Mount Pearl

A wood carving of the seal of Mount Pearl on display at Memorial University of Newfoundland.

Mount Pearl is a city on the Avalon Peninsula in Newfoundland and Labrador, Canada.

Mount Pearl's Mayor Steve Kent (mayor since October 28, 2003.) is one of the youngest mayors in Canadian history and was first elected as deputy mayor while still in university. In recent years Mount Pearl has seen property development in all sectors of the city. Donovan's Industrial Park continues to grow; residential areas also continue to grow as more and more people move into the suburban city, and commercial growth is at an all-time high with the development of the Pearlgate Commercial Center.

Mount Pearl is limited in the availability of undeveloped land as it is bounded on the north, south and east by the city of St. John's and on the west by the town of Paradise.

Southlands, part of St. John's, was a large part of Mount Pearl's future growth plans for filling in the area between its boundary and Cochrane Pond Provincial Park. The annexation of Southlands in 1992 by St. John's was authorized by the provincial government led by Premier Wells.

Demographics

The city is located within Newfoundland's census Division No. 1.

According to the 2006 Statistics Canada Census:

• Population: 24,671
• % Change (2001-2006): -1.2
• Dwellings: 9,660
• Area (km²): 15.76
• Density (persons per km²): 1,566.9

History of Mount Pearl, the farming estate

Sir James Pearl was a British Royal Navy Officer who, while in the China Seas, saved the lives of 200 crewmembers of a Chinese vessel which had broken up on rocks. As a reward for his service, Pearl was granted 1000 acres (4 km²) of land of which he was granted half in the Waterford Valley in 1829. Pearl named his land Mount Cochrane, in honour of the then-Governor of Newfoundland, Thomas Cochrane. By the time of his knighting in 1836, Sir James had developed Mount Cochrane into a thriving farm area which supplied some of nearby St. John's with livestock, fruits and vegetables.

The estate was renamed Mount Pearl in 1837 after a falling-out between Pearl and Cochrane over the fact that Governor Cochrane had, in fact, only granted him 500 acres (which comprise the present day Experimental Farm and Mount Pearl east of Commonwealth Avenue). The other 500 acres (2 km²) were eventually granted to Anne Pearl, Sir James’ widow, after Sir James’ death. These 500 acres (2 km²) were later developed into the unincorporated community of Glendale by Roland Morris.

Sir James Pearl died on January 13, 1840, after which his widow, Lady Anne Pearl, took control over the affairs of the estate.

History of the city

Mount Pearl Park, through which Park Avenue runs, started as a summer resort area for the merchants and other elite of St. John’s. The corporation which was creating the resort area collapsed due to the onset of the Great Depression and the lots of land were sold off and developed into much smaller living units.

Glendale (named by Morris after Glendale, California) consisted of land from Glendale Avenue in the north to Sunrise Avenue in the south and from Commonwealth Avenue (formerly Marconi Road before Morris renamed it after Commonwealth Avenue, Boston) to Roosevelt Avenue beyond which was bogland. Ruth and Norma's Avenue are named for two of Morris' daughters. The first postmistress was Jean Frances Evans, in 1956.

By 1945 there were 200 families living in the unincorporated communities of Mount Pearl Park and Glendale. Mount Pearl Park-Glendale was incorporated as a town in 1955 and in 1958 was renamed simply Mount Pearl. A comprehensive town plan was drawn up in 1958 and in the early 1960s several residential housing developments began. By 1968 the population had grown to 5,000, and by 1976 the town had 11,300 residents. It became a city in 1988.

External links

• "City Of Mount Pearl web site". Retrieved 2007-07-24.

See also

• List of communities in Newfoundland and Labrador
• List of people of Newfoundland and Labrador

47°31′08″N 52°48′21″W