Although sparsely populated, there are more than 300 communities along the Eastern Shore of Nova Scotia, which vary in size. The largest community along the eastern shore outside of Dartmouth and Cole Harbour is Porters Lake with a population of more than 3,716 as of 2021.

Most of the economy along the Eastern Shore is based around fishing, forestry, and tourism. You can find small businesses spanning along the entire Shore and the Valley. Visit our BUSINESS DIRECTORY for more information or to search for a business on the Eastern Shore.

The archipelago of over 400 coastal islands along a 75km stretch of the eastern shore is a protected area consisting of 1,949 hectares (4,816 acres) of islands along the coast. The protected area extends approximately 25 km from the mainland into the Scotian Shelf bioregion.

The Eastern Shore’s Musquodoboit Valley in Nova Scotia boasts more than 714 km2 of picturesque land. The three largest communities in the valley are Upper Musquodoboit, Middle Musquodoboit, and Musquodoboit Harbour.