McAdam | |
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Village | |
Saunders Road in McAdam with the McAdam railway station in the background.
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Motto: "Discover History and National Pride" | |
Location of McAdam within New Brunswick. | |
Coordinates: 45°35′40″N 67°19′33″W / 45.59444°N 67.32583°WCoordinates: 45°35′40″N 67°19′33″W / 45.59444°N 67.32583°W | |
Country | Canada |
Province | New Brunswick |
County | York County |
Parish | McAdam Parish |
Incorporated | 1966 |
Founded by | John McAdam |
Named for | John McAdam |
Government | |
• Type | Municipal council |
• Mayor | Ken Stannix |
• Deputy mayor | Taylor Gallant |
• Council | Greg Swim, Doug Goss, Mitchell Little |
Area | |
• Land | 14.47 km2 (5.59 sq mi) |
Elevation | 146 m (479 ft) |
Population (2011) | |
• Total | 1,284 |
• Density | 88.8/km2 (230/sq mi) |
Time zone | Atlantic (AST) (UTC−4) |
• Summer (DST) | Atlantic Daylight Time (ADT) (UTC−3) |
Canadian Postal code | E6J |
Area code(s) | 506 |
NTS Map | 021G11 |
GNBC Code | DBAQZ |
Website | http://www.mcadamnb.com |
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McAdam is a village located in the southwestern corner of York County, New Brunswick, Canada. The village covers 14.47 square kilometres (5.59 sq mi) and has a population of 1,284 as of 2011.
The area was first settled in the mid-to-late 19th century as a group of small lumber camps. The area further developed due to its advantageous location as an important railway junction between the main line of the Canadian Pacific Railway from the Maritime provinces to New England and central Canada and branch lines to St. Stephen, St. Andrews and . The town was an important servicing stop for many passenger and freight trains, as well as military trains during the World Wars. A large railway station was built to accommodate travelers and a roundhouse and yard were located in the village. The conversion of locomotives from steam power to diesel during the 1950s, as well as highway improvements and increased trucking during the 1960s and 1970s, saw McAdam decline in importance for rail transport. Decreased employment with the railway caused significant economic challenges for the community during the latter half of the 20th century and early 21st century.
Original settlement of present-day McAdam area began sometime between 1857 and 1869, after the establishment of the St. Andrews and Quebec Railway (SA&Q). McAdam began under the name of City Camp which was originally a collective of several lumbering encampments which sprung up alongside the line. By the late 1860s the European and North American Railway's "Western Extension" was completed. This line joined the SA&Q line (by now part of the New Brunswick Railway) in City Camp; as a result City Camp was renamed to McAdam Junction after John McAdam a prominent lumberman and politician, who had numerous land grants in the Canterbury Parish and Dumfries Parish parishes at that time.