Avondale, Newfoundland and Labrador

Avondale
Town
River flow toward Conception Bay
Seal
Avondale Location of Avondale in Newfoundland
Coordinates: 47°25′08″N 53°11′38″W / 47.41889°N 53.19389°W / 47.41889; -53.19389Coordinates: 47°25′08″N 53°11′38″W / 47.41889°N 53.19389°W / 47.41889; -53.19389
Country	Canada
Province	Newfoundland and Labrador
Census division	1
Area
• Total	19.93 km2 (7.70 sq mi)
Population (2011)
• Total	636
Time zone	Newfoundland Time (UTC-3:30)
• Summer (DST)	Newfoundland Daylight (UTC-2:30)
Area code(s)	709

Avondale is a Canadian town located on Newfoundland's Avalon Peninsula in the province of Newfoundland and Labrador.

The community is situated at the southwestern head of Conception Bay in Division 1. It is located 59 km (37 mi) southwest of St. John's and 72 km (45 mi) northeast of Placentia.

Prior to January 1, 1898 Avondale was known as Salmon Cove but was renamed to avoid confusion with two other nearby communities of the same name in the Port de Grave and Brigus Districts. The name Avondale was suggested by the parish priest Rev John Roe because of the resemblance to his native area in Ireland, taking the name from Thomas Moore's poem, "The Meeting of the Waters". Earliest record of settlement per Fishing Room Grants is for John Mahaney in 1773, a census of 1812 reports 12 inhabitants. Settlers to the area were primarily Irish Roman Catholic with a smaller number of Jersey French and English. Avondale incorporated the communities of Salmon Cove, Gasters, Northern Arm, and Southern Arm.

In 1863, the Anglo American Telegraph Company set up a repeater station which was eventually taken over by the Reid Newfoundland Railway Company in the late 1880s when the Newfoundland Railway was constructed through the area and a station was built. In addition to the railway station, it also hosted a post office, a money order office, and one church. It functioned as a lumbering, fishing and farming settlement in what was known as the Harbour Main District. The population dwindled in the early 1900s as men began migrating to the eastern US (Boston and New York) to find work.

Its first postmaster was Edward Kennedy who came to the area in 1889 after the railway was built. CN Rail abandoned its railway operations on Newfoundland in 1988 (see: Terra Transport). The Avondale railway station remains preserved along with a small display of retired railway cars and a locomotive. The Avondale station is the oldest railway station in the province.

Avondale has lost approximately one third of its population since 1976 when it numbered 937 residents.

Demographics

See also

• List of cities and towns in Newfoundland and Labrador

References

Wikimedia Commons has media related to Avondale, Newfoundland and Labrador.

Division 1, Newfoundland and Labrador (Avalon Peninsula)
Cities	Mount Pearl St. John's
Towns	Admirals Beach Aquaforte Arnold's Cove Avondale Bauline Bay Bulls Bay de Verde Bay Roberts Bishop's Cove Branch Brigus Bryant's Cove Cape Broyle Carbonear Chance Cove Chapel Arm Clarke's Beach Colinet Colliers Come By Chance Conception Bay South Conception Harbour Cupids Fermeuse Ferryland Flatrock Fox Harbour Gaskiers–Point La Haye Grey River Hant's Harbour Harbour Grace Harbour Main–Chapel's Cove–Lakeview Heart's Content Heart's Delight–Islington Heart's Desire Holyrood Logy Bay–Middle Cove–Outer Cove Long Harbour–Mount Arlington Heights Mount Carmel–Mitchells Brook–St. Catherines New Perlican Norman's Cove–Long Cove North River Old Perlican Paradise Petty Harbour–Maddox Cove Placentia Point Lance Port Kirwan Portugal Cove–St. Philip's Portugal Cove South Pouch Cove Renews–Cappahayden Riverhead St. Bride's St. Joseph's St. Mary's St. Shott's St. Vincent's–St. Stephen's–Peter's River Salmon Cove Small Point–Adam's Cove–Blackhead–Broad Cove South River Southern Harbour Spaniard's Bay Sunnyside Torbay Trepassey Upper Island Cove Victoria Wabana Whitbourne Whiteway Winterton Witless Bay
Unorganized subdivisions	Subdivision 1A Subdivision 1B Subdivision 1C Subdivision 1D Subdivision 1E Subdivision 1F Subdivision 1G Subdivision 1H Subdivision 1I Subdivision 1J Subdivision 1K Subdivision 1L Subdivision 1M Subdivision 1N Subdivision 1O Subdivision 1R Subdivision 1U Subdivision 1V Subdivision 1W Subdivision 1X Subdivision 1Y
Unincorporated communities	Admiral's Cove Arnold's Cove Station Baccalieu Island Bareneed Bellevue Black Duck Pond Blow Me Down Bradley's Cove Bristol's Hope Burnt Cove Burnt Point Caplin Cove Cuslett Daniel's Cove Dildo The Dock Fair Haven Flatrock Goobies Gooseberry Cove Gould's Road Grates Cove Great Barasway Green's Harbour Gull Island Hibb's Cove Hopeall Iona Job's Cove Kingston Lance Cove Little Barasway Lower Island Cove Low Point Mahers Marysvale New Chelsea–New Melbourne–Brownsdale–Sibley's Cove–Lead Cove New Harbour Northern Bay Ochre Pit Cove Patrick's Cove–Angels Cove Perry's Cove Point Verde Port de Grave Rantem Red Head Cove St. Michaels Ship Harbour Thornlea Trinny Cove Turks Cove Western Bay
See also: Municipalities of St. John's Metropolitan Area Census divisions of Newfoundland and Labrador