Alma, New Brunswick

Alma Salmon River Settlement
Sign at the entrance to the village.
Seal
45°36′07″N 64°56′36″W / 45.601944°N 64.943333°W / 45.601944; -64.943333
Country	Canada
Province	New Brunswick
County	Albert
Parish	Alma
Municipality	Fundy Albert
Incorporated	1966
Amalgamated	2023
Area
• Total	47.64 km2 (18.39 sq mi)
Population  (2021)[1]
• Total	282
• Density	5.9/km2 (15/sq mi)
• Change 2016–21	32.4%
Electoral districts
• Federal	Fundy Royal
• Provincial	Albert
Time zone	UTC-4 (EST)
• Summer (DST)	UTC-3 (EDT)
Area codes	506 and 428
Website	www.villageofalma.ca

Alma is a disincorporated Village in Fundy Albert, New Brunswick, Canada. It resides in the territorial divisions of parish of Alma, Albert County. Alma is centered on the small delta of the Upper Salmon River and Cleveland Brook, where they empty into Salisbury Bay.

The headquarters of Fundy National Park is in Alma West, making tourism a major part of the local economy. Fishing, of lobster and scallops, is another primary economic activity.

History

The settlement, known as Salmon River Settlement, began in earnest as the lumbering trade took root with the exchange of land-grant title, and construction of a sawmill on the Upper Salmon River by its new owners. Prior to this, Loyalist John Coffin, who held the land grant, caused frustration for would-be settlers because of his absence. Thus began the most vibrant period in the community's history.

The Parish of Alma was created surrounding the community in 1856, commemorating the then-recent Battle of Alma during the Crimean war.^[2] The Village municipality incorporated in 1966 following sweeping changes that disbanded county councils. 18 years earlier, the federal government had expropriated land in the village and parish west of the Upper Salmon River for the creation of Fundy National Park. Many homes were relocated east of the river as lumber barons gave way to the new land managers, the Parks Canada Agency. In addition to tourism related to the park, lobster and scallop fishing are an important industry based out of Alma's tidal harbour.^{[citation needed]}

On 1 January 2023, Alma was amalgamated with the villages of Hillsborough and Riverside-Albert and parts of nine local service districts^[3] to form the municipal area called Fundy Albert.^[4][5] "Alma" continues to be the name of the former Village of Alma community.^[6]

Demographics

In the 2021 Census of Population conducted by Statistics Canada, Alma had a population of 282 living in 130 of its 196 total private dwellings, a change of 32.4% from its 2016 population of 213. With a land area of 47.64 km² (18.39 sq mi), it had a population density of 5.9/km² (15.3/sq mi) in 2021.^[7] Revised census figures based on the 2023 local governance reforms have not been released.

Notable people

Alma was the birthplace of Molly Kool, who in 1939 became Master Mariner for offshore sailing, a captain, a first in the Western World,^[8] sailing a commercial Bay of Fundy scow sloop between ports. A monument on the Alma waterfront marks her accomplishment.

Images

• 
  View from Alma Bridge.
• 
  The village as viewed from the water
• 
  Harbour at high tide.
• 
  Harbour at low tide.

Climate

Alma has a relatively cool, wet and snowy humid continental climate with significant seasonal differences in spite of its near-ocean location. Summers are warm but relatively short, whereas winters are relatively cold but milder than inland areas.

References

External links

Wikimedia Commons has media related to Alma, New Brunswick.