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city in New Brunswick, Canada
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Saint John (French: Saint-Jean) is a seaport city located on the Bay of Fundy in the province of New Brunswick, Canada. It is Canada's oldest incorporated city, established by royal charter on 18 May 1785, during the reign of George III. The Port of Saint John is Canada's third-largest by tonnage with a cargo base that includes dry and liquid bulk, break bulk, containers, and cruise. The city has a strong industrial base, including oil refining and manufacturing, as well as significant finance and tourism sectors and research institutions such as the New Brunswick Museum and the University of New Brunswick. Saint John was the most populous city in New Brunswick for more than 230 years until the 2016 census, when it was overtaken by Moncton. As of 2021, Saint John is the second-largest city in the province, with a population of 69,895 over an area of 315.59 square kilometres (121.85 sq mi).
French explorer Samuel de Champlain landed at Saint John Harbour on 24 June 1604, the feast of St. John the Baptist, and named the Saint John River in his honour; the indigenous Mi'kmaq and Wolastoqiyik peoples called the river "Wolastoq". The Saint John area was an important location for trade and defence in Acadia during the French colonial era, and Fort La Tour, in the city's harbour, was a pivotal battleground during the Acadian Civil War.
After more than a century of ownership disputes between the French and English over the land surrounding Saint John, the British government deported the Acadians in 1755 following the destruction of Fort Menagoueche, which was reconstructed as Fort Frederick. Following the pillaging and burning of Fort Frederick by American privateers, Fort Howe was constructed across the river above the harbour in 1779. In 1785, the City of Saint John was established by uniting the two communities of Parr-town and Carleton on opposite sides of the harbour after the arrival of thousands of refugees from the newly founded United States who wished to remain British after the American Revolution. During the next century, immigration via Partridge Island, especially during the Great Famine, would fundamentally change the city's demographics and culture.
The Saint John area had been inhabited by peoples of the Wabanaki Confederacy for thousands of years. The northwestern coastal region of the Bay of Fundy was home to the Passamaquoddy Nation, while the Saint John River valley north of the bay became the domain of the Wolastoqiyik Nation. The Mi'kmaq also frequented the Saint John area due to the harbour and coast being an important hunting ground for seals. The area around the harbour, where the city is, has been traditionally called Menahkwesk by the Wolastoqiyik people, who continue to reside in and around the city. In precolonial times, the Wolastoqiyik lived in mostly self-sustaining villages living largely off bass, sturgeon, salmon, corn, wild roots and berries.
In 1604, Samuel de Champlain landed at Saint John Harbour, though he did not settle the area. Saint John played a crucial role in trade and defense for Acadia during the French colonial era, with Fort La Tour in the city's harbour becoming a pivotal battleground during the Acadian Civil War. At the end of the Seven Years' War, the British took the region from the French.
The population of Saint John grew with immigration from the former Thirteen Colonies and Europe. In particular, a large number of United Empire Loyalists began arriving in May 1783 in the aftermath of the American Revolutionary War. Within months, over 10,000 Loyalists had arrived at the harbour. Immigration led to the building of North America's first quarantine station, Partridge Island.
Saint John was officially established by royal charter on 18 May 1785, making it the first incorporated city in what is now Canada. The first Saint John Common Council meeting took place two days later. Gabriel George Ludlow was appointed as the first mayor. The city was named "Saint John" by the suggestion of Ward Chipman, who also wrote the city charter.
The city became a shipyard of global stature, producing vessels such as the 1851 ship Marco Polo, which became the fastest in the world, and witnessing the development of the automated foghorn by Robert Foulis.
As the city grew in strategic importance to English power and capital, unrest grew among many of its working class. Black Saint Johners faced restrictions on trade, fishing and voting, compelling the majority of the city's Black community to settle in Portland (the city's north end), which later became amalgamated with Saint John. In 1849, Canada's first labour union, the Laborer's Benevolent Association (now ILA local 273) was formed by longshoremen. Between 1840 and 1860, sectarian violence became rampant in Saint John as tensions escalated in response to the poor living conditions of poor Irish Catholics, resulting in some of the worst urban riots in Canadian history. Saint John experienced a cholera outbreak in 1854 that claimed over 1,500 lives, as well as the Great Fire of Saint John in 1877 that destroyed 40% of the city and left 13,000 people homeless. Although the fire caused damages exceeding $10 million (equivalent to approximately $256 million today), Saint John quickly embarked on rebuilding. Nevertheless, the aftermath prompted many residents to leave the city.
Situated in the south-central portion of the province, along the north shore of the Bay of Fundy at the mouth of the Saint 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 Saint John River at Grand Bay. The city hosts many beaches and is just east of New River Beach Provincial Park. Saint John Harbour, where the two rivers meet the Bay of Fundy, is a deep water port and ice-free all year long. Partridge Island is in the harbour. The city land area is 315.96 km2 (121.99 sq mi), and the metropolitan area covers 3,509.62 km2 (1,355.07 sq mi).
Stonehammer UNESCO Geopark, the first Geopark in North America, is centred around Saint John. The Geopark has been recognized by UNESCO as having exceptional geological significance. The park contains rock formations that date back to the Precambrian era and some of the rocks may be a billion years old.
The Saint John River itself flows into the Bay of Fundy through a narrow gorge several hundred metres wide at the centre of the city. It contains 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.
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.
In Saint John, the height difference from low to high tide is approximately 8 metres (28 ft) due to the funnelling effect of the Bay of Fundy as it narrows. The Reversing Falls in Saint John, actually an area of strong rapids, provides one example of the power of these tides; at every high tide, ocean water is pushed through a narrow gorge in the middle of the city and forces the Saint John River to reverse its flow for several hours.
Saint John, especially in its Uptown region, features a multitude of architectural styles spanning from the 19th and early 20th centuries, with residences and buildings containing Victorian, Romanesque Revival, and Second Empire architectural styles. Over time, the city saw the use of Georgian, Greek Revival, Gothic Revival, Italianate, Second Empire and Queen Anne style architecture.
As Saint John rebuilt from the Great Fire in 1877, buildings started to be constructed using brick and stone rather than wood. During the late 19th to early 20th centuries, the most popular styles in the city were Queen Anne and Romanesque architecture. In 1911, a proposed city hall was to share Gothic and Second Empire architectural styles. Over time, the city ceased adopting some of these styles. Buildings in Saint John also feature stone carvings and sculptures.
In 1982, Saint John introduced the Trinity Royal Heritage Conservation Area, which works to preserve historic districts and buildings in the city. The Saint John Preservation Areas By-Law regulates exterior work done to these properties in a way that preserves the historic architecture in buildings built prior to 1915.
List of notable buildings in Saint John:
Saint John is home to the historic King's Square, an urban park located in the city's Uptown region. Multiple historic buildings are located by the park, including the Saint John City Market, the Imperial Theatre, as well as the former Admiral Beatty Hotel. King's Square's counterpart, Queen Square, is another urban park located a few blocks south from it. Queen Square features an annual outdoor farmers market which runs through the summer months.
Located in the city's west side is the Irving Nature Park, measuring 600 acres (240 hectares). Saint John is also home to Rockwood Park, a large municipal park located to the east of the Millidgeville neighbourhood. Designed in the 19th century by landscape designer Calvert Vaux, one of the designers of New York City's Central Park, it features 2,200 acres of park area, ten lakes, and 55 trails and footpaths.
According to Saint John mapping data, the city has 33 neighborhoods categorized into four groups: North, East, South and West.
The climate of Saint John is humid continental (Köppen climate classification Dfb). The Bay of Fundy never fully freezes, thus moderating the winter temperatures compared with inland locations. Even so, with the prevailing wind blowing from the west (from land to sea), the average January temperature is about −8.2 °C (17.2 °F). Summers are usually warm to hot, and daytime temperatures often exceed 25 °C (77 °F). The highest temperature recorded in a given year is usually 31 or 32 °C (88 or 90 °F). The confluence of cold Bay of Fundy air and inland warmer temperatures often creates onshore winds that bring periods of fog and cooler temperatures during the summer months.
Precipitation in Saint John totals about 1,295 mm (51.0 in) annually and is well distributed throughout the year, although the late autumn and early winter are typically the wettest time of year. Snowfalls can often be heavy, but rain is as common as snow in winter, and it is not unusual for the ground to be snow-free even in mid-winter.
The highest temperature ever recorded in Saint John was 34.5 °C (94 °F) on 20 June 2024. The coldest temperature ever recorded was −36.7 °C (−34 °F) on 11 February 1948.
Text from the Wikipedia article “Saint John, New Brunswick”, available under CC BY-SA 4.0.