Twillingate, Newfoundland and Labrador Totally Explained

Everything about Twillingate Newfoundland And Labrador totally explained

Twillingate is a town of 2,448 The town is about north of Lewisporte and Gander.
Twillingate is found at the mouth of the Exploits River where it flows into Notre Dame Bay. The islands provide an excellent sheltered harbour and easy access to the rich fishing grounds nearby. In recent years, a causeway was built, which connects it to the mainland via New World Island. Labeled as "The Iceberg Capital of the World", the town is one of the oldest ports on the island.
The French had been fishing in the area, possibly as early as 1500, but the first European settlers didn't arrive until the 17th century. The European settlers were mostly fishermen and their families from the West Country in England. Today, the Pilot, a newspaper published in Lewisporte, serves the area with its "Island's Connection" segment. Since the Fisheries and Oceans Canada moratorium on fishing northern cod (see Endangered Species Controversies in Canada and Europe) was announced on July 2, 1992, followed shortly after by the collapse of the fishing industry, Twillingate has been forced to look to the tourist industry for income and is becoming a popular spot for visitors in the summer. It is now promoted as the Iceberg Capital of the World.

Geography

Twillingateis easily accessed by Route 340 from Lewisporte if approaching from western Newfoundland or by Route 330 from Gander if approaching from eastern Newfoundland. The town of Twillingate is approximately 1.5 hours from Gander and about an hour from Lewisporte. Somebody driving north on Route 340 from Lewisporte or Gander to Twillingate will pass through many other small fishing communities, including Boyd's Cove, Summerford, Virgin Arm and Newville.
   There are several very small fishing communities that can be found on Twillingate Island before reaching the main town. The first community is Black Duck Cove and after that, a person will pass by Purcell's Harbour and Little Harbour. The town of Twillingate is about from the Twillingate-New World Island causeway. When in the town, access to the northern island is provided by "Tickle Bridge" and the communities on the southern island can be accessed via the town's main road.
   The terrain is mildly to moderately hilly even though there are no mountains near the Twillingate area. The highest point in Twillingate can be reached by the "Top of Twillingate Walking Trail", which is located off Bayview Street. Elevation varies significantly throughout the town. The main southern and northern sides of the town in addition to the neighbourhoods of Wild Cove, Back Harbour, Hart's Cove, and portions of Bayview and Durrell are near sea level. Other parts of Durrell, Bayview and the central area of the town are situated on more elevated land. Forests can be literally be found everywhere around town.
   The region is known for its scenic, rugged coastline and its quiet and friendly atmosphere. Icebergs can be seen around the coastline in the summer months.

Demographics

Data from the Statistics Canada 2006 census show that there were 2,448 residents living in Twillingate in 2006; a change of -6.2% from 2,611 in 2001. There were a total of 1,161 private dwellings. The town's land area is and has a population density of .
   As of the year 2006, there are 1,190 male residents and 1,255 female residents in Twillingate, with the median age of male residents at 46.6 and the median age of female residents at 48.8. The median age of the town's population is getting older, from 38.9 at the 1996 census to 43.8 in the 2001 census and to 48.0 in 2006, compared to the province as a whole at 41.7. This aging trend can be seen across age levels with those under 55 dropping from 2,175 people in 1996 to 1,785 in 2001 and 1,520 in 2006. At the same time those 65 and older increased from 780 people in 1996 to 825 in 2001 and 920 in 2006.
   Tourism throughout the summer months is also a big part of the economy in the Twillingate area. The town is known as the "Iceberg Capital of the World" because of the scenery and icebergs that are seen in the spring months. The Fish, Fun and Folk draws many tourists from across the world to the town each year and showcases local talent while economically helping the town and it's people. The Long Point Lighthouse, found near Crow Head, is a popular tourist attraction, as are the Humpback Whales that can be seen in the Atlantic Ocean.
   Festivities and folk music are a big part of Twillingate culture. The Fish, Fun and Folk Festival is held annually at the end of July. The festival features local talent, dances, and entertainment from Newfoundland on Thursday and Friday nights. A parade, performances from the Split Peas, and a fireworks display are held towards the end of the festival. The festival draws in many tourists from around North America and around the world and exposes them to the culture of Twillingate. Songs like "I's the B'y", with the chorus "Fogo, Twillingate, Moreton's Harbour, all around the circle", and "Lukey's Boat", are traditional Newfoundland songs of the region that are still sung today at cultural events.
   In the past, mummering was done in Twillingate around Christmas, however, today, it's no longer practiced. A screech-in is performed annually at the Fish, Fun and Folk Festival and is also done privately elsewhere. Tourists from outside Newfoundland and Labrador are classified "Honorary Newfoundlanders" after completing a ritual that involves kissing a fish, drinking a shot of Screech and repeating lines said by the host.
   There are two museums in the area; the Twillingate Museum and the Durrell Museum located in nearby Durrell. The Twillingate Museum has a collection of Maritime Archaic artifacts that were collected from Back Harbour in 1967. The town has a minor hockey team, called the Twillingate/New World Island Minor Hockey Association. It is part of Hockey Newfoundland and Labrador. In 1990, the "Twillingate Fishery" was featured on season 26 of Land and Sea, a documentary series produced by the Canadian Broadcasting Corporation (CBNT) of St. John's.

Government and politics

The town hall for Twillingate is located on Main Street South, in the same building as a volunteer fire department. The current mayor of Twillingate is Calla Guy. Twillingate has historically been liberal, with the Liberal Party winning every election. The only exception to this was in 1982, when the Progressive Conservative party won the majority of votes in the district. In 1996, Gerry Reid won an election in the Twillingate-Fogo district by 2,196 votes and in 1999, he won by 1,877 votes. In 2003, he defeated Progressive Conservative candidate Derrick Dalley, who was born in Twillingate, by 607 votes.
In 2007, the district voted conservative for the second time in the history of Twillingate and Derrick Dalley became the MHA for The Isles of Notre Dame electoral district. Previous members of the House of Assembly for the district include William G. Adams. The current member of Parliament for the Bonavista—Gander—Grand Falls—Windsor district is Scott Simms.

Services

The town has two schools; Twillingate Elementary for kindergarten to Grade 6 and J.M. Olds Collegiate for Grade 7 to Grade 12. Both of the schools fall under the Nova Central School District.
Medical services are provided by the small Notre Dame Bay Memorial Health Care Centre. Originally opened in 1924, it was later expanded. After its expansion, it was partially destroyed by fire. In 1976, the original 49 bed hospital was torn down and replaced by a 69 bed facility. Afterwords, due to budget measures, it was reduced to 46 beds.
Telephone services were first supplied by Twillingate Telephone and Electric. It was later purchased, in 1951, by Canadian National Telecommunications. This company later formed Terra Nova Tel. In 1988, Terra Noval Tel was purchased by NewTel Communications, which was a holding company of NewTel Enterprises. In 1999, NewTel Enterprises merged with other companies. Today, telephone service is provided by Aliant. EastLink, formerly operating as Persona Communications, provides both high speed internet and cable television to the community, as well as the cable-only House of Assembly Channel. The town receives CJON-TV, known as "NTV". NTV is rebroadcast as CJCN-TV from Norris Arm, as well as CBNT (CBC). These two channels are then rebroadcast as CBNAT from Grand Falls-Windsor.

Notable people

Notable people with connections to Twillingate include William Cormack, who set up the Beothuck Institution (now the Beothuk Institute) while in the town in 1827; John Day, a local policeman who, in 1825, was the first non-native settler at what is now Carmanville. Demasduwit, one of the last known Beothucks on the island of Newfoundland was held at Twillingate and lived with the priest of the Church of England, Reverend John Leigh. She was also called Shendoreth and Waunathoake, but he renamed her Mary March, after the Blessed Virgin Mary and for the month in which she was kidnapped in. She died on January 8, 1820. Georgina Stirling was an opera singer who was born in Twillingate. She went by the stage name of Marie Toulinquet and became a world-renowned Prima donna soprano that played in opera houses throughout Europe and the United States. She was Newfoundland's first opera singer and later became known as the Nightingale of the North. Peter Troake, captain of the MV Christmas Seal and recipient of the Order of Canada, was born in Durrell, Twillingate.

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