Raleigh, Newfoundland and Labrador

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It has been suggested that Ha Ha Bay be merged into this article or section. (Discuss)

Raleigh Ha Ha
Country	Canada
Province	Newfoundland and Labrador
Population (1956)
- Total	295
Time zone	Newfoundland Time (UTC-3:30)
- Summer (DST)	Newfoundland Daylight (UTC-2:30)
Area code(s)	709

Raleigh was originally called Ha Ha Bay. It is a village located northeast of St. Anthony. It had a population of 295 in 1956.

Raleigh was originally called Ha Ha Bay. In 1922, the Royal Navy cruiser HMS Raleigh ran aground across the straits in Labrador. HMS Raleigh was the flagship of the North Atlantic & West Indies squadron and the town of Raleigh is named after her. It is located near St. Anthony about 20 miles away.

Raleigh has a harbour with Burnt Cape on one side to protect against the elements in the very harsh winters - which can see 40 foot snowbanks after a winter storm. Winter sports, particularly snowmobiling are a popular activity. With abundant fish in nearby rivers, the Raleigh area is popular for ice fishing.

Raleigh had a population of 295 in 1956. In the mid 1980s the population grew to as much as 414 with more than 100 school age children. Locals were proud of their community and Raleigh dominated the local hockey league.

Recently with the collapse of the fisheries the town has been in a downhill economic spiral and most younger people have moved away searching for jobs. In 2006 there were less than five school age children - all of whom go to school in St Anthony as the local school has long closed. The population is aging and often after somebody dies another house gets boarded up and abandoned.

Recently Raleigh has attracted world wide scientific interest after several species of plants found nowhere else on earth except Burnt Cape were found. This has also attracted tourists and there is now a hotel and sometimes in the summer, boat tours also around the stunning world class scenery.