Preston is an area in central

Nova Scotia Nova Scotia is a Provinces and territories of Canada, province of Canada, located on its east coast. It is one of the three Maritime Canada, Maritime provinces and Population of Canada by province and territory, most populous province in Atlan ...

Canada Canada is a country in North America. Its Provinces and territories of Canada, ten provinces and three territories extend from the Atlantic Ocean to the Pacific Ocean and northward into the Arctic Ocean, making it the world's List of coun ...

in the

Halifax Regional Municipality Halifax is the capital and most populous municipality of the Provinces and territories of Canada, Canadian province of Nova Scotia, and the most populous municipality in Atlantic Canada. As of 2024, it is estimated that the population of the H ...

, located on Trunk 7. Preston includes the subdivisions of East Preston,

North Preston North Preston is a community located in Nova Scotia, Canada within the Halifax Regional Municipality. The community is populated primarily by Black Nova Scotians. North Preston is the largest Black community in Nova Scotia by population, an ...

, Lake Major,

Cherry Brook The Cherry Brook is a tributary of the West Dart River on Dartmoor, Devon, England. It rises about a kilometre north of Lower White Tor in the open moorland and flows in a generally southerly direction past Industrial archaeology of Dartmoor#Gu ...

and Loon Lake. The definition sometimes extends to include Lake Echo. The population in 2016 was 3,223.Community Counts Home Page
/ref> This is a decline from 2006, when Preston had a population of 3,536.

Background

Preston, once known as Preston Township, previously was geographically much larger. The community's boundaries stretched westward past Westphal to Highway 111, and eastward through what is now Lake Echo and Porter's Lake to Myra Road (including through East Preston), north to

, and south through parts to the boundaries of Lawrencetown). No community is known strictly as "Preston", rather it refers to the area encompassed by those subdivisions, or in reference to the Preston Electoral District. The area is believed to have been named after

Preston, Lancashire Preston () is a city on the north bank of the River Ribble in Lancashire, England. The city is the administrative centre of the county of Lancashire and the wider City of Preston, Lancashire, City of Preston local government district. Preston ...

, England or Thomas Preston, a British army officer involved in the

Boston Massacre The Boston Massacre, known in Great Britain as the Incident on King Street, was a confrontation, on March 5, 1770, during the American Revolution in Boston in what was then the colonial-era Province of Massachusetts Bay. In the confrontati ...

at the beginning of the

American Revolution The American Revolution (1765–1783) was a colonial rebellion and war of independence in which the Thirteen Colonies broke from British America, British rule to form the United States of America. The revolution culminated in the American ...

. It was among the areas where the Crown granted lands to

Black Loyalists Black Loyalists were people of African descent who sided with Loyalist (American Revolution), Loyalists during the American Revolutionary War. In particular, the term referred to men enslaved by Patriot (American Revolution), Patriots who served ...

from the Thirteen Colonies; it had promised them freedom and resettled more than 3,000 former slaves in Nova Scotia. Reflecting its early history, Preston has the largest percentage of

black people Black is a racial classification of people, usually a political and skin color-based category for specific populations with a mid- to dark brown complexion. Not all people considered "black" have dark skin and often additional phenotypical ...

of any area in Canada; 69.4% of its population is black. The

Black Nova Scotian Black Nova Scotians (also known as African Nova Scotians, Afro-Nova Scotians, and Africadians) are Black Canadians whose ancestors primarily date back to the Colonial United States as slaves or freemen, later arriving in Nova Scotia, Canada dur ...

leader and clergyman,

Richard Preston Richard Preston (born August 5, 1954) is a writer for ''The New Yorker'' and bestselling author who has written books about infectious disease, bioterrorism, redwoods and other subjects, as well as fiction. Biography Preston was born in Cambr ...

(b. 1792), took this surname after becoming reunited here with his mother, who was resettled in Preston along with others of the 2,000 black refugee slaves who gained freedom with the British during the

War of 1812 The War of 1812 was fought by the United States and its allies against the United Kingdom of Great Britain and Ireland, United Kingdom and its allies in North America. It began when the United States United States declaration of war on the Uni ...

in the United States. Richard had bought his freedom from slavery in Virginia as an adult, and then went to Nova Scotia in search of his mother. He became a prominent Baptist preacher and political leader."Richard Preston" Biography, ''Dictionary of Canadian Biography Online''
/ref> Wayne Adams, the first Black MLA and Cabinet Minister in Nova Scotia, is from East Preston. Corrine Sparks the first Black female Judge in Canada is from Lake Loon. A World Heavyweight contender in boxing,

Kirk Johnson Kirk Cyron Johnson (born June 29, 1972) is a Canadian former professional boxer who competed from 1993 to 2010, and challenged once for the WBA heavyweight title in 2002. Amateur career Johnson represented Canada at the 1992 Olympics in Bar ...

, is from North Preston.

Notable residents

* Wayne Adams (b. 1943),

politician A politician is a person who participates in Public policy, policy-making processes, usually holding an elective position in government. Politicians represent the people, make decisions, and influence the formulation of public policy. The roles ...

Gary Beals Gary Beals (born October 25, 1982) is a Canadian singer who is best known for being runner up in the first season of the reality television series ''Canadian Idol''. He is a resident of Cherry Brook, Nova Scotia and named "Best Halifamous Per ...

(b. 1982), R&B singer and

Canadian Idol ''Canadian Idol'' is a Canadian reality television competition show which aired on CTV, based on the British show '' Pop Idol''. The show was a competition to find the most talented young singer in Canada, and was hosted by Ben Mulroney. Jon Do ...

finalist *

Custio Clayton Custio Clayton (born October 5, 1987) is a Canadian professional boxer who has held the WBA- NABA welterweight title since 2019. As an amateur he is a six-time Canadian national champion and represented Canada at 2 commonwealth games and the 201 ...

(b. 1987), boxer *

(b. 1972), boxer *

Mary Jane Katzmann Mary Jane Katzmann (also known as, Mrs. William Lawson; sobriquet, M. J. K. and later, M. J. K. L.; January 15, 1828 – March 23, 1890) was a Canadian writer, editor, historian, and poet. Publishing short poems from time to time, she went on to b ...

(1828–1890),

historian A historian is a person who studies and writes about the past and is regarded as an authority on it. Historians are concerned with the continuous, methodical narrative and research of past events as relating to the human species; as well as the ...

poet A poet is a person who studies and creates poetry. Poets may describe themselves as such or be described as such by others. A poet may simply be the creator (thought, thinker, songwriter, writer, or author) who creates (composes) poems (oral t ...

, and

editor Editing is the process of selecting and preparing written, visual, audible, or cinematic material used by a person or an entity to convey a message or information. The editing process can involve correction, condensation, organization, a ...

Dwayne Provo Dwayne Provo (born October 7, 1970) is a Canadian athlete, school administrator, and politician. Early life Provo was born in North Preston, Nova Scotia (one of Canada's largest Black communities) and attended university at Saint Mary's Unive ...

(b. 1970), politician and athlete * Corrine Sparks (b. 1953), Judge

References

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{{coord, 44, 42, 56.4, N, 63, 26, 3.2, W, display=title Black Canadian settlements Communities in Halifax, Nova Scotia Unincorporated communities in Nova Scotia Black Canadian culture in Halifax, Nova Scotia