Tignish, Prince Edward Island

Tignish, Prince Edward Island
Community

Primary Tignish welcome sign, located on Western road (Phillip street)
Motto: "Cherishing Our Heritage"

Tignish in Prince Edward Island

Coordinates: 46°57′02″N 64°02′01″W / 46.95050°N 64.03356°W / 46.95050; -64.03356Coordinates: 46°57′02″N 64°02′01″W / 46.95050°N 64.03356°W / 46.95050; -64.03356
Country Canada
Province Prince Edward Island
County Prince County
Parish North Parish
Township Lot 1
Founded 1799
Town 1952
City 1983
Area
 • Land 5.86 km2 (2.26 sq mi)
Elevation 15 m (49 ft)
Population (2016)
 • Total 1,341
 • Density 132.9/km2 (344/sq mi)
Time zone AST (UTC-4)
 • Summer (DST) ADT (UTC-3)
Canadian postal code C0B 2B0
Area code(s) 902
Telephone Exchange 882
NTS Map 021I16
GNBC Code BAEGT
Website Tignish.com

Tignish is a fishing community located in western Prince County, Prince Edward Island, Canada. It is located approximately 50 miles (80 km) NW of the city of Summerside, and 90 miles (140 km) NW of Charlottetown.[1] It has a population of 1341. The name "Tignish" is derived from the Mi'kmaq "Mtagunich", meaning "paddle".[2]

Tignish was founded in the late 1790s by nine francophone Acadian families, with further immigrants (mostly Irish) arriving in the 19th century and settling mostly in the nearby smaller locality of Anglo–Tignish (meaning "English Tignish"). Many of Tignish residents today are either of Acadian or Irish heritage.

One of the community's most popular and defining structures is the local Catholic church, St. Simon & St. Jude Catholic Church, which was among the first major structures built in Tignish, constructed between 1857 and 1860.

Community

Famed landmark, St. Simon & St. Jude Church.

Fishing is one of the most important aspects of daily life and employment in Tignish, with many local families depending on this industry for income. There are currently three functioning harbors located in the Tignish area: the Tignish harbor, the Skinner's Pond harbor, and the Seacow Pond harbor.

Tignish was once the northwest corner of the Prince Edward Island railway before it was abandoned in 1988.

Among the businesses in Tignish include the Tignish Heritage Inn, which was a convent from 1867 through 1991, Eugene's General store, Judy's Take-out (until 2013), Shirley's restaurant, Tignish Co-op grocery store, hardware store, and gas station, Tignish Cultural Center, Cousin's Diner (until 2016), Pizza Shack (until 2012), and Perry's Construction.

Citizens of Tignish celebrated the bicentennial of Tignish in 1999. Among local festivities were Acadian music, local parties, carnivals, and the creation of a local music CD rich with the voices of Tignish residents. In addition, each summer there is a bluegrass festival that is held in Tignish.

Accent and dialect

Tignish has one of the most distinctive accents and original dialects in eastern Canada. Its sound is often described as a blend of French, and [Irish {Gaelic}], and there are many common English words that possess a unique alternate definition in Tignish, such as "slack", which locally, may mean "good" or "awesome". While English speakers in nearby towns such as Alberton and O'Leary have an accent and dialect similar to many other communities in the Maritime provinces, Tignish dialect is often described independent from this dialect, and is sometimes not even comprehensible by non-locals.

Education

K–12 students in the Tignish area mostly attend Tignish Elementary School from grades K–6, followed by Merritt E. Callaghan Intermediate and Westisle Composite High schools for grades 7–12.

Politics

Tignish is within district #27 of PEI's electoral boundaries, which is labeled the Tignish–Palmer Road division. There is a polling station at the Tignish fire hall, and others located elsewhere in Tignish as well as in St. Felix and Palmer Road. The name of the district was formerly "Tignish–DeBlois", but was changed to "Tignish–Palmer Road" during the 2007 provincial election with slight boundary changes. As of the 2011 provincial election, Hal Perry is the MLA for the region. Perry left the PCs and joined the Liberals, 3 October 2013.

Surrounding communities

Nearby smaller localities, considered to be "part of" Tignish due to their proximity, include:
  • St. Peter and St. Paul (3 mi S)
  • Kildare North (4 mi SE)
  • Tignish Shore (2 mi E)
  • Anglo Tignish (2 mi NE)
  • Seacow Pond (5 mi NE)
  • Norway (6 mi NE)

Mars crater namesake

The name "Tignish" has been adopted by the International Astronomical Union for a crater on the surface of Mars. The crater is located at -30.71 degrees south by 86.9 degrees east on the Martian surface. It was officially adopted by the IAU/WGPSN in 1991, and has a diameter of 13.7 miles (22.0 km).[3]

Climate

Climate data for Tignish
Month Jan Feb Mar Apr May Jun Jul Aug Sep Oct Nov Dec Year
Record high °C (°F) 12.5
(54.5)		 11.1
(52)		 16.5
(61.7)		 23
(73)		 36.1
(97)		 33
(91)		 33.5
(92.3)		 33
(91)		 30
(86)		 25
(77)		 22
(72)		 15
(59)		 36.1
(97)
Average high °C (°F) −4.3
(24.3)		 −3.8
(25.2)		 0.8
(33.4)		 6.2
(43.2)		 13.9
(57)		 19.6
(67.3)		 23.4
(74.1)		 22.9
(73.2)		 17.8
(64)		 11.7
(53.1)		 5.5
(41.9)		 −0.8
(30.6)		 9.4
(48.9)
Average low °C (°F) −12.8
(9)		 −12.5
(9.5)		 −7.4
(18.7)		 −1.7
(28.9)		 3.8
(38.8)		 9.6
(49.3)		 13.6
(56.5)		 13.4
(56.1)		 9.1
(48.4)		 4
(39)		 −1
(30)		 −8.2
(17.2)		 0.8
(33.4)
Record low °C (°F) −30
(−22)		 −27
(−17)		 −24
(−11)		 −12.5
(9.5)		 −6.7
(19.9)		 −1.5
(29.3)		 4
(39)		 3.9
(39)		 −2
(28)		 −6.5
(20.3)		 −14
(7)		 −24
(−11)		 −30
(−22)
Average precipitation mm (inches) 105.5
(4.154)		 80.4
(3.165)		 80.6
(3.173)		 82.5
(3.248)		 83.6
(3.291)		 79.1
(3.114)		 96
(3.78)		 81
(3.19)		 83.6
(3.291)		 109.1
(4.295)		 107.4
(4.228)		 116.9
(4.602)		 1,105.6
(43.528)
Source: Environment Canada[4]

See also

References

  1. ↑ Government–sponsored `MapGuide` map of PEI. Retrieved on 28 March 2007.
  2. ↑ "Tignish Tellings". www.islandregister.com. Retrieved 2016-01-04.
  3. ↑ A Little Bit of Canada on the Red Planet
  4. ↑ Environment Canada Canadian Climate Normals 1971–2000, accessed 15 July 2009
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