Summerside, Prince Edward Island
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Summerside is the second largest city in Prince Edward Island, Canada and is located in the "East Prince", Prince County area of the island.
Summerside was first settled in 1840 when a wharf was constructed and a road was built to St. Eleanors, the shire town of Prince County at the time. A shipyard was soon built at the wharf by Joseph Pope, and the town began to grow. Summerside became a seaport that shipped goods such as potatoes to the mainland. In 1877 Summerside was officially incorporated.
With the shipbuilding industry on the decline, Summerside became a centre for the trading of fox pelts in the early 1900s. In the 1940s the Royal Canadian Air Force built a station on the outskirts of the town. After it closed in 1991, it was converted into a business park.
Tourist attractions in Summerside today include Spinnaker's Landing, a group of boutiques on the waterfront, and the P.E.I. Sports Hall of Fame. A series of murals downtown depicts Summerside's history.
According to the Canada 2001 Census:
| Population: | 14,654 (+0.9% from 1996) |
| Land area: | 28.36 km² |
| Population density: | 516.7 people/km² |
| Median age: | 38.0 (males: 36.4, females: 39.5) |
| Total private dwellings: | 5,981 |
| Mean household income: | $38,688 |