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Fredericton, New Brunswick Real Estate & Community Overview

Fredericton is the capital city of New Brunswick, with a population of 50,000 (2006 Census), and lies on the St. John River, along the Trans-Canada Highway, and is only 100 km from the US border. The city is a a two hour flight from Toronto, and 75 minutes from Montreal.

The major industries in Fredericton reflects the community's role as the seat of government, though not the province's largest city. The top industries include government services, education, health & social services, retail trade, and accommodation & hospitality.

The city's Downtown is best known for its pre-Confederation architecture, both residential and institutional, and the city is home to two major universities, a host of historical churches, and several important museums. With its stunning setting on the banks of the wide Saint John River, there are plenty of great fitness and recreational activities in the community, making it ideal for raising a family.

Fredericton History

The St. John River, with its wide, deep waters, was a key transportation route for Maliseet and Mi'kmaq (Micmac) Indians who hunted, fished, grew corn and squash along its length. The British made various Maritime peace and friendship treaties (between 1725 and 1776) with the Mi'kmaq and Maliseet people which allowed them to hunt and fish, trade with the British, and did not involve the cession of any land. Today, the First Nations reserves for the Maliseet are along the Saint John River, and the reserves for the Mi'kmaq are along the Gulf of St Lawrence coastline.

As the French and English fought over control of the New World, the French eventually gained control of Nova Scotia, which then included the St. John River Valley. Between 1672 and 1700 the French King assigned land grants in what is now the Fredericton area but were abandoned until 1732 when a group of French Acadians, fleeing the British forces who had taken possession of Nova Scotia following the Treaty of Utrecht,and creating the community of Ste. Anne's Point, which was the Capital of Acadia from 1692 to 1698.

In 1758, when British Forces captured Louisburg, the British swept through the St. John River Valley, burning homes and expelling Acadians (to French Louisiana, and the area was gradually resettled by English families over the next few years. Following the American Revolution, in 1783 British Loyalist fled the United States and 34,000 settled in Nova Scotia and 14,000 in New Brunswick, with 2,000 Loyalists around Ste. Anne's Point. In 1785, renamed the settlement "Frederickstown", in honour of Prince Frederick, second son of King George III, and shortly thereafter Governor Carleton choose Fredericton as provincial capital. The city's high school (the oldest in Canada) and the University (tied with University of Georgia as the oldest in North America) were founded that year.

Fredericton has enjoyed an annual fall fair since 1825. In 1845, Queen Victoria, the head of the Church of England, designated Fredericton a Cathedral City and built the first entirely new Cathedral foundation to be established on British soil since the Norman Conquest of 1066. In 1847, a permanent Maliseet Indian settlement was established on the north side of the St. John River, and in 1848, Fredericton was incorporated as a city.

Following the Quebec Conference and the Charlottetown Conference, New Brunswick was one of the four founding provinces of Canadian Confederation in 1867. After 1850, Fredericton flourished as an industrial town. Sawmills, shipyards, tanneries, boot and shoe factories, carriage shops, iron foundries, brickyards, and factories turned out a variety of products. Railroad connections were established between Fredericton and several other cities.

In 1969, New Brunswick became the first officially bilingual province, and became the only one enshrined as such in the 1982 repatriated Canadian constitution. In 1973, the 125th anniversary of the city's incorporation, Fredericton amalgamated a number of surrounding communities, doubling its area and population.

Moving To Fredericton

Fredericton is an ideal community for those seeking a small town setting with amenities mixed with some deep historical charm. You can live anywhere in the city and be just minutes from open farmland and recreational opportunities.

The Fredericton area is actually a number of small communities and neighbourhoods, with Woodstock Road to the west and the Hill Area, Hanwell/ Kingsclear, and New Maryland to the south of downtown. Then there are Marysville and Nashwaaksis on the north bank of the Saint John River, the neighbourhood of Skyline Acres/Southwood, and the towns of Lincoln(with the airport) and Oromocto (wth the CFB Gagetown military base) to the east. Together these offer a range of urban and rural setting right for any home owner.

Link to City of Fredericton.

More about Fredericton, from .

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