New Richmond, Quebec
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New Richmond is an incorporated municipality in Quebec, Canada situated on the southern coast of the Gaspe Peninsula between the municipalities of Maria and Caplan. It is one of the very few remaining municipalities on the Gaspe which still has a relatively large English-speaking population. It was originally a centre of farming, logging, and shipbuilding.
The town experienced considerable growth in the 1960s with the development of a linerboard paper mill by Bathurst paper, later Consolidated Bathurst and then through a number of name changes until it became Smurfit Stone. Economic downturns in the region led to the mill being reduced in operations and subsequently many residents left for other regions.
New Richmond is bounded on the west by the Grand Cascapedia River. The Little Cascapedia runs to the east of the town proper. Both are well know internationally for Atlantic salmon and trout fishing. In the springtime smelt are also caught. On the Grand Cascapedia river fishing is centered in the towns of Cascapedia and St. Jules located a few miles outside New Richmond.
There is a large wharf located to the east of the town. This was built to service cargo ships which would arrive to be loaded with newsprint paper. It now serves a primarily recreational role.
The town itself is quite picturesque with tree-lines streets, a relaxed and friendly population, and a British Heritage Museum. There is a small shopping center, an ice-hockey arena which hosts a regional Midget-age (15-16) hockey tournament, and a theater located in the town. There is an English-language school (New Richmond High School) located in the center of town which serves grades K-8, after which students attend high school in the town of Bonaventure at Bonaventure Polyvalent School. French-speaking children have their own school and complete high school in the town of Carleton.
The area is quite spectacular in the fall when the hardwood trees change color. Summers are warm and pleasant and winters are long and cold.
