Beresford, New Brunswick

Beresford is a community in the town of Belle-Baie in Gloucester County, New Brunswick. It was a town from 1984 to 2023, when it was amalgamated with surrounding municipalities to form the town of Belle-Baie.

History
On January 1, 2023, Beresford amalgamated with three villages, seven local service districts (LSDs) and parts of three other LSDs to form the new town of Belle-Baie. The community's name remains in use for addresses.

Geography
It is on the shore of Nepisiguit Bay, part of Chaleur Bay immediately north of the city of Bathurst.

Demographics
In the 2021 Census of Population conducted by Statistics Canada, Beresford had a population of $4,294$ living in $2,013$ of its $2,225$ total private dwellings, a change of NaN% from its 2016 population of $4,288$. With a land area of 19.24 km2, it had a population density of in 2021.

79% of the former town's residents are francophone.

Attractions
One of Beresford's main attractions is its beach. Renovated in the late 1990s, the beach features an observation tower overlooking the marshes, a boardwalk and change room, restroom and shower facilities. A popular tourist attraction, it is not rare to find local musicians featuring their talents at the beach on warm summer nights.

Every year a carnival called "Carnaval du Siffleux" is held in Beresford. Sculptures made of snow collected by ploughing parking lots are presented all around town. This is one of the many activities available to Beresford residents during this carnival. However, in recent years, fewer sculptures have been seen around the time of the festival.

Notable people

 * Ray Frenette - Former Premier of New Brunswick.