| Port Elgin | |
|---|---|
| — Village — | |
| Port Elgin in 2007 | |
| Motto: "Your Port of Call" | |
| Country | Canada |
| Province | New Brunswick |
| County | Westmorland |
| Established | 1690 |
| Government | |
| • Mayor of Port Elgin | Judy McCray |
| • MPs | MLA |
| Area | |
| • Total | 18.55 km2 (7.162 sq mi) |
| Elevation | 1.52 m (5 (average); sea level to 14 ft ft) |
| Population (2010) | |
| • Total | 450 |
| • Density | 24.25/km2 (62.83/sq mi) |
| Demonym | Portelginian |
| Time zone | AST (UTC-4) |
| • Summer (DST) | ADT (UTC-3) |
| Postal code(s) | E4M |
| Area code(s) | 506 |
| Access Routes | Route 16 (TCH) Route 15 Route 970 |
| Dwellings | 229 |
| Website | http://www.villageofportelgin.com/ |
Port Elgin (2010 population: 450) is a Canadian village in Westmorland County, New Brunswick.[1]
Port Elgin is situated near the Nova Scotia border at the mouth of the Gaspareaux River where it empties into Baie Verte.
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The village was founded by Acadians in 1690, but abandoned after the Expulsion of the Acadians in 1755. The remains of Fort Gaspareaux are nearby.
British Loyalists resettled the area, which was named Gaspareaux Town, then renamed Port Elgin in 1847 after Lord Elgin. The community was incorporated in 1922.. Although the population of the village rose to around 2,000 in 1920s and 1930s, today it remains at approximately 500. The main industry in the village is Atlantic Windows, which employs 200 persons year-round.[2] The second largest employer is Westford Nursing Home, which has about 30 full and part-time staff. The facility provides permanent care facility for 29 persons as well as one relief-care bed.
On January 2, 2010, the village was hit by a storm surge which pushed cottages off their foundations and led to considerable damage to homes, forcing the declaration of a state of emergency.[3] The damage incurred by this storm is thought to be in the area of $900,000.[4]
A second flooding event occurred on December 21, 2010, when storm surge from an approaching nor'easter flooded sections of the northeastern New Brunsick coast near the community.[5]
With over 451 inhabitants, Port Elgin is one of the few communities that have decreased in size over a certain time span in Canada. The village has shrunk to a size 23% of what it originally was in the 1920s (its population peak).