TopNational Historic Site · 1896–1900Dalvay-by-the-SeaRoute 6Photo: Fralambert · CC BY-SA 3.0 · Commons file
Dalvay-by-the-Sea · Photo: Fralambert · CC BY-SA 3.02historic places on the registers
History of North Shore · Canada’s heritage registers
Heritage in North Shore: 2 historic places, one of the highest rank
Among the places are a heritage lighthouse. Few towns have as much for their size as North Shore: 6.7 for every 10,000 residents, more than 96% of Canadian towns. The oldest dated place, Dalvay-by-the-Sea, goes back to 1896. Only 8.7% of its homes were built before 1961, against 18% in the typical Canadian town.
Historic places
2
6.7 per 10,000 residents
Highest designations
1
National Historic Sites and Classified Federal Heritage Buildings
Other federal designations
1
Recognized buildings, railway stations, lighthouses
Oldest building
1896
the first construction date on its record
Homes built before 1961
8.7%
typical town: 18%
In pictures
North Shore’s landmarks in 2 pictures
The first two: Dalvay-by-the-Sea and Covehead Harbour Lighthouse. Both of North Shore’s designated places are pictured.
Photos from Wikimedia Commons, each credited to its photographer with its licence; names open the place’s page. Tap a photo to step through them full screen.
The map
Where North Shore’s history is
Every place on the registers inside the town, by its designation.
Highest designationsOther federal designations
Each dot is a place: point at it for the name, tap it for its page.
The 2, by tier
1 Highest designations1 Other federal designations
Parks Canada’s Directory of Federal Heritage Designations lists the places the Government of Canada has recognized; outside Québec, provincial and municipal listings come only through Wikidata, and only those with an encyclopedia article get a page.
Points from Wikidata (Parks Canada’s files carry none) and from Québec’s register, as mapped there.
Highest designations
One place in North Shore with the highest designation
National Historic Sites and Classified Federal Heritage Buildings, Canada’s highest federal recognition. Each one opens its own page.
Other federal designations
Federal heritage in North Shore: one more place
Recognized Federal Heritage Buildings, heritage railway stations and lighthouses. Each one opens its own page.
FedHeritage Lighthouse · 1975Covehead Harbour LighthouseGulf Shore ParkwayPhoto: Raj Dahal · CC BY-SA 4.0 · Commons file
Around the town
19 historic places within 25 km of North Shore
They belong to 3 towns, chiefly Charlottetown, New Glasgow and West River. At 11 km, Shaw's Hotel in New Glasgow is the closest. The earliest date is Skmaqn–Port-la-Joye–Fort Amherst’s, 1748, 19 km away.
The 12 nearest, within 25 km
| Shaw's HotelNational Historic Site · 1860–2001 · 11 km away, in New Glasgow |
| ArdgowanNational Historic Site · 1850–1851 · 13 km away, in Charlottetown |
| Ravenwood House #5Recognized Federal Heritage Building · 1820–1829 · 14 km away, in Charlottetown |
| FairholmNational Historic Site · 1839–1840 · 15 km away, in Charlottetown |
| Province HouseNational Historic Site · 1839–1848 · 15 km away, in Charlottetown |
| Apothecaries HallNational Historic Site · 1900–1901 · 15 km away, in Charlottetown |
| Great George Street Historic DistrictNational Historic Site · 1864 · 15 km away, in Charlottetown |
| St. Dunstan's Roman Catholic BasilicaNational Historic Site · 1896–1908 · 15 km away, in Charlottetown |
| Charlottetown City HallNational Historic Site · 1888–1889 · 15 km away, in Charlottetown |
| All Souls ChapelNational Historic Site · 1888–1889 · 15 km away, in Charlottetown |
| Dundas TerraceNational Historic Site · 1889–1890 · 16 km away, in Charlottetown |
| Government HouseNational Historic Site · 1833–1835 · 16 km away, in Charlottetown |
Homes by age
North Shore is still building: 10% of homes date from 2016 to 2021, against 4.1%
31% of North Shore’s homes date from 1981 to 2000, well above the typical 23%. Homes built from 2001 to 2015 make up 32% of North Shore’s, against 15% in the typical town. North Shore built little from 1961 to 1980: 18% of its homes, where most towns have 27%.
8.7%
Before 1961
18%
1961–80
31%
1981–2000
32%
2001–15
10%
2016–21
North ShoreTypical town
2021 Census, private dwellings by period of construction (Statistics Canada); the typical town is the middle Canadian town of 2,500 or more.
Towns its size
North Shore has the 3rd most of 16 towns its size
Towns of 3,000 to 3,000 residents, by places on the registers.
North Shore2
Ahead of it: Stanstead and Huntingdon. The middle one has 0. For 13, the registers list nothing.
Neighbours
North Shore and its neighbours
| Town | People | Places | Highest | Oldest |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| North Shore | 2,994 | 2 | 1 | 1896 |
| North Shore | 1,609 | 0 | 0 | — |
| Charlottetown | 48,118 | 14 | 11 | 1820 |
| Miltonvale Park | 1,279 | 0 | 0 | — |
| East River, Part 1 | 2,657 | 0 | 0 | — |
| Crossroads | 2,366 | 0 | 0 | — |
| Stratford | 13,152 | 0 | 0 | — |
In brief
North Shore in brief
All told, North Shore has 2 historic places, one with the highest designation; Dalvay-by-the-Sea heads the list. Just 2 towns of its size, out of 16, have more historic places. Before 1961: just 8.7% of its homes, against 18% in the typical town. For the rest, the designations ran from 1990 to 2015.
How to read these numbers
What this data can and can’t tell you
- Map points. Pins for federal places come from Wikidata rather than Parks Canada, which gives no points.
- Provincial and municipal lists. Only Wikidata gives open access to listings on provincial and municipal registers outside Québec; without an article such a place is counted but not paged.
- People and events. National historic persons carry no place in the open file. They appear on a town’s page when born there (same name, same birth and death years) or when a historic place inside it carries their name and its record names them with their dates; national historic events don’t appear.
- The tiers. Three tiers: the top for National Historic Sites, classified federal buildings and Québec’s classements, a second for the other federal designations, a third for provincial and municipal listings.
- The federal register. The federal list is complete and open: Parks Canada’s directory for the designations, the Canadian Register of Historic Places for what each one is and why it matters.
- Protection. Federal recognition isn’t a planning control: buildings the federal government owns follow its heritage policy, while others are protected only by a provincial or municipal designation.
- The grade. History is described, not graded, for every Canadian town.
Questions about North Shore’s history
Which places in North Shore have the highest designation?
Just one: Dalvay-by-the-Sea.
What is the oldest building in North Shore?
Dalvay-by-the-Sea, a National Historic Site, begun in 1896.
How old are the homes in North Shore?
The 2021 Census dates 8.7% of its homes before 1961 (18% in the typical town).
Why might a heritage building in North Shore be missing here?
Its province’s and council’s own lists can’t be reused here; 2 further listings in North Shore show up only as Wikidata numbers.
Contains information licensed under the Open Government Licence – Canada (Parks Canada).
Sources: Parks Canada, Directory of Federal Heritage Designations · Canadian Register of Historic Places (federal extract) · Wikidata (CC0) for map points, other names and articles · Statistics Canada, 2021 Census (homes by period of construction). 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).