Fredericton (/ˈfrɛ.drɪk.tən/;[8]French pronunciation:[fʁedeʁiktœn]) is the capital city of theCanadian province ofNew Brunswick. The city is situated in the west-central portion of the province along theSaint John River, also known by itsIndigenous name of Wolastoq, which flows west to east as it bisects the city. The river is the dominant natural feature of the area. One of the main urban centres in New Brunswick, as of 2025, according to the city's demographic profile, it has a population of 77,500 with the metropolitan population in 2024 estimated at 122,500.[9][10] It is the third-largest city in the province, afterMoncton andSaint John.
As a provincial capital, its economy is tied to the public sector; however, the city also has a growing IT and commercial sector. The city has the highest percentage of residents with post-secondary education in the province and the highest per capita income of any city in New Brunswick.
There is archaeological evidence of a camp in the area 12,000 years ago,[11] and theWolastoqiyik farmed several kilometres upriver.[12]
Colonists from theKingdom of France in the late 1600s builtFort Nashwaak on the north side of the Saint John River, as the capital ofAcadia. It withstood a British attack in 1696, but the capital was later moved toPort Royal (Annapolis Royal).[13] In 1713, Acadians escaping the British takeover ofNova Scotia settled the site, naming it Pointe Ste-Anne. It was destroyed in 1758 when the population of about 83 were exiled during theexpulsion of the Acadians.
It was in 1783, whenUnited Empire Loyalists arrived from New England, that the history of modern Fredericton began. The following year, New Brunswick was partitioned fromNova Scotia and became its own colony. Pointe-Ste-Anne was renamed "Fredericstown", afterFrederick, second son of KingGeorge III. It became the capital of the new colony, being considered to have a better defensive position than largerSaint John.[13]
The streets were laid out in the typical grid pattern of the time, with the names reflecting loyalist tendencies: Charlotte, Brunswick, George, King, and Queen.
It was a British garrison town from 1784 to 1869, and the military compound is preserved as a National Historic Site of Canada.[15]
With theNew Brunswick Equal Opportunity program in the 1960s, county councils were abolished, and government services were centralized provincially in Fredericton, increasing jobs and population.
TheSaint John River runs through Fredericton. The city's downtown core lies on the flat low-lying ground on either side of the river, with most of the city's post-war suburban development occurring on the gently sloping hills of the river valley.
At an altitude of about 17 m (56 ft) above sea level, Fredericton is nestled in the Pennsylvanian Basin. It differs markedly from the geologically older parts of the province. There are prominently two distinct areas in the region that are divided around the area of Wilsey Road, in the east end of the city. In the west side, the bedrock underneath the earth is topographically dominant, whereas the other is controlled byPleistocene and recent deposits leading to the rivers (resulting in the area being shallow and wide). Fredericton and its surroundings are rich in water resources, which, coupled with highly arable soil, make the Fredericton region ideal for agriculture. The Saint John River and one of its major tributaries, theNashwaak River, come together in Fredericton. The uninhabited parts of the city are heavily forested.
In the2021 Canadian census conducted byStatistics Canada, Fredericton had a population of 63,116 living in 28,478 of its 29,892 total private dwellings, a change of7.5% from its 2016 population of58,721. With a land area of 133.93 km2 (51.71 sq mi), it had a population density of471.3/km2 (1,220.6/sq mi) in 2021.[26]
At thecensus metropolitan area (CMA) level in the 2021 census, the Fredericton CMA had a population of 108,610 living in 46,357 of its 48,761 total private dwellings, a change of5.8% from its 2016 population of 102,690. With a land area of 6,014.66 km2 (2,322.27 sq mi), it had a population density of18.1/km2 (46.8/sq mi) in 2021.[27]
The2021 census reported thatimmigrants (individuals born outside Canada) comprise 7,790 persons or 12.6% of the total population of Fredericton. Of the total immigrant population, the top countries of origin were United Kingdom (765 persons or 9.8%), China (645 persons or 8.3%), United States of America (570 persons or 7.3%), Syria (505 persons or 6.5%), Philippines (500 persons or 6.4%), India (460 persons or 5.9%), Egypt (300 persons or 3.9%), Iran (245 persons or 3.1%), Lebanon (205 persons or 2.6%), and Democratic Republic of the Congo (180 persons or 2.3%).[28]
In 2021, Fredericton was 82.5% white/European, 3.5% Indigenous and 14.0% visible minorities.[28] The largest visible minority groups were Black (2.9%), South Asian (2.9%), Arab (2.5%), Chinese (1.8%) and Filipino (1.0%).
Fredericton accepted the highest number of refugees from theSyrian Civil War per capita of any Canadian city.[29]
English is spoken as amother tongue by 80.2% of residents. Other mother tongues spoken are French (6.1%), Arabic (2.1%),Chinese languages (1.4%), Spanish (0.7%), Russian (0.6%), and Persian languages (0.5%). 1.4% of the population listed both English and French as mother tongues.
TheGovernment of New Brunswick and the universities are the primary employers. The policies of centralizing provincial government functions during the 1960s led to an expansion of the population.
The city has been investing actively in IT infrastructure. The City of Fredericton won the "Judges Innovation Award" at the 2004 Canadian Information Productivity Awards due to their "Fred-eZone" free municipality wideWi-Fi initiative. This and other innovations by the city's utelco, e-Novations, ledIntel to do a case study on their successes. Fred-eZone spans much of the city's downtown and parts of surrounding residential areas, as well as peripheral commercial areas such as Fredericton's Regent Mall. In 2008 and 2009 the Intelligent Community Forum selected Fredericton as a Top 7 Intelligent Community, based partly on the city's work in the IT sector.[40]
Fredericton's beloved fountain "Freddy the Nude Dude",[42] officially known as "Putto with Fish" sits outsideCity Hall at 397 Queen St. "Freddy the Nude Dude" was donated to the city by Mayor George Edward Fentey, in 1885.[43] The statue depicts a nudeCherub and is a beloved fixture of downtown Fredericton. The famed statue has had some trouble since its historic arrival in 1885. In January 2013, "Freddy the Nude Dude" was taken south to Alabama for a replication of the original statue after 128 winters worth of damage.[44] The original Freddy is kept safely insideCity Hall where it is protected from further weather damage.[43]
Carleton Park, part of the Northside Riverfront Trail, includes a boat launching area. The park was once the site ofAlexander "Boss" Gibson's rail yard.
The Green, along the north and south banks of the Saint John River, a walking and biking trail.
Killarney Lake Park, a lakeside park with a beach and picnic spots as well as an extensive network of nature trails.
Odell Park features preserved forested areas, trails, spaces for picnics and gatherings, and theFredericton Botanic Garden
Officers' Square is a venue for outdoor concerts and has an outdoor skating rink in the winter.
Queen Square Park, in the heart of Downtown Fredericton.
Reading Park (/ˈrɛdɪŋ/ⓘRED-ing) is a 130,000 m2 (33 acres) passive use park incorporating an open meadow, and a 1.1 km (0.68 mi) walking trail through an old-growth forest. The park'sold-growth forest is one of the city's last remaining habitats for thepileated woodpecker.
Fredericton has a network of 25 trails totaling more than 85 km (53 mi) on both sides of the Saint John and Nashwaak Rivers. Many of the city trails arerail trails that follow old railway lines. These include theFredericton Railway Bridge that spans 0.6 km (0.37 mi) across the Saint John River. The rail trail system in Fredericton is part of theSentier NB Trail system and some of these trails are also part of the largerTrans-Canada Trail network.
Fredericton has anon-partisan andMayor–council government. The mayor and council serve four-year terms with elections in May. The city is divided into 12wards, six on each side of the river, with one councillor per ward.
TheHugh John Flemming Forestry Centre researches in forestry management. Fredericton's Provincial Research Organization specializes in aquaculture, mining, manufacturing, energy and the environment.[51]
Fredericton started installing bicycle lanes in July 2008.[53]
Passenger rail service ended in the 1960s,[54] and freight in 1996. All railway tracks have been abandoned and removed.
Fredericton is served by theMaritime Bus fleet which provides connections to points throughout the Maritimes.[55][56]
TheTrans-Canada Highway passes along the southern municipal boundary. Routes7 and8 (the latter being a former alignment of the Trans-Canada) also pass through the city. Two highway bridges, theWestmorland Street Bridge and thePrincess Margaret Bridge, cross the Saint John River. Those bridges feed into controlled-access roads (Routes 8 and105 serving the city's north side).
^Legal name is The City of Fredericton.[1] Even in French, the legal name is The City of Fredericton.[2]
^Extreme high and low temperatures in the table below are from Fredericton UNB (December 1871 to July 1913) and Fredericton CDA (August 1913 to present).
^Statistic includes all persons that did not make up part of a visible minority or an indigenous identity.
^Statistic includes total responses of "West Asian" and "Arab" under visible minority section on census.
^Statistic includes total responses of "Chinese", "Korean", and "Japanese" under visible minority section on census.
^Statistic includes total responses of "Filipino" and "Southeast Asian" under visible minority section on census.
Dallison, Robert L. "A Tour of Boss Gibson's Marysville: A Nineteenth Century Mill Town." Fredericton Heritage Trust, 1991.
Hachey, Philip Osmond "The geology and ground water of the Fredericton district." UNB Thesis, 1955.
McIntyre, Glen, Bruce Oliver and Bob Watson, "A Valuable and Important Place - Fredericton's Loyalist Origins 1783." A Fredericton Historical Research Project, 1983.
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