Neguac

Neguac
Village
Nickname:  "The Savoie Capital"
Country	Canada
Province	New Brunswick
County	Northumberland County
Founded	1756
Incorporated Village	August 23, 1967
Electoral Districts      Federal	Miramichi
Provincial	Miramichi Bay-Neguac
Government
• Mayor	Georges Rhéal Savoie
• MLA	Lisa Harris (L)
• MP	Pat Finnigan (L)
Area
• Land	26.69 km2 (10.31 sq mi)
Elevation	0−40 m (−130 ft)
Population  (2011)
• Total	1,678
• Density	62.9/km2 (163/sq mi)
Time zone	UTC-4 (Atlantic (AST))
• Summer (DST)	UTC-3 (ADT)
Canadian Postal code	E9G
Area code	506
Telephone Exchange	776
Website	Neguac.com

Neguac (2011 population: 1,678) is a Canadian village in Northumberland County, New Brunswick.

Geography

Situated on the north shore of Miramichi Bay at the southern end of the Acadian Peninsula, the village is located 44 kilometres northeast of Miramichi. Approximately 92 percent of its residents are francophone.

Incorporated in 1967, the village's population meets the requirements for "town" status under the Municipalities Act of the Province of New Brunswick, however the community has not changed its municipal status.

History

See also: History of New Brunswick and List of historic places in Northumberland County, New Brunswick

Neguac calls itself the "Savoie Capital of Canada", as most Acadians with that surname trace their ancestry to the Neguac area. The first settlers in the village, Jean Savoie and his family, arrived in the area in 1757, two years after the Expulsion of the Acadians. In 2007, the community celebrated its 250th anniversary and 40th anniversary of incorporation.

Economy

Beausoleil oysters, farm raised off the waters of Neguac, have become well known internationally.

The local economy is based on fishing and forestry, of which oyster farming and lobster fishing are the main industry. Seasonally, from August to mid-September blueberries are harvested, and from late October to early December Christmas wreaths are made and sold around Canada and the Continental United States, these industries play an important role in the local economy.

The community has two wharves situated in its municipal limits. It also has a large fish plant that processes lobster and herring.

Neguac is considered the Oyster Hub of Atlantic Canada. Its oysters are distributed throughout the world via the Maison Beausoleil Company.

In April 2003, a call centre was opened by Virtual-Agent Services (VAS). It employed nearly thirty call centre representatives. The call centre was closed August 26, 2011, when VAS was acquired by Thing5. The building now houses the Alnwick Resource Centre (Food Bank).

The community is a service centre of the Miramichi Bay area offering government services, a health clinic, restaurants, gas stations and other retail stores and services.

Demographics

Population trend

Census	Population	Change (%)
2011	1,678	3.4%
2006	1,623	4.4%
2001	1,697	2.2%
1996	1,735	N/A

Mother tongue language (2006)

Language	Population	Pct (%)
French only	1,415	88.99%
English only	140	8.80%
English and French	15	0.94%
Other languages	20	1.26%

Religious make-up (2001)

Religion	Population	Pct (%)
Catholic	1,605	97.27%
Protestant	20	1.21%
No religious affiliation	20	1.21%
Christian n.i.e.	10	0.61%

Notable people

Main article: List of people from Northumberland County, New Brunswick

See also

• List of communities in New Brunswick

External links

• Village of Neguac