What is Charlottetown?

Charlottetown is the capital of Prince Edward Island and the historic site of the September 1864 Charlottetown Conference, which began the negotiations that produced Canadian Confederation in 1867. The city is officially called the Birthplace of Confederation and Province House, the provincial legislature, is the National Historic Site where the Conference took place. Charlottetown has a population of about 39,000 and a metropolitan area of about 80,000, making it the smallest Canadian provincial capital and the smallest provincial capital metro area.

The city was founded in 1764 by the British colonial government and named after Queen Charlotte (wife of King George III). Charlottetown served as the capital of the Colony of St. John's Island (renamed Prince Edward Island in 1799) from 1769 onward. After Prince Edward Island joined Confederation on July 1, 1873 as the seventh province, Charlottetown remained the provincial capital. The city was incorporated in 1855 and is governed today as part of the consolidated City of Charlottetown (since 1995 amalgamation).

The Charlottetown Conference convened from September 1 to 9, 1864 in Province House. It was originally intended as a Maritime Union conference for Nova Scotia, New Brunswick, and PEI, but a delegation from the Province of Canada (now Ontario and Quebec) led by John A. Macdonald, George Brown, and George-Etienne Cartier asked to attend. The Province of Canada delegation pivoted the discussions toward a broader federal union of all British North American colonies, and the delegates agreed in principle to continue talks. The Quebec Conference in October 1864 produced the 72 Resolutions, the basis for the British North America Act, 1867.

Modern Charlottetown is a centre for provincial government, post-secondary education at the University of Prince Edward Island, agricultural research at the Atlantic Veterinary College, the federal Charlottetown Research Station, fisheries, tourism, and biotechnology. The Confederation Centre of the Arts (opened 1964 to commemorate the centennial of the 1864 conference) hosts the annual Charlottetown Festival, including the long-running Anne of Green Gables: The Musical. Founders' Hall, a public museum, tells the story of Canadian Confederation. Charlottetown Harbour is shallow but supports a small commercial port and recreational marina.