Shediac

Shediac
Town

Entrance to the town

Seal

Coat of arms
Nickname(s): Lobster Capital of the World
Motto: "In Unum Ad Summum"  (Latin)
"Together Toward The Heights
Shediac
Coordinates: 46°13′10″N 64°32′39″W / 46.2195°N 64.54403°W / 46.2195; -64.54403
Country Canada
Province New Brunswick
County Westmorland County
Parish Shédiac Parish
Founded 18th century
Incorporated 1903
Government
  Type Town Council
  Mayor Jacques LeBlanc
  Governing Body Shediac Town Council
Area
  Total 11.97 km2 (4.62 sq mi)
  Parish 238.47 km2 (92.07 sq mi)
Elevation Sea Level to 33 m (0 to 108.3 ft)
Population (2011)
From Statistics Canada
  Total 6,053
  Density 484.4/km2 (1,255/sq mi)
Time zone Atlantic (AST) (UTC-4)
  Summer (DST) ADT (UTC-3)
Canadian Postal code E4P
Area code(s) 506
Telephone Exchange 312 351 530 531 532 533
NTS Map 021I02
GNBC Code DACUC
Website http://www.shediac.org

Shediac (2011 population: 6,053) is a Canadian town in Westmorland County, New Brunswick. The town is known as the "Lobster Capital of the World" and hosts an annual festival every July which promotes its ties to lobster fishing. At the western entrance to the town is a 90-tonne sculpture called (perhaps inaccurately) The World's Largest Lobster.[1]

Geography

Shediac is situated primarily on Route 133 around Shediac Bay, a sub-basin of the Northumberland Strait.

Lobster sculpture

The town is located southwest and adjacent to the community of Pointe-du-Chêne which features Parlee Beach Provincial Park as well as the Pointe-du-Chêne wharf which was once the eastern terminus of the European and North American Railway as well as a stopover after 1939 for Pan-Am's trans-Atlantic "clipper" air service that featured large seaplanes. Imperial Airways flying boat service to Foynes, Ireland also used the facilities.

History

Hundreds of years ago, the Mi'kmaq encampment of "Es-ed-ei-ik" was one of the major camps in southeast New Brunswick. The Mi'kmaq word "Es-ed-ei-ik" which means "running far in" (in reference to the tide, which has a long range over the shallow, sandy beaches) eventually transformed into Gédaique.[2]

Acadians first arrived at Shediac in 1749 as a result of the Acadian Exodus from peninsular Nova Scotia. [3] During the French and Indian War, French officer Charles Deschamps de Boishebert made his headquarters at both Shediac and Cocagne, New Brunswick. In the autumn of 1755, Boishebert established himself on the south shore of Cocagne Bay, a place known as Boishebert's Camp. The following year, Boishebert moved to Miramichi, New Brunswick, specifically to Beaubears Island.[4] After the war, Acadians returned to the region in 1767.

Today many Francophone residents use the spelling Shédiac; however, the town's name upon its incorporation did not feature an accented "e", and correspondingly the official geographic name for the community is Shediac.

Shediac Bay Yacht Club

Shediac Bay Yacht Club is on the Register of 'Canada's Historic Places' for being the location of a local wharf for nearly a century. The previous Shediac Bay Yacht Club House was designed by Roméo Savoie. [5]

Demographics

Historical population
YearPop.±%
19011,075    
19111,442+34.1%
19211,973+36.8%
19311,883−4.6%
19412,147+14.0%
19512,010−6.4%
19612,159+7.4%
19814,289+98.7%
19864,370+1.9%
19914,343−0.6%
19964,664+7.4%
20014,892+4.9%
20065,497+12.4%
20116,053+10.1%

Religious make-up (2001)

Religion Population Pct (%)
Catholic 4,070 88.29%
Protestant 320 6.94%
Christian N.I.E. 15 0.32%
Buddhist 10 0.22%
Eastern religions 10 0.22%
No religious affiliation 195 4.23%

Income (2006)

Income type By CAD
Per capita income $22,563
Median Household Income $46,413
Median Family Income $56,142

Mother tongue language (2006)

Language Population Pct (%)
French 3,780 73.18%
English 1,230 23.81%
English and French 75 1.45%
Other languages 75 1.45%

Notable people

See also

Bordering communities

References

  1. "BigThings.ca: Town of Shediac, New Brunswick". Big Things: The Monuments of Canada. Retrieved 12 November 2014.
  2. Rand, Silas Tertius (1875-01-01). A First Reading Book in the Micmac Language: Comprising the Micmac Numerals, and the Names of the Different Kinds of Beasts, Birds, Fishes, Trees, &c. of the Maritime Provinces of Canada. Also, Some of the Indian Names of Places, and Many Familiar Words and Phrases, Translated Literally Into English. Nova Scotia Printing Company.
  3. Webster, p. 3
  4. Webster, p. 5
  5. http://www.historicplaces.ca/en/rep-reg/place-lieu.aspx?id=9970&pid=0 Shediac Bay Marina 'Canada's Historic Places'

Further reading

External links

Wikimedia Commons has media related to Category:Shédiac.

Coordinates: 46°13′N 64°32′W / 46.217°N 64.533°W / 46.217; -64.533 (Shediac)

This article is issued from Wikipedia - version of the Tuesday, March 08, 2016. The text is available under the Creative Commons Attribution/Share Alike but additional terms may apply for the media files.