Saint-Louis-de-Kent, New Brunswick
# Saint-Louis-de-Kent, New Brunswick

Saint-Louis-de-Kent is a former village in Kent County, New Brunswick, Canada. It held village status prior to 2023 and is now part of the town of Beaurivage.

Often shortened to simply Saint-Louis, the village is situated on the Kouchibouguacis River at the main entrance to Kouchibouguac National Park. It is considered as the birthplace of the Acadian Flag. A local park, parc des forgeron, celebrates the birth of this flag in 1884.

## History

Saint-Louis-de-Kent was founded by Joseph Babineau in 1797. L'Académie Saint-Louis was founded in 1874 by Father Marcel-François Richard. The Congregation of Notre-Dame of Montréal founded a convent in 1879. The academy became a college in 1876, but it was closed in 1882 by Bishop James Rogers. Additional facilities included a telephone line between Quebec and Halifax.

A religious Grotto and Calvary was erected next to the Kouchibouguacis River between 1878 and 1882, and remains an important Acadian pilgrimage site. It was declared a Heritage Site in 2005.

The Saint-Louis Caisse Populaire was founded in 1938. L'École Mgr-Marcel-François-Richard was opened in 1978.

On 1 January 2023, Saint-Louis-de-Kent amalgamated with the town of Richibucto and all or part of for local service districts to form the new town of Beaurivage. The community's name remains in official use.

## Demographics

In the 2021 Census of Population conducted by Statistics Canada, Saint-Louis de Kent had a population of 981 living in 424 of its 452 total private dwellings, a change of 14.6% from its 2016 population of 856. With a land area of 1.98 $km^2$ (0.76 sq mi), it had a population density of $495.5/km^2$ (1,283.2/sq mi) in 2021.

Population trend

| Census | Population | Change (%) |
| - | - | - |
| 2021 | 981 | 14.6% |
| 2016 | 856 | 8.0% |
| 2011 | 930 | 3.1% |
| 2006 | 960 | 3.2% |
| 2001 | 991 | 2.4% |
| 1996 | 1,015 | 0.6% |
| 1991 | 1,009 | 8.4% |
| 1986 | 1,101 | 5.9% |
| 1981 | 1,166 | N/A |
| Religion | Population | Pct (%) |
| Catholic | 865 | 94.54% |
| Protestant | 15 | 1.64% |
| Christian, N.I.E | 30 | 3.28% |
| Income type | By CAD |
| Per capita income | $16,190 |
| Median Household Income | $33,214 |
| Median Family Income | $36,650 |
| Language | Population | Pct (%) |
| French | 715 | 86.14% |
| English | 95 | 11.44% |
| English and French | 20 | 2.41% |
