I moved to Saint John in October of 1997, after living in several other cities and towns in the eastern part of North America…this is my favourite place!  Here are the top ten things I love about Saint John, in no particular order:

1. The people.  They are the friendliest and most generous folks anywhere.  A tourist just has to pull out a map on the street, and five people will appear out of nowhere asking if he is lost.  If one of them has a car, he’ll probably offer the person a drive to their destination!  Despite its high poverty rate (about 20% of Saint Johners live below the poverty line), if somebody needs something, folks will pull together to make sure they get it!

Any minute now, the people in the background will set down their beer and run over to help...

2. The weather.  This is the most temperate place I’ve ever lived: we don’t get stinking hot or freezing cold weather very often.  Our fog gives us natural air-conditioning in the summer, and makes us appreciate the sun more when we can actually see it!  Occasionally, we get the tail-end of a hurricane, but tornadoes are extremely rare here (which is fine with me!).

Waterfront in Saint John...

3. The history.  Saint John is the oldest incorporated city in North America, and is celebrating its 225th Anniversary this year.  The uptown is filled with beautiful old architecture, most of it dating to 1878, the year after “The Great Saint John Fire” devastated much of the city.