Northumberland County, New Brunswick

Northumberland
—  County  —
Location of Northumberland County, New Brunswick
Country	Canada
Province	New Brunswick
Established	1785
Area[1]
- Land	12,112.45 km2 (4,676.6 sq mi)
Population (2006)[1][2]
- Total	48,868
- Density	4.0/km2 (10.4/sq mi)
- Change 2001-06	3.8%
Time zone	AST (UTC-4)
- Summer (DST)	ADT (UTC-3)
Area code(s)	506
Dwellings	21,115
Median Income*	$40,166
*Median household income, 2005 (all households)

Northumberland County (2006 population 48,868), having the largest area of any county in the province, is located in northeastern New Brunswick, Canada.^[3]

Geography

Northumberland County is covered by thick forests, whose products stimulate the economy. The highest peaks in the province, including Mount Carleton lie in the northwestern corner of the county.

The county is dominated by the Miramichi River, world famous for its salmon fishing. The lower portion of the river is an estuary which widens into Miramichi Bay, a part of the Gulf of St. Lawrence.

Services

The city of Miramichi is a local service centre for the county and surrounding regions with schools, hospitals and government offices and retail locations. The county has several saw mills in the city of Miramichi and up the Southwest Branch of the Miramichi River. There were formerly two large pulp and paper mills at Miramichi.

Chatham was also home to an air force base, CFB Chatham, until 1996. Renous, located along the Southwest Miramichi was also home to an army post - a federal maximum security penitentiary is now located on the site.

Census subdivisions

Communities

There are five incorporated municipalities within the county (listed by 2006 population counts and national census rankings):^[1][2]

Official Name	Status	Area km2	Population	Census Ranking
Miramichi	City	179.84	18,129	213 of 5,008
Neguac	Village	26.69	1,623	1,518 of 5,008
Rogersville	Village	7.23	1,165	1,866 of 5,008
Blackville	Village	21.73	931	2,149 of 5,008
Doaktown	Village	28.74	888	2,224 of 5,008

Parishes

The county is subdivided into thirteen parishes (listed by 2006 population counts and national census rankings):^[1][2]

Official Name	Status	Area km2	Population	Census Ranking
Alnwick	Parish	734.57	6,152	585 of 5,008
Hardwicke	Parish	278.60	2,484	1,143 of 5,008
Northesk	Parish	3,352.99	2,480	1,145 of 5,008
Blackville	Parish	823.40	2,347	1,195 of 5,008
Southesk	Parish	2,459.43	1,964	1,326 of 5,008
Glenelg	Parish	504.80	1,652	1,497 of 5,008
Ludlow	Parish	1,016.66	1,568	1,557 of 5,008
Rogersville	Parish	326.36	1,247	1,788 of 5,008
Newcastle	Parish	577.47	1,209	1,820 of 5,008
Derby	Parish	61.02	1,068	1,967 of 5,008
Nelson	Parish	353.80	814	2,340 of 5,008
Blissfield	Parish	1,240.26	560	2,862 of 5,008
Chatham	Parish	22.26	502	3,009 of 5,008

First Nations

There is one First Nations reservation in Northumberland County (listed by 2006 population counts and national census rankings):^[1][2]

Official Name	Status	Area km2	Population	Census Ranking
Burnt Church 14	Reservation	9.54	1,120	1,907 of 5,008
Eel Ground 2	Reservation	10.90	503	3,007 of 5,008
Red Bank 4	Reservation	16.18	383	3,374 of 5,008
Big Hole Tract 8 (South)	Reservation	27.82	69	4,572 of 5,008
Tabusintac 9	Reservation	22.00	10	4,889 of 5,008
Red Bank 7	Reservation	10.16	n/a	5,008 of 5,008

Three communities in the county are part of the Mi'kmaq Nation: Metepenagiag Mi'kmaq Nation, at the junction of the Northwest Miramichi River and the Little Southwest Miramichi River; Eel Ground First Nation, close to the junction of the Northwest and Southwest Miramichi Rivers near Newcastle; and Burnt Church First Nation on the northern shore of Miramichi Bay.

Demographics

The county is a mostly English speaking region in the otherwise Francophone northeastern New Brunswick. Coastal regions of Miramichi Bay are Acadian. The former town of Chatham has traditionally been an Irish stronghold, while its sister town of Newcastle has had a more English and Scottish Protestant flavour. Both are now amalgamated into the new city of Miramichi.

Population trend[4] Census Population Change (%) 2006 48,868 3.8% 2001 50,817 2.6% 1996 52,153 1.6% 1991 52,983 N/A

Mother tongue language (2006)[1] Language Population Pct (%) English only 33,775 70.09% French only 12,670 26.29% Other languages 1,515 3.14% Both English and French 225 0.47%

See also

• List of communities in New Brunswick

References

1. ^ ^{a b c d e f} 2006 Statistics Canada Community Profile: Northumberland County, New Brunswick
2. ^ ^{a b c d} Statistics Canada Population and dwelling counts, for Canada and census subdivisions (municipalities), 2006 and 2001 censuses - 100% data
3. ^ New Brunswick Provincial Archives - Northumberland County
4. ^ Statistics Canada: 1996, 2001, 2006 census

External links

• Northumberland County Guide

Coordinates: 47°02′N 65°35′W / 47.033°N 65.583°W / 47.033; -65.583