Stratford

Located across the Hillsborough Bridge, southeast of the city of Charlottetown, you'll find the town of Stratford, the largest incorporated town on Prince Edward Island and the place I currently call home. 

Originally settled in the late 1790s, Stratford was incorporated in 1995, following the amalgamation of the communities of Bunbury, Cross Roads, Keppoch-Kinlock  and Southport. 

There are a number of Mi'kmaq names for the area that Stratford encompasses, including Atoqwa'su Walney, meaning "Trout Cove" and Mekwe'k Kun'tew, meaning "the inanimate thing (rock) is red."

In 2021 the population of Stratford was 10,927, an increase of 12.5% since 2016. I toured around earlier this month, and here's what i found:

1. Selfie with the town's welcome sign: Welcome signs are found at most major entrances to the town, and I chose one on the new active transportation route on the Hillsborough Bridge connecting Charlottetown to Stratford.

2. Visitor's Centre: No visitor's centres is Stratford, but you can find one at Founders Hall in nearby Charlottetown.

3. Museum or heritage centre: No museums or heritage centres in Stratford, but there are a few in Charlottetown.

Robert Cotton Park

4. Public space: There are loads of trails and parks around Stratford. One of my favourite trails is Robert Cotton Park trail, a 2 km loop through fields, forests and shorelines, with views of Charlottetown across Hillsborough Bay.

5. Eat at a local restaurant: There are a number of restaurants in Stratford and for this particular exercise I took the opportunity to enjoy a ceasar salad at Hunters at the Fox, a lovely restaurant located at the Fox Meadow Golf Course in the middle of town.

6. Drink a locally produced spirit: No producers in Stratford, but Hunters had a wide selection of PEI brews, so I chose a Blueberry Sour from Moth Lane Brewing made in Ellerslie, PEI.

7. Art in public places: If you look you will find outdoor art scattered all around Stratford. I particularly enjoyed the sculpture in front of Town Hall on Shakespeare Drive.  

8. Town swag: I stopped by Town Hall during business hours and got myself a fine looking Stratford pin.

A little bit of trivia: Stratford gets its name from Stratford Road, a major road found in the formerly incorporated community of Southport, which later became part of the new town.