What is Fredericton?
Answer
The capital of New Brunswick, located on the Saint John River, and one of the smallest provincial capitals in Canada.
Explanation
Fredericton is the capital of New Brunswick and one of Canada's smallest provincial capitals, with a population of about 65,000 in the city and about 110,000 in the Census Metropolitan Area. The city sits on the Saint John River about 100 kilometres upstream from the Bay of Fundy. Fredericton has been the provincial capital since 1785, when the British colonial government chose the inland location over the coastal settlement of Saint John in part because of vulnerability to American naval attack.
The city was originally an Acadian settlement called Pointe Sainte-Anne and the Wolastoqiyik (Maliseet) name for the area is Wəlastəkwewi-akadi. After the British Conquest of 1759 and the expulsion of the Acadians (1755 to 1763), the area was settled by United Empire Loyalists fleeing the American Revolution. Fredericton was named in 1785 after Prince Frederick, Duke of York and Albany (second son of King George III). The city was incorporated in 1848. The Old Government House, built 1828, served as the lieutenant-governor's residence and is now a National Historic Site.
The provincial Legislative Assembly Building, designed by James Charles Dumaresq and opened in 1880, sits on the south bank of the Saint John River. The Beaverbrook Art Gallery, a gift of newspaper magnate Lord Beaverbrook (William Maxwell Aitken, born in Fredericton's Newcastle in 1879) opened in 1959 with one of Atlantic Canada's most significant art collections including works by Salvador Dali, J.M.W. Turner, and Lucian Freud. Christ Church Cathedral (1853), the seat of the Anglican Diocese of Fredericton, is one of the finest Gothic Revival cathedrals in Canada.
Modern Fredericton's economy centres on provincial government, post-secondary education (the University of New Brunswick founded 1785, the second-oldest university in Canada, and St. Thomas University), the Canadian Forces Base Gagetown south of the city (the second-largest Canadian military base by area), tourism, and the information-technology sector. Fredericton is one of the most bilingual provincial capitals in Canada outside Quebec, with about a third of residents identifying as bilingual in English and French. The Saint John River freezes most winters and supports an annual Frostival winter festival.
Why this matters for your test
Fredericton's status as New Brunswick's capital is a frequent test answer. Recognising the 1785 selection by the British colonial government and the city's location on the Saint John River gives candidates two specific anchors.
Source: City of Fredericton; Government of New Brunswick
