Business View Civil and Municipal | March 2021

167 CIVIL AND MUNICIPAL MARCH 2021 AMHERST , NOVA SCOT I A their lives, coming here for groceries, shopping, Walmart, things like that.” He goes on to describe it as an old Victorian town with beautiful old sandstone architecture and a significant industrial community, including an industrial park and one of only seven Tier 2 Hospitals in the province. Recreation-wise, the town is filled with parks, playgrounds, walking trails, two splash pads, an off-leash dog park, a stadium, a skate park, a ball field, and a brand new tennis court. There is also a YMCA and a highly regarded 18-hole golf course. First settled in 1764 by immigrants from Yorkshire following the expulsion of the Acadians, they were joined by United Empire Loyalists fleeing the American colonies during the revolutionary war. Amherst then went on to become a local center of shipbuilding and commerce. The industrialists of this period were responsible for many of the stunning Victorian and Edwardian homes built in the area. With the construction of the Intercolonial Railway of Canada in 1872, which ran the main line from Halifax to Quebec City, the town took off and became a true hub of industry and commercial activity. “The fact that we are in the geographic center of the Maritimes is really one of the main economic driving forces for our community,” adds Greg Herrett, CAO for the town. “You drive two hours in any direction and you are hitting a major city. There are over a million people in that radius when you count Halifax, Moncton, Charlottetown, and Saint John. We are also on the train route through those cities and a two-hour drive from two seaports and two international airports.”