History
Administered as part of the British colony of Nova Scotia until 1784, New Brunswick was created to cope with the sudden arrival of thousands of Loyalists in the early 1780s. The New Englanders were concentrated in Saint John, which they expected to be the new provincial capital. However, the governor's aristocratic claque outmanoeuvred them, managing to get Fredericton chosen as the seat of government instead. This unpopular decision led to an unusual separation of functions, with Fredericton developing as the province's political and administrative capital, whereas Saint John became the commercial centre. Throughout the nineteenth century conservative Fredericton stagnated whilst liberal Saint John boomed as a shipbuilding centre, its massive shipyards, dependent on the vast forests of the New Brunswick interior, becoming some of the most productive in the world. By 1890 the province was Canada's most prosperous region, but within the space of twenty years its economy had collapsed as wooden ships were replaced by steel steamers. The recession was long-lasting, ultimately reflecting New Brunswick's inability to develop a diversified industrial economy, and this remains the problem today. The province splutters along on the profits from its raw materials, principally timber, fish and potatoes, plus zinc, lead and copper from the northeast around Bathurst, but - like its Maritime neighbours - it exercises no control over price-setting mechanisms, and sharp boom-and-bust economic cycles continue.
Your Tip for New Brunswick
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