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Portugal Cove-St. Philip's ( 47°37′40.9″N 52°51′14.5″W / 47.628028°N 52.854028°W / 47.628028; -52.854028 NST) is a rural seashore community located on the eastern Avalon Peninsula of Newfoundland in the province of Newfoundland & Labrador, Canada. Portugal Cove-St. Philip’s was amalgamated in 1992, and is home to an estimated 6,000 people. Just 10 – 15 minutes from the provincial capital, and covering 56.43 km², Portugal Cove-St. Philips is a rapidly growing community, and one of the largest municipalities in the Province. It borders the City of St. John's (provincial capital) to the east, and the Town of Paradise to the west. The town’s population is fairly young with an average age of 33.2 years. Most people work outside the community, commuting to St. John's or Mount Pearl, daily. Businesses within the community itself, however, are numerous and include farms, convenience stores, restaurants & cafes, construction, gardening centres, hair salons, garages & service stations, bed & breakfasts, and a taxi service. The inhabitants are predominantly unilingual (English) and caucasian. The Town's ferry terminal provides daily access to and from Bell Island, and dozens of people commute from this tiny island to work in and around the capital city, daily. The Portugal Cove area has historically been predominantly Roman Catholic, and is served by Holy Rosary Church. The town motto is Where the Sun Meets the Sea and the current mayor (February 2007) is Norman Collins. This motto is ironic however, since due to the positioning of Bell Island in Conception Bay, the sun never actually meets the sea at any point in time. The community is one of the oldest in Newfoundland and has a very rich history. It was founded by the Portuguese and was one of the first villages established in the new world. It was attacked and burned by the French in 1696, was the site of the first road built outside the capital St. John's, it was also here that the giant squid or Kraken of legend was discovered and documented. The community has a large body of folklore and oral traditions. Settled by fishermen from the west Country of England and Ireland it also has a small settler tradition from Jersey, Channel Islands. It is named after Portugal. Fishing had been a mainstay since the 1600s and this has been on the downswing since the 1990s.
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