10 Interesting Facts About Stratford, Prince Edward Island

Facts About Stratford, Prince Edward Island

Facts About Stratford

  • Stratford is a town located in Queens County, Prince Edward Island.
  • Southport was incorporated in 1972, with the main road named “Stratford Road,” after the secondary name that had competed with Southport as the village name more than a century earlier.
  • On April 1, 1995, the incorporated communities of Bunbury, Cross Roads, Keppoch-Kinlock, and Southport amalgamated to form the Town of Stratford.
  • The town is situated on a peninsula formed by the Hillsborough River estuary, Charlottetown Harbour, and Hillsborough Bay a sub-basin of the Northumberland Strait.
  • The Geographic Coordinates of Stratford: 46°13′00″N 63°05′22″W
  • In 1905, the Prince Edward Island Railway constructed the first Hillsborough River Bridge between Charlottetown and Southport, allowing for train travel to the eastern side of the river.
  • The Estimated Population of Stratford is 9,706.
  • Upon the confirmation of British possession of the Island by the Treaty of Paris in 1763, the Island was divided into 67 townships, called “lots.” Present-day Stratford is mostly in Lot 48, with the southern portion of the town in Lot 49.
  • The total land area of Stratford is 22.53 km2 / 8.70 sq mi.
  • The locally known name for the area changed from “the Ferry” to “Southport,” referring to its proximity to Charlottetown, and Southport remained the community name until 1994. However, the name “Stratford” was proposed in the 1850s by Major J. P. Beete, a wealthy and eccentric Englishman who owned property in Lot 48. This competed with “Southport” for about 25 years until Major Beete returned to England.
Facts About Stratford, Prince Edward Island
Facts About Stratford, Prince Edward Island