Saint John

Saint John is the port city of the Bay of Fundy in the Canadian province of New Brunswick. The port is Canada’s third largest port by tonnage with a cargo base that includes dry and liquid bulk, break bulk, containers, and cruise.

The climate of Saint John is humid continental. The Bay of Fundy never fully freezes, thus moderating the winter temperatures compared with inland locations. Even so, with the prevailing wind blowing from the west (from land to sea), the average January temperature is about −8.2 °C (17.2 °F). Summers are usually warm to hot, and daytime temperatures often exceed 25 °C (77 °F). The highest temperature recorded in a given year is usually 30 °C (86 °F) or 31 °C (88 °F). The confluence of cold Bay of Fundy air and inland warmer temperatures often creates onshore winds that bring periods of fog and cooler temperatures during the summer months.

The sea has shaped Saint John and is the only city located on the Bay of Fundy. Saint John has a long history of shipbuilding at the city's dry dock which is one of the largest in the world. Since 2003 shipbuilding has ended on the scale it once was forcing the city to adopt a new economic strategy. The University of New Brunswick, the New Brunswick Museum and the New Brunswick Community College are important institutions along with Radian6 and Horizon Health Network and many others are a part of Saint John's fast-growing research and information technology sectors. As the city moves away from its industrial past it now begins to capitalize on the growing sector of tourism, having over 1.5 million visitors a year and 200,000 cruise ship visitors a year, creating a renaissance in the city's historic downtown (locally known as uptown). Many small businesses have moved into uptown and large-scale waterfront developments are underway such as the Fundy Quay (condo, hotel and office space) along with the Saint John Law Courts and Three Sisters Harbourfront condos.

The arts & culture sector plays a large role in Saint John's economy. The Imperial Theatre is home to the highly acclaimed Saint John Theatre Company, and the Symphony New Brunswick and hosts a large collection of plays, concerts and other stage production year round. Harbour Station entertainment complex is home to the Saint John Sea Dogs of the QMHL and the Saint John Riptide of the NBL.

Art galleries in Saint John cover the uptown, more than any other Atlantic Canadian city. Artists like Miller Brittain and Fred Ross have made Uptown Saint John their home and now the torch has been passed to artists like Gerard Collins, Cliff Turner and Peter Salmon and their respective galleries. Uptown art galleries also include the Trinity Galleries, Citadel Gallery, Handworks Gallery and the Saint John Arts Centre (SJAC). The SJAC located in the Carnegie Building, hosts art exhibits, workshops, local songwriters circles and other shows too small to be featured at the Grand Imperial Theatre.