Local: City Information
Here are some basic facts about Charlottetown:
Location
|
Charlottetown is nestled at the middle of the island province of Prince Edward
Island (which is 224 kilometres long and has a width varying from 6 to 64 kilometres).
The city is just above sea level. The city is located at 46 degrees (north)
and 14 minutes of latitude and 63 degrees (west) and 08 minutes of longitude.
The city uses Atlantic Standard Time, and hour east of Toronto or New York.
Charlottetown is the seat of Queens County and is situated
at approximately the midpoint along the south coast of the island, where the Hillsborough
and North rivers empty into Charlottetown Harbour.
|
Name
|
Under colonial Governor Francklin, Charlottetown was laid out as the capital of the island in May,
1768, and named for Queen Charlotte, the consort of King George III.
|
Population
|
The population of Charlottetown is 32,245 (2001).
Considering the original terms of confederation unfavourable, Prince Edward Island did not join the Dominion
of Canada until July 1, 1873. PEI has 138,514 residents on its area of 5,660 square
kilometres. Over the peak summer tourist season, though, the Island is host to more than
1.2 million visitors.
|
Industries
|
The major industries in Charlottetown reflects the community's role as the seat
of government, and also the province's largest city. The top industries include government
services, retail trade, accommodation & hospitality, health & social services,
and education.
|
Weather
|
PEI is surrounded by sea, lying between the Northumberland Strait on the south
and west and the Gulf of St. Lawrence on the north and east. With the
moderating oceanic influence, the onset of the seasons is delayed several weeks.
The province has "real winters" though they are on the whole milder than in most
parts of Canada. Spring is late and cool. Summer is modest and breezy.
And fall involves the occasional brush with a dying Atlantic hurricane
Its 1905 hours of bright sunshine are fairly close to the national average of 1925 hours.
In most months clouds obscure half the daylight hours, though in December, its
cloudy 80% of the time. The Island is relatively free of fog year-round (unlike
th3e other maritime provinces), though spring and summer are the foggiest seasons.
However, less than half the total possible sunshine occurs in every month and only 20% of the possible amount occurs in December
Average daily temperatures are:
Scale |
Jan |
Feb |
Mar |
Apr |
May |
Jun |
Jul |
Aug |
Sep |
Oct |
Nov |
Dec |
|---|
Celsius |
-3 |
-4 |
1 |
7 |
14 |
19 |
23 |
23 |
19 |
13 |
6 |
-1 |
Fahrenheit |
27 |
25 |
34 |
43 |
57 |
66 |
73 |
73 |
64 |
54 |
43 |
32 |
An approximate guide to Celsius Temperatures is as follows:
Here are some guides to dressing appropriately for Charlottetown. Most tourists
look far too informal. Casual, upscale dress will help you fit in better.
In the summer, shorts, sandals and light clothing are okay. Bring along an umbrella or raincoast
in case of the showers that come & go, and bring a sweater or jacket for
cooler evenings and breezy sea shores.
| |
Some hotels include tips or gratuities with group programs to simplify bookkeeping. This will usually include gratuities for housekeeping, bell service and food service. In a hotel, bell service should be tipped about $1 per bag, and housekeeping $1 to $5 dollars a day (in proportion to your room rate). Visitors should know that the standard tip in restaurants is
10%-15% (on restaurant bills, an average tip will match the GST & tax), with 20% for very outstanding service. This is especially important for visitors from countries where tipping on meals is not done: here the waitering staff depend on tips for a significant portion of their incomes. Tip taxis about 10%, and a dollar a bag they carry for you (not just unload), or at the very least round fares up to the nearest dollar.
|
|
