New Minas is a located in the eastern part of Kings County in the beautiful Annapolis Valley. As of 2001, New Minas boasted a population of 4300, and is one of the faster growing villages in the Annapolis Valley. The village is found on the south banks of the Cornwallis River and was initially settled by the Acadians who built dykes in the area to drain the land of water from the Cornwallis River as well as the Minas Basin.
New Minas was more or less a farming and agricultural community until highway 101 was constructed in the 1970’s. At this point several retail outlets, a shopping center, and restaurants and hotels were constructed which transformed it into the retail center for the Annapolis Valley.
New Minas is often referred to as “The Soccer Capital of Atlantic Canada.” It has several very modern soccer facilities and annually hosts the New Minas Invitational Soccer tournament in August. The tournament has brought in as many as 210 teams from all over the region.