Community and Economic Analysis for St. Andrews, New BrunswickSt. Andrews is a small coastal town in New Brunswick, situated at the end of a peninsula jutting out into the magnificent Bay of Fundy. The Town is conveniently located 30 km from St. Stephen and the Maine border, 100 km from Saint John and 120 km from Fredericton. The Town was founded in 1783, by Loyalists escaping persecution south of the border, on government land grants provided by Governor Parr. St. Andrews grew and flourished for much of the next century and was an important harbour with a healthy shipbuilding industry. At the turn of the last century the Town still prospered. Ship building was a dying industry, but with the building of the Algonquin Hotel in 1889, the Town became an important summer resort town for the “rich”, especially after the CPR took it over at the turn of the century. The Town of St. Andrews is well preserved and many layers of history are visible starting from the late 1700s. Many of the commercial buildings on Water Street date from the 1800s. The Town has many other buildings of architectural significance including The Shiretown Inn (c.1881), The Court House (c.1840) The Greenock Church (c.1824) and The Block House (c.1812). After the original Algonquin Hotel was destroyed by fire, the existing popular resort was rebuilt in 1915. St. Andrews’ location, as well as historic and architectural attributes, continue to contribute greatly to the tourism industry’s stability and today, tourism remains one of the Town’s most important industries. The seasonal aspect of this industry is very apparent as the number of residents nearly double during the summer months. Cultural activities in the Town are fostered by several organizations that offer courses in the performing arts, fine art, fine crafts and natural history. A number of art galleries and studios in and around St. Andrews offer works from maritime, Inuit a...
