap contributors (ODbL).