Over de plaats » Raleigh, Newfoundland and Labrador, Canada

Raleigh is a town located northeast of St. Anthony. It had a population of 295 in 1956, declining to 248 by the 2006 census. Raleigh was originally named Ha Ha Bay, after the bay where it is located. However, in 1922, the Royal Navy cruiser HMS Raleigh, the flagship of the North Atlantic & West Indies squadron, ran aground across the straits in Labrador and the town of Raleigh was renamed after the ship. Raleigh is located about 29 kilometres from St. Anthony. Raleigh has a harbour with Burnt Cape on one side to protect against the elements in the very harsh winters - which can see 12.3-metre snowbanks after a winter storm. Winter sports, particularly snowmobiling are a popular activity. With abundant fish in nearby rivers, the Raleigh area is popular for ice fishing. Raleigh had a population of 295 in 1956. In the mid-1980s the population grew to as much as 414 with more than 100 school age children. Locals were proud of their community and Raleigh dominated the local hockey league. Recently with the collapse of the fisheries the town has been in a downhill economic spiral and most younger people have moved away searching for jobs. In 2006 there were less than five school age children - all of whom go to school in St Anthony as the local school has long closed. The population is aging and often after somebody passes away another house is boarded up and abandoned. Recently Raleigh has attracted world wide scientific interest after several species of plants found nowhere else on earth except Burnt Cape were found. This has also attracted tourists and there is now a hotel and sometimes in the summer, boat tours also around the stunning world class scenery.