is a
City in
Madawaska County at the junction of the
Saint John and
Madawaska River s in northwestern
New Brunswick ,
Canada only a few
Kilometres from the border with
Quebec and on the border with the
United States , opposite the town of
Madawaska, Maine . Out of the eight cities in New Brunswick, Edmundston is the most
Francophone , with 98% of the city's population speaking French as a first language.
Edmundston is second to only
Clarence-Rockland , Ontario, as the largest French speaking city in North America outside the province of Quebec. If the population of the adjacent town of Madawaska, Maine, was included, it would be the largest. There are higher numbers of francophones in other Canadian cities such as Ottawa (122,665), Sudbury (45,420), Toronto (34,900), Winnipeg (26,855), Moncton (20,425) and Timmins (17,390), but French speakers there are in the minority.
The area was at the centre of the
Aroostook War over the boundary line between the U.S.A. and what was then
British North America . It was because of the boundary disputes in this entire area that residents on both the Canadian and U.S. sides took to referring to the region as the
Republic Of Madawaska . The tradition is carried on to this day, with each mayor of Edmundston being automatically given title as the "President of the Republic of Madawaska".
Originally named Petit-Sault (Little Falls), the settlement was renamed Edmundston in 1850 after Sir
Edmund Head , who was Lieutenant-Governor of New Brunswick from 1848 to 1854 and Governor-General of Canada from 1854 to 1861.
Forestry is one of the city's major industries, with several sawmills and paper plants in the vicinity, the largest being the
Fraser pulp mill. The Edmundston pulp mill is paired with a Fraser paper mill directly across the Saint John River in Madawaska, Maine, through which liquified pulp slurry is piped - the only such installation anywhere along
Canada-United States Border . Sign and plastics manufacturing are also important to the city's economy.
Edmundston is served by four newspapers (Le Madawaska, La Republique, L'Acadie Nouvelle and Info Weekend), two radio stations (CJEM, CFAI,) and a regional bureau of the
CBC .
Each June, Edmundston plays host to the Festival Jazz et Blues d'Edmundston (the Edmundston Jazz and Blues Festival).
Every year in August, there is a large cultural festival in Edmundston called the ''
Foire Brayonne ''. The festival is one of the biggest French themed festivals held in Canada east of the province of Quebec.
Tourist attractions include Le Jardin de la Republique (Camping Ground), Fort du Petit-Sault (former British military fort during the mid-1800's) and Madawaska Historic Museum.
The
New Brunswick Botanical Garden is located in suburban Saint-Jacques, on seven hectares with over 80,000 plants, making it the largest
Arboretum east of
Montreal .
- Paul Gallant creator of the 3-D puzzle and founder of Wrebbit
- Dave Hilton Sr , professional boxer who won a Canadian championship in three different weight divisions.
- Roch Voisine singer, actor (Born and raised in suburban St-Basile)
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10690popDensity=1625medianAge=422medianAgeM=404medianAgeF=435
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