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Located approximately 160 km from the Trans Canada Highway on Route 361 St. Alban's is the largest community in the Bay d'Espoir area. St. Alban's is at the headwaters of the Bay D'Espoir estuary which is approximately 40 kilometers long with many secluded beaches and serene coves where one can easily get lost in a fantasy world.
Settlement began in the mid-1800s as the area was being frequented in winter by a number of fishing families from communities at the mouth of the Bay. Formerly known as Ship Cove (It is said that the name Ship Cove originated with the practice of American banking vessels mooring offshore in order to purchase bait), the community's name was changed in 1915 in order to avoid confusion with numerous other Ship Coves. The present name honours an English martyr and was chosen to reflect the fact that St. Alban's is one of the few predominantly Roman Catholic communities in Newfoundland where the majority of inhabitants are of English (rather than Irish or French) origin.
A thriving logging industry was responsible for the increasing population of St. Alban's, and the development of the Bay d'Espoir Hydro Generating Station followed by a growing aquaculture industry is responsible for much of the current economic activity in community. St. Alban's has begun to emerge as the centre for a growing aquaculture industry and it is today the largest site in Newfoundland for farming and harvesting of Atlantic Salmon and Rainbow Trout.
While visiting the St. Alban's one can stay at the local motel.
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