Chapel Arm is a

town A town is a type of a human settlement, generally larger than a village but smaller than a city. The criteria for distinguishing a town vary globally, often depending on factors such as population size, economic character, administrative stat ...

Newfoundland and Labrador Newfoundland and Labrador is the easternmost province of Canada, in the country's Atlantic region. The province comprises the island of Newfoundland and the continental region of Labrador, having a total size of . As of 2025 the populatio ...

, Canada. It is located on the island of

Newfoundland Newfoundland and Labrador is the easternmost province of Canada, in the country's Atlantic region. The province comprises the island of Newfoundland and the continental region of Labrador, having a total size of . As of 2025 the population ...

and is located at the southeast corner of Trinity Bay, approximately west of St. John's and two km (one and a half miles) from the

Trans-Canada Highway The Trans-Canada Highway (Canadian French, French: ; abbreviated as the TCH or T-Can) is a transcontinental federal–provincial highway system that travels through all ten provinces of Canada, from the Pacific Ocean on the west coast to the A ...

. With the exception of a few families, the religious denominations are

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and

Roman Catholic The Catholic Church (), also known as the Roman Catholic Church, is the largest Christian church, with 1.27 to 1.41 billion baptized Catholics worldwide as of 2025. It is among the world's oldest and largest international institut ...

. It has two churches, two parish halls, an

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hall and a modern elementary school serving the communities of Chapel Arm, Norman’s Cove,

Bellevue Bellevue means "beautiful view" in French. Bellevue or Belle Vue may refer to: Places Australia * Bellevue, Queensland * Bellevue, Western Australia * Bellevue Hill, New South Wales Canada * Bellevue, Alberta * Bellevue, Newfoundlan ...

and Long Harbour. It has a doctor's office, municipal building, post office, pharmacist,

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, and several auto garages. The majority of people in Chapel Arm own their own homes. There is a well constructed

breakwater Breakwater may refer to: * Breakwater (structure), a structure for protecting a beach or harbour Places * Breakwater, Victoria, a suburb of Geelong, Victoria, Australia * Breakwater Island, Antarctica * Breakwater Islands, Nunavut, Canada * ...

with landing and docking facilities and a community building used for storage. There are banking facilities and a clinic located at Whitbourne about 13 km (eight miles) away. With the ongoing construction of the Vale Canada hydro-metallurgical facility in Long Harbour, Chapel Arm has seen a sharp spike in employment and prosperity over the last several years.

Name origin

No one is sure how Chapel Arm got its name. According to M. F. Howley, it was named for Lieutenant Edward Chappell, who sailed up Trinity Bay in 1818 (Encyclopedia of J.R. Smallwood). Historical records would suggest this claim to be incorrect. Early records of Trinity and the records of Benjamin Lester, a Poole merchant working there, mentions: "on November 10, 1767 sent sloop to Chapple for a load of birch and ships timbers that was left there". The name of Chapel Arm goes back to 1765–1772, when

James Cook Captain (Royal Navy), Captain James Cook (7 November 1728 – 14 February 1779) was a British Royal Navy officer, explorer, and cartographer famous for his three voyages of exploration to the Pacific and Southern Oceans, conducted between 176 ...

and Michael Lane surveyed the coastal waters of Trinity Bay. Chapel Arm was more likely named for the spire-shaped headlands which can be seen as you enter this beautiful arm, since these headlands resemble a church or chapel roof. The latter is the theory accepted by the majority of the population today.

Demographics

In the

2021 Census of Population The 2021 Canadian census was a detailed enumeration of the Canadian population with a reference date of May 11, 2021. It follows the 2016 Canadian census, which recorded a population of 35,151,728. The overall response rate was 98%, which is sli ...

conducted by

Statistics Canada Statistics Canada (StatCan; ), formed in 1971, is the agency of the Government of Canada commissioned with producing statistics to help better understand Canada, its population, resources, economy, society, and culture. It is headquartered in ...

, Chapel Arm had a population of living in of its total private dwellings, a change of from its 2016 population of . With a land area of , it had a population density of in 2021.

References

{{Subdivisions of Newfoundland and Labrador, towns=yes, ICG=yes Populated coastal places in Canada Towns in Newfoundland and Labrador

Name origin

Demographics

See also

References