Bonavista lighthouse

Bonavista (2006 population: 3,764) is a town on the Bonavista Peninsula, Newfoundland in the Canadian province of Newfoundland and Labrador. Unlike many Newfoundland coastal settlements, Bonavista was built on an open plain, not in a steep cove, and thus had room to expand to its current area of 31.5  square kilometres.

History

Giovanni Caboto (John Cabot), a freelance Venetian explorer, was contracted by England?s Henry VII to find new lands, and a sea route to the Orient. Cabot set sail from Bristol, England in his ship the Matthew in 1497. When Cabot first saw land he?s reputed to have said "O Buon Vista" (?Oh, Happy Sight!?)^[1], giving rise to the name of the town and nearby Cape Bonavista, The harbour was not ideal, eventually requiring the construction of several breakwaters. Despite this Bonavista became one of the most important towns in Newfoundland due to its proximity to the rich fishing and sealing grounds to the north of the peninsula. The Spanish, Portuguese, French and English fished off Cape Bonavista during the 1500s, but the Spanish and Portuguese presence soon declined, leaving the French and English as the dominant powers.^[2] Tension between the French and English sometimes resulted in military action, including an unsuccessful attempt in 1704 by the French to burn the town.^[3] The French Shore, which had Bonavista as its eastern terminus, was established by the Treaty of Utrecht in 1713. Fishing rights in the area continued to be a source of tension between the French and English.^[4]

Bonavista was a major commercial centre and the evidence for this is preserved at the Ryan Premises, a National Historic Site maintained by Parks Canada. It is a restored example of a large fish merchant's operation.

Bonavista?s status was further enhanced by the development of the Fisherman's Protective Union in the early 1900s, and the creation of nearby Port Union. During the peak years of 1891-1901, the Bonavista Peninsula's population of about 20,000 was centred in Bonavista. The Bonavista Cold Storage Co. fish plant, now a Fishery Products Internationaloperation, became the centre of fishery production after the decline of salt fish markets.

In 1722 the first school in Newfoundland was built in Bonavista by Rev. Henry Jones.

Nissan television commercial

In 2006, The automobile company Nissan has developed and manufactured a new SUV named Nissan X-Trail Bonavista Edition, which was supposedly inspired by the beauty of Newfoundland and named after the historical town. However, the commercial itself backfired when Bonavista Mayor Betty Fitzgerald, claimed it had portrayed people in Bonavista as people who cannot speak properly. To further expose the commercial's lack of linguistic authenticity, CBC News reported the sales rep was played by an actor from Cape Breton Islandhttp://www.cbc.ca/news/yourview/2006/09/tongues_wag_in_bonavista_over.html.

That commercial was parodied by a local car dealer in St. John's, Newfoundland in a radio ad that takes shots at Ontario marketing companies and Premier Dalton McGuinty's "nondescript personality.http://www.ctv.ca/servlet/ArticleNews/story/CTVNews/20060925/nfld_ad_060925/20060925

Demographics

Population in 2001 (1) 4,021
Population in 1996 (2) 4,526
1996 to 2001 population change (%) -11.2
Total private dwellings 1,638
Population density per square kilometre 127.6

Land area (square km) 31.50

Attractions

• The Ryan Premises
• The Matthew Replica
• The Mockbeggar Plantation
• The Dungeon
• White Rock Murals
• Bonavista Lighthouse

Trivia

• NHL player Michael Ryder is from Bonavista.
• Bonavista is mentioned in the most common Canadian adaptation of the folk song This Land Is Your Land. The lyric, "From Bonavista to Vancouver Island" is used to illustrate the breadth of the country.

See also

• Heritage Foundation of Newfoundland and Labrador
• List of cities and towns in Newfoundland and Labrador

External links

• Statistics Canada 2001 Community Profile - Bonavista, Newfoundland and Labrador

References

fr:Bonavista