Dalhousie, New Brunswick

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Dalhousie is a town at the northern most tip of New Brunswick, Canada, where the Restigouche River flows into the Baie des Chaleurs.

Dalhousie was known as the "Shiretown" of Restigouche County and dates back as far as 1800. However, the town did not gain prominence until after the Great Miramichi Fire swept through Maine and Central New Brunswick and destroyed the forests that were the mainstay of the economy. After that fire, lumbermen started looking north for timber, and they found it in the Restigouche region.

The hilly townsite was first laid out in 1826 with the first settlement established by the British in 1827. It was named after the ninth Earl of Dalhousie, who was then the governor of both Upper Canada and Lower Canada. Some Acadians displaced in the Great Upheaval also settled in Dalhousie, and to this day there is a very close balance between anglophones and francophones. Many of the present residents can trace ancestry back to the original European settlers in the region. The Eel River Bar First Nation, adjacent to Dalhousie, is home to many Micmac natives, who were the original residents of the region.

The town's economy is dominated by a pulp and paper mill which spans the waterfront, a chemical plant and an orimulsion-powered electricity generating station. Those industries are major employers for the entire Restigouche region.

Dalhousie is home to a large port which can handle deep water vessels. It has two elementary schools, one middle school, and two high schools, the Dalhousie Regional High School and Ecole Aux Quatre Vents. The area is dominated by Catholics but is also home to many other religious affiliations including Protestants, Anglicans, Presbyterians, and Pentecostals.

In terms of tourist attractions, Dalhousie is home to the Inch Arran Park , one of New Brunswick's highest-rated campgrounds. Dalhousie Mountain offers stunning panoramic views of the entire region and the Gaspé coast. With four very well defined seasons, Dalhousie is the perfect home - or destination for - the sports enthusiast. Watersports such as sailing and powerboating are increasingly popular in the summer, as are skiing, snowmobiling, and ice fishing in the winter.

The popular Bon Ami festival in the summer serves as a homecoming for the community, where residents celebrate the town and its heritage.

As of 2001 the population was 3,975. Dalhousie services over 20,000 citizens of the region and has a land base of approximately 5 square miles. Dalhousie is governed by a mayor and six councillors.

Dalhousie residents remain, to this day, loyal to its industries. The town is commonly referred to as a Papertown.