Harbour Breton

Harbour Breton, NL, incorporated as a town in 1952, population 1711 (2011c), 1877 (2006c). The Town of Harbour Breton is situated around a protected harbour near the mouth of Fortune Bay on Newfoundland's south coast. Probably first used by Breton fishermen (the likely source of its name, although it is recorded first as Havre Bertrand) during the 1600s, it was used and then settled by English fishermen in the 18th and 19th centuries.

Because of its superior harbour and its proximity to good fishing grounds, including the Grand Banks, it grew as one of the major service and commercial centres on the coast with representatives of several principal local and English fish merchants maintaining premises there over the years, most notably Newman and Company. The Elliott Premises on the waterfront has displays outlining the history of Newman and Company in Harbour Breton. Today Harbour Breton remains an important regional centre, the site of fishing and aquaculture facilities. Fish processing was also an important industry until 2004 when the local plant closed.

The history of Harbour Breton is displayed in the Sunny Cottage Heritage Centre, a house (built in 1907) that is one of the largest Queen Anne-style houses in Newfoundland. The festival, Tradition by the Sea, is a celebration of the towns seafaring heritage.