Tidbits of info. about names of Places, where the place names derived from and it's location of the "Avalon Peninsula", Island portion of our Province, Newfoundland & Labrador. ENJOY! Burin Peninsula The town of Burin is located on the eastern side of the Burin Peninsula in Placentia Bay. It is situated on a small peninsula and along the western side of Burin Inlet which extends inland approximately 8 km (5 mi). The town of Burin is not just one town but a combination of several individual settlements which developed in the area, some dating back to the early 18th Century. St. Lawrence Great and Little St. Lawrence harbours are inlets of Placentia Bay. The community of St. Lawrence is located around Great St. Lawrence Harbour. Tradition has it that it was named by mariner Richard Clarke who accompanied Sir Humphrey Gilbert on his voyage to Newfoundland in 1583. Fortune The town of Fortune is situated on the western side of the Burin Peninsula near the mouth of Fortune Bay. It is built along the shore of Fortune Barasway, a body of water which forms the harbour and extends inland for approximaely .8 km (.5 mi). Located in a shallow valley, the town is built on relatively flat land and is surrounded on the eastern and southwestern sides by low rolling hills. Grand Bank The town of Grand Bank is situated on the western side of the Burin Peninsula near the mouth of Fortune Bay. It is built along both sides of Grand Bank Brook, a small shallow brook which forms a small harbour where it empties into the Bay. The name Grand Bank is believed to be French in origin and in French census returns of the late Seventeenth Century is listed as Grand Banc or Grand Banq, meaning big or large bank. Avalon Region Conception Harbour, A town in the southwestern part of Conception Bay between Avondale and Colliers, 64 km (40 mi) from St. John's. Until 1870 it was known as Cat's Cove. Tradition has it that Brian Collins was the first to settle there in the 1700's. Salmon Cove, A community on the North Shore of Conception Bay, Salmon Cove lies approximately 6 km (3.6 mi) northeast of Carbonear. The open cove has a long, sandy beach, the site of a provincial park. A nearby pond provides the only shelter for small boats in bad weather. On the outskirts of the cove is a meadow, the site of an abandoned neighbourhood known as Marshall's Folly. Petty Harbour, Situated approximately 15 km by road south from St. John's, the community of Petty Harbour is set deep into the head of Motion Bay. The majority of its residents were employed in the fishery until its proximity to St. John's made jobs in the service industry more lucrative once road connections were put in place. Placentia, Situated on a roughly triangular beach at the eastern end of Placentia Roads, the town of Placentia occupies an important place in Newfoundland's early colonization and military history. The town is customarily referred to as the old French capital of Newfoundland, having been settled by the French in the mid 1600's. Carbonear, A town on the west side of Conception Bay, 116 km (72 mi) by road from St. John's. According to E.R. Seary (1971) the name of the community probably comes from either the Spanish word carbonera, which, among other things, means a female who makes or sells charcoal, or from one of a number of French words, the most likely of which being; Charbonnier or Carbonnier, two family names or La Carbonnière, a place name. Brigus, Because of its proximity to Cupids it is likely that the harbour of Brigus was chosen as a site for settlement during the period of the establishment of the Cupids colony in the early 1600's. It has been settled since the early 1600's and was a major fishing port, particularly for ships involved in the seal hunt and the Labrador fishery during the 19th and early 20th centuries. Holyrood, Holyrood is located at the head of Conception Bay, about 48 km (30 mi) southwest of St. John's. The community is spread out along the southern shoreline of a deep, well-protected, 7.25 km- (4.5 mi-) long inlet of Conception Bay, known as Holyrood Bay. According to M.F. Howley the name is from Old English and originally meant "Holy Cross." St. John's, According to popular legend, the city of St. John's takes its name from the discovery of the harbour by John Cabot on June 24, 1497, the feast day of St. John the Baptist. Where Cabot actually landed in North America remains, of course, a matter of some debate, but few scholars consider it likely that he ever visited St. John's. In any case, by the early 1500s, St. John's Harbour was well-known to European fishermen and was identified on various European maps. "The first view of the harbour of St. John's is very striking", observed English geologist Joseph Jukes in 1839; its "lofty precipitous cliffs, of hard dark red sandstone and conglomerate, range along the coast with deep water close at their feet." Portugal Cove, Portugal Cove is located on the south side of Conception Bay, approximately 15 km by road from St. John's. In the second half of the twentieth century it has increasingly become a residential community for the city of St. John's. In 1992 Portugal Cove was amalgamated with St. Phillips, Hogan's Pond, and several unincorporated areas as the town of Portugal Cove-St. Phillips. Harbour Grace, Located on the western side of Conception Bay, Harbour Grace is entered between Old Sow Point to the north and Feather Point to the south. The harbour extends 7.2 km (4.5 mi) in a southwesterly direction, with hills on either side rising to an elevation of about 152m (500 ft). During the 19th century it was the largest community in Newfoundland outside of St. John's. Colinet, A fishing-lumbering community located in the northwest arm of St. Mary's Bay where the adjoining waters of the Colinet and Rocky rivers form a harbour as they enter the ocean. The name Colinet was first given to Great Colinet Island, and was recorded as Collinett (1669), Colonet Isle (1671) and Collemot (1698). Salmonier, Salmonier is the name commonly given to a collection of fishing and farming communities along Salmonier Arm, St. Mary's Bay and includes the incorporated community of Mount Carmel-Mitchell's Brook - St. Catherine's and the communities of St. Joseph's, New Bridge and Forest Field. Topsail, Topsail was probably named for nearby Topsail Head, which is visible from the opposite side of the Bay. The Head is identified on eighteenth-century maps of Conception Bay, but there is no record of settlement before about 1820. To be continued: