Cape Ray is a local service district and

designated place A designated place (DPL) is a type of community or settlement identified by Statistics Canada that does not meet the criteria used to define municipalities or population centres. DPLs are delineated every 5 years for the Canadian census as the ...

in the Canadian province of

Newfoundland and Labrador Newfoundland and Labrador (; french: Terre-Neuve-et-Labrador; frequently abbreviated as NL) is the easternmost provinces and territories of Canada, province of Canada, in the country's Atlantic Canada, Atlantic region. The province comprises t ...

. It is on the southwest coast of the island of Newfoundland.

History

Cape Ray Cape Ray is a headland located at the southwestern extremity of the island of Newfoundland in the Canadian province of Newfoundland and Labrador. It is the site of the Cape Ray Lighthouse. It is located opposite Cape North on Cape Breton Island, ...

, the cape located near the community was the terminus for the overland portion of the

transatlantic telegraph cable Transatlantic telegraph cables were undersea cables running under the Atlantic Ocean for telegraph communications. Telegraphy is now an obsolete form of communication, and the cables have long since been decommissioned, but telephone and data a ...

from St. John's to Cape Ray. From here the cable then takes a submarine route to Cape Breton Island. The area is also known for its discovery of

Dorset Dorset ( ; archaically: Dorsetshire , ) is a county in South West England on the English Channel coast. The ceremonial county comprises the unitary authority areas of Bournemouth, Christchurch and Poole and Dorset. Covering an area of , ...

Paleoeskimo artifacts. An archaeological site has been established in the area.

Geography

Cape Ray is in Newfoundland within Subdivision H of Division No. 3. The community is located on the southwest coast just north of the town of

Port aux Basques Channel-Port aux Basques is a town at the extreme southwestern tip of Newfoundland fronting on the western end of the Cabot Strait. A Marine Atlantic ferry terminal is located in the town which is the primary entry point onto the island of Newfou ...

on Route 408. Nearby is the

Cape A cape is a clothing accessory or a sleeveless outer garment which drapes the wearer's back, arms, and chest, and connects at the neck. History Capes were common in medieval Europe, especially when combined with a hood in the chaperon. Th ...

from which the community draws its name. At the entrance to the harbour is a beach known for its 16 kilometer stretch of white sandy beach where the J.T. Cheeseman Provincial Park is located. In the past, Cape Ray had been prospected for gold, as it was likely to have due to its resting on a fault line called "The Cape Ray Fault." Surrounding the community are a large number of bodies of fresh water, and many hills, such as Table Mountain and the Twin Hills.

Demographics

As a designated place in the 2016 Census of Population conducted by Statistics Canada, Cape Ray recorded a population of 352 living in 147 of its 166 total private dwellings, a change of from its 2011 population of 356. With a land area of , it had a population density of in 2016.

Government

Cape Ray is a local service district (LSD) that is governed by a committee responsible for the provision of certain services to the community. The chair of the LSD committee is Anne Osmond.

References

External links