When virtually all little centres within Nova Scotia keep close at h& had economic & people declines in a endure Xxx years, Bridgewater is one of the couple of that has been a cappella to remain vibrant and attract fresh residents. A town's people increased from either 6,700 around 1991 to 7,621 around 2001.

A number 1 European settlers of a town came from either the nearby settlements of Lunenburg and LaHave, constructing the 1st home around 1812 on the west bank of the flow of any stream. A town was founded around 1899, shortly after suffering a fire which devestated the entire downtown metropolitan area. For good deal of a 20th century, the town's economy depended in forestry and a big wood mill in a center of town, likewise when a railway, for which the town acted as a central hub for the South Shore area. When the wood mill closed, the period of bust followed until a recently Michelin plant opened within town restricts in the early Seventies, providing employment for occasionally 1,000 population. A downtown train depot burnt to the ground in the early Eighties & shortly fallowing that, train service was discontinued & rail tracks flushed.

Since a Nineties, a town has tried to are higher sustaining solutions for problems that use at times crippled more areas of a Martime provinces: economic decline & the out migration of its immature people. Michelin remains the town's big employer by far & has helped to stem any economic decline, however the town seems unable to keep its immature people, by using several moving away to obtain a university education & never giving. As a counter balance to this, a town is at present marketing itself as a retirement destination non simply for older citizens from either a region, however as well for residents of touching-by Halifax. Good deal of the people incubation it used to be that decade has been caused by ii quickly growing upscale manufactured home parks which cater especially to golden ager. There has likewise been migration from either Europe to the town and circumferent arewhen, too as from either Halifax, in which Bridgewater is progressively seen as a remote suburbia like than an totally staccato town.

Erosion of the commericial revenue enhancement base has been the important condition for the town it used to be that Fifteen years; Tercet of the emporium within the town closed in the time of that period &, instead of concidering in the odd businesses, several residents chose to spend their money in Halifax, a of these hour run off. Since 2004, the bit of businesses own began to pick abreast this trend & use responded by opening outlets around the town, e.g., the recently picture palace opened downtown in 2004 fallowing a Decade season absence. Unluckily for the town, several more recently business (particularly, the Wal Mart), use at times decided to open inside a recently development good outside of town restricts, & more businesses already placed in the town have followed lawsuit. Replacing this taxation base is the brobdingnagian challenge for the town in the forthcoming years. A independent commericial territory continues to become a Bridgewater Mall, placed along a LaHave Flow of any stream downtown, although it has been impacted per newly Wal Mart development. the Bridgewater Plazthe, the strip mall in the southern metropolitan area of the town, continues to thrive despite the absence of a major anchor store, spell the South Shore Mall, in the northern a portion of the town, another time residence to a cinema, a food market, a emporium & wearable shops, has been all abandoned. One of a town's major goals has been to keep businesses in the historic King St. camping territory (placed through the flow of any stream from either a Bridgewater Mall), although several areas tend to become a "revolving door" for fresh microscopic businesses.

Bridgewater is when well additional modern than such towns as Lunenburg and Mahone Bay. Holidaymaker attractions include a Wile Carding Mill and the DesBrisay Museum. A South Shore Exhibition, one of Nova Scotia's largest farming fairs, is held in a period of the previous week of July each year, attracts a bit of 50,000 population. A town is too a boyhood residence of actor Donald Sutherland, when well as NHL player Glen Murray.