The original inhabitants of the Bridgewater area are the
Mi'kmaq people who have lived in the area for thousands of years based on artifacts that have been discovered in the town. Prior to European settlement, the Mi'kmaq used the area where the town now stands as an inland encampment on the edge of the LaHave River. The first bridge was built around 1825, and by 1850 the village had a population of 300. Lots were first surveyed in 1874. Around this time industries were developed using water power from the river, including lumber manufacture, a
carding mill, a
foundry, a
gristmill and a
tannery. The railway station, a local landmark, was burned in 1986 and is now the site of fast food outlets. Freight service ended in the early 1990s. In January 1899 a fire devastated the downtown core. One month later, the town was incorporated. A
lumber mill started by
Edward Doran Davison on the site of the present-day South Shore Shopping Centre was in operation during the first two decades of the 1900s. A major employer in the 1900s was the Acadia Gas Engines company, the largest marine
inboard motor manufacturer in Canada. Their
two-stroke engines, manufactured entirely in Bridgewater and nicknamed make and break engines, were exported worldwide. Employing over 100 at the King Street plant, the company declined and closed in the 1970s. In 1971
Michelin opened a tire factory, eventually employing more than 1,000. The western bank of the LaHave River was the area first settled, and continued to be the commercial and civic heart of the town well into the 20th century. However, since the 1970s, population and economic growth has been stronger on the eastern bank, with the development of shopping malls, new housing, and a regional hospital.
Climate Like most of eastern Canada, Bridgewater experiences a
humid continental climate (
Dfb). The
South Shore's proximity to the
Atlantic Ocean does serve to moderate the climate, and the region is usually milder than most of Canada during the winter months. Nevertheless, winters are generally cold, damp, and snowy, along with frequent rain. Summers, while less extreme than inland central Canada, are warm to hot and sometimes humid, accented by occasional storms and showers. Autumn and spring are often wildly unpredictable, and snowfall in October and May is not unheard of. Because it lies inland from the ocean, Bridgewater is usually warmer than coastal Nova Scotia during the summer, reporting far fewer foggy days. == Demographics ==