Named after the British military commander who in 1755 captured nearby Fort Beausejour, and then subsequently oversaw the deportation of Acadians, Moncton is a vibrant city in the middle of a growing metropolitan area.

The city’s population is 61,000; while the metropolitan area is over 118,000. Now the second largest city in the Canadian province of New Brunswick, Moncton is a great getaway place for you and the entire family!

You’ll find the range of activities will cater to a variety of personalities with different interests. You’ll also find the scenery to be amazingly beautiful, as Moncton is located in the Petitcodiac River valley.

The city is actually situated along the north bank of the river at a point where it bends from a west–east flow to a north–south direction! (The early Acadian settlers in the region originally named the area "Le Coude"   - French for "The Elbow").

Because the city is located in the center of the Maritime Provinces, it has historically always been a center for the railway and other transportation. You might hear someone refer to Moncton as the “hub city” because of this.

However, when a causeway to Riverview was build in the 1960s on the Petitcodiac River, extensive sedimentation occurred, and now the river is unfortunately no longer navigable by large boats.

When you visit Moncton, you should know that New Brunswick is Canada's only officially bilingual province; you’ll hear French spoken quite often, as approximately 35 percent of the population is French-speaking.

It’s interesting to know that educational and health care sectors are major factors in the local economy the two hospitals alone employing over five thousand people!

However, the basis of the local economy remain based on Moncton's commercial, distribution, transportation and retailing heritage. The retail sector in Moncton is increasingly becoming one of the most important aspects of the local economy.

Moncton is home to two universities: Université de Moncton, the largest French language university in Canada outside of Quebec, and Atlantic Baptist University, a small Christian liberal arts and science institution. In addition, the University of New Brunswick Moncton Campus offers health sciences degrees. Moncton Flight College, one of Canada's oldest and most prestigious flight schools, is also in the city.

The people of Moncton thrive on the recreational activities available to them. Greater Moncton’s location translates into a very short drive to most of Atlantic Canada’s
favorite recreational activities.

The community is only a 2 1/4 hour drive to Halifax, 1.5 hour drive to Saint John and 1.5 hours to Fredericton. As a result of the Confederation Bridge, Greater Moncton is only a two hour drive from Charlottetown on Prince Edward Island.

You’ll note that there are 12 indoor hockey rinks in Moncton. If you’re willing to take a short drive, you’ll find beautiful beaches that stretch for miles (did you know that some of the finest beaches in North America are located on the southeast coast of New Brunswick?).

Moncton has many relaxing or entertaining parks (you choose how you spend the time there), and various outdoor water sports. Plus, golfers will be in heaven when they find out that there are eight 18-hold courses in the area, two of which are residential courses!

Do you like sports? Moncton does! The city welcomes major sporting events, and has hosted the Canadian national men's curling championship and Skate Canada's national figure skating championship. Moncton hosted the 2006 Memorial Cup (the Canadian Hockey League (Major Junior A championship).

Moncton had a personal stake in this championship, as their Moncton Wildcats lost in the final to their arch rivals the Quebec Remparts. Moncton has been awarded the 2010 IAAF World Junior Track & Field Championship; a 10,000 seat outdoor stadium to host this event is currently being built on the University de Moncton campus.

The city will also host the CIS University Cup hockey championships in both 2007 and 2008.