Petit-Rocher, New Brunswick
Former village in New Brunswick, Canada
From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
Petit-Rocher (French pronunciation: [pəti ʁɔʃe]; meaning “little rock”) is a former village in Gloucester County, New Brunswick, Canada. On January 1, 2023, it was dissolved as an incorporated village and became part of the new town of Belle-Baie following province-wide local government reforms. The name Petit-Rocher is still retained for Address purposes.
Petit-Rocher | |
|---|---|
Former village | |
Petit-Rocher welcome sign | |
 Seal | |
| Motto: Ascencio Populi | |
  Petit-Rocher Location within New Brunswick | |
| Coordinates: 47°47′36″N 65°42′58″W | |
| Country | Canada |
| Province | New Brunswick |
| County | Gloucester |
| Parish | Beresford |
| Founded | 1797 |
| Village | 1966 |
| Dissolved | 2023 |
| Area | |
• Total | 4.52 km2 (1.75 sq mi) |
| Population (2021) | |
• Total | 1,954 |
| • Density | 432.2/km2 (1,119/sq mi) |
| Time zone | UTC-4 (AST) |
| • Summer (DST) | UTC-3 (ADT) |
| Postal code | E8J |
| Area code | 506 |
| Highways |  Route 11,  Route 134,  Route 315 |
The community is located on the western shore of Nepisiquit Bay, approximately 20 kilometres north of Bathurst. Prior to amalgamation, it was bordered by the former local service districts of Petit-Rocher-Nord (Devereaux) to the north and Petit-Rocher-Sud to the south.
History
Petit-Rocher was founded in 1797 by Acadian settlers. The name refers to a small rocky outcrop along the shoreline and is of French origin. During the 19th century, the settlement appeared under several names, including Little Roche and Madisco, before Petit Rocher became the standard form. The hyphenated spelling Petit-Rocher was officially adopted in 2009.[1]
As part of New Brunswick’s local governance reform, Petit-Rocher amalgamated with Beresford, Nigadoo, Pointe-Verte, and surrounding local service districts to form the town of Belle-Baie on January 1, 2023.[2]
Demographics
In the 2021 Canadian census, Petit-Rocher recorded a population of 1,954 residents living in 890 of its 963 private dwellings, representing a slight increase from the 2016 census. With a land area of 4.52 km², the population density was 432.2 people per square kilometre.[3]
Canada Census Mother Tongue
| Canada Census Mother Tongue - Petit-Rocher, New Brunswick[4] | ||||||||||||||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Census | Total | French |
English |
French & English |
Other | |||||||||||||
| Year | Responses | Count | Trend | Pop % | Count | Trend | Pop % | Count | Trend | Pop % | Count | Trend | Pop % | |||||
2021 |
1,885 |
1,690 |  0.05% |
89.65% | 145 |  26.08% |
7.69% | 35 | 75.0% |
1.85% | 20 |  0.0% |
1.06% | |||||
2016 |
1,885 |
1,700 | 2.85% |
90.18% | 115 | 15.00% |
6.10% | 20 | 1.06% |
1.33% | 20 | 0.0% |
1.06% | |||||
2011 |
1,875 |
1,750 | 4.4% |
93.33% | 100 | 42.9% |
5.33% | 25 | 25.0% |
1.33% | 0 | 0.0% |
0.00% | |||||
2006 |
1,920 |
1,830 | 1.9% |
95.31% | 70 | 44.0% |
3.65% | 20 | 0.0% |
1.04% | 0 | 0.0% |
0.00% | |||||
2001 |
1,940 |
1,795 | 8.2% |
92.53% | 125 | 38.9% |
6.44% | 20 | 100.0% |
1.03% | 0 | 100.0% |
0.00% | |||||
1996 |
2,065 |
1,955 | n/a | 94.67% | 90 | n/a | 4.36% | 10 | n/a | 0.48% | 10 | n/a | 0.48% | |||||
Transportation
Tourism
Petit-Rocher has hosted regional sporting and cultural events, including tournaments organized by the Campbellton–Chaleur Ball Hockey Association during the early 2010s.