Grand Bay-Westfield

The town of Grand Bay-Westfield is an amalgamation of the Town of Grand Bay and the Village of Westfield, on the Saint John River northwest of Saint John, New Brunswick, Canada. As of 2001 the population was 4,949, of which 3,405 were in Grand Bay and 1,544 were in Westfield. The two municipal governments were merged in 1998. The town takes up much of the western end of the defunct Kings County in southern New Brunswick.

The town is now regarded as a suburb of Saint John, and many residents commute to work in that city. Most of the residents are tradespeople employed at the Pt. Lepreau Nuclear Plant in Maces Bay, or the Moosehead Brewery in Saint John's Westside. There are also some professionals and a fair amount of entrepreneurs.

There are two medium-sized grocery stores located just south of the town's limits in the Martinon neighbourhood of Saint John, while there are none inside the town itself.

Character

Much of the town is still rural especially north of Milligan Brook (where the Westfield section begins), and west of Route 7 in the Round Lake area. Also, contrary to Saint John's other two suburbs (Rothesay & Quispamsis), Grand Bay-Westfield features much wider spacing between homes and develops at a much slower, more comfortable rate.

A Bit of History

• Please note this section is under construction as of its creation on 27 July 2006)

The area currently known as Grand Bay-Westfield started out as "cottage country" for the Saint John area, and remained so for a long time (and is still considered to be so by some). It was discovered by Samuel de Champlain, who named Grand Bay (Grande Baie) for its wide view. Westfield is either named after Westfield, MA where some of its settlers came from, or for its geographic location on the west shore of the Saint John River. Due to steep hills and rocky areas, the area never became very agricultural, although some did (and stilldoes) exist).

Many CP rail stations were established in the area (they were named Grand Bay, Pamdenec, Epworth Park, Ingleside, Ononette, Hillandale, Westfield Beach, Lingley, Sagwa & Nerepis). As you can see, the rail formed a VERY important role in public transportation and later industrial transportation.

Streets

Route 177 is the town's main road, and is called River Valley Drive while in the Grand Bay section of town, and Nerepis Road while in the Westfield part. Other main streets are Woolastook Drive, which winds through the highlands of Grand Bay, and Inglewood Drive is host to the Pamdenec, Epworth Park, Brandy Point & Ingleside subdivisions on Grand Bay's shorefront. Also, NB Route 102 which begins north of Fredericton ends in Westfield. There are over 160 streets in the town, most of which are short and have only a few homes on each one. Highway #7, the main route from Saint John to Fredericton, passes through the western extremity of the town. There are no buildings on this highway while in the town limits, and it is meant as a bypass. The newest street is Boyd Street in the new Panoramic Estates.

Neighbourhoods

Grand Bay Section

• Grand Bay- These three neighbourhoods (areas around Murray St, Thompson Rd & Bayview Rd) constitute the orignal Village of Grand Bay, the first municipality in the area. It is the downtown core of the town. Most businesses are located here and the area borders the City of Saint John, although the closest hint of an urban environment is almost 20 minutes away.
• Highlands/Round Lake- heavily wooded and very steep, wind through the backlands and end at Round Lake.
• Pamdenec- Once a former municipality (Village of Pamdenec) itself, Pamdenec amalgamated with the Village of Grand Bay in the 1970's. The town hall and fire department are located here at 609-615 River Valley Drive.
• Epworth Park- A former cottage community, it is nestled in the woods right on the Saint John River shore. The arena and middle school are located here.
• Brandy Point- A suburban-type neighbourhood built in the 1970's and 1980's. Historically part of Epworth Park, it is now much larger in population than Epworth.
• Ingleside- The last community before Milligan Brook before you enter Westfield.
• Panoramic Estates- This is a new growing subdivision consisting of three streets, June Avenue, Florence Drive and Boyd Street. The streets are very steep, like Beverly Hills. It is the town's only new area.
• Epworth Park Heights- This neighbourhood is west of Epworth Park and is much higher. Epworth Park Heights is very distinct from Epworth Park proper.
• Beverly Hills & Valley View Estates- The most affluent part of town, this growing neighbourhood is off Woolastook Drive. The streets of the area are characterized by extremely steep hills and dense woods.
• Brookdale Heights- A hilly neighbourhood on the edge of Milligan Brook. Brookside Park is a small garden area located near the entrance to the neighbourhood.

Westfield Section

• Ononette- A very old community. Home of Unity Park.
• Hillandale- Also very old, Hillandale strteches along the wide Saint John River and includes the school and ferry to Hardings Point.
• Westfield Beach & Lingley- The former a very old cottage community, the latter a suburban-style neighbourhood stretching far back into the hills. Lingley is the last part of town to touch the Saint John River as it bends towards Brown's Flat at this point. Lingley is hoem to the highway exchanges from Route 177 to 102 and Route 7 to 102. The area also has a large steel bridge across the marshes at the mouth of the Nerepis River. Also, a small mobile home park is located off Carriage House Lane in the northern stretch of Lingley.
• Sagwa & Nerepis Station- Two very sparse communities stretching along the Nerepis River, as the Saint John River has dramatically turns towards the northeast. Sagwa is home to a small subdivision, and Nerepis is home to historic Mount Hope Farm. Nerepis Station, commonly called Nerepis is not to be confused with the separate community of Nerepis, which lies immediately to the east of this Nerepis, across the Brittain Road Bridge.

Important Buildings

Government & Emergency Services

• Town Hall (The Centrum)- 609 River Valley Drive
• Fire Department #1- 615 River Valley Drive
• Fire Department #2- 293 Nerepis Road
• RCMP Office- 21 Chestnut Drive
• Area office for the MLA and MP- 218 River Valley Drive
• Post Office- 1 Woolastook Drive
• Grand Bay Professional Centre- 227 River Valley Drive
• Worker's Rehabilitation Centre- 3700 Westfield Road, Saint John (at the boundary)

Shopping

• Village Square- 267-279 River Valley Drive
• Grand Bay Plaza- 3701 Westfield Road, Saint John (at the boundary)

Community Centres

• River Valley Community Centre & Arena- 749 River Valley Drive
• River Valley Lions Club- 27 Inglewood Drive
• Bayview Branch legion (#22)- 27 Woolastook Drive

Schools

• Grand Bay Primary School (Grades K-2 English)- 92 Woolastook Drive
• Inglewood School (Grades 3-5 English)- 10 School Street
• Westfield Elementary School (K-5 English & French Immersion)- 147 Nerepis Road
• River Valley Middle School(6-8 English & FI)- 33 Epworth Park Road
• For high school students must to travel to Saint John for 1 of 4 schools.

External link

• Town of Grand Bay-Westfield