St. Alban's is a town of approximately 1,200 located in the
Bay d'Espoir
Bay d'Espoir ( ) is an arm of Hermitage Bay in the Gulf of Saint Lawrence, located on the south coast of Newfoundland. Communities in Bay d'Espoir include: Milltown-Head of Bay d'Espoir, Morrisville, St. Alban's, St. Joseph's Cove, St. Veron ...
estuary on the south coast of
Newfoundland,
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 ...
. St. Alban's is the largest community in Bay d'Espoir.
The town is south of
Grand Falls-Windsor
Grand Falls-Windsor is a town located in the central region of the island of Newfoundland in the province of Newfoundland and Labrador, Canada, with a population of 13,853 at the 2021 census. The town is the largest in the central region, the si ...
.
St. Alban's is regarded as a hub for the
aquaculture industry and the Newfoundland Aquaculture Industry Association (NAIA) maintains an office in the town.
Heritage and history
The economy in both town and area has historically been based on trading and logging when first settled in the mid-1800s, then named Ship Cove, with name changed to Saint Alban's in 1915 and in 1964, St. Alban's became incorporated as a town. Today the major town and area industries include hydro generation and aquaculture. The town consists of 1,189 residents and is the largest in Bay d'Espoir area.
[
St. Alban's and area has emerged as the centre for the growing aquaculture industry and hydro generation remains an integral part of the area's economy. The town is home to an Aquaculture Development Centre and Aquatic Fish Health Laboratory, a 58,000 square foot fish hatchery, aquaculture manufacturing and service firms, processing plant, and many offices associated with the foregoing. The aquaculture industry in the town and area in 2013 exceeded a production value of $200 million (nearly 20% of the total value of the seafood industry of Newfoundland and Labrador).
The Hydro Generation Site in the area is the largest on the island of Newfoundland and provides 2,650 GWh annually. The seven generating units produce a rated output of 604 MW. Both industries are very predominate to the local economy.
]
Hurricane Matthew
St. Alban's, along with much of the island of Newfoundland, was gravely affected by Hurricane Matthew
Hurricane Matthew was an extremely powerful Atlantic hurricane which caused catastrophic damage and a humanitarian crisis in Haiti, as well as widespread devastation in the southeastern United States. The deadliest Atlantic hurricane since ...
in October 2016. Road access to the town was temporarily cut off by flooding washing away the main bridge. The nearby town of Conne River
Miawpukek First Nation is a Mi'kmaq First Nations band government in Newfoundland and Labrador, Canada, with a registered population of 834 living on-reserve as of September 2019, with another 2,223 living off-reserve.
They control the reserve ...
provided boat rides into the community while the road was being repaired.
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, St. Alban's 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.
Notable people
* Minnie White, accordionist
* Ross Snook
Ross Snook (born 21 May 1971) is a Canadian professional darts player who is currently playing in World Darts Federation events.
Career
He won the Bob Jones Memorial in 2012 and 2013, and then made his big breakthrough in 2016, when he won the ...
, darts player
See also
* Bay d'Espoir Academy Bay d'Espoir Academy is a K-12 school in St. Alban's, Newfoundland and Labrador, Canada that serves the Bay d'Espoir region of the south coast in Central Newfoundland. The principal is Connie Willcott and the vice-principal is Rebecca Parsons-Burd ...
* Bay d'Espoir Hydroelectric Power Station
The Bay D'Espoir Hydroelectric Development, built by the Newfoundland and Labrador Power Commission is located on the south coast of Newfoundland near the rural community of Bay d'Espoir. It was the second major hydroelectric project undertaken ...
References
{{DEFAULTSORT:Saint Alban's, Newfoundland and Labrador
Populated coastal places in Canada
Towns in Newfoundland and Labrador