Northern Bay, Newfoundland And Labrador
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Northern Bay is a small community on the northern tip of
Conception Bay Conception Bay (CB) is a bay on the southeast coast of Newfoundland, Canada. The population (in 2011) of people living in municipalities (or unincorporated census subdivisions) located along the coast of Conception Bay was 90,490 making it ...
on the Bay de Verde Peninsula, Subdivision 1G,
Newfoundland and Labrador Newfoundland and Labrador is the easternmost province of Canada, in the country's Atlantic region. The province comprises the island of Newfoundland and the continental region of Labrador, having a total size of . As of 2025 the populatio ...
,
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.


Location

Northern Bay has roughly 290 permanent resident

and is located between the neighbouring communities of Subdivision 1G, Newfoundland and Labrador#Gull Island, Gull Island and Ochre Pit Cove on Route 70. It stretches from what is sometimes referred to as the "south side" of Northern Bay where the beach is located to what was once called the "Lower Rooms" which includes the former community of ''Long Beach''.


History

Fishing firms from
England England is a Countries of the United Kingdom, country that is part of the United Kingdom. It is located on the island of Great Britain, of which it covers about 62%, and List of islands of England, more than 100 smaller adjacent islands. It ...
and
Wales Wales ( ) is a Countries of the United Kingdom, country that is part of the United Kingdom. It is bordered by the Irish Sea to the north and west, England to the England–Wales border, east, the Bristol Channel to the south, and the Celtic ...
arrived at what is now Northern Bay as early as the mid-18th century. By 1768, immigrants from England and
Ireland Ireland (, ; ; Ulster Scots dialect, Ulster-Scots: ) is an island in the North Atlantic Ocean, in Northwestern Europe. Geopolitically, the island is divided between the Republic of Ireland (officially Names of the Irish state, named Irelan ...
had settled the "North Shore" of Conception Bay, including Northern Bay

On September 17, 1775, a ship carrying 400 passengers crashed somewhere near present-day Northern Bay

The crash was undoubtedly the result of the Newfoundland Hurricane of 1775 which remains one of the worst - if not the worst - natural disasters to have hit Newfoundland and Labrador in history. In 1836, a
Roman Catholic The Catholic Church (), also known as the Roman Catholic Church, is the largest Christian church, with 1.27 to 1.41 billion baptized Catholics worldwide as of 2025. It is among the world's oldest and largest international institut ...
church (Corpus Christi Parish) was established in Northern Bay. A
United Church A united church, also called a uniting church, is a denomination formed from the merger or other form of church union of two or more different Protestantism, Protestant Christian denominations, a number of which come from separate and distinc ...
also exists in the community. The town has three cemeteries. One of the communities first settlers was William Hogan, an Irish merchant. Since the 19th century, Northern Bay's population has remained relatively constant with some out-migration but a steady birthrate. The economy was mostly based on fishing and subsistence agriculture throughout the 19th and early 20th century. A horse named after the area took part in the 1987 English Grand National Steeplechase, finishing the race in ninth place


Folklore

Myths, legends and folklore were once very important in rural Newfoundland, but today are little more than entertainment. One folk tale that continues in the culture of Northern Bay and the surrounding communities is that of "Hannah's Tolt". The following is from the old Newfoundland magazine ''Decks Wash'' (V.9, No.6, Dec.1980): :"The local word for a rocky hill is 'tolt' and there is an interesting story surrounding the origin of Hannah's Tolt, located inland from Northern Bay near Welsh's Pond. It occurred probably in the 1920s r1930s. Late in the fall of the year when a crowd of women were in the woods berry-picking, Hannah Milley and her daughter must have been separated from the main group of women when a snowstorm suddenly broke out. They never made it back to the community. Search parties failed to turn up the bodies, but about 17 years later, a man named Lewis Crummey was in the woods partridge hunting and he found the two bodies and their rusted berry buckets down at the base of a tolt, which was then nicknamed ''Hannah's Tolt''."


Economy and society today


Demographics

The population of the community in 1836 was 282

Present day figures do not deviate from that, although it is actually more difficult to have a reliable figure for the population of Northern Bay or any other town in rural Newfoundland today due to much outmigration and seasonal work outside the province resulting in unpredictable levels of return.


Economy

The local economy is based on fishing, fish and crab processing plants in nearby communities, some local small businesses, and Northern Bay Sands which was a provincial park until privatization in 1997.
Unemployment Unemployment, according to the OECD (Organisation for Economic Co-operation and Development), is the proportion of people above a specified age (usually 15) not being in paid employment or self-employment but currently available for work du ...
is high however due to the cod moratorium of 1992.


Education

Until recently, Northern Bay had one school which served all the neighbouring communities from
Caplin Cove Caplin Cove ( ) is a small community on the north shore of Conception Bay, Newfoundland and Labrador, Canada. It is surrounded on the north by Subdivision 1G, Newfoundland and Labrador#Low Point, Low Point near the end of the Bay de Verde Pen ...
through
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. Corpus Christi Elementary and High School in Northern Bay catered predominantly to Roman Catholic Students in the area and Jackson Walsh Elementary and High School in nearby
Western Bay Division No. 1, Subdivision G is an unorganized subdivision on the Avalon Peninsula in Newfoundland and Labrador, Canada. It is in Division 1, Newfoundland and Labrador, Division 1 and contains the unincorporated communities of Baccalieu Island, ...
was an interfaith school. The
referendum A referendum, plebiscite, or ballot measure is a Direct democracy, direct vote by the Constituency, electorate (rather than their Representative democracy, representatives) on a proposal, law, or political issue. A referendum may be either bin ...
of 1997 which put an end to denominational education in Newfoundland and Labrador's public schools meant that the school in Northern Bay (which was renamed North Shore Collegiate) became the high school for all students in the area, and Jackson Walsh (renamed Cabot Academy) would become the elementary school serving the area. In 2002, North Shore Collegiate closed as a result of a declining student population. The closing of the high school meant that all students from grades 7 through 12 from Northern Bay and the surrounding communities would have to attend school in either
Old Perlican Old Perlican is a fishing village on the Avalon Peninsula, Newfoundland and Labrador in Canada. Incorporated in 1791, it is one of the oldest fishing communities in Newfoundland; it served as the major fishing station in Trinity Bay for migrat ...
to the north or
Carbonear Carbonear is a town on the Avalon Peninsula in Newfoundland and Labrador, Canada. It overlooks the west side of Conception Bay and had a history long tied to fishing and shipbuilding. Since the late 20th century, its economy has changed to empha ...
further south. The closing of the school has left an indelible impression on local life, particularly as it was also a centre for community gatherings and a symbol of growth and autonomy for not only Northern Bay but the entire North Shore region.


Tourism

The community is a popular site for tourists in the summer season due to Northern Bay Sands. This park and campgrounds is also the site of the annual "Beach Fest", a day-long concert featuring local and provincial musical acts. The close proximity to major centres on the
Avalon Peninsula The Avalon Peninsula () is a large peninsula that makes up the southeast portion of the island of Newfoundland in Canada. It is in size. The peninsula is home to 270,348 people, about 52% of the province's population, according to the 2016 Ca ...
such as St. John's, Carbonear, and Bay Roberts has made Northern Bay a particularly well-known summer get-away spot. As a result of this, there is a renewed interest in cabin ownership in the area and real estate values have modestly increased in recent years.


Politics

The community is not incorporated as a municipality but its citizens are active in local organizations such as school boards, church groups or the North Shore Regional Fire Department. Northern Bay is in the provincial riding of Carbonear-Trinity-Bay de Verde, represented by Liberal MHA
Steve Crocker Stephen D. Crocker (born October 15, 1944) is an American Internet pioneer. In 1969, he created the ARPA "Network Working Group" and the Request for Comments series. He served as chair of the board of the Internet Corporation for Assigned Nam ...
and the federal electoral district of
Avalon Avalon () is an island featured in the Arthurian legend. It first appeared in Geoffrey of Monmouth's 1136 ''Historia Regum Britanniae'' as a place of magic where King Arthur's sword Excalibur was made and later where Arthur was taken to recove ...
represented by Liberal MP Ken McDonald.


Towns and communities nearby

* Job's Cove * Burnt Point * Subdivision 1G, Newfoundland and Labrador#Gull Island, Gull Island * Ochre Pit Cove *
Western Bay Division No. 1, Subdivision G is an unorganized subdivision on the Avalon Peninsula in Newfoundland and Labrador, Canada. It is in Division 1, Newfoundland and Labrador, Division 1 and contains the unincorporated communities of Baccalieu Island, ...


See also

*
Avalon Peninsula The Avalon Peninsula () is a large peninsula that makes up the southeast portion of the island of Newfoundland in Canada. It is in size. The peninsula is home to 270,348 people, about 52% of the province's population, according to the 2016 Ca ...
*
List of communities in Newfoundland and Labrador This article lists unincorporated communities of the province of Newfoundland and Labrador, Canada. Incorporated towns and cities are incorporated municipalities and can be found on List of municipalities in Newfoundland and Labrador. Newfoundl ...
* Northern Bay Sands


External links


Northern Bay Sands
- Official site

- Diocese of Grand Falls
Baccalieu Trail Community Profiles: Northern Bay
(aroundthebay.ca)
A History of Northern Bay
written by Mary Elizabeth McCarthy (1964)
Community Accounts
(search for "Northern Bay")

{{DEFAULTSORT:Northern Bay, Newfoundland And Labrador Populated coastal places in Canada Populated places in Newfoundland and Labrador