Saint John City Overview
(Go to Saint John Sport Hotels Section)

Saint John became the province's leading industrial centre during the 19th century, fostering a shipbuilding trade that lasted until 2002, in addition to being a major forestry and manufacturing centre. Much of the city's shipbuilding industry was concentrated on the mudflats of Courtenay Bay on the city's east side; a Saint John shipyard built and launched the famous sailing ship Marco Polo from Courtenay Bay.

As a result of this industrial development and the city's key location for railways and servicing the triangle trade between British North America, the Caribbean, and the United Kingdom, Saint John was poised to be one of Canada's leading urban centres. For the majority of the 1800s the region had a greater population than Halifax, Nova Scotia and even Toronto, Ontario, however a disastrous fire in 1877 destroyed a large portion of the central business district; some historians have argued that this fire, coupled with the decline of the "golden age" of sail and the disappearance of wooden sailing ships, conspired in a way that Saint John never fully recovered. It should be noted that the city has expanded continuously throughout the decades since the fire, albeit not at the same rate of growth.

During the First World War, Saint John became an important transshipment point for the British Empire's war effort. The Second World War saw the port decline in importance due to the U-boat threat which saw Halifax's protected harbour offer improved convoy marshaling, however Saint John's manufacturing industries expanded considerably during this time, notably the production of veneer wood for De Havilland Mosquito bomber aircraft. On account of the U-boat threat, additional batteries and search light facilities were installed around the harbour and on Partridge Island on the west side of the harbour and at Red Head on the east side of the harbour.

Saint John's first airport was located north of the central business district at Millidgeville. At the time, this location on a plateau overlooking the Kennebecasis River was predominantly a summer cottage area, which was used by local residents to escape the coastal fog from the Bay of Fundy. On May 19, 1932 Amelia Earheart landed at the Millidgeville airport during her solo trans-Atlantic flight. The next morning she took a copy of the Saint John Telegraph Journal newspaper with her on the next leg of her journey to Harbour Grace, Newfoundland from where she continued flying to Europe. The current Saint John Airport was developed in the post-war and is located in the eastern part of the city, whereas the former airport property at Millidgeville has been redeveloped into a subdivision.

Saint John has great opportunities for sport tournaments of all kinds. Sport tourism is a part of Saint John and features hockey, baseball, softball, basketball, soccer and a host of other sports.