Location
Charlottetown, capital of Prince Edward Island, is centrally situated, on sheltered Hillsborough Bay. Smallest of the country's provincial capitals, historically speaking it is perhaps the most significant. Despite having grown considerably in the past two decades, it remains essentially a quiet rural
town, hub of the island's administration and schools. In the little town center, easily explored on foot, there are some pretty Victorian buildings. Most of the old buildings have been painstakingly restored down to the last detail. The old harbor quarter has also been nicely restored and is particularly popular with visitors.
History
Jacques Cartier took possession of the island for the French in 1534, when it was called the Île-St-Jean. The harbor settlement of Port la Joye grew up on the site now covered by Charlottetown. In the first half of the 18th c. the French-Arcadian influence still held sway on the island. In 1758 however the British took over and the Arcadians were deported. A few years later Charlottetown was founded, named after the wife of King George III. In September 1864 Charlottetown was the venue of the famous conference which led to the unification of Canada.
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