St. George, New Brunswick facts for kids

Quick facts for kids St. George
Magaguadavic River gorge and the St. George Power hydro plant
Seal
Nickname(s):  Granite Town
Motto(s):  A Community Strong
St. George, New Brunswick Location in New Brunswick
Country	Canada
Province	New Brunswick
County	Charlotte
Municipality	Eastern Charlotte
Settled	1783
Incorporated	1904
Area
• Land	16.17 km2 (6.24 sq mi)
Population  (2021)
• Total	1,579
• Density	97.7/km2 (253/sq mi)
• Change (2016–21)	4.1%
• Dwellings	751
Time zone	UTC-4 (AST)
• Summer (DST)	UTC-3 (ADT)
Postal code(s)	E5C
Area code(s)	506
Highways Route 1 Route 172	Route 760 Route 770

St. George is a community in New Brunswick, Canada. It is part of the larger area called Eastern Charlotte. St. George is located where the Magaguadavic River meets the Bay of Fundy. This spot is between Passamaquoddy Bay and Lake Utopia.

History of St. George

The area around St. George was first mapped out in 1786. It was first called Magaguadavic. Later, it was renamed Granite Town because of the red-granite quarries nearby. In 1829, the community got its current name, St. George. A post office was also set up then.

By 1898, St. George had a busy port. It was connected to the Shore Line Railway. The town had three hotels, four churches, 22 stores, and two mills. St. George officially became a town in 1904.

St. George During Wartime

During the Second World War, two military bases were built near St. George. One was a Canadian Army training base called "Camp Utopia." The other was an Air Station for the Royal Canadian Air Force and Royal Air Force at Pennfield Ridge.

Both bases closed by the late 1950s. Camp Utopia moved to what is now CFB Gagetown. The airfield at Pennfield Ridge became the first commercial airport for the city of Saint John.

Local Industries and Economy

From 1983 to 1985, a company called Adex Mining Inc. ran a mine. This mine was about 40 kilometers north of St. George. It dug for tungsten and molybdenum.

Today, the main jobs in St. George are in aquaculture. This means farming fish or shellfish. Another major employer is a lumber mill owned by J. D. Irving, called Lake Utopia Paper.

Hydroelectric Power

St. George Power operates a hydroelectric power plant. It is located on the Magaguadavic River. This plant can produce 15 megawatts of electricity. It is a "run-of-the-river" plant. This means it uses the natural flow of the river. It does not store water in large reservoirs like the Mactaquac Dam.

Changes to the Community

On January 1, 2023, St. George joined with other communities. These included the village of Blacks Harbour. They also joined parts of five local service districts. Together, they formed a new, larger rural community called Eastern Charlotte. Even though it's part of a bigger community, the name St. George is still used officially.

Population and People

In 2021, the community of St. George had a population of 1,579 people. These people lived in 698 homes. This was a small increase of 4.1% from its population in 2016. The land area of St. George is about 16.17 square kilometers. This means there were about 97.7 people living in each square kilometer in 2021.

Languages Spoken

Most people in St. George speak English. In 2021, about 87.2% of the population spoke English as their first language. A smaller number of people speak French. Some also speak other languages.