New Brunswick: New England's Neighbour

New Brunswick is a Canadian province located on the eastern seaboard of the North American continent. It is not in New England, but it is one of the Maritime Provinces, along with Nova Scotia and Prince Edward Island. New Brunswick is bordered by Quebec to the north, Nova Scotia to the east, the U.S. state of Maine to the west, and the Gulf of St. Lawrence and the Bay of Fundy to the south. New Brunswick is Canada's only officially bilingual province, with French and English having equal status. It was one of the four original provinces that formed the national confederation in 1867.

New Brunswick is a Canadian province

New Brunswick was named by King George III in honour of the royal house of Brunswick. Its capital, Fredericton, was also named by the king, after his son Frederick. The province was formed in 1784 when the western half of Nova Scotia became the home of thousands of British Loyalists who had fled following the American Revolution. In 1867, New Brunswick joined Nova Scotia and the Province of Canada (now Quebec and Ontario) to form Canada.

New Brunswick is largely forested, with about 83% of its land covered by trees. Its northern half is occupied by the Appalachians. The province has a continental climate with snowy winters and temperate summers.

The majority of New Brunswick's population is English-speaking, largely descended from Scottish, Irish, and English settlers of the 18th and 19th centuries. The French-speaking minority, about a third of the population, are mostly descended from 17th-century Acadian settlers, augmented by French Canadians from Quebec. The province's largest city is Moncton, while Fredericton is its capital.

It is one of the Maritime Provinces

New Brunswick is one of the Maritime Provinces of Canada, along with Nova Scotia and Prince Edward Island. It is one of the thirteen provinces and territories of Canada, and one of the four Atlantic provinces.

New Brunswick was first inhabited by First Nations like the Mi’kmaq and Maliseet. In 1604, Acadia, the first New France colony, was founded with the creation of Port-Royal. For 150 years afterwards, Acadia changed hands multiple times due to numerous conflicts between France and the United Kingdom. In 1784, following the arrival of many loyalists fleeing the American Revolution, the colony of New Brunswick was officially created, separating it from what is now Nova Scotia.

New Brunswick is bordered by Quebec to the north, Nova Scotia to the east, the Gulf of Saint Lawrence to the northeast, the Bay of Fundy to the southeast, and the U.S. state of Maine to the west. The province's climate is continental with snowy winters and temperate summers.

New Brunswick has a surface area of 72,908 km2 (28,150 sq mi) and 775,610 inhabitants (2021 census). Atypically for Canada, only about half of the population lives in urban areas. New Brunswick's largest city is Moncton, while its capital is Fredericton.

In 1969, New Brunswick passed the Official Languages Act which began recognising French as an official language, along with English. New Brunswickers have the right to receive provincial government services in the official language of their choice. About two-thirds of the population are English-speaking and one-third is French-speaking.

New Brunswick is home to most of the cultural region of Acadia and most Acadians. New Brunswick's variety of French is called Acadian French and seven regional accents can be found.

The province's 2019 output was CA$38.236 billion, which is 1.65% of Canada's GDP. Tourism accounts for 9% of the labour force either directly or indirectly. Popular destinations include the Hopewell Rocks, Fundy National Park, Magnetic Hill, Kouchibouguac National Park and Roosevelt Campobello International Park.

It is Canada's only officially bilingual province

New Brunswick is Canada's only officially bilingual province. This is because the Canadian Charter of Rights and Freedoms recognises English and French as the province's official languages. The Charter also states that both Anglophone and Francophone communities in the province have equality of status and equal rights and privileges.

New Brunswick's Official Languages Act, enacted on April 18, 1969, set out that English and French are the two official languages of the province and recognised the fundamental right of New Brunswickers to receive services in the official language of their choice from the provincial government.

The Act imposes on provincial government institutions (departments, Crown corporations, hospitals, police services, etc.) the obligation to serve members of the public in the official language of their choice. Upon first contact, provincial institutions must offer service in both official languages. For example, when someone phones a provincial department, the employee who answers must greet them in both official languages.

The Official Languages Act applies across the province. There are Anglophone and Francophone communities throughout New Brunswick. If the Act only applied in certain regions, some residents would not get government services in their official language of choice.

New Brunswick's variety of French is called Acadian French and seven regional accents can be found. About two-thirds of the population are English speaking and one-third is French speaking.

It is named after the royal house of Brunswick

New Brunswick, a province in Canada, was named after the House of Brunswick, the royal house of King George III of Great Britain, King of Ireland, and prince-elector of Brunswick-Lüneburg in the Holy Roman Empire of the German Nation (until 1806) in what is now Germany. The capital of New Brunswick, Fredericton, was named after King George III's son, Prince Frederick.

The province was founded in 1784, when the British government created a new province for Loyalists who had received land allocations around the St. John River valley, the Bay of Fundy, or the Northumberland Strait. These Loyalists were dissatisfied with being governed from Halifax, which was too far away. Thus, on June 18, 1784, the British government created a new province for them: New Brunswick.

New Brunswick was originally named New Ireland, with the capital to be in Saint John. However, Fredericton was chosen as the capital city, despite local recommendations to be called 'New Ireland'. Fredericton was named after Frederick, the third son of King George III.

The choice of Fredericton as the capital city shocked and dismayed the residents of the larger Parrtown (Saint John). The reason given was that Fredericton's inland location meant it was less prone to enemy (i.e. American) attack.

Its capital, Fredericton, is named after King George III's son Frederick

Fredericton, the capital of New Brunswick, is named after Frederick, the second son of King George III. The city was founded in 1785 by United Empire Loyalists who had arrived from New England a couple of years prior.

The history of modern Fredericton began in 1783 when the Loyalists settled at Pointe-Ste-Anne, which was later renamed "Fredericstown" in honour of Frederick. The town became the capital of the new colony of New Brunswick, which had been partitioned from Nova Scotia the previous year. Fredericton was considered to have a better defensive position than the larger Saint John.

The city's streets were laid out in a grid pattern, with street names reflecting Loyalist tendencies: Charlotte, Brunswick, George, King, and Queen. In 1785, Fredericton became the shire town of York County, and in 1790, the New Brunswick Legislative Building was constructed. As a centre of government, it attracted educational institutions, including the first English-language university in Canada, King's College (now the University of New Brunswick).

Fredericton has a rich literary tradition, having been home to satirist of the American Revolution, Jonathan Odell, and the poets Sir Charles Roberts, Bliss Carman, and Francis Sherman.

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