Saint John, New Brunswick

Saint John is the largest city in the province of New Brunswick and the oldest incorporated city in Canada. In 2001 it had a population of 69,961 (The Census Metropolitan Area (CMA) population/conurbation 122,678). It is situated along the north shore of the Bay of Fundy at the mouth of the St. John River.

History

Predated by the Maritime Archaic Indian civilization, the area of the northwestern coastal regions of the Bay of Fundy is believed to have been inhabited by the Passamaquoddy Nation several thousand years ago, while the Saint John River valley north of the bay became the domain of the Maliseet Nation.

The mouth of the Saint John River was first discovered by Europeans in 1604 during a reconnaissance of the Bay of Fundy undertaken by French cartographer Samuel de Champlain. Champlain was assisting an expedition chartered by Pierre Dugua, Sieur de Monts, which resulted in a French settlement 100 kilometres (60 mi) west at Île-Ste-Croix and was subsequently moved across the bay to Port-Royal the following year. The day upon which Champlain sighted the mighty river emptying into Baie François (as the Bay of Fundy was then called) was St. John The Baptist's Day, thus the name for the river (Fleuve Ste-Jean, or St. John River).

A permanent French presence wasn't established at the site until several decades later as the French colony of Acadia was developing. The area of Acadia along the north shore of the Bay of Fundy was largely inhospitable to early French settlers who followed Champlain and de Monts' lead by opting for the Annapolis Valley on the bay's southern shores. However, the strategic location at the mouth of the St. John River came to be fortified by Charles LaTour in 1631. The river valley saw limited French commerce as several Acadian communities were established upriver, most notably at Point-Ste-Anne (present-day Fredericton). The Treaty of Utrecht in 1713 saw control of the area of Acadia south of the Bay of Fundy (present-day peninsular Nova Scotia) pass from France to Britain, while the area north of the bay, including the St. John River valley and Fort LaTour, remained in a much-smaller Acadia which included Île-Ste-Jean (present-day Prince Edward Island) and Île-Royale (present-day Cape Breton Island).

During the Seven Years' War, British troops seized Fort LaTour and the surrounding area in 1758 and renamed the fortification Fort Frederick. The same war which saw Britain seize control of Acadia and New France, merged the remaining portions of Acadia under the existing colony of Nova Scotia. Several decades later, Fort Frederick was destroyed during the American Revolutionary War and Fort Howe was built nearby at the insistence of newly-arriving Loyalist refugees. The large numbers of Loyalists in the area of Nova Scotia north of the Bay of Fundy saw success in 1784 by petitioning the Crown to divide the colony of Nova Scotia, creating the new colony of New Brunswick.

The Loyalist-dominated communities of Parrtown and Carleton with a combined population of 14,000 developed around Fort Howe and both towns were amalgamated by Royal charter to become the City of Saint John the following year in 1785, making it the first incorporated city in British North America (present-day Canada). A full-size replica of one of the blockhouses of Fort Howe sits on the original location overseeing the river and harbour entrance from a hill top.

During the American Revolutionary War and the War of 1812, Saint John's location made it a probable target for American attacks, thus several military forts were constructed, namely Fort Dufferin and one of Canada's sixteen Martello Towers.

The Irish potato famine of the mid-1800s saw Saint John's largest and most influential immigrant influx occur, with the government forced to construct a quarantine station and hospital on Partridge Island at the mouth of the harbour to handle the new arrivals. These immigrants changed the character of the city and surrounding region from its Loyalist-Protestant heritage with their Irish-Catholic tradition. Schools and hospitals soon followed denominational lines.

Saint John became the province's leading industrial centre during the 19th century, fostering a shipbuilding trade that lasted until 2002, in addition to being a major forestry and manufacturing centre. Much of the city's shipbuilding industry was concentrated on the mudflats of Courtenay Bay on the city's east side; a Saint John shipyard built and launched the famous sailing ship Marco Polo from Courtenay Bay.

As a result of this industrial development and the city's key location for railways and servicing the triangle trade between British North America, the Caribbean, and the United Kingdom, Saint John was poised to be one of Canada's leading urban centres. For the majority of the 1800s the region had a greater population than Halifax, Nova Scotia and even Toronto, Ontario, however a disastrous fire in 1877 destroyed a large portion of the central business district; some historians have argued that this fire, coupled with the decline of the "golden age" of sail and the disappearance of wooden sailing ships, conspired in such a way that Saint John never fully recovered. It should be noted that the city has expanded continuously throughout the decades since the fire, albeit not at the same rate of growth.

During the First World War, Saint John became an important transshipment point for the British Empire's war effort. The Second World War saw the port decline in importance due to the U-boat threat which saw Halifax's protected harbour offer improved convoy marshaling. However, Saint John's manufacturing industries expanded considerably during this time, notably the production of veneer wood for De Havilland Mosquito bomber aircraft. On account of the U-boat threat, additional batteries and search light facilities were installed around the harbour and on Partridge Island on the west side of the harbour and at Red Head on the east side of the harbour.

Saint John's first airport was located north of the central business district at Millidgeville. At the time, this location on a plateau overlooking the Kennebecasis River was predominantly a summer cottage area, which was used by local residents to escape the coastal fog from the Bay of Fundy. On May 19, 1932 Amelia Earheart landed at the Millidgeville airport during her solo trans-Atlantic flight. The next morning she took a copy of the Saint John Telegraph Journal newspaper with her on the next leg of her journey to Harbour Grace, Newfoundland from where she continued flying to Europe. The current Saint John Airport was developed in the post-war and is located in the eastern part of the city, whereas the former airport property at Millidgeville has been redeveloped into a subdivision.

Demographics

According to the mid-2005 census, the population estimates there were 121,179 people residing in Saint John, located in the province of New Brunswick, of whom 48.1 % were male and 51.9 % were female. Children under five accounted for approximately 5.5 % of the resident population of Saint John. This compares with 5.3 % in New Brunswick, and almost 5.6 % for Canada overall.

In mid-2005, 13.1 % of the resident population in Saint John were of retirement age (65 and over for males and females) compared with 13.2 % in Canada, therefore, the average age is 37.9 years of age comparing to 37.6 years of age for all of Canada.

In the five years between 1996 and 2005, the population of Saint John declined by 3.6 %, compared with a decrease of 1.1 % for New Brunswick as a whole. Population density of Saint John averaged 36.5 people per square kilometre (94.5/sq mi), compared with an average of 10.2 persons per square kilometre (26.4/sq mi), for New Brunswick altogether.

At the time of the census in May 2005, the resident population of the Saint John city proper had 64,961 people, but had 121,179 when encompassing the Greater Saint John Area compared with a resident population in the province of New Brunswick of 732,498 people.

Race and religion

Ethnic Origin	Population	Percent
Canadian	59,655	49.16%
English	38,925	32.08%
Irish	36,410	30.01%
Scottish	29,610	24.40%
French	25,240	20.80%
German	5,630	4.64%
Dutch (Netherlands)	3,160	2.60%
North American Indian	2,710	2.23%
Welsh	1,965	1.62%

The information regarding ethnicities at the left is from the 2001 Canadian Census. The percentages add to more than 100% because of dual responses (e.g. "French-Canadian" generates an entry in both the category "French" and the category "Canadian".) Groups with greater than 1,500 responses are included.

According to the 2005 Statistics Canada, almost nine out of ten of Saint John's metropolitan residents self-identified as Christian. This breaks down to 89.2% Christian (47.6% Protestant, 40.3% Roman Catholic, and 1.3% other Christian mostly Orthodox, independent churches), 10.1% stating no religion, and minor religions including Jewish, Buddhist, and Hindus who altogether comprise less than 1%. However, at this time, Saint John is enjoying a growing community of foreign students from Asia and the Middle East studying at the university and it is expected that in time, these graduates may settle here and diversify the local population. The influx is due in large part to a determined effort on the part of both the local university and the Department of Education to form working partnerships with foreign schools and universities.

Geography

The city is situated in the south-central portion of the province, along the north shore of the Bay of Fundy at the mouth of the St. John River. The city is split by the south-flowing river and the east side is bordered on the north by the Kennebecasis River where it meets the St. John River at Grand Bay.

The St. John River itself flows into the Bay of Fundy through a narrow gorge several hundred feet wide at the centre of the city. It hosts a unique phenomenon called the Reversing Falls where the diurnal tides of the bay reverse the water flow of the river for several kilometres. A series of underwater ledges at the narrowest point of this gorge also create a series of rapids.

The topography surrounding Saint John is hilly; a result of the influence of two coastal mountain ranges which run along the Bay of Fundy - the St. Croix Highlands and the Caledonia Highlands. The soil throughout the region is extremely rocky with frequent granite outcrops. The coastal plain hosts numerous freshwater lakes in the eastern, western and northern parts of the city.

The greater metropolitan area includes the following communities: Grand Bay-Westfield, Greenwich, Hampton, Kingston, Lepreau, Musquash, Petersville, Quispamsis, Rothesay, Saint John, St. Martins, and Upham.

Neighbourhoods

Saint John is a city of neighbourhoods, with many residents closely identifying with their particular locale. The central peninsula on the east side of the harbour hosts the site of the original city from the merger of Parrtown and Carleton. In this area, the central business district (CBD) and the Trinity Royal heritage district have developed, which together are referred to as Uptown by residents throughout the city. As most of this area is situated on a hill, it is rarely called "Downtown", as is the custom in most other cities.

The south end of the peninsula, south of the CBD, is appropriately called the South End, whereas the area north of the CBD is called the North End; both areas being predominantly urban residential comprised of older housing which is undergoing gentrification.

Much of the North End is made up of the former city of Portland. Located in Portland just north of the Reversing Falls is Indiantown. Here the navigable part of the Saint John river begins, and from here tugboats and riverboats would depart to ply their trade up the Saint John River.

Further north of the central part of the city, along the southern bank of the Kennebecasis River is the neighbourhood of Millidgeville. Located in this area is the Saint John campus of the University of New Brunswick as well as southern New Brunswick's regional hospital.

To the east of the CBD, across Courtney Bay, is the East Side, where the city has experienced its greatest suburban sprawl in recent decades with commercial retail centres and residential subdivisions (Downtown East). There has been consistent commercial development in the Westmorland Road-McAllister Drive-Consumers Drive-Majors Brook Drive corridor since the 1970s (with at least one new store per year opening there since 1994), including McAllister Place, the city's largest shopping mall, which opened in 1978, and Parkway Mall, which opened in 1974. The city's current airport is located further east on the coastal plain among several lakes at the far eastern edge of the municipality.

The area between Millidgeville and the East Side plays host to the city's largest park, and one of Canada's largest urban parks. Rockwood Park encompasses 890 hectares of upland Acadian mixed forest, many hills and several caves, as well as several freshwater lakes, with an extensive trail network, a golf course and the city's zoo. The park was designed by Downing Vaux, one of the designers of New York City's Central Park, in the mid-1800s. The relatively toney Mount Pleasant neighbourhood borders the park, and is generally seen as distinct from the traditionally poorer North End.

West of the St. John River, the city is collectively referred to as the West Side, however Saint Johners typically divide this into several neighbourhoods. The Lower West Side (or sometimes just West Side) is a former working class neighbourhood which was known as Carleton at the time of the city's formation in 1785, through an amalgamation of Carleton and Parrtown (on the east side of the river). West and north of the Lower West Side is the former city of Lancaster, which was amalgamated into Saint John in 1967. The line of demarcation to be considered a "true West Sider" is generally accepted to be the street named "City Line", which was the former boundary between Saint John and Lancaster. The southern part of Lancaster abutting Saint John Harbour and the Bay of Fundy is Bayshore - a former working class neighbourhood and the location of Canadian Pacific Railway's Bayshore Yard. The north end of Lancaster is also known as Fairville and is home to the Moosehead brewery, several industries, and older neighbourhoods clustered along Manawagonish Road. Further north of Lancaster, following the west bank of the St. John River, is the town of Grand Bay-Westfield. West of Lancaster, the city hosts its second largest park, and one of the largest coastal urban parks in the country. The privately-run Irving Nature Park sits on an extensive peninsula extending into the western part of Saint John Harbour into the Bay of Fundy near Lorneville.

Economy

Saint John remains the industrial powerhouse of the Maritime provinces of Canada (New Brunswick, Nova Scotia and Prince Edward Island) and currently hosts the greatest concentration of industry on the Atlantic coast north of New York City. Wealthy industrialist K.C. Irving and his family built an industrial conglomerate in the city during the 20th century with interests in oil, forestry, shipbuilding, media, and transportation. Irving companies remain dominant employers in the region with the most important businesses being eastern North America's first deepwater oil terminal, Canada's largest oil refinery, a medium-sized pulp mill, a newsprint mill, and a tissue paper plant.

Until the early 2000s, Canada's largest shipyard, also owned by the Irving conglomerate, had been an important employer in the city. During the 1980s-early 1990s the shipyard was responsible for building 9 of the 12 Halifax class multi-purpose patrol frigates for the Canadian Navy. However, the shipyard was left without contracts for almost a decade following the warship construction and the federal government appeared to be intentionally trying to force Canada's shipbuilding industry out of business by signing several international trade agreements which prevented subsidization and tax relief (as most shipbuilding nations provide such incentives). There has also been speculation that federal politics through the 1990s played a role in federal policies which have hurt the city, including the closure of the shipyard, the abandonment of VIA Rail passenger train service, changes to social housing policies (Saint John has a large amount of older housing stock), and the closure and relocation of numerous federal offices. Several government offices were relocated to Moncton and Fredericton.

Other important economic activity in the city is generated by the Port of Saint John (New Brunswick's largest port), the Moosehead brewery, the New Brunswick Power Corporation which operates three electrical generating stations in the region (Courtney Bay GS, Coleson Cove GS, and the Point Lepreau Nuclear GS), Aliant Telecom which operates out of the former NB Tel headquarters, numerous information technology companies, and the Atlantic Health Sciences Corporation - the regional health authority for the southwestern part of the province and operator of New Brunswick's largest health care facility, Saint John Regional Hospital. There are also a number of call centres which were established in the 1990s under provincial government incentives - some of the companies operating (or having operated) call centres in Saint John include Air Canada , Xerox, Exxon Mobil, and IBM .

Prior to the opening of the St. Lawrence Seaway in the late 1950s, the Port of Saint John functioned as the winter port for Montreal, Quebec when shipping was unable to traverse the sea ice in the Gulf of St. Lawrence and St. Lawrence River. The Canadian Pacific Railway opened a line to Saint John from Montreal in 1889 across the state of Maine and transferred the majority of its trans-Atlantic passenger and cargo shipping to the port during the winter months. The port fell into decline following the seaway opening and the start of year-round icebreaker services in the 1960s. In 1994 CPR left Saint John when it sold the line to shortline operator New Brunswick Southern Railway. Canadian National Railway still services Saint John with a secondary mainline from Moncton.

Sports

In the fall of 2005, Saint John became the home of the Saint John Sea Dogs of the QMJHL. They play at the 6,350 seat Harbour Station, in the city's downtown.

Urban Redevelopment

A major urban renewal project in the early 1970s involving a partnership between CPR along with the federal, provincial and municipal governments saw a new harbour bridge and expressway (called the Saint John Throughway) built on former railway lands. The ferry terminal for the service to Digby, Nova Scotia was also relocated from Long Wharf to a new facility on the lower West Side (see Bay Ferries Limited) as the CBD was expanded with new office buildings and downtown retail areas while historic industrial buildings were turned into shops and museums. The effect was that the CBD along the eastern waterfront of Saint John Harbour became quite vibrant with its combination of historical charm and modern character. Saint John has some of the tallest office buildings in New Brunswick. The skyline in the city is one of the most distinctive in the province of New Brunswick, boasting the most high rise buildings with a large mix of heritage buildings at the same time.

Tourism and downtown revitalization of the CBD has become an important consideration in future growth plans. The city has been a leader in heritage preservation following the 1982 designation of a 20-block area of the Uptown (see Trinity Royal). Historic buildings within this area are covered by heritage bylaws controlling structure aesthetics and streetscapes. This area boasts one of Canada's largest collections of historic commercial architecture, although some developers believe that heritage preservation puts restraints on future developments. A related development in recent years has been waterfront redevelopment for tourist and residential use. This effort increased markedly in the early 2000s following the closure and dismantling of the Lantic Sugar refinery in the South End. An official plan calls for the former sugar refinery site to become home to an integrated urban residential development coupled with parkland and harbourfront walking trails. The eventual masterplan envisions a series of parkland and walking trails surrounding the harbour and Reversing Falls gorge connecting with important cultural heritage sites.

In recent years the Port of Saint John's port authority has been at odds with the vision of the waterfront redevelopment, citing the economic importance of the port lands which would be lost if the redevelopment master plan is implemented on the inner harbour. Ironically, in the 1970s redevelopment of the city and port, most of the port's industrial areas were scheduled to be relocated at a major new deepwater port being considered for the western part of the outer harbour at Lorneville in a major partnership between the Irving conglomerate, NB Power, CPR and the three levels of government. However, the plan fell through in favour of concentrating industrial development on the inner harbour along the mouth of the Saint John River - the very area where the waterfront redevelopment is being proposed (see Saint John Waterfront Development Partnership).

In recent years, the Market Square Boardwalk on the city's waterfront has acted as a sort of town square, hosting numerous musical events including the Canada Day Countdown each June 30th.

Buildings/Structures

Saint John Hilton Hotel - A hotel located in the main business district of Saint John, which stands at 43.2 metres (141.7 ft) and has 13 floors. It has 197 rooms and is connected to the Trade and Convention Centre.

Saint John City Hall - The city hall of Saint John, which stands at 55.2 metres (181.1 ft) and has 15 floors.

Brunswick House - A downtown office building, which stands at 52 metres (171 ft) and has 14 floors

Courtney Bay Smokestacks - Three distinctive striped smokestacks which each stand at 106.7 metres (350 ft).

Brunswick Square - Largest feature of the downtown skyline and is the main component of the city's pedway system which links to City Hall, City Market, the Delta Brunswick Hotel, the Saint John Trade and Convention Centre and Market Square. The complex features a mall and office space for local businesses. Brunswick Square is just shy of the largest office building in New Brunswick with Assumption Place in Moncton. It stands at 80.8 metres (265 ft) and has 21 floors.

Education

In 1964, the University of New Brunswick created UNB Saint John. Initially located in buildings throughout the downtown CBD, in 1968 UNBSJ opened a new campus in the city's Tucker Park neighbourhood, adjacent to Millidgeville. This campus has undergone continuous expansion over the years and is the fastest growing component of the UNB system with many new buildings constructed between the 1970s-2000s. A trend in recent years has been a noticeable growth in the number of international students. This has resulted in several new apartment buildings being constructed on University Avenue as well as new shops and services being created around the city catering to international students.

The city also hosts a New Brunswick Community College campus in the East End. This is the largest NBCC campus in the province.

Saint John is served by three school boards; District 6 and District 8 for Anglophone schools and District 1 for Francophone schools. A private school, Rothesay Netherwood School is located in the adjacent town of Rothesay. Saint John is also home to Canada's oldest publicly funded school, Saint John High School.

Media

Television

Channel Cable 3 /Broadcast 4: CBAT, CBC
Channel Cable 11 /Broadcast 5: CBAFT, Radio-Canada
Channel Cable 8 /Broadcast 9: CKLT, CTV
Channel Cable 6 /Broadcast 12: CIHF, Global

Radio

930 AM - CFBC, oldies
88.1 FM - CBAL-4, Espace musique
88.9 FM - CHNI, News 88.9 news/talk
91.3 FM - CBD, CBC Radio One
92.5 FM - CFMH, University of New Brunswick campus radio
94.1 FM - CHSJ, country
96.1 FM - CINB, Newsong FM, Christian music
97.3 FM - CHWV, 97.3 The Wave adult contemporary
98.9 FM - CJYC, C-98 classic rock
100.5 FM - CIOK, K-100 adult contemporary
101.5 FM - CBZ, CBC Radio Two
102.3 FM - CBAF-1, La Première Chaîne
103.5 FM - CJEF, 103.5 The Pirate hip hop
105.7 FM - CHQC, L'onde francophone de Saint-Jean

Newspapers Daily

The city's main daily newspaper is The Telegraph-Journal.

Newspapers Weekly

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Le Saint-Jeanois
West Side Times

Military

Besides being the location of several historical forts, such as Fort Howe, Fort Dufferin, and the Martello Tower, Saint John is the current location of HMCS Brunswicker, which is a Naval Reserve division. The city also hosts the oldest Canadian Artillery Regiment and the third in the British Commonwealth called 3FD (The Loyal Company) Royal Regiment of Canadian Artillery (see http://www.saintjohn.nbcc.nb.ca/~Heritage/3far/) currently commanded by LCol Joseph Foote. There are several other Army Reserve (Militia) units at a facility in the South End known as the Barrack Green Armoury.

Transportation

Air service into Saint John is provided by the Saint John Airport, located near Loch Lomond approximately 15 kilometres (9 mi) east of the city centre. The only airline currently flying to the airport is Air Canada and its affiliated carriers.

The main highway in the city is the Saint John Throughway (Route 1), which is a divided expressway through the centre of the city. Route 1 extends west to the United States border at St. Stephen, and northeast towards Moncton. A second major highway, Route 7, connects Saint John with Fredericton. There are two main crossings of the Saint John River. The Harbour Bridge, located at the head of the harbour, is part of the Saint John Throughway and charges a toll of 25 cents per passenger vehicle, making it the only toll road facility in New Brunswick. The Reversing Falls Bridge, to the north, carries both road and rail traffic.

Passenger rail service in Saint John was discontinued in 1994, although the Canadian National Railway and New Brunswick Southern Railway continue to provide freight service.

Bay Ferries operates a ferry service across the Bay of Fundy to Digby, Nova Scotia, although it is scheduled to be permanently discontinued in October 2006. A free cable-stayed ferry operated by the New Brunswick Department of Transportation connects the Milledgeville neighbourhood with the Kingston Peninsula, across the Kennebecasis River.

Bus transit service is provided by Saint John Transit.

Quick Saint John Facts

The "Saint" in Saint John is never abbreviated - in this way the city cannot be confused with St. John's, Newfoundland and Labrador.
Saint John is home to Canada's largest oil refinery.
Saint John is Canada's first incorporated city.

Notable Saint John firsts

Canada's first public museum, 1842. Originally known as the Gesner Museum, named after its Nova Scotian founder Abraham Gesner, the inventor of kerosene. The museum is now known as the New Brunswick Museum.
Canada's first quarantine station, Partridge Island.
The first charted bank in Canada, the Bank of New Brunswick.
Canada's oldest publicly-funded high school, Saint John High School
The Saint John Regional Hospital has become the site of the first brain surgery performed in Canada using new, portable equipment. (NB Telegraph-Journal | Health - News published on page A1/A2 on February 1, 2006)

Notable people from Saint John

Stompin' Tom Connors, musician.
James De Mille, novelist, educator.
George Edwin King, statesman, justice of the Supreme Court of Canada.
George Frederick Phillips, military hero.
Walter Pidgeon, actor.
Cecil B. Demille, critically-acclaimed director.
Donald Sutherland, actor.
Elsie Wayne, longtime mayor of Saint John, later a Member of Parliament and interim leader of the Progressive Conservative Party of Canada.
William Murdoch, poet.
Abraham Pineo Gesner, the inventor of kerosene, was born in Nova Scotia in 1797 but lived in Saint John from 1838 until his death in 1864. What began as Gesner's Museum in 1842 is now known as the New Brunswick Museum.
Louis B. Mayer, Hollywood producer of MGM fame, was born in Russia but raised in Saint John. The burial site of his mother can be found in the small Jewish section of the Fernhill Cemetery on Westmorland Road.
Arthur J. Nesbitt, cofounder of Nesbitt, Thomson & Co. and Power Corporation of Canada.
Harry Saltzman, Producer of the James Bond 007 films. Harry bought an option on Ian Flemings' James Bond novels and became a founding partner of EON (Everything or Nothing) Productions and Danjaq, LLC along with Albert (Cubby) Broccoli. He died on September 29th, 1994.
The Paris Crew - World Rowing Champions Robert Fulton, George Price, Samuel Hutton, Elijah Ross

External links

It is common use that the name Saint John is spelled in the English form in French and English and the Saint is always spelled out for the City Name. The River and County name is abbriviated and often translated in French as Saint-Jean.

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