Alma is a disincorporated Village in
Fundy Albert,
New Brunswick
New Brunswick is a Provinces and Territories of Canada, province of Canada, bordering Quebec to the north, Nova Scotia to the east, the Gulf of Saint Lawrence to the northeast, the Bay of Fundy to the southeast, and the U.S. state of Maine to ...
, Canada. It resides in the territorial divisions of
parish of Alma,
Albert County. Alma is centered on the small delta of the
Upper Salmon River and Cleveland Brook, where they empty into Salisbury Bay.
The headquarters of
Fundy National Park is in Alma West, making
tourism
Tourism is travel for pleasure, and the Commerce, commercial activity of providing and supporting such travel. World Tourism Organization, UN Tourism defines tourism more generally, in terms which go "beyond the common perception of tourism as ...
a major part of the local economy.
Fishing
Fishing is the activity of trying to catch fish. Fish are often caught as wildlife from the natural environment (Freshwater ecosystem, freshwater or Marine ecosystem, marine), but may also be caught from Fish stocking, stocked Body of water, ...
, of
lobster
Lobsters are Malacostraca, malacostracans Decapoda, decapod crustaceans of the family (biology), family Nephropidae or its Synonym (taxonomy), synonym Homaridae. They have long bodies with muscular tails and live in crevices or burrows on th ...
and
scallops, is another primary economic activity.
History
The settlement, known as Salmon River Settlement, began in earnest as the lumbering trade took root with the exchange of land-grant title, and construction of a sawmill on the
Upper Salmon River by its new owners. Prior to this, Loyalist John Coffin, who held the land grant, caused frustration for would-be settlers because of his absence. Thus began the most vibrant period in the community's history.

The Parish of Alma was created surrounding the community in 1856, commemorating the then-recent
Battle of Alma
The Battle of the Alma (short for Battle of the Alma River) took place during the Crimean War between an allied expeditionary force (made up of French, British, and Ottoman forces) and Russian forces defending the Crimean Peninsula on 20Septe ...
during the
Crimean War
The Crimean War was fought between the Russian Empire and an alliance of the Ottoman Empire, the Second French Empire, the United Kingdom of Great Britain and Ireland, and the Kingdom of Sardinia (1720–1861), Kingdom of Sardinia-Piedmont fro ...
. The Village municipality incorporated in 1966 following sweeping changes that disbanded county councils. 18 years earlier, the federal government had expropriated land in the village and parish west of the
Upper Salmon River for the creation of
Fundy National Park. Many homes were relocated east of the river as lumber barons gave way to the new land managers, the
Parks Canada
Parks Canada ()Parks Canada is the applied title under the Federal Identity Program; the legal title is Parks Canada Agency (). is the agency of the Government of Canada which manages the country's 37 National Parks, three National Marine Co ...
Agency. In addition to tourism related to the park,
lobster
Lobsters are Malacostraca, malacostracans Decapoda, decapod crustaceans of the family (biology), family Nephropidae or its Synonym (taxonomy), synonym Homaridae. They have long bodies with muscular tails and live in crevices or burrows on th ...
and
scallop fishing are an important industry based out of Alma's tidal harbour.
On 1 January 2023, Alma was amalgamated with the villages of
Hillsborough and
Riverside-Albert and parts of nine
local service districts to form the municipal area called
Fundy Albert.
"Alma" continues to be the name of the former Village of Alma community.
Demographics
In the
2021 Census of Population conducted by
Statistics Canada
Statistics Canada (StatCan; ), formed in 1971, is the agency of the Government of Canada commissioned with producing statistics to help better understand Canada, its population, resources, economy, society, and culture. It is headquartered in ...
, Alma 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.
Revised census figures based on the 2023 local governance reforms have not been released.
Notable people
Alma was the birthplace of
Molly Kool, who in 1939 became Master Mariner for offshore sailing, a captain, a first in the Western World,
sailing a commercial Bay of Fundy scow sloop between ports. A monument on the Alma waterfront marks her accomplishment.
Images
File:Settlement view from bridge.jpg, View from Alma Bridge.
File:Panorama Alma.jpg, The village as viewed from the water
File:Bay of Fundy High Tide.jpg, Harbour at high tide.
File:Bay of Fundy Low Tide.jpg, Harbour at low tide.
Climate
Alma has a relatively cool, wet and snowy maritime climate with significant seasonal differences in spite of its near-ocean location. Summers are warm but relatively short, whereas winters are relatively cold but milder than inland areas.
References
External links
Village of Alma
{{Subdivisions of New Brunswick, towns=yes, villages=yes, counties=yes, state=expanded
Communities in Albert County, New Brunswick
Former villages in New Brunswick
2023 disestablishments in New Brunswick