St. George   St. George has become an important commercial and industrial service area in the Charlotte Coastal Region as a result of the aquaculture industry. Much of the processing of the farmed salmon grown in the Bay of Fundy occurs in St. George. St. George has a population of 1,512 (2006 Census), but the town is also the commercial and service centre for the Village of Blacks Harbour and the parishes of St. George, West Isles and Pennfield , an area encompassing 8,025 people (2006 Census). While the industrial activity is centered in the industrial park, the commercial, retail and services activity is focused on Main Street, including a small mall. St. George offers area residents two banks, a supermarket, a drugstore, convenience stores, a restaurant, a few fast food outlets, a building materials and hardware store, a New Brunswick Liquor Corporation Store, a butcher shop, a bakery, a few retail clothing outlets and a gift shop. A Service New Brunswick office is located in St. George, as well as social assistance services for the area. St. George is also the location of the federal Department of Fisheries and Oceans and the provincial Department of Agriculture and Aquaculture main offices for the Charlotte Coastal Region. The St. George Elementary School serves about 321 students from kindergarten to grade 6. The school also houses the town’s library. St. George Elementary School has various programs and initiatives in place including basketball which is offered for grades 2 to 6 by the St. George Minor Basketball Association. Fundy High School, located in St. George, serves 666 students in grades 7 to 12 offering comprehensive academic and vocational courses of study and extracurricular activities which include sports, photography and theatre arts. The St. George Community Access Centre is located in the school’s tech lab and provides Internet access and computer courses for young and old. St. George is home to three doctors, a dentist, an optometrist, a chiropractor and a podiatrist. For health services, residents of St. George are served by the Fundy Health Centre located in Blacks Harbour (15 minutes away) or the Atlantic Health Science Centre in Saint John (35 minutes away). For recreation, St. George offers soccer, baseball, rugby and hockey. The town has a lighted ball field and an excellent tennis court. As well, there are numerous leisure walking trails and hiking and kayaking opportunities. Local lakes and the Magaguadavic River offer opportunities to fish for trout and bass nearby. In addition, there are numerous opportunities for hunting just a few minutes from town. A new town civic centre is in the late planning stages (2008). Housing in St. George is generally modest to mid-level and prices are typically very competitive for the Charlotte Coastal Region. The town provides municipal water and sewerage services to residents and businesses. Firefighting services are staffed by volunteers. St. George is policed by the RCMP and is home to the main RCMP detachment in the Charlotte Coastal Region. St. George has seven churches providing access to all the major religions found in the area. St. George, with its friendly open people, offers all the benefits of small-town life, with the amenities of a larger city 35 minutes away. For those who wish to work in the city, St. George offers rural or small-town living with what, in most parts of Canada, would be considered an easy commute. For more information visit www.town.stgeorge.nb.ca. |
