Elliston is an incorporated fishing settlement situated on the Bonavista Peninsula of Newfoundland, Canada. Incorporated in 1965, the town of Elliston was once called Bird Island Cove and it is composed of a number of communities, North Side, Noder Cover, Elliston Centre, Elliston Point, Porter's Point, Sandy Cove, The Neck and Maberly. Elliston is known as the Root Cellar Capital of the World and has claimed that title from the 135 root cellars that exist in the community.
Elliston, originally known as Bird Island Cove, was settled in the early 19th century, primarily by fishing families attracted to the rich marine resources of the region. In 1902, the town was renamed Elliston by Reverend Charles Lench to honour in honor of Reverend William Ellis, the first Methodist missionary in this town.
In 2010, discussions were held about the potential annexation of Elliston by the nearby town of Bonavista The proposal arose from concerns about the economic sustainability and administrative challenges of smaller municipalities in the region. A feasibility study was conducted to explore the benefits and drawbacks of merging services and governance. However, the idea was met with mixed reactions from residents, and the annexation did not proceed. Elliston continues to operate as an independent municipality.
Events
The Roots, Rants and Roars festival is filled with Elliston's music and food, with a competition called Cod Wars where chefs make the most creative and original dishes featuring cod.
Demographics
In the 2021 Census of Population conducted by Statistics Canada, Elliston had a population of 315 living in 148 of its 198 total private dwellings, a change of 2.3% from its 2016 population of 308. With a land area of 10.07 km2 (3.89 sq mi), it had a population density of 31.3/km2 (81.0/sq mi) in 2021.[3]
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