A Living Community

Peggy’s Cove is one of Nova Scotia’s most iconic attractions with national and international recognition and high levels of visitation. It offers a unique coastal experience to visitors – the quintessential Nova Scotia with expansive granite rocks, bold ocean front, crashing waves, and a historic lighthouse. The surrounding rock-solid granite slopes act as a fortress to the narrow ocean inlet, offering a safe haven for the settlement during raging Atlantic seas.

This is an active fishing village and vibrant community.

Fishers are hard at work in the village, lobster traps and fish nets are scattered along the wharves and roadside, and fishing boats come and go from the head of the Cove.

Before Peggy’s Cove was a settled community, it was a popular destination among fishers. But what inspired them to make this their permanent home? It was this sheltered cove, which offered proximity to the large populations of fish in St. Margaret’s Bay and a safe place to land their catch.

In 1811, six fishermen and their families became the first (post-colonial) settlers of Peggy’s Cove, receiving a land grant of 800 acres from King George III through the Nova Scotia Registry of Grants. More families came in the years that followed, and the community of Peggy’s Cove as you see it today began to take shape. Residents built simple, sturdy houses around the cove, later adding a schoolhouse (1839), lighthouse (1868) and a church (St. John’s Anglican Church, 1850, rebuilt in the 1880s). In these early years, the community was self-sufficient. There was a general store and a post office. Families raised livestock and a few crops, despite the thin soil. They also traded fish for food and other goods by sea, until highways provided more convenient links with communities across the province.

Today, you’ll find that several families continue to make their living from the sea, just like the first families who settled here so many years ago. And some families—Crooks, Garrison, Manuel, and Morash—have called it home for generations, proving that the roots in Peggy’s Cove run deep. Most of the land in Peggy’s Cove is privately owned by residents. When you visit, please respect private lands and the local residents by following the wayfinding signage throughout the village. Learn more about the geology and history of the village as told on storyboards located throughout the area.

And, of course, the locals are truly the experts on all things –and the Peggy’s Cove Preservation Society is a collection of locals and storytellers who are passionate about community history and preservation.

Aside from residents, Peggy’s Cove is home to many local businesses and attractions.

Community events within the Cove are run by local residents and businesses in the area. See our events page to find out more about upcoming and annual community events.