Fredericton - Geography.

Fredericton - Geography. 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 the third largest city in the province after 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 1991 the city's French-speaking residents numbered 1780. As of that year, Fredericton also was home to more than 300 Chinese. 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. The city government offices and the Provincial Legislature are both located on Queen Street, on the south side near the 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. 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, increasing from about 1000 in 1956 to more than 7000 by 1982 and more than 10,000 by 1997. The city's participation in regional economic development programs of the 1960s and 1970s attracted small industries to an industrial mall established for manufacturing. New companies now 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 include building material, shoes, processed foods, and wood products. However, during the 1980s New Brunswick manufacturing firms that employed more than 100 people declined by 30 percent. Service industries now account for 70 percent of the 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. V GOVERNMENT Fredericton is governed by a mayor and a 12-member council. The council members are elected from political divisions of the city called wards. The mayor and members of the council serve three-year terms. The provincial government provides such important services to the people of the city as health care, education, and social assistance. The Fredericton city government looks after police and fire protection, water, and sewer services. VI HISTORY The indigenous people known as the Maliseet used the site of Fredericton as a campsite and burial ground before Europeans discovered the area. In the 17th century they became partners with the French in the fur trade. Pierre de Joibert, a Frenchman, received several land grants along the St. John River in 1676, but the first important settlement in the area was not completed until 1692. Joseph Robineau de Villebon and other settlers built Fort St. Joseph, also known as Fort Nashwaak, at the mouth of Nashwaak River in 1692. They abandoned the fort about 1700. In the 1730s the French settled Saint Anne's Point, but it too was abandoned. British settlement was temporarily discouraged by the Maliseet in a show of force at Saint Anne's Point in 1762. However, the Maliseet were eventually overwhelmed. The British won control of the area in 1755, and following the American Revolution (1775-1783), about 14,000 people left the 13 colonies and came to the part of Nova Scotia north of the Bay of Fundy. A year later this became the separate colony of New Brunswick. Many of these refugees, known as Loyalists, had fought on the British side during the Revolution. In 1785 a group of Loyalists laid out the community of Fredericton and named it after Frederick Augustus, a son of King George III of England. That same year, Fredericton became the capital of New Brunswick. In 1786 an elected assembly first met in the city, along with the General Sessions of the Peace (a meeting of appointed justices of the peace who handled local judicial and political matters). In later years, land was set aside for the establishment of schools, churches, King's College, and military bases. Fredericton was incorporated as a city in 1848. As a provincial center for government, forestry, military activities, and agriculture, Fredericton grew from 4400 residents in 1848 to 7117 by 1901. Telegraph lines were established in 1851, telephones in 1888, and radio broadcasts in 1923. Early newspapers included the New Brunswick Reporter (1844-1902) and the Maritime Farmer (1879-1905). After 1850 Fredericton flourished as an industrial town. Sawmills, shipyards, tanneries, boot and shoe factories, carriage shops, iron foundries, brickyards, and factories turned out a variety of products. Railroad connections were established between Fredericton and several other cities. A few brands, such as Hartt's boots and shoes and Chestnut canoes, became nationally known and remained competitive well into the 20th century. These manufacturers, and a cotton mill built in Marysville in 1885, were encouraged by the federal government's support of New Brunswick industry through protective tariffs (fees imposed on imported goods). In the 20th century, the government and the university have become important to Fredericton's economy. In efforts to overcome regional disparity, New Brunswick centralized municipal services under provincial departments during the 1960s. As the capital, Fredericton benefited from an increase in the number of provincial civil servants. Health and educational services also grew to serve a larger region. Contributed By: Ernest R. Forbes Microsoft ® Encarta ® 2009. © 1993-2008 Microsoft Corporation. All rights reserved.