| http://stanthony.hypermart.net |
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Community Profile
Founded as a seasonal fishing station in the 1500s, the town was originally named St. Anthony Haven by Jacques Cartier in 1534. The town has benefitted from a variety of diverse industries over the past century, including the Sir Wilfred Grenfell health mission, a U.S. defence station (1951-71) and the fishery. Fishery Products International operated an offshore plant in the town from the 1950s until the 1992 cod moratorium was imposed, and employed over 800 people at peak production.
A Diversified Economic Base
Today, the cornerstone of St. Anthony’s economy continues to be the fishery. However, tourism, retail trade, and public services contribute to economic activity as well. Fish processors include St. Anthony Seafoods Ltd. (a core plant processing most species except crab) and Chianti Food Processing Inc. (processing squid only). St. Anthony Seafoods is owned, in part, by St. Anthony Basin Resources Inc. which holds an annual northern shrimp quota of 3,000 tonnes. Employment at these plants averages between 300 and 400 annually.
Tourism attractions include Grenfell-related museums, exhibits and attractions; the nearby L’Anse aux Meadows UNESCO World Heritage and National Historic Site; and iceberg viewing (St. Anthony markets itself as being on the edge
of Newfoundland’s iceberg alley). |
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| Community Indicators |
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Town |
Province |
| Population (1996) |
3,105 |
551,795 |
| Population Components¹ (1996) |
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| School Age Children |
21% |
21% |
| Prime Labour Force (ages 20-54) |
53% |
53% |
| Seniors |
11% |
11% |
| Education Attainment² (1996) |
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| Completed post secondary |
39% |
40% |
| High school/some post secondary |
17% |
15% |
| Less than high school |
44% |
45% |
| Income (1998) |
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| Median personal income |
$16,700 |
$14,700 |
| Average family income |
$40,600 |
$36,500 |
1. Selected population components only.
2. Educational attainment of the population age 15+.
Source: Community Accounts database |
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The region has gained considerable exposure internationally as a result of the
Vikings! 1000 Years celebrations. Twenty-two cruiseship visits were recorded in St. Anthony and L’Anse aux Meadows over the past two years and another 14 cruiseship visits are expected in 2001.
Private sector activity is broadly-based with modern accommodations, restaurants, car and snowmobile dealerships, a community newspaper, and trailer parks in the surrounding area. Over 15,000 people live within a two hour commute of St. Anthony, making it the largest local service centre on the Great Northern Peninsula. The construction of the Trans Labrador Highway should benefit the area as well.
Public sector infrastructure includes the Curtis Memorial Hospital, a regional airport and new port infrastructure (including a 500 metre wharf). Coastal Labrador ferries servicing communities north to Nain are also based out of St. Anthony. |
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Photo: William Mahood
St.Anthony, Newfoundland |
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