Share on Facebook
Share on X
Share by Email
Share on Google Classroom
Florenceville-Bristol, NB, incorporated as a town in 2008, population 1639 (2011c), 1539 (2006c). Florenceville-Bristol was formed by the amalgamation of two villages, Florenceville and Bristol (both incorporated in 1966) and is situated 146 km up the Saint John River from Fredericton.
The area was the homeland of the Wolustoquiyik (or Maliseet) and Bristol's original name, Shikatehawk, is the derivative of their name for the place, which legend says was a battle site. Bristol, after the English city, was selected by the New Brunswick Railroad Company for the station they built there in 1870s. Originally known as Buttermilk Creek, Florenceville was renamed in honour of Crimean War heroine Florence Nightingale. The initial wave of Loyalist settlers was augmented by 19th-century immigrants to form the basis of Florenceville's population. The community's initial growth flourished on the west bank of the Saint John River, but the completion of a bridge in 1884 and a spectacular fire in 1911 shifted the centre of commercial activity to the east bank.
Present Day
Since 1957, Florenceville's development has been synonymous with the development of McCain Foods Ltd from a small dealer in potatoes and other agricultural products to an international frozen food company. In the heart of New Brunswick's potato belt,the town's service sector complements farming and food processing.
