Tyne Valley, Prince Edward Island

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Tyne Valley is a village community in Prince County, Prince Edward Island, Canada. Its precise location is 46'35"N, 63'56"W.

Tyne Valley falls inside the Statistics Canada census subdivision of Lot 13, Prince Edward Island.

Tyne Valley is part of the federal electoral riding of Egmont and the provincial electoral district #23, Cascumpec-Grand River.

The community is located at the junction of routes 12 and 167, east off the provincial highway Route 2 which is the main artery through the Island.

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[edit] History

In 1765, the Tyne Valley area was known as “The Landing”, as lumber floated up the Trout River from the shipyards at Bideford and Port Hill. The community was named Tyne Valley in 1868, after the River Tyne in England. At that time, the community’s economy was bustling, with a blacksmith, cheese factory, tannery, tailor, carriage shop, plasterer, shoemaker, grist mills, and saw mills. The area’s shipbuilding history is commemorated in nearby Green Park Provincial Park. This, in addition to a local theatre group and an annual folk music festival contribute to keeping Tyne Valley’s cultural life rich and vital.

The Municipality was incorporated in 1966 with a population of 223.

[edit] Geography

The village as its name suggests is located in a valley on the Trout River. The center of the valley features a dam which was constructed on the trout river and gave birth to a large pond currently named "Robinsons Pond". The name is debated by local residents since the title seems to imply ownership to Dr. G. Robinson who owned land on one side of the river prior to the dam’s construction.

The river is home to a small population of speckled brook trout and is frequented by anglers. Smelts will "run" during mating season in early spring and attract many people who scoop them from the river with nets.

The land sournding the village is a mixture of farmland and mixed forest. A large peat bog is located slightly north of the village center.

[edit] Distances

Community       Kilometers Miles  Driving Time Approx.
Alberton        44 km   28 miles        33 min.
Borden-Carleton 62 km   39 miles        47 min.
Cavendish       70 km   44 miles        53 min.
Charlottetown   106 km  66 miles        80 min.
East Point      212 km  133 miles       2.6 hrs.
Georgetown      158 km  99 miles        119 min.
Hunter River    69 km   43 miles        52 min.
Kensington      44 km   28 miles        33 min.
Montague        152 km  95 miles        114 min.
Mount Stewart   134 km  84 miles        101 min.
North Cape      75 km   47 miles        56 min.
O'Leary         37 km   23 miles        28 min.
Souris          187 km  117 miles       2.3 hrs.
St. Peters      159 km  99 miles        119 min.
Stanhope        127 km  79 miles        95 min.
Summerside      35 km   22 miles        26 min.
Tignish         61 km   38 miles        46 min.
Wellington      17 km   11 miles        13 min.
Wood Islands    167 km  104 miles       2.1 hrs.

[edit] Economy

  • Agriculture is an important economic activity in and around Tyne Valley. The area has approximately 1.8% of the total number of farms in PEI and represents approximately 1.6% of the total provincial acreage. Total gross farm receipts in the area were about 1.7% of the provincial total.
  • Municipal Tax Rates for Tyne Valley in 1998 are $0.45 per $100 of assessment for commercial properties and $0.35 for non-commercial properties. The annual sewer rates are $60.00.

[edit] The People

  • Tyne Valley has a higher than average proportion of people aged 15-24 and of people aged 65 and over, approximately 8% higher in each of these two categories.
  • All residents of Tyne Valley indicated in the 1996 Census that their mother tongue was English. 9% of the population know both English and French.
  • Many residents of Tyne Valley have ancestry from the British Isles. 68% of the population has some Scottish ancestry. 59% have some English, and 25% have some Irish heritage. 55% indicated Canadian origins.
  • Of Tyne Valley’s working age population, 15 years of age and older, 57% have less than Grade 12 education and 43% possess a high school diploma or higher. 6% of the working age population have obtained a university degree. Compared to the province as a whole, Tyne Valley residents have lower levels of education. Provincially, 41% have less than Grade 12 education.

[edit] Trivia

  • The local fire station is referred to by the locals as The Pig and Whistle or simply the pig after the television show of the same name. The sign currently depicts a comical pig wearing a fireman's uniform. The same building houses a bowling alley and other recreation facilities.
  • The 831 telephone exchange is reputed to be the last in Canada to change to rotary style telephones from the traditional operator assisted dialing systems.
  • The village is considered by many to be the hub community in the area.
  • High School Students in the area attend Westisle Composite High School along with all other communities in West Prince. Rivalrys between these communities has been known to flare up on occasion despite the close geographic locations.
  • One of the island's oldest Masonic lodges exists in the area outside the village known as Port Hill. (Alexandra #5) Named after Queen Alexandra of the United Kingdom.

Coordinates: 46°34′N, 63°56′W