Westmorland County, New Brunswick

Westmorland County (2021 population: 163,576) is a county in New Brunswick, a province of Canada. It is in the south-eastern part of the province. It contains the fast-growing commercial centre of Moncton and its northern and eastern suburbs. Also located in the county are the university town of Sackville and the local tourist destination of Shediac.

Westmorland County is centrally located in the Maritimes and is New Brunswick's most populous county. Fishing and tourism are important industries along the Northumberland Strait shore, and there is some mixed farming in the Petitcodiac River Valley and in the Tantramar Marsh region. The city of Moncton accounts for half of the county's population and has developed as a major transportation, distribution, commercial and retail centre. Dorchester is the historic shire town.

Origins

The county, once a part of Cumberland County, Nova Scotia, was one of the original eight counties delineated shortly after the creation of the British colony of New Brunswick in 1784. Initially it included what is now Albert County and part of Saint John County.

Due to sweeping social reforms of the Louis Robichaud premiership, the counties no longer serve their role as regional local government and administrative units.

Transportation

Major highways

• Route 2 (TCH)
• Route 15
• Route 16 (TCH)
• Route 106
• Route 112
• Route 114
• Route 126
• Route 128

Census subdivisions

Communities

There were the eleven municipalities within Westmorland County before the 2023 local governance reforms (listed with 2021 figures):

First Nations

There is one First Nations reserve in Westmorland County (population as of 2021):

Parishes

The county is subdivided into seven parishes (listed by 2016 population):

Demographics

As a census division in the 2021 Census of Population conducted by Statistics Canada, Westmorland County had a population of 163,576 living in 70,090 of its 75,506 total private dwellings, a change of 9.3% from its 2016 population of 149,623. With a land area of 3,659.74 km² (1,413.03 sq mi), it had a population density of 44.7/km² (115.8/sq mi) in 2021.

Language

Access routes

Highways and numbered routes that run through the county, including external routes that start or finish at the county limits:

Protected areas and attractions

Notable people

See also

• List of communities in New Brunswick

References

External links

• Westmorland County Guide