Mira Road, Nova Scotia
Encyclopedia
Mira Road is a community in Nova Scotia
's Cape Breton County
.
Located immediately east of Sydney, and now joined with Sydney as part of Cape Breton Regional Municipality, Mira Road was originally built in the 18th century by French military forces from Fortress Louisbourg. It was used for commercial purposes to move goods between Louisbourg and Spanish Bay, which includes present-day Sydney Harbour. The "Grande Chemin de Mire" was reported to be wide enough for two carriages to pass, a notable achievement in colonial France. After French military forces were defeated and expelled from the area, Britain moved to consolidate it with the colony of Nova Scotia.
Settlement in the outlying areas of Sydney only began after the American Revolution
when New England Loyalists
moved to southern Cape Breton Island as refugees. They populated the area along the Mira Road and began farming, eventually creating a community named "Mira Road". More recent housing developments in the 1970s saw much of the farmland subdivided into housing lots and the area became a bedroom community of the City of Sydney. The Cape Breton Regional Hospital was opened in the area in 1995, and with major expansions is the major referral centre for Cape Breton Island
.
Nova Scotia
Nova Scotia is one of Canada's three Maritime provinces and is the most populous province in Atlantic Canada. The name of the province is Latin for "New Scotland," but "Nova Scotia" is the recognized, English-language name of the province. The provincial capital is Halifax. Nova Scotia is the...
's Cape Breton County
Cape Breton County, Nova Scotia
Cape Breton County, officially, County Cape Breton, is a county in the Canadian province of Nova Scotia, on Cape Breton Island.Taking its name from Cape Breton, the most easterly point of the island which was called after the Bretons of Brittany, this municipality has what is probably the oldest...
.
Located immediately east of Sydney, and now joined with Sydney as part of Cape Breton Regional Municipality, Mira Road was originally built in the 18th century by French military forces from Fortress Louisbourg. It was used for commercial purposes to move goods between Louisbourg and Spanish Bay, which includes present-day Sydney Harbour. The "Grande Chemin de Mire" was reported to be wide enough for two carriages to pass, a notable achievement in colonial France. After French military forces were defeated and expelled from the area, Britain moved to consolidate it with the colony of Nova Scotia.
Settlement in the outlying areas of Sydney only began after the American Revolution
American Revolution
The American Revolution was the political upheaval during the last half of the 18th century in which thirteen colonies in North America joined together to break free from the British Empire, combining to become the United States of America...
when New England Loyalists
Loyalist (American Revolution)
Loyalists were American colonists who remained loyal to the Kingdom of Great Britain during the American Revolutionary War. At the time they were often called Tories, Royalists, or King's Men. They were opposed by the Patriots, those who supported the revolution...
moved to southern Cape Breton Island as refugees. They populated the area along the Mira Road and began farming, eventually creating a community named "Mira Road". More recent housing developments in the 1970s saw much of the farmland subdivided into housing lots and the area became a bedroom community of the City of Sydney. The Cape Breton Regional Hospital was opened in the area in 1995, and with major expansions is the major referral centre for Cape Breton Island
Cape Breton Island
Cape Breton Island is an island on the Atlantic coast of North America. It likely corresponds to the word Breton, the French demonym for Brittany....
.