Bridgewater, Nova Scotia

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Bridgewater (2001 population 7,621; [44.37° N 64.52° W]) is a town in Lunenburg County, Nova Scotia, Canada, at the navigable limit of the LaHave River. It is the largest town in the South Shore region. While the majority of the South Shore's economy is based upon the tourist trade, Bridgewater is more a commercial and industrial centre and attracts far fewer visitors. One of the primary employers is a Michelin tire plant.

While most smaller centres in Nova Scotia have experienced economic and population declines in the last 30 years, Bridgewater is one of the few that has been able to remain vibrant and attract new residents. The town's population increased from 6,700 in 1991 to 7,621 in 2001.

The first European settlers of the town came from the nearby settlements of Lunenburg and LaHave, constructing the first house in 1812 on the west bank of the river. The town was founded in 1899, shortly after suffering a fire which devestated the entire downtown area. For much of the 20th century, the town's economy depended on forestry and a large wood mill in the center of town, as well as the railway, for which the town acted as a central hub for the South Shore region. After the wood mill closed, a period of bust followed until a new Michelin plant opened within town limits in the early 1970s, providing employment for some 1,000 people. The downtown railway station burnt to the ground in the early 1980s and shortly after that, train service was discontinued and rail tracks removed.

Since the 1990s, the town has tried to come up with solutions for problems that have crippled other areas of the Martime provinces: economic decline and the out migration of its younger population. Michelin remains the town's largest employer by far and has helped to stem any economic decline, but the town seems unable to keep its younger population, with many moving away to obtain a university education and never returning. As a counter balance to this, the town is now marketing itself as a retirement destination not only for older citizens from the area, but also for residents of near-by Halifax. Much of the population growth in the past decade has been driven by two rapidly growing upscale manufactured housing communities, LaHave Heights and Eisenhauer Place, which cater especially to senior citizens. There has also been migration from Europe to the town and surrounding areas, as well as from Halifax, where Bridgewater is increasingly seen as a remote suburb rather than an entirely disconnected town.

Erosion of the commercial tax base has been a significant problem for the town in the past 15 years; 3 of the department stores within the town closed during that period and, instead of shopping in the remaining businesses, many residents chose to spend their money in Halifax, a one hour drive away. Since 2004, some businesses have started to pick up on this trend and have responded by opening outlets in the town, for instance, a new movie theatre opened downtown in 2004 after a 5 year absence. Unfortunately for the town, many other new business (in particular, a Wal Mart), have decided to open in a new development just outside of town limits, and other businesses already located within the town have followed suit. Replacing this tax base will be a huge challenge for the town in the upcoming years. The main commercial district continues to be the Bridgewater Mall, located along the LaHave River downtown, although it has been impacted by the new Wal Mart development. The Bridgewater Plaza, a strip mall located in the southern area of the town, continues to thrive despite the absence of a major anchor store, while the South Shore Mall, located in the northern part of the town, once home to a movie theater, a grocery store, a department store and clothing shops, has been completely abandoned. One of the town's major goals has been to keep businesses in the historic King St. shopping district (located across the river from the Bridgewater Mall), although many areas tend to be a "revolving door" for new small businesses.

Bridgewater is also more modern than such towns as Lunenburg and Mahone Bay. Tourist attractions include the Wile Carding Mill and the DesBrisay Museum. The South Shore Exhibition, one of Nova Scotia's largest agricultural fairs, is held during the last week of July every year, attracts some 50,000 people. The town is also the boyhood home of actor Donald Sutherland, as well as NHL player Glen Murray, HipHop Producer Chaylon Brewster, and rapper KOOL COL-B.

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