St Stephen, NB, Town, pop 4667 (2001c), 4961 (1996c), 4931 (1991c), 5032 (1986c), area 12.43 km2, inc 1973, is located on the ST CROIX RIVER in southwestern New Brunswick. It sits on the location of K'tchimedabiaught, or the "Great Landing," of the Passamaquoddy, which they used after seal and porpoise hunting. Later the site was occupied around 1780 by a small band of enterprising settlers in search of timber resources for a mill operation. In 1784 they were joined by elements of the Port Matoon Association, a group composed mainly of disbanded soldiers from the American conflict. First called Morristown to honour the surveyor-general of Nova Scotia, it was soon renamed because of the common practice at that time of using the names of saints. The new name also honoured the surveyor of the parish (of the same name), Stephen Pendleton.
Endowed with excellent facilities for prosecuting the timber trade, St Stephen rapidly developed into a prosperous shipping and shipbuilding centre on the Bay of FUNDY for much of the 19th century. Industrial expansion in the latter half of that century saw the rise of a cotton mill in nearby Milltown, soap and axe factories, and Ganong Bros Ltd (founded 1873), still an international candy manufacturer.
First incorporated as a town in 1871, in 1973 St Stephen was amalgamated with nearby Milltown (incorporated 1878) to form St Stephen-Milltown; the incorporated name of St Stephen has been used since 1975. Today Ganong Bros Ltd is one of the town's largest employers along with 2 wood-products manufacturers. St Stephen is also the retail and service centre for Charlotte County.
Canada's Chocolate Town holds the Chocolate Festival each August and is home to the Chocolate Museum. The International Homecoming Festival celebrates the close ties of St Stephen with Calais, Maine, which lies across the St Croix River.