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 69,661 (metropolitan population/conurbation 122,678).

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.

Related Topics:
Bay of Fundy - St. John River - Kennebecasis River

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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.

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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.

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The greater metropolitan area includes the following communities: Grand Bay-Westfield, Greenwich, Hampton, Kingston, Lepreau, Musquash, Petersville,

Related Topics:
Grand Bay-Westfield - Greenwich - Hampton - Kingston - Lepreau - Musquash - Petersville

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Quispamsis, Rothesay, Saint John, St. Martins, and Upham.

Related Topics:
Quispamsis - Rothesay - Saint John - St. Martins - Upham

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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. 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.

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Further north of the city, along the southern bank of the Kennebecasis River is the suburban neighbourhood of Millidgeville. 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 subdivsions. There has been consistent commercial development in the Westmorland Road-McAllister Drive-Consumers Drive-Majors Brook Drive corridor since 1994. It is an area that could also be called Downtown East. The city's current airport is located further east on the coastal plain among several lakes at the far eastern edge of the municipality.

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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 hundreds of acres of upland Acadian mixed forest, many hills and several caves, as well as several freshwater lakes with an extensive trail network and the city's zoo. The relatively toney Mount Pleasant neighbourhood borders the park, and is generally seen as distinct from the traditionally poorer North End.

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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 amalgamated into Saint John in the 1960s. 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.

Related Topics:
1960s - Canadian Pacific Railway - Moosehead - Bay of Fundy - Lorneville

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