Grande-Anse () is a former village in

Gloucester County, New Brunswick Gloucester County (2021 population 78,256) is located in the northeastern corner of New Brunswick, Canada. Fishing, mining and forestry are the major industries in the county. The eastern section of the county is known for its Acadian culture. ...

, Canada. It held village status prior to 2023 and is now part of the town of Rivière-du-Nord. The community is near the community of

Pokeshaw Pokeshaw is an unincorporated village in Gloucester County ( New Bandon Parish), New Brunswick, Canada. It houses a former provincial, now communal park that includes a beach, and a large rock stack, Pokeshaw Island, also known as Pokeshaw Rock ...

on the shore of

Chaleur Bay frame, Satellite image of Chaleur Bay (NASA). Chaleur Bay is the large bay in the centre of the image; the Gulf_of_St._Lawrence.html" ;"title="Gaspé Peninsula is to the north and the Gulf of St. Lawrence">Gaspé Peninsula is to the north and t ...

in the

Acadian Peninsula The Acadian Peninsula () is situated in the northeastern corner of New Brunswick, Canada, encompassing portions of Gloucester and Northumberland Counties. It derives its name from the large Acadian population located there. Two major islands o ...

region, 25 km northwest of

Caraquet Caraquet ( ) is a town in Gloucester County, New Brunswick, Canada. Situated on the shore of Chaleur Bay in the Acadian Peninsula, its name is derived from the Mi'kmaq term for ''meeting of two rivers''. The Caraquet River and Rivière du Nord ...

and 45 kilometres east of Bathurst. Grande-Anse's tourist attractions include the Grande-Anse beach, and th
Founding Cultures Museum

History

The village was first settled by

Acadian The Acadians (; , ) are an ethnic group descended from the French who settled in the New France colony of Acadia during the 17th and 18th centuries. Today, most descendants of Acadians live in either the Northern American region of Acadia, ...

Simon Landry in 1808, and was incorporated in 1968. On 1 January 2023, Grande-Anse amalgamated with

Bertrand Bertrand may refer to: Places * Bertrand, Missouri, US * Bertrand, Nebraska, US * Bertrand, New Brunswick, Canada * Bertrand Township, Michigan, US * Bertrand, Michigan * Bertrand, Virginia, US * Bertrand Creek, state of Washington * Saint-Bertr ...

, Maisonnette, Saint-Léolin, and all or part of four local service districts to form the new town of Rivière-du-Nord. The community's name remains in official use.

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 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 ...

, Grande-Anse 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.

Geography

There is a small, man-made harbor with fishing boats. Grande Anse has a stone church building, called Saint Jude. The church spire has been a landmark for sailors.

Museum

After a 1984 visit from Pope John Paul II to

Moncton, New Brunswick Moncton (; ) is the most populous city in the Canadian province of New Brunswick. Situated in the Petitcodiac River Valley, Moncton lies at the geographic centre of the Maritime Provinces. The city has earned the nickname "Hub City" because ...

, the Pope Museum () was created in Grande Anse. It contained portraits of all the popes, a scale model of the Vatican, and other items. With attendance falling from 30,000 visitors per year in its early days to just 500 in 2015, it was re-imagined as the Founding Cultures Museum (''Musée des cultures fondatrices''), a museum about the people who have lived in the Grande Anse area, including the

First Nations First nations are indigenous settlers or bands. First Nations, first nations, or first peoples may also refer to: Indigenous groups *List of Indigenous peoples *First Nations in Canada, Indigenous peoples of Canada who are neither Inuit nor Mé ...

as well as the

, Irish,

Scottish Scottish usually refers to something of, from, or related to Scotland, including: *Scottish Gaelic, a Celtic Goidelic language of the Indo-European language family native to Scotland *Scottish English *Scottish national identity, the Scottish ide ...

, and

British British may refer to: Peoples, culture, and language * British people, nationals or natives of the United Kingdom, British Overseas Territories and Crown Dependencies. * British national identity, the characteristics of British people and culture ...

immigrants.

Notable people

References