Rexton, New Brunswick

Rexton
Seal
Motto(s):  Progressio et Concordia  (Latin) "Progress and Concord"
Rexton Location of Rexton in New Brunswick
Coordinates: 46°38′00″N64°52′00″W / 46.633333°N 64.866667°W / 46.633333; -64.866667
Country	Canada
Province	New Brunswick
County	Kent County
Municipality	Five Rivers
Founded	1825 by John Jardine
Incorporated	November 9, 1966
Area [1]
• Land	6.29 km2 (2.43 sq mi)
Population  (2021) [1]
• Total	874
• Density	138.9/km2 (360/sq mi)
• Change (2016–21)	5.3%
Time zone	UTC-4 (AST)
• Summer (DST)	UTC-3 (ADT)
Canadian Postal code	E4W
Area code	506
Website	www.villageofrexton.com

Rexton is a former village in Kent County, New Brunswick, Canada. It was a village in its own right until the end of 2022 and is now part of the village of Five Rivers.

History

See also: History of New Brunswick and List of historic places in Kent County, New Brunswick

Situated on the Richibucto River, the village was originally inhabited by Mi'kmaq First Nations, many of whose descendants still reside in the nearby Elsipogtog First Nation, formerly referred to as the Big Cove Band. Acadian settlers colonized the general area in the 18th century, in places such as Bouctouche, Miramichi and Richibucto Village.

The first English-speaking settler was Thomas Powel who arrived in 1790. There was considerable colonization by English shipbuilders, Scottish merchants and Irish immigrants followed, including many Irish Protestants who arrived to work in the Jardine Shipbuilding Yards around the year 1819. They eventually cleared enough land to receive land grants following the 1820s survey by a Mr. Layton conducted around the Molus River area of nearby Weldford Parish, New Brunswick and the size of Elsipogtog First Nation was reduced to the current boundaries.

Two ships brought the majority of the settlers here from Scotland, one being the Dickies, captained by Simon Graham, and the other was the Isabella, sailed by Captain Thomas Carruthers.

Fishing, lumbering and shipbuilding flourished throughout the 19th century. The first bridge over the Richibucto River was completed there in 1850, improving commerce and communications in the region.

The settlement was known from about 1825 as Kingston, but in 1901, the name was changed to Rexton. This was probably to avoid confusion with other Kingstons, particularly Kingston, Kings County, New Brunswick, which still carries the name.

On 1 January 2023, Rexton annexed parts of five local service districts to form the new village of Five Rivers. ^{[2] [3]} The community's name remains in official use. ^[4]

Notable people

Main article: List of people from Kent County, New Brunswick

Rexton (Kingston at the time) was the birthplace of Bonar Law, Prime Minister of the United Kingdom in 1922–1923. Until the election of Boris Johnson in 2019, who was born in New York City, Bonar Law was the only British Prime Minister to be born outside the British Isles. His name is honoured at a recently upgraded community attraction, Bonar Law Common, and also at Bonar Law Memorial High School in Rexton. His father Rev. James Law was the Minister for St. Andrew's Church in Rexton for many years. William John Bowser, Premier of British Columbia (1915–1916), was born in Rexton. Former Premier of New Brunswick, Shawn Graham, was raised in Rexton.

Demographics

In the 2021 Census of Population conducted by Statistics Canada, Rexton had a population of 874 living in 396 of its 446 total private dwellings, a change of 5.3% from its 2016 population of 830. With a land area of 6.29 km² (2.43 sq mi), it had a population density of 139.0/km² (359.9/sq mi) in 2021. ^[1]

Population trend ^{[5] [6]}

Census	Population	Change (%)
2016	830	1.5%
2011	818	5.1%
2006	862	6.4%
2001	810	10.8%
1996	908	3.4%
1991	940	1.5%
1986	926	0.2%
1981	928	N/A

St. Andrew's United Church at Rexton

Religious make-up (2001) Religion Population Pct (%) Catholic 540 69.23% Protestant 210 26.92% No religious affiliation 25 3.20%

Income (2006) Income type By CAD Per capita income $21,807 Median Household Income $34,301 Median Family Income $47,115

Mother tongue language (2011) [7] Language Population Pct (%) English only 530 67.51% French only 230 29.30% Non-official languages 10 1.27% Multiple responses 15 1.91%

See also

• List of communities in New Brunswick
• Royal eponyms in Canada

References

1. "Census Profile of Rexton, Village (VL)". Statistics Canada. 6 December 2022. Retrieved 21 January 2023.
2. "Local Governments Establishment Regulation – Local Governance Act". Government of New Brunswick. 12 October 2022. Retrieved 21 January 2023.
3. "RSC 6 Kent Regional Service Commission". Government of New Brunswick. Retrieved 21 January 2023.
4. "Proposed entity names reflect strong ties to nature and history" (Press release). Irishtown, New Brunswick: Government of New Brunswick. 25 May 2022. Retrieved 21 January 2023.
5. Statistics Canada: 1996, 2001, 2006 census
6. "Census Profile, 2016 Census Rexton, Village [Census subdivision], New Brunswick". Statistics Canada. Retrieved September 13, 2019.
7. Statistics Canada: 2011 census

Further reading

• Barry Kinread Glencross, Rexton: The First 175 Years (privately published, 2001)

External links

• Village of Rexton