Fredericton

I

Introduction

Fredericton, city and capital of the province of New Brunswick, Canada. Fredericton is the seat of York County and a provincial center of government and education. It is one of the largest cities in the province, along with Saint John and Moncton. The city is located on the St. John River in the south central part of the province. It lies along the Trans-Canada highway, 174 km (108 mi) west of Moncton and 118 km (73 mi) north of Saint John. Fredericton has an average January temperature of -15° C to -4° C (4° F to 25°F) and an average July temperature of 13°C to 26° C (55° F to 78° F).

II

People

According to the 2001 census, Fredericton’s population was 47,560, up from 46,466 in 1991. The city has grown significantly in recent decades: Between 1951 and 1981 Fredericton’s population grew from 16,018 to 43,723. This growth was due primarily to the annexation of the adjoining communities of Nashwaaksis and Marysville in 1973. It also reflected the expansion in provincial government services in the 1960s and 1970s, which brought more civil servants to Fredericton, and the growth of the educational sector of the economy, as more students enrolled in local universities.

New Brunswick is bilingual—both French and English are official languages and are used in all government functions. The province became officially bilingual in 1969, and its bilingual status became part of the Canadian constitution in 1982. As a result, many French-speaking citizens became civil servants in Fredericton. In recent years, population growth has slowed as a result of reduced employment in government and education.

III

City Landscape

Fredericton covers a land area of 130 sq km (50 sq mi). The city is laid out along the St. John River. Farther south near the Trans-Canada Highway are Fredericton High School, one of the largest high schools in Canada; the Dr. Everett Chalmers Regional Hospital; a large retail area; and the Centre Communautaire Sainte-Anne, a gathering place for French speakers that includes a school, a library, and a daycare center.

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Other points of interest in Fredericton include the Beaverbrook Art Gallery, the York-Sunbury Historical Society Museum, the New Brunswick Sports Hall of Fame, and the Provincial Archives of New Brunswick. Religious sites include Wilmot United Church and Christ Church Cathedral. Fredericton also contains the regional headquarters for the Royal Canadian Mounted Police (RCMP). Attractions located outside but near the city include the Canadian Forces Base at Gagetown, which houses a military museum; King’s Landing Historical Settlement; Crabbe Mountain Winter Park; and Mactaquac Fish Hatchery and Provincial Park.

Fredericton is home to the University of New Brunswick (founded in 1785 as King’s College); St. Thomas University (1910); New Brunswick Community College; New Brunswick College of Craft and Design; and the Maritime Forest Ranger School, operated by the three Maritime provinces (New Brunswick, Nova Scotia, and Prince Edward Island) to train forest rangers and technicians. The Hugh John Flemming Forestry Center is maintained cooperatively by national and provincial governments, the University of New Brunswick, and the Maritime Forest Ranger School. International art exhibits and regular performances by Theatre New Brunswick are staged in the city.

IV

Economy

Since the 1960s activities relating to government and university education have formed the largest sector of Fredericton’s economy. Beginning in the 1960s enrollments surged at the joint campuses of St. Thomas University and the University of New Brunswick. The city’s participation in regional economic development programs of the 1960s and 1970s attracted small industries to an industrial mall established for manufacturing. Today, companies produce computer software and other technology products, many of which result from research performed at local universities. Fredericton is also a commercial and distribution center for farming and lumbering in the region. Major manufactured goods here have included building material, shoes, processed foods, and wood products. However, manufacturing has declined in recent decades, and service industries now account for more than two-thirds of jobs.

A railway no longer serves Fredericton. Rail freight service ended in the mid-1990s, and passenger service stopped in 1985. Goods are carried in and out of the city primarily by truck, and the city’s once-thriving port now serves mostly recreational boats. The city government operates Fredericton Transit, which provides local bus service. SMT Eastern Limited offers bus service between Fredericton and other cities. Fredericton Airport is located just outside the city and provides direct links to major cities in eastern Canada and the United States.

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