Belledune, New Brunswick, is a charming port village nestled in the heart of Canada. With a population of 1,325, this quaint community straddles the boundary between Restigouche County and Gloucester County, New Brunswick.
The community of Belledune was born in 1994, through the amalgamation of Jacquet River, Armstrong Brook, and Belledune. After this union, the community proudly adopted the title of a "Supervillage". Despite meeting the requirements to be classified as a "Town" under the Municipalities Act of the Province of New Brunswick, Belledune has chosen to retain its village status. Interestingly, Belledune is one of the few municipalities that will not be significantly affected by the province's 2023 local governance reforms.
Belledune's history dates back to around 1815 when it was first settled by François Guitard. Guitard, originally from France, had served in Napoleon's army before defecting to the British Army. He and his wife Marie emigrated to Canada and, after a brief period in Rivière-Ouelle, Quebec, were granted land in New Brunswick. Guitard also contributed to mapping the New Brunswick coastline with the British military. After the Great Miramichi Fire in 1825, settlers from the Miramichi Valley migrated towards Belledune, further shaping the community.
According to the 2021 Census of Population conducted by Statistics Canada, Belledune had a population of 1,325 living in 688 of its 782 total private dwellings. This represented a change of -6.5% from its 2016 population of 1,417. With a land area of 189.18 km2 (73.04 sq mi), Belledune had a population density of 7.0/km2 (18.1/sq mi) in 2021.
[To be continued...]
