Clarenville | ||
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Town | ||
Town of Clarenville | ||
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Nickname(s): Hub of the East Coast | ||
Motto: "Real Life Potential" | ||
Location of Clarenville in Newfoundland | ||
Coordinates: 48°09′23.72″N 53°57′54.18″W / 48.1565889°N 53.9650500°WCoordinates: 48°09′23.72″N 53°57′54.18″W / 48.1565889°N 53.9650500°W | ||
Country | Canada | |
Province | Newfoundland and Labrador | |
Incorporated (town) | 1951 | |
Government | ||
• Type | Clarenville Town Council | |
• Mayor | Rilan Dixon | |
Area | ||
• Total | 140.79 km2 (54.36 sq mi) | |
Elevation | 43 m (141 ft) | |
Population (2016) | ||
• Total | 6,291 | |
• Density | 44.7/km2 (116/sq mi) | |
Time zone | Newfoundland Time (UTC-3:30) | |
• Summer (DST) | Newfoundland Daylight (UTC-2:30) | |
Postal code span | A5A | |
Area code(s) | 709 | |
Highways | Route 1 |
Clarenville is a town on the east coast of Newfoundland in the province of Newfoundland and Labrador, Canada. Clarenville was incorporated in 1951 and is located in the Shoal Harbour valley fronting an arm of the Atlantic Ocean called Random Sound.
The town grew in importance after it became a junction on the Newfoundland Railway where a branch line to the Bonavista Peninsula left the main line. The construction of the Trans-Canada Highway through the community in the 1960s resulted in it becoming a local service centre for central-eastern Newfoundland, serving 96,000 people living in 90 communities within a 100 km radius. Clarenville is centrally located and within two hours' driving time of 70% of the province’s population.
The town is a natural gateway to the Discovery Trail, extending down the Bonavista Peninsula to Trinity and Bonavista, reputed sight of the first landing of European explorer John Cabot. The trail is a panorama of scenery, historic sites, coastal towns and villages.
Clarenville is near the centre of three peninsulas: Avalon, Burin, and Bonavista. Route 1 (the Trans-Canada Highway) and Route 230 pass through the town linking Clarenville to the Bonavista Bay area and to the rest of the provincial road network.
The Clarenville area has many of the physical features characteristic of the East Coast of Newfoundland and has a marine climate. It lies along the coastal slopes which rise from the Atlantic Ocean towards the interior central plateau of the island. The dominating physical feature is a ridge of broken peaks which rise to heights up to 152 meters above sea level parallel to the coast line. Bare Mountain, with an elevation of 156 meters above sea level, dominates the skyline in the northern part of the town. This ridge falls sharply towards the sea so that its coastal edge is characterized by moderate to severe slopes.