Cavendish, Prince Edward Island
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Cavendish is an unincorporated rural area in Lot 23, Queens County, Prince Edward Island. Its primary industries are tourism and agriculture.
Located northwest of North Rustico in the central part of the province on the north shore (fronting the Gulf of St. Lawrence), the community's precise location is 46º29'N, 63º23'W.
During the late 1800s, author Lucy Maud Montgomery, who grew up in the Cavendish home of her maternal grandparents, would often visit her cousins' neighboring farm which was named Green Gables. Montgomery's childhood formed a strong impression on her and she would later include much of her experiences in this part of rural Prince Edward Island in the literary blockbuster Anne of Green Gables.
Prior to Montgomery's writings, Cavendish's primary claim to fame came on July 22, 1883 when the 3-masted world-record holding clipper ship Marco Polo grounded and broke apart on Cavendish Beach.
Cavendish was primarily a small farming community throughout the 19th and first half of the 20th centuries. Following the critical acclaim of Montgomery's writing, as well as coincident with the increase in vehicle-based tourism throughout North America following the Second World War, Cavendish began to evolve into primarily a resort community.
In 1937, the Prince Edward Island National Park was established along 60 kilometres of the province's Gulf of St. Lawrence shoreline - part of the park also included the Macneill family's Green Gables farm. The national park also boasted many of Prince Edward Island's best beaches, of which Cavendish Beach was one of the most popular. To increase the tourist draw to the area, the national park also developed an 18-hole golf course and opened the Green Gables farmhouse for tours. The site of Montgomery's childhood home is also a popular tourist destination.
Subsequent development between the 1950s-1990s saw motels, campgrounds, amusement parks and other attractions, shopping facilities, and bars and restaurants built.
Cavendish traces its name to Field Marshal Lord Frederick Cavendish, a Colonel of the 34th Regiment of Foot (the Cumberland). It was likely given by local resident William Winter, an ex-British Army officer, who named the community in honour of his patron. In 1990, Cavendish became part of the Resort Municipality of Stanley Bridge-Hope River-Bayview-Cavendish-North Rustico.
The exact population of Cavendish is unavailable as its population is amalgamated under the Resort Municipality of Stanley Bridge-Hope River-Bayview-Cavendish-North Rustico (2001 pop. 5267). During any given week in July and August, the community's population expands as tens of thousands of tourists flock to the national park and local attractions.
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