New Richmond is an incorporated municipality in

Quebec Quebec ( ; )According to the Canadian government, ''Québec'' (with the acute accent) is the official name in Canadian French and ''Quebec'' (without the accent) is the province's official name in Canadian English is one of the thirtee ...

Canada Canada is a country in North America. Its ten provinces and three territories extend from the Atlantic Ocean to the Pacific Ocean and northward into the Arctic Ocean, covering over , making it the world's second-largest country by tot ...

, situated on the southern coast of the Gaspé Peninsula between the municipalities of

Maria Maria may refer to: People * Mary, mother of Jesus * Maria (given name), a popular given name in many languages Place names Extraterrestrial * 170 Maria, a Main belt S-type asteroid discovered in 1877 * Lunar maria (plural of ''mare''), large, ...

and Caplan. New Richmond is bounded on the west by the Grand Cascapedia River. The Little Cascapedia runs to the east of the town proper. In addition to New Richmond itself, the town's territory also includes the communities of Black Cape and Saint-Edgar.

History

The first European settlers arrived from Scotland in 1755. The first arrivals were the Duthie brothers, George and John Duthie and their families. Their descendants still reside in the area today. It is one of the very few remaining municipalities on the Gaspé which still has a relatively large English-speaking population. It was originally a centre of farming, logging, and shipbuilding.

Industry

The town experienced considerable growth in the 1960s with the development of a linerboard paper mill by Bathurst paper, which became Consolidated Bathurst and after a number of name changes Smurfit Stone. Economic downturns in the region brought a reduction in mill operations and many residents left for other regions. In 2005 the mill completely shut down, leaving the town with no major industry. There is a large wharf located to the east of the town. This was built to service cargo ships that would arrive to be loaded with kraft paper or bunker oil. It is now mainly recreational. The town has a British Heritage Museum. There is a small shopping centre as well as an indoor swimming pool, a hockey arena, and a theatre.

Education

There is an English-language school (New Richmond High School) located in the centre of town which serves now grades K-11. French-speaking children have their own school (Bois Vivant) and complete high school in the town of Carleton.

Demographics

In the

2021 Census of Population The 2021 Canadian census was a detailed enumeration of the Canadian population with a reference date of May 11, 2021. It follows the 2016 Canadian census, which recorded a population of 35,151,728. The overall response rate was 98%, which is sli ...

conducted by Statistics Canada, New Richmond had a population of living in of its total private dwellings, a change of from its 2016 population of . With a land area of , it had a population density of in 2021. Mother tongue language (2021)

Notable People from New Richmond

* The Pride of New Richmond: Paul Willett, Hockey Player * François Bourque (born 1984), alpine skier

References