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| Charlottetown
- A Brief History |
| “The Island” was an early
discovery of John Cabot, who named it Saint John. Since Britain
failed to lay a claim to it, the French included it in its colonies
in 1523 under the name of Ile St. Jean. The Native Mi’kmaq
people called the land Abegweit, meaning “cradle on the waves.”
Prince Edward Island (its present name since 1799) came under British
rule after the Treaty of Paris in 1763. After
the British took control of Prince Edward Island in 1763, Port
la Joie became the site of Fort Amherst, protecting the harbor
for Captain Samuel Holland's new Charlottetown settlement. Holland
named it Charlotte Town, after Charlotte, wife of King George
III, and in 1765 it was named the capital of the colony.
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In 1837, a rebellion broke out in Canada
and Lord Durham, then governor general of British North America,
provided a report to the Crown on how to restructure its colonies
in North America. The Colonial Building (now called "Province
House"), was built from 1843 to 1847, and hosted its first
session of the Prince Edward Island legislature that year. In 1864,
the Fathers of Confederation met in this building to discuss the
union of the colonies. Initially, just the provinces of Nova Scotia,
New Brunswick, and Prince Edward Island were considered. Later,
the Charlottetown Conference expanded to include the colonies of
Canada, Nova Scotia, New Brunswick, Newfoundland, and Prince Edward
Island under one government. This led to the formation of Canada
on July 1st, 1867. |
| In 1964, The Confederation Centre of the Arts was
built as the National Memorial to the Fathers of Confederation,
who met at the 1864 Charlottetown Conference to discuss the idea
of Confederation. The Centre is home to the world-famous Charlottetown
Festival, as well as Canadian musical theatre and comedy, art, exhibitions,
music and dining, shopping and free guided tours.
In 1983, the federal Department of Veteran's Affairs
was relocated to Charlottetown, as part of the Trudeau government's
efforts to decentralize the federal government to be moved out
of the Canadian national capital of Ottawa. This was followed
a decade later by the location of the Goods & Services Tax
(GST) offices under Prime Minister Mulroney.
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In 1997, the 13 km (8 mi) long Confederation
Bridge became the first highway link between Prince Edward Island
and the mainland. It is the world's longest multi-span bridge over
salt water, and replaces a ferry service along the same route. Visitors
can still use the Northumberland Ferry Service to cross the Northumberland
Strait from Wood Islands, east of Charlottetown, to Caribou, Nova
Scotia.
In 2001, Founders' Hall and Canada's Birthplace
Pavilion celebrated its grand opening. The 1906 building was originally
the CN railway car repair shop and is now a 21,000 square foot
heritage attraction, restaurant and retail boutique.
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| Currently, Charlottetown is Prince
Edward Island’s largest community, covering 42.6 sq kilometers
and having a population of 32250 people. The city has two major
shopping centers (Confederation Court Mall & Charlottetown Mall)
with smaller groups of stores and individual businesses throughout.
Holland College and University of Prince Edward Island serve as
the two largest post-secondary education schools in Prince Edward
Island. Holland College, with its 13 locations and UPEI with one
of the only Veterinary Colleges in North America (Atlantic Veterinary
College) educate well over 15000 students annually. |
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