Best Web Design in St. John's, NL (2026)

Web Design for St. John's, Newfoundland and Labrador

St. John's is the capital of Newfoundland and Labrador and the easternmost city in North America, a fog-wrapped fishing port whose steep downtown tumbles toward a narrow harbour in bands of candy-coloured row houses. Sir Humphrey Gilbert claimed the surrounding land for England in 1583, and the harbour had already been drawing Basque, Portuguese, Norman and Breton fishing fleets since the early 1500s. Today Signal Hill, George Street's pubs and the offshore oil rigs define a city that mixes 500 years of North Atlantic history with a modern energy economy.

AppWT works with St. John's, NL businesses from Livonia, Michigan, mostly online and travelling as needed.

About St. John's

Also known as. The most easterly city in North America (excluding Greenland). One of the oldest cities in North America. The foggiest and windiest major city in Canada.

History. The harbour name likely came from Basque or Portuguese fishermen in the early 1500s; it appears as 'Sao Joao' (St. John's) on a Portuguese map dated 1519, and fishing fleets from Normandy, Brittany and Portugal were documented there by 1527. In 1583 Sir Humphrey Gilbert placed a marker on the shore claiming possession of Newfoundland for England; permanent year-round settlement developed only after the 1630s. The city prospered as a fishing port despite repeated French attacks and three catastrophic fires in 1816-17, 1846 and 1892; it was officially incorporated as a city in 1888. On 12 December 1901, Guglielmo Marconi received the first transatlantic wireless signal (the Morse letter 'S', sent from Poldhu, Cornwall) atop Signal Hill, using a kite-borne antenna in high winds. On 2 July 1992, federal fisheries minister John Crosbie announced the northern cod moratorium inside a St. John's hotel ballroom, ending roughly 500 years of cod fishing and triggering the single largest mass layoff in Canadian history (about 30,000 people).

Local economy. Offshore oil and gas anchors the modern economy; the St. John's metro area, home to the Hibernia, Terra Nova, White Rose and Hebron projects, accounts for roughly half of the province's GDP and the city is one of the world's designated 'World Energy Cities'. As the provincial capital, government and the civil service are major employers. The historic North Atlantic fishery and fish processing shaped the city and remain part of its identity despite the 1992 cod collapse. Tourism, retail and business services round out a diversified downtown economy.

Culture and community. George Street, a short strip packed with bars and live-music venues, is often cited as having the most pubs and bars per capita in Canada and hosts the summer George Street Festival. The 'Screech-in' ceremony makes visitors ('Come From Aways') honourary Newfoundlanders by having them recite a line, kiss a cod and down a shot of Screech rum. Mummering, an old Christmas house-visiting tradition where people disguise themselves ('underwear is outerwear'), is celebrated each December with the Mummers Festival and its parade. The CBC comedy-drama 'Republic of Doyle' (2010-2014) was set and filmed in St. John's, showcasing the harbour and downtown. Traditional Newfoundland folk music is a living part of pub culture, blending Irish, English and West Country roots.

What makes St. John's distinct. Of major Canadian cities, St. John's is the foggiest (about 124 days of fog a year) and the windiest (average wind around 24.3 km/h). The Royal St. John's Regatta on Quidi Vidi Lake is North America's oldest annual organized sporting event, with documented races back to 1816; it draws roughly 50,000 people and is nicknamed 'the Largest Garden Party in the World'. Regatta Day is a civic holiday whose date is literally decided by the weather - if wind and water conditions are poor, the committee postpones the holiday to the next suitable day. It is the easternmost city in North America (excluding Greenland), closer to Europe than to much of Canada. The 1992 cod moratorium, announced in the city, remains the biggest single layoff in Canadian history.

St. John's Landmarks and Local Life

• Signal Hill and its castle-like Cabot Tower - built to mark the 400th anniversary of John Cabot's 1497 voyage and the site of Marconi's 1901 transatlantic signal
• 'Jellybean Row' - the collective nickname for the brightly painted heritage row houses that cover the downtown hillside (not a single street)
• The Rooms - the province's largest public cultural space (museum, art gallery and archives) that looms over downtown
• Quidi Vidi - a tiny former fishing village tucked inside the city, beside Quidi Vidi Lake
• Water Street - a historic commercial street lined with heritage buildings, shops and restaurants
• The Battery - a cluster of colourful wooden homes clinging to the cliffs beneath Signal Hill