| Official Name: | Shediac |
| Nickname: | Lobster Capital of the World |
| Motto: | "In Unum Ad Summum"(Latin) "Together Toward The Heights |
| Pushpin Map: | New Brunswick |
| Settlement Type: | Town |
| Subdivision Type: | Country |
| Subdivision Name: | Canada |
| Subdivision Type1: | Province |
| Subdivision Name1: | New Brunswick |
| Subdivision Type2: | County |
| Subdivision Name2: | Westmorland County |
| Subdivision Type3: | Parish |
| Subdivision Name3: | Shédiac Parish |
| Government Type: | Town Council |
| Leader Title: | Mayor |
| Leader Name: | Roger Caissie |
| Leader Title1: | Governing Body |
| Leader Name1: | Shediac Town Council |
| Established Title: | Founded |
| Established Date: | 18th century |
| Established Title2: | Incorporated |
| Established Date2: | 1903 |
| Area Land Km2: | 64.00 |
| Population As Of: | 2021 |
| Population Footnotes: | [1] |
| Population Total: | 7,535 |
| Population Density Km2: | 117.7 |
| Population Blank1 Title: | Change (2016–21) |
| Population Blank1: | 13.1% |
| Timezone: | Atlantic (AST) |
| Utc Offset: | -4 |
| Timezone Dst: | ADT |
| Utc Offset Dst: | -3 |
| Coordinates: | 46.2167°N -96°W |
| Elevation M: | Sea level to 33 |
| Elevation Ft: | 0 to 108.3 |
| Postal Code Type: | Canadian Postal code |
| Postal Code: | E4P |
| Area Code: | 506 |
| Blank Name: | Telephone Exchange |
| Blank Info: | 312 351 530 531 532 533 |
| Blank1 Name: | NTS Map |
| Blank2 Name: | GNBC Code |
| Blank2 Info: | DACUC |
| Blank3 Name: | Highways |
| Blank3 Info: | |
Shediac (official in both languages; Shédiac is colloquial French) is a heavily Acadian town in Westmorland County, New Brunswick. The town is home to the famous Parlee Beach and is known as the "Lobster Capital of the World". It hosts an annual festival every July which promotes its ties to lobster fishing. At the western entrance to the town is a 90-ton sculpture called The World's Largest Lobster.[2] It is believed that chiac, a well-known Acadian French patois, was named after Shediac.[3]
Since its founding it has expanded several times, most recently in 2023, when it annexed all or part of four local service districts.[4] [5] Revised census figures have not been released.
Shediac was originally called La Batture. Its name was later changed to Shediac in reference to its position at the basin of the Shediac River. The name "Shediac" itself is derived from the Micmac word Esedeiik, which means "which comes from far away", possibly in reference to the Shediac Bay or the current of the Petitcodiac river.[6]
Shediac is situated primarily on Route 133 around Shediac Bay, a sub-basin of the Northumberland Strait.
Its topography is relatively flat and its soil is mostly composed of sedimentary rocks dating from the Pennsylvanian. Shediac enjoys a continental climate.[7]
The town is located southwest and adjacent to the community of Pointe-du-Chêne, once the eastern terminus of the European and North American Railway as well as a stopover for Pan-Am's transatlantic "clipper" air service featuring large seaplanes. Imperial Airways' flying boat service to Foynes in Ireland also used the facilities.
See also: History of New Brunswick and List of historic places in Westmorland County, New Brunswick. Hundreds of years ago, the Mi'kmaq encampment of "Es-ed-ei-ik" was one of the major camps in southeast New Brunswick. The Mi'kmaq word "Es-ed-ei-ik" which means "running far in" (in reference to the tide, which has a long range over the shallow, sandy beaches) eventually transformed into Gédaique.[8]
Acadians first arrived at Shediac in 1751 as a result of the Acadian Exodus from peninsular Nova Scotia.[9] During the French and Indian War, French officer Charles Deschamps de Boishebert made his headquarters at both Shediac and Cocagne, New Brunswick. In the autumn of 1755, Boishebert established himself on the south shore of Cocagne Bay, a place known as Boishebert's Camp. The following year, Boishebert moved to Miramichi, New Brunswick, specifically to Beaubears Island.[10] After the war, Acadians returned to the region in 1767.Today many francophones use the spelling Shédiac; however, the town's name upon its incorporation did not feature an accented "e", and correspondingly the official geographic name for the community is Shediac.
Shediac Bay Yacht Club is on the Register of 'Canada's Historic Places' for being the location of a local wharf for nearly a century. The previous Shediac Bay Yacht Club House was designed by Roméo Savoie.[11]
In the 2021 Census of Population conducted by Statistics Canada, Shediac had a population of living in of its total private dwellings, a change of from its 2016 population of . With a land area of 64km2, it had a population density of in 2021.[1]
Income (2015)[12]
| Income type | By CAD | |
|---|---|---|
| Median Total income per capita | $31,067 | |
| Median Household Income | $57,203 | |
| Median Family Income | $76,373 |
| Language | Population | Pct (%) | |
|---|---|---|---|
| French | 4,435 | 71.0% | |
| English | 1,450 | 23.2% | |
| English and French | 150 | 2.4% | |
| Other languages | 215 | 3.4% |
See main article: List of people from Westmorland County, New Brunswick.