Bouctouche, NB, Town, population 2426 (2001c), 2459 (1996c), 2364 (1991c), 2420 (1986c), area 18.34 km2, is located 40 km north of MONCTON. This NORTHUMBERLAND STR port draws its name from the MICMAC word for "big bay." ACADIAN families returning from exile settled here as early as 1784, followed by the English after 1800. The current population is 92% French-speaking. Fishing, lumbering and shipbuilding were the main industries, and construction of a branch railway to Moncton (1888) spurred local commerce until it was abandoned in the 1960s.
Present DayWhile the traditional primary industries remain important, future prosperity is seen to lie in the field of high technology. Bouctouche is the birthplace of 2 prominent Canadians - Antonine MAILLET, internationally renowned Acadian author, and industrialist K.C. IRVING.