The Evangeline Region

Geographically, the Evangeline region is located in the southwestern part of the province of Prince Edward Island (on Canada's east coast). It is the largest of the province's 6 Acadian and Francophone regions. The region is part of Prince County. In terms of political boundaries, it is part of the provincial Evangeline-Miscouche riding and the federal Egmont riding.

The Evangeline region includes the municipalities of Wellington and Abram-Village and Lots 14, 15 and 16. In all, there are 17 small rural villages. These "musical villages" are of great importance to our tourism positioning, as we are renowned for our traditional music, in which the violin plays a key role. Music is omnipresent in each of our "musical villages". Over the years, our region has witnessed the emergence of a number of individuals and groups on the artistic scene, including Angèle Arsenault, Barachois, Chuck & Albert, Gadelle, GAMECK, Les Danseurs Évangéline, PANOU, Vishtèn and others. The region's tourism industry is directly linked to our culture and music. Our branding and signage proudly proclaims that people arrive in our "musical villages".

The Acadians of the Evangeline region are renowned for their sense of mutual aid, cooperation and community life. This community spirit is evident in the many cooperatives, organizations, associations, groups and clubs that provide services and organize all kinds of activities in our region.

The region is made up of three Catholic parishes: Notre-Dame-du-Mont-Carmel in Mont-Carmel, Immaculée Conception in Wellington, and St-Philippe and St-Jacques in Baie-Egmont. There is also the United Church in Wellington.

We speak French with a very particular accent, vocabulary and pronunciation. French speakers tell us we speak with an English accent, and English speakers tell us we speak with a French accent. Well, they're all right!

We have an active cultural and social life that's intertwined with traditional Acadian food (meat pie, râpure, chicken fricot, blé d’Inde lessivé, poutines à trou and galettes blanches). Traditional Acadian dishes are often reserved for special occasions.

Our small, bilingual community lives mainly from four industries: agriculture, fishing, tourism and education. A host of small businesses also deliver a range of essential services and provide many jobs in the community.

Our community of some 3,300 people includes a school (daycare, kindergarten, elementary, middle and high school) and a community college.

The region is equipped with government offices (Access PEI) where you can access all kinds of provincial services, licenses and permits. Wellington's Rural Action Centre offers access to provincial and federal economic, business and community development officers. A provincial liquor store is also located in the local grocery store in Wellington.

There are many sports and recreational facilities in the area, including an arena, a fitness center and a competitive-quality track. In summer, there's regular musical and/or theatrical entertainment, and the Evangeline region hosts a wide variety of festivals throughout the summer and fall.

The few services not available in the Evangeline region are accessible in the town of Summerside, 20 km away.

The Evangeline region is predominantly French-speaking, so it's possible to live, work and do every phase of life, from birth to death, in French.