Antigonish

Students have been falling in love with Antigonish since StFX moved here more than a century and a half ago. Whether gathering for a post-exam meal at Gabrieau’s Bistro on Main Street, blowing off a little steam at The Tall and Small Café, enjoying a moment of self-reflection on the Brierly Brook bridge, or taking part in the thrilling Highland Games, the young men and women who attend StFX are as proud of their adopted town as they are of their school.

When you become a Xaverian, you become part of a rich heritage. Your story becomes part of the larger story of the thousands of students who have come here to spread their wings and explore their potential. The Highland Heart of Antigonish beats strong, leading every StFX alumnus to say the same thing: It’s hard to imagine a more inviting, more inspiring place to experience your university years.

For more information on the Antigonish, visit the Town of Antigonish website.

The Highland Heart

Part of the definition of Antigonish is “meeting place”—and it’s no accident. Since the Mi’kmaqs occupied its shores 2,500 years ago, Antigonish has opened its arms to people from all over the world. In the 1750s, the Acadian French began to settle here. A few decades later, thousands of Scots escaping oppression abroad found the area a welcome new home. Soon after, free black citizens fleeing the American Revolution and Irish Loyalists adopted the region as well.

Scenic, vibrant and charming, Antigonish today continues to grow by leaps and bounds, yet it maintains the same feeling of closeness and familiarity that has always been at its heart. What remains constant is the connection between individual and community that both the town and the university proudly uphold. This isn’t a town that tolerates its university; it’s a town whose residents are the university’s biggest supporters. Our shared guiding principle is simple but powerful: Everyone here is encouraged to be the unique person they are, while also becoming part of a long line of students who have gone on to do great things.