Botsford Parish

Content sourced from Wikipedia, licensed under CC BY-SA 3.0.

Botsford Parish – easy-to-understand summary

What and where
- Botsford is a geographic parish in Westmorland County, New Brunswick, Canada.

Origin of the name
- The parish was named after Amos Botsford, who was Speaker of the New Brunswick Legislative Assembly and an MLA for the county.

History in brief
- Botsford Parish was created in 1805 from unassigned land east of Sackville and Westmorland Parishes.
- In 1850 the western boundary moved west to match Westmorland Parish, adding part of Shediac Parish.
- In 1894 the western boundary was changed again near Cap-Pelé, and the new line was clarified in 1904.

Boundaries (simple version)
- Botsford is bordered to the north by Northumberland Strait and to the south by Baie Verte.
- The western boundary runs along a line westward from the Gaspereau Creek area toward Cap-Pelé.
- The eastern boundary is near Cap-Pelé and Port Elgin.

Governance (how it is run)
- Before the 2023 governance reforms, Botsford Parish was divided among Cap-Pelé, Port Elgin, the rural Beaubassin East, and local service districts such as Bayfield, Cape Tormentine, and the parish itself.
- The 2023 reforms changed local governance arrangements in the area (exact current divisions are not detailed here).

Population and size
- Area: about 304.6 square kilometres.
- Population (2021): 1,120 people (note: this count does not include portions of Cap-Pelé, Port Elgin, and Beaubassin East that are measured separately for governance purposes).
- Population density: roughly 3.7 people per square kilometre.
- The most recent census counts reflecting the 2023 governance changes have not been released.

Communities inside Botsford Parish
- Notable communities include Bayfield, Bayside, Cap-Pelé (Bas-Cap-Pelé), Port Elgin, Cape Tormentine, Murray Corner, and Beaubassin East (which contains Botsford Portage, Comeau Point, Lake Road, Petit-Cap, Shemogue, Trois-Ruisseaux), among others.

Bodies of water and islands
- Water features include the Gaspereau River, Timber River, Amos Creek, Fox Creek, and Square Lake, plus the Northumberland Strait and Baie Verte.
- Islands partly within the parish include Ephraim Island and Jourimain Island.

Other notable places
- Confederation Bridge (the link to Prince Edward Island) and Murray Beach Provincial Park are located in or near Botsford Parish.

Access routes
- Major routes through the area include Route 15 and Route 16 (Trans-Canada Highway), Route 955, and Route 960.
- An external route connection is Route 1 via the Confederation Bridge to Prince Edward Island.

See also
- List of parishes in New Brunswick

Notes
- Population and boundary details can change with governance reforms; some counts exclude parts of nearby communities that are governed separately.