From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia

Northumberland County (2001 population 50,817), having the largest area of any county in the province, is located in northeastern New Brunswick, Canada.

Northumberland County is covered by thick forests, whose products stimulate the economy.

The county is dominated by the Miramichi River, world famous for its salmon fishing. The lower portion of the river is an estuary which widens into Miramichi Bay, a part of the Gulf of St. Lawrence.

The county is a mostly English speaking region in the otherwise Francophone northeastern New Brunswick. Coastal regions of Miramichi Bay are Acadian. The former town of Chatham has traditionally been an Irish stronghold, while its sister town of Newcastle has had a more English and Scottish Protestant flavour. Both are now amalgamated into the new city of Miramichi.

There are three communities in the county which are part of the Mi'kmaq Nation: Red Bank, at the junction of the Northwest Miramichi River and the Little Southwest Miramichi River; Eel Ground, close to the junction of the Northwest and Southwest Miramichi Rivers near Newcastle; and Burnt Church on the northern shore of Miramichi Bay.

The city of Miramichi is a local service centre for the county and surrounding regions with schools, hospitals and government offices and retail locations. The county has several saw mills in the city of Miramichi and up the Southwest Branch of the Miramichi River. There is a large pulp and paper mill at Newcastle, and another pulp mill at Chatham.

Chatham was also home to an air force base, CFB Chatham, until 1996. Renous, located along the Southwest Miramichi was also home to an army post - a federal maximum security penitentiary is now located on the site.

Incorporated Municipalities

• City of Miramichi (18,508)
• Village of Neguac (1,697)
• Village of Rogersville (1,248)
• Village of Blackville (1,015)
• Village of Doaktown (955)

Unincorporated Communities as CSDs

• Alnwick (6,566)
• Northesk (2,606)
• Hardwicke (2,564)
  • Escuminac (252)
• Blackville Parish (2,421)
• Sillikers
• Southesk (2,083)
• Glenelg (1,712)
• Ludlow (1,709)
• Rogersville Parish (1,356)
• Newcastle Parish (1,228)
• Derby (1,122)
• Nelson (1,021)
• Burnt Church 14 (1,002)
• Blissfield (636)
• Chatham (519)
• Eel Ground 2 (445)
• Red Bank 4 (343)
• Big Hole Tract 8 [part] (61)
• Red Bank 7 (0)
• Tabusintac 9 (0)