For a city whose downtown occupies a mere 16 blocks, Fredericton serves up a medley of culture, industry and attractions befitting a much larger urban centre.

LOCATION AND DESCRIPTION

Fredericton sits on the banks of the beautiful St. John River in southwestern New Brunswick. Victorian architecture and greenery comprise the skyline of the picturesque provincial capital with few buildings reaching taller than the magnificent trees that line Fredericton's streets. It is a clean, unpolluted city with one of Canada's lowest crime rates. Fredericton is New Brunswick's third largest metropolis, after Saint John and Moncton.

CLIMATE

Fredericton's climate is typical of southern New Brunswick with warm, sunny summers and cold, snowy winters. July temperatures average 26°C. Fredericton is at its coldest in January with an average temperature of -15°C.

ECONOMY

Fredericton is known as the knowledge capital of New Brunswick, due in part to its excellent universities and schools. The University of New Brunswick is one of Canada's oldest (chartered in 1800). A training school for forest rangers and an agricultural research facility are also located near Fredericton.

Research performed at local universities has fostered a boom in software and other technology products, though the provincial and federal governments are Fredericton's major employers. Other notable Fredericton industries include meat processing, shoe manufacturing and steel fabrication.

CULTURE AND RECREATION

Many great literary figures have called Fredericton home. Satirist Reverend Jonathan Odell, novelist Julia Catherine Hart and the poets Sir Charles Roberts, Bliss Carman and Francis Sherman have contributed to the city's renowned literary heritage. Oscar Wilde once lectured in Fredericton's City Hall.

One of Salvador Dali's greatest paintings, Santiago el Grande, hangs in the Beaverbrook Art Gallery. The gallery is also home to paintings by Canada's Group of Seven, Cornelius Krieghoff and even Winston Churchill.

Fredericton boasts a vibrant entertainment scene with a variety of theatre, pubs, restaurants and annual events (including the Harvest Jazz and Blues Festival, the River Jubilee, an air show and the Fredericton Exhibition). The NHL's Montreal Canadiens farm team, the Fredericton Canadiens, thrill hockey fans at Aitken Centre.