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Charlottetown - The Regions and Cities of the Maritime Provinces Charlottetown, like other cities of the Maritime Provinces, came into existence because of its harbour. This is a well protected basin about two miles in width, accessible from the sea through a short strait with a navigable channel over 30' in depth. From the basin three saltwater estuaries extend for many miles dividing the island into a number of peninsulas. The first settlement was made across the harbour from the present city. Overlooking the entrance, the French in 1722 established Fort Lajoie. It consisted of an earthwork, a governor's house, barracks for a company of marines, a storehouse and a church named after St. John the Evangelist. A later settlement known as Port Lajoie was placed on the point of land opposite the harbour entrance. It was occupied by the British in 1758. In 1765 the site was selected as the future capital of the island and in 1768 the town of Charlottetown was surveyed into lots. There are several well marked functional zones within the city. First of all is the dock area with its array of warehouses and the immediately adjoining, small industrial area. The rather compact downtown commercial and administrative area is concentrated about the square which contains the historic Legislative building ill which was held, in 1864, the first meeting which led to the Confederation of Canada. Surrounding this are various residential areas, interspersed with schools and churches. On the outskirts one finds a number of public institutions including hospitals, an orphanage, the Dominion Experimental Farm and St. Dunstan's University. Many of the former open fields of this peripheral zone have since World War II been filled with new sub-divisions. The Exhibition Grounds and Victoria Park occupy waterfront sites to the northeast and southwest of the city. With the exception of the central area, where many brick and a few stone structures are found, Charlottetown is a wooden city. Its residences are well placed and its streets pleasantly shaded. As a manufacturing centre Charlottetown ranks well behind most other cities of similar size, but it accounts for nearly half the production of the Province. For the most part its industry consists of processing agricultural products and the making of small articles. Fish curing, printing and publishing and the baking industry are important. The city has nearly half the retail trade of the Island and two-thirds of the wholesale trade and is thus one of the important distributing centres of the Maritime Provinces. Charlottetown is also the centre of the Island's tourist trade since many delightful seaside resorts are to be found within a few miles radius. Home