New Brunswick

Fredericton is the capital of the Canadian province of New Brunswick. The city is situated in the west-central portion of the province and is one of the main urban centres in New Brunswick. The Saint John River flows west to east as it bisects the city and provides the dominant natural feature for the municipality. In the 2011 census, the city’s population was 56,224, making it the third largest city in the province after Saint John and Moncton.
An important cultural, artistic, and educational centre for the province, Fredericton is home to two universities, the New Brunswick College of Craft & Design, and cultural institutions such as the Beaverbrook Art Gallery, the York Sunbury Museum, and The Playhouse—a performing arts venue. The city hosts the annual Harvest Jazz & Blues Festival, attracting regional and international jazz, blues, rock, and world artists. The Nashwaak Music Fest is held annually 20 km North of the city at Nashwaak Bridge. Country, Country Rock, Folk and Roots.
As a provincial capital, its economy is inextricably tied to the fortunes of the public sector; however, the city also contains a growing IT and commercial sector. The city has the highest percentage of residents with a post-secondary education in the province and one of the highest per capita incomes.[citation needed]
Fredericton has been evaluated favourably in recent years for its competitive quality of life and potential for business development. In 2013, Foreign Direct Investment magazine reviewed Fredericton’s economic potential and quality of life, and named it first amongst North America’s Top 10 Micro Cities, improving from its second-place rank in 2011. Amongst 200 Canadian communities, Fredericton placed seventh in MoneySense magazine’s Best Places to Live in 2012, but dropped to 78th in 2013.

Saint John is the largest city in the Canadian province of New Brunswick, and the second largest in the maritime provinces. It is known as the Fundy City due to its location on the north shore of the Bay of Fundy at the mouth of the Saint John River, as well as being the only city on the bay. In 1785 Saint John became the first incorporated city in Canada.

Saint John had a population of 70,063 in 2011 over an area of 315.82 square kilometres . The Saint John metropolitan area covers a land area of 3,362.95 square kilometres across the Caledonia Highlands, with a population (as of 2011) of 127,761, marking an increase of 4.4% since 2006. Saint John shares much of the same cultural roots found in cities like Boston and New York. The presence of Irish heritage is very apparent along with strong maritime traditions. Saint John is a true maritime city with ties to the fisheries and shipbuilding, and is known for the Marco Polo as its flagship vessel. The city has been a traditional hub for creativity, boasting many notable artists, actors and musicians, including Walter Pidgeon, Donald Sutherland, Louis B. Mayer, Fred Ross and Miller Brittain.