From the Mi'kmaq people who first settled here thousands of years ago ... to the Acadians who found shelter and safety along the rugged Atlantic coast ... to people like Sylvia Ho, who came here from Singapore in 1981 to follow her dream.

There are people from over thirty different cultures living and working side by side in Cape Breton, and people whose occupations and lifestyles are as diverse as the landscape itself.

There are people like businessman Ken Tutty ... whose ancestors first settled in Louisbourg back in the mid-1700's. And farmer Mark Eyking ... whose parents came here from Holland to grow tulips just a few decades ago. There are those who were born and raised here, like Greg Lynch and Irene Khattar ... and those, like Dr. Jacquelyn Scott, who came because the career opportunity she had been hoping for turned up here at the University College of Cape Breton.

It's those many faces ... faces of people working, growing and creating ... that make Cape Breton one of the country's most dynamic and refreshing places to live.

Situated on the northeastern tip of Nova Scotia, surrounded by the waters of the Atlantic Ocean and the Northumberland Strait, Cape Breton is truly "Nova Scotia's Masterpiece" and we have every reason to want to keep our island to ourselves.

On the other hand, we have every reason to want to share it with others.

Cape Breton is an island of unspoiled beauty from the magnificent mountains of the Cabot Trail, to the the pastoral charm of the Mira River, to the coastal elegance of small fishing villages like Main-a-Dieu and Port Morien.

Metropolitan Cape Breton itself, located at the easternmost end of the Island, borders on over one hundred kilometers of pure Atlantic seacoast that provides a spacious and inspiring backdrop for our uncluttered island way of life. We have virgin forests, flowering meadows, rolling farmlands and ivory sand dunes.

And in the midst of it all is a natural treasure the likes of which you'll find nowhere else on earth - the Bras d'Or Lake .... sharing with us its crystal water, secluded bays and inlets, glorious beaches, fascinating natural habitats, and breathtaking scenery"

Pat O'Neil, Explore Cape Breton, 1994

And yet, surrounded as we are by all this splendour, we still manage to get our work done.

Metropolitan Cape Breton has a dynamic and diversified economy from innovative and high-tech farms of Mark Eyking and his family ... to a vital coal industry that sells Cape Breton coal to countries all over the world.

We have a lively and growing network of small business people who sell everything from handmade chocolates to computer software.

And a cultural environment that has inspired and nurtured international celebrities like Rita MacNeil and Ashley Maclsaac.

We have an excellent seaport, first-class land and air transportation systems and a multi- million dollar tourism industry with world-class attractions like Fortress Louisbourg, where tens of thousands of visitors each year walk its magnificent 18th century streets.

And that's not all.

For all its beauty and tranquility Cape Breton is an island of opportunity.

Dr. Jacquelyn Scott who was born and raised in Kansas, came here to take on the job as President of the University College of Cape Breton, one of the most innovative institutions in the country.

Cape Breton, too, is a community where lifestyle is a matter of choice.

Whether you choose to live in a charming old house in the city a farmhouse in the country or to build your own dream home overlooking the ocean ... the choice is yours.

Land with ocean frontage, a cottage on the Bras d'Or Lakes, or a secluded mountain-top retreat are still within reach of ordinary people.

Family values are strong. Children are a priority. And friendships are lasting.

As John Khattar, lawyer and father of two daughters, says, "Our life is what we have chosen it to be."

The choices are all around you.

You can join with Bette MacDonald and the Cape Breton Summertime Revue for an evening of music and comedy at Centre 200, or you can take in a symphony concert at the Savoy Theatre.

You can spend your day on the telephone negotiating a business deal ... then take your children for a swim in the ocean before supper.

You can enjoy an elegant dinner at the renowned Gowrie House, or boil up a dozen lobsters on the beach at Gabarus.

You can sail, camp, golf, bike, ski, whale watch, rock climb...

And above all, you can be a vital part of that intricate and colourful mosaic that is our island - a place where people like Bette MacDonald, Sylvia Ho and Greg Lynch ... and people like you... truly make the difference.