Fredericton

Fredericton is the capital of New Brunswick, Canada. It is located along the St. John River. Fredericton is the cultural, artistic and educational centre of the province. Fredericton is home to two universities - the University of New Brunswick and the liberal arts-focused St. Thomas University. Fredericton is also home to cultural institutions such as the Beaverbrook Art Gallery, the Fredericton Region Museum and the Playhouse, the latter which serves as a venue for local talent/writers. Adding to the city's rich cultural milieu, Fredericton is the annual Harvest and Jazz and Blues Festival every fall which attracts regional and international jazz and blues artists. The city's IT and commercial sectors are growing, and it has the highest percentage of residents with a post-secondary education in the province and one of the highest per-capita incomes.

Understand
The population of Fredericton proper was 58,000 in 2016, with a metropolitan area population of 102,000.

Fredericton is located along a river bank which splits the city in two parts which the locals call the "North Side" and "South Side". The majority of hotels and tourist destinations are located on the South Side, while you can find some hidden gem restaurants in the North Side. The City of Fredericton comprises Fredericton proper, and the boroughs of Silverwood, Nashwaaksis, Devon, Barker's Point and Marysville, which were incorporated into the city in 1973.

The city is situated in the west-central portion of the province and, along with Moncton and Saint John, is one of the main urban centres in Southern New Brunswick. The St. John River flows in a west-east direction, bisecting the city and providing the dominant natural feature for the municipality.

As the capital city of New Brunswick, Fredericton benefits from the presence of the Provincial Legislature, and many organizations operating at a provincial level. Although New Brunswick is officially bilingual, a rule which also applies to City services, the vast majority of Fredericton residents are Anglophone (native English speakers), and the availability of tourist services in French varies considerably.

By car
Fredericton is 180 km from Moncton on the Route 2 (Trans-Canada Highway), and 120 km from Saint John on Route 7 (turn west on #2 at Oromocto).

Airport
Direct flights to Fredericton within Canada include from Montreal (1.25 hours) and from Toronto (1.75-2 hours).

Airlines
Airlines operating to Fredericton include:
 * Flies from Montreal and Toronto
 * Flies to Ottawa.
 * Flies to in winter to Varadero and Holguín (in Cuba).
 * Flies to Toronto–Pearson.
 * Flies to Toronto–Pearson.

By bus

 * Operates the following bus routes to Fredericton:
 * Between Edmundston and Moncton including stops in Grand Falls, Perth-Andover, Florenceville, Woodstock, Fredericton, and Fredericton Airport. Travel time to Fredericton from Moncton is 2.5 hours and from Edmundston is 3.5 hours.
 * Between Saint John and Fredericton including a stop in Fredericton Airport. Travel time to Fredericton from Saint John is 1.25 hours.
 * Travel to Edmundston from the following destinations involving same day transfers is as follows:
 * From Charlottetown (5.25 hours) with transfers in Amherst and Moncton
 * From Bathurst (7.5 hours), Campbellton (8.75 hours), Halifax (6.25 hours), and Miramichi (6.5 hours) with a transfer in Moncton
 * From Antigonish (7 hours), North Sydney (9.75 hours), Sydney (10.5 hours) with transfers in Truro and Moncton
 * From Bathurst (7.5 hours), Campbellton (8.75 hours), Halifax (6.25 hours), and Miramichi (6.5 hours) with a transfer in Moncton
 * From Antigonish (7 hours), North Sydney (9.75 hours), Sydney (10.5 hours) with transfers in Truro and Moncton

On foot/bicycle
The downtown can be easily explored on foot or bicycle. To get to the north side of Fredericton, you can take the Bill Thorpe Walking Bridge (restricted to pedestrians and cyclists) to cross Saint John River.

By car
Streets in downtown Fredericton are in grid-like pattern and easily navigated. There are plenty of on-street parking and some parking garages in the downtown area. Pay attention that the major thoroughfares (Brunswick St. and Queen St.) are one-way streets in the downtown core.

See




Eat
Most major fast food chains can be found on Prospect Street on the south side and Main Street on the north side.

Stay safe
Bike theft has been rising in the region, be careful if you are going around the city in a bike.

Also vehicle theft continue to rise in Fredericton.

Go next

 * Woodstock. About an hour by car to the north-west.
 * Miramichi. To the north-east.
 * Moncton. To the south-east.
 * Edmundston. To the north-west.
 * Quebec. To the north-west.
 * St. Andrews. To the south-west.
 * United States. To the south-west.
 * Saint John. Due south.
 * Marysville. A historic mill town.