Westmoreland County, New Brunswick
Westmorland County is centrally located in the Maritimes and is New Brunswick's most populous county. Fishing and tourism are important industries along the Northumberland Strait shore, and there is some mixed farming in the Petitcodiac River Valley and in the Tantramar Marsh region. The city of Moncton accounts for half of the county's population and has developed as a major transportation, distribution, commercial and retail centre. Dorchester is the historic shire town.
Origins
The county, once a part of Cumberland County, Nova Scotia, was one of the original eight counties delineated shortly after the creation of the British colony of New Brunswick in 1784. Initially it included what is now Albert County and part of Saint John County.
Due to sweeping social reforms of the Louis Robichaud premiership, the counties no longer serve their role as regional local government and administrative units.
Transportation
Major highways
Census subdivisions
Communities
There were the eleven municipalities within Westmorland County before the 2023 local governance reforms (listed with 2021 figures):
| Official Name | Designation | Area km | Population | Parish |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Moncton | City | 141.92 | 79,470 | Moncton |
| Dieppe | City | 54.05 | 28,114 | Dorchester, Moncton |
| Shediac | Town | 53.95 | 7,535 | Shediac |
| Beaubassin East | Rural community | 291.08 | 6,718 | Botsford, Shediac |
| Sackville | Town | 74.17 | 6,099 | Sackville |
| Memramcook | Village | 187.67 | 5,029 | Dorchester |
| Cap-Pelé | Village | 23.36 | 2,441 | Botsford, Shediac |
| Salisbury | Village | 13.54 | 2,387 | Salisbury |
| Petitcodiac | Village | 17.21 | 1,476 | Salisbury |
| Dorchester | Village | 5.79 | 906 | Dorchester |
| Port Elgin | Village | 2.66 | 381 | Sackville, Westmorland |
First Nations
There is one First Nations reserve in Westmorland County (population as of 2021):
| Official Name | Designation | Area km | Population | Parish |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Fort Folly 1 | Reserve | 0.55 | 36 | Dorchester |
Parishes
The county is subdivided into seven parishes (listed by 2016 population):
Demographics
| Year | Pop. | ±% |
|---|---|---|
| 1991 | 114,745 | — |
| 1996 | 120,531 | +5.0% |
| 2001 | 124,688 | +3.4% |
| 2006 | 132,849 | +6.5% |
| 2011 | 144,158 | +8.5% |
| 2016 | 149,623 | +3.8% |
| 2021 | 163,576 | +9.3% |
As a census division in the 2021 Census of Population conducted by Statistics Canada, Westmorland County had a population of 163,576 living in 70,090 of its 75,506 total private dwellings, a change of 9.3% from its 2016 population of 149,623. With a land area of 3,659.74 km (1,413.03 sq mi), it had a population density of 44.7/km (115.8/sq mi) in 2021.
| 2016 | 2011 | |
|---|---|---|
| Population | 149,623 (+3.8% from 2011) | 144,158 (+8.5% from 2006) |
| Land area | 3,666.15 km (1,415.51 sq mi) | 3,662.02 km (1,413.91 sq mi) |
| Population density | 40.8/km (106/sq mi) | 39.4/km (102/sq mi) |
| Median age | 43.1 (M: 42.2, F: 43.9) | 41.4 (M: 40.5, F: 42.4) |
| Private dwellings | 71,839 (total) | 67,842 (total) |
| Median household income | $61,903 | $55,736 |
Language
The dominant dialect of Acadian French spoken in Westmorland County is Chiac.
| Canada Census Mother Tongue - Westmorland County, New Brunswick | ||||||||||||||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Census | Total | English
|
French
|
French & English
|
Non-official languages
| |||||||||||||
| Year | Responses | Count | Trend | Pop % | Count | Trend | Pop % | Count | Trend | Pop % | Count | Trend | Pop % | |||||
2016
|
146,610
|
77,450 |  1.3%
|
52.83% | 60,570 | 3.0%
|
41.31% | 2,430 | 13.0%
|
1.66% | 6,160 | 74.0%
|
4.20% | |||||
2011
|
140,925
|
76,475 | 7.8%
|
54.27% | 58,795 | 7.2%
|
41.72% | 2,115 | 67.2%
|
1.50% | 3,540 | 17.6%
|
2.51% | |||||
2006
|
130,080
|
70,945 | 3.6%
|
54.54% | 54,860 | 7.4%
|
42.17% | 1,265 |  6.3%
|
0.97% | 3,010 | 102.7%
|
2.31% | |||||
2001
|
122,405
|
68,510 | 1.2%
|
55.97% | 51,060 | 6.7%
|
41.71% | 1,350 | 7.2%
|
1.10% | 1,485 | 12.9%
|
1.21% | |||||
1996
|
118,330
|
67,700 | n/a | 57.21% | 47,860 | n/a | 40.45% | 1,455 | n/a | 1.23% | 1,315 | n/a | 1.11% | |||||
Access routes
Highways and numbered routes that run through the county, including external routes that start or finish at the county limits:
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Protected areas and attractions
Notable people
See also
References
- ^ "Census Profile, 2016 Census: Westmorland, County [Census division], New Brunswick". Statistics Canada. Retrieved October 2, 2019.
- ^ "Population and dwelling counts: Canada and census divisions". Statistics Canada. February 9, 2022. Retrieved April 3, 2022.
- ^ "2016 Community Profiles". 2016 Canadian census. Statistics Canada. August 12, 2021. Retrieved October 2, 2019.
- ^ "Census Profile, 2016 Census: Fort Folly 1, Indian reserve [Census subdivision], New Brunswick". Statistics Canada. Retrieved October 2, 2019.
- ^ Statistics Canada: 1996, 2001, 2006, 2011 census
- ^ 2011 Statistics Canada Census Profile: Westmorland County, New Brunswick
- ^ "2011 Community Profiles". 2011 Canadian census. Statistics Canada. March 21, 2019. Retrieved May 2, 2014.
- ^ "2006 Community Profiles". 2006 Canadian census. Statistics Canada. August 20, 2019.
- ^ "2001 Community Profiles". 2001 Canadian census. Statistics Canada. July 18, 2021.
- ^ Atlantic Canada Back Road Atlas ISBN 978-1-55368-618-7
External links
Places adjacent to Westmorland County, New Brunswick | |
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Subdivisions of New Brunswick | |
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| Villages | |
| Regional municipality | |
| Rural communities | |
| Rural districts |
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| Regional service commissions | |
| School districts | |
| Indian reserves |
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| Non-administrative divisions | |
