Shediac

Shediac (informal French Shédiac) 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-ton sculpture called The World's Largest Lobster.[2]

This article is about the town. For the parish, see Shediac Parish, New Brunswick.

Shediac
Town
Entrance to the town
Seal
Coat of arms
Nickname(s): 
Lobster Capital of the World
Motto(s): 
"In Unum Ad Summum"  (Latin)
"Together Toward The Heights
Shediac
Coordinates: 46.2195°N 64.54403°W / 46.2195; -64.54403
CountryCanada
ProvinceNew Brunswick
CountyWestmorland County
ParishShédiac Parish
Founded18th century
Incorporated1903
Government
 • TypeTown Council
 • MayorRoger Caissie
 • Governing BodyShediac Town Council
Area
 • Total53.95 km2 (20.83 sq mi)
Elevation
Sea level to 33 m (0 to 108.3 ft)
Population
 (2016)[1]
 • Total6,664
 • Density123.5/km2 (320/sq mi)
Time zoneUTC-4 (Atlantic (AST))
 • Summer (DST)UTC-3 (ADT)
Canadian Postal code
E4P
Area code(s)506
Telephone Exchange312 351 530 531 532 533
NTS Map021I02
GNBC CodeDACUC
Highways
Route 11
Route 15
Route 132
Route 133
Route 140
Websitehttp://www.shediac.org

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, once the eastern terminus of the European and North American Railway as well as a stopover for Pan-Am's transatlantic "clipper" air service featuring large seaplanes. Imperial Airways' flying boat service to Foynes in Ireland also used the facilities.

History
See also: History of New Brunswick and List of historic places in Westmorland County, New Brunswick

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.[3]

Acadians first arrived at Shediac in 1751 as a result of the Acadian Exodus from peninsular Nova Scotia.[4] 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.[5] After the war, Acadians returned to the region in 1767.

Today many Francophone 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.[6]

Demographics

Notable people
Main article: List of people from Westmorland County, New Brunswick

See also

References
  1. "Census Profile, 2016 Census: Shediac, New Brunswick". Statistics Canada. Retrieved August 18, 2019.
  2. "BigThings.ca: Town of Shediac, New Brunswick". Big Things: The Monuments of Canada. Retrieved November 12, 2014.
  3. Rand, Silas Tertius (January 1, 1875). 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.
  4. Webster, p. 3
  5. Webster, p. 5
  6. "Shediac Bay Marina". Canada's Historic Places. Parks Canada. Retrieved August 18, 2019.

Further reading

Bordering communities

This article is issued from Wikipedia. The text is licensed under Creative Commons - Attribution - Sharealike. Additional terms may apply for the media files.