Shelburne

Town and administrative headquarters of Shelburne County, southwestern Nova Scotia, Canada, on Shelburne Harbour, off the Atlantic Ocean, 167 km/104 mi southwest of Halifax; population (1991) 2,200. Fishing and tourism are important to the economy.

History Originally a small port, after 1783 it became home to over 10,000 Loyalists from New York and New England. Although most moved elsewhere within the decade, their influence lingers in the town. In the early 19th century it was a shipbuilding centre; the clipper ship designer Donald McKay (1810–1880) from nearby Jordan Falls learned his craft here.

Shelburne

Town in northwestern Vermont, on the La Platte River, Shelburne Bay, and Lake Champlain, 11 km/7 mi south of Burlington, of which it is a commercial and residential suburb; population (1990) 5,900, including Shelburne and Shelburne Falls. Shelburne Museum and Heritage Park, one of the region's leading tourist complexes, is here.