Sussex, New Brunswick

Infobox Settlement
official_name = Sussex
nickname = Cow Town
motto = Gateway to the Fundy Experience


imagesize = 200px
image_caption = Downtown Sussex


image_

pushpin_

settlement_type = Town
subdivision_type = Country
subdivision_name = Canada
subdivision_type1 = Province
subdivision_name1 = New Brunswick
subdivision_type2 = County
subdivision_name2 = Kings County
government_type = Town Council
leader_title = Mayor
leader_name = Ralph Carr
leader_title1 = Deputy Mayor
leader_name1 = Marc Thorne
leader_title2 = Councillors
leader_name2 = Thimothy Wilson, Kevin D. Black , Shelley Bradley , Gary Fulton, Mark Wright
leader_title3 = CAO
leader_name3 = Michael Cummings
leader_title4 =
leader_name4 =
established_title = Incorporated
established_date = January 1903
area_magnitude =
area_total_km2 = 9.03
area_total_sq_mi =
population_as_of = 2006
population_footnotes = [Statistics Canada. (2006) [http://www12.statcan.ca/english/census06/data/profiles/community/Details/Page.cfm?Lang=E&Geo1=CSD&Code1=1305022&Geo2=PR&Code2=13&Data=Count&SearchText=sussex&SearchType=Begins&SearchPR=13&B1=All&Custom= Sussex Community Profile] ]
population_note =
population_total = 4,241
population_metro =
population_urban =
population_density_km2 = 469.5
population_density_sq_mi =
timezone = Atlantic (AST)
utc_offset = -4
timezone_DST = ADT
utc_offset_DST = -3
latd= 45.72364
longd=-65.51083
elevation_m = 18 to 124
elevation_ft = 59 to 406.8
website = http://www.sussex.ca
postal_code_type = Canadian Postal code
postal_code = E4E
area_code = 506
blank_name = Telephone Exchange
blank_info = 432, 433
blank1_name = NTS Map
blank1_info = 021H12
blank2_name = GNBC Code
blank2_info = DASFF
footnotes =

Sussex (2006 population: 4,241) is a Canadian town in Kings County, New Brunswick.

Sussex straddles the Kennebecasis River, 70 km northeast of Saint John, is a major dairy products producer in the province, and is home to Atlantic Canada's largest hot air balloon festival.

History

In 1857 the European and North American Railway was opened, connecting the farming communities of the Kennebecasis River valley with Saint John and Moncton. Sussex was incorporated in 1895 but was only officially established as a town on April 30, 1904. The settlers were for the most part British Loyalists who had fled the American Revolution in 1776, with many Irish refugees of the potato famine from the mid-1800s settling in the nearby farming communities.

In 1885 the Sussex Military Camp was established on the eastern edge of the town. The facility was closed following the Second World War and the town purchased the land to expand the municipal boundaries. Today the agricultural exhibition and some areas remain as open land on the former site of Camp Sussex.

Sussex underwent several changes in the post-war period. In the early 1960s, several local roads were upgraded as part of the Trans-Canada Highway project which saw Route 2 pass immediately north of the town between Fredericton and Moncton. At the same time, a series of local roads in the Kennebecasis River valley were designated as Route 1, running from an interchange with the Trans-Canada at Sussex, southwest to Saint John.

The creation of Sussex as a highway interchange in this post-war period led to some transportation planners in New Brunswick calling for the consolidation or closure of the Fredericton, Saint John, and Moncton airports to be replaced by a single airport located in Sussex to serve all three population centres of southern New Brunswick; this being in the late 1950s/early 1960s before these facilities underwent considerable expansion.

Potash was subsequently discovered in large quantities in the area surrounding Sussex, with the deposit being the second largest in the world after an area in Saskatchewan. Two mines were built near the town, one at Penobsquis 8 km east, and another at Cassidy Lake (No longer operational), 10 km southwest. CN Rail built trackage to serve both mines, which employed hundreds from the surrounding area.

Sussex also began to see a growing tourism trade, with many flocking to see the collection of wood-constructed covered bridges throughout the central area of Kings County. As the heart of Kings County with its 16 covered bridges, Sussex is also known as the Covered Bridge Capital of Atlantic Canada. Eight of these wonderful wooden structures are within a ten-minute drive of town hall. In addition, Canada's most continuous agricultural fair draws visitors each August (marking 113 years in 2008), as well as the establishment of southern New Brunswick's only alpine ski hill in the Caledonia Mountains southeast of the town at Poley Mountain. Twenty-six murals were created during the summers of 2006 and 2007, establishing its reputation as the Mural Capital of Atlantic Canada. There is also a very popular international hot air balloon festival in Sussex held every September, and Canada's largest outdoor flea market each August.

The town entered economic difficulty during the late 1990s after the Cassidy Lake potash mine flooded, resulting in hundreds of lay-offs. Another less significant blow came in October 2002 with a realignment of the Trans-Canada Highway (Route 2) between Fredericton and Moncton which no longer passed through Sussex, instead carrying the province's east-west interprovincial traffic 30 km north of the town. At the same time, Route 1 was extended east on the old Trans-Canada alignment to an interchange at River Glade near Petitcodiac and Route 10 was extended on the old Trans-Canada from an interchange with the new Route 2 alignment at Young's Cove Road south to Sussex.

Today, Sussex is primarily a regional service centre for the surrounding agricultural communities of the upper Kennebecasis River valley, as well as a highway service centre on Route 1, the primary highway between Moncton and Saint John, as well as being the most heavily travelled route in the Maritimes to the United States. Sussex is also home to Bethany Bible College, the only college in Canada owned by the Wesleyan Church. The town is home to Sussex Golden Ginger Ale, and at one point it claimed to be the birthplace of the ice cream cone. The Kings County Record recently proved this claim to be false.Fact|date=September 2008 Sussex titles itself as the Dairy Capital of New Brunswick.

Her Majesty Queen Elizabeth II visited the town as part of her Golden Jubilee tour of Canada. On October 12, 2002, she attended the opening of a new wing of Sussex Elementary School, unveiling a commemorative plaque at the event. She then visited Princess Louise Park for an agricultural exhibition. While there, it was announced that the community hall would be renamed Jubilee Hall in her honour. Both appearances drew thousands of visitors from Sussex and beyond. [Government of New Brunswick. [http://www.gnb.ca/cnb/news/iga/2002e1015ig.htm IGA] ]

The Atlantic International Balloon Fiesta

The largest hot air balloon festival in Atlantic Canada is held each summer in Sussex. On the weekend after Labour Day, Sussex hosts up to 30,000 visitors who come to watch 30 hot air balloons. Along with the twice-daily flights, there is something for everyone at the festival, including a giant craft fair and a free outdoor concert. The 24th Atlantic International Balloon Fiesta will be held September 11th - 13th, 2009. [ [http://www.townofsussex.com/Specialactivities.cfm Town of Sussex ] ]

Demographics

Most people in Sussex have some Scottish, French, English, or Irish ancestry. There are smaller groups of German and Dutch lineage, and very few Mi'kmaq, East Europeans, Asians, and African-Canadians. The town is almost universally anglophone, being in the heart of English-speaking southern New Brunswick.

References

External links

* [http://www.townofsussex.com/ Town website]

* [http://www.fundy-biosphere.ca Fundy Biosphere]
* [http://www.atlanticballoonfiesta.ca/ Atlantic International Balloon Fiesta]
* [http://www.coveredbridges.ca/ Kings County Covered Bridges]
* [http://bridges.nblighthouses.com/ New Brunswick Covered Bridges]
* [http://www.sussexmurals.com Sussex Murals]
* [http://www.bbc.ca Bethany Bible College]
* [http://www.poleymountain.com Poley Mountain]
* [http://www.plpshowcentre.com Princess Louise Park Show Centre]
* [http://www.dairytown.ca Dairytown Products]
* [http://www.agriculturalmuseumofnb.com Agricultural Museum of NB]

* [http://www.akrcct.com Annual Kennebecasis River Canoe Club]
* [http://www.SussexNow.ca Area Information and Links]
* [http://new-brunswick.net/new-brunswick/sussex/stories.html Local stories]