Cocagne, New Brunswick

Cocagne (2011 population: 2,545) is an incorporated Canadian rural community in Kent County, New Brunswick.

History
It was named after Cockaigne, a mythical paradise in medieval French literature. It is located at the mouth of the Cocagne River on the Northumberland Strait.

William Francis Ganong identified the Mi'kmaq name as Wijulmacadie, referring to a plant found along the river. In 1866 Cocagne was a farming community with about 65 families: in 1871 the community and surrounding district had a population of 900: in 1898 Cocagne was a sub-port of entry with a population of 250. A post office branch has been located here since 1837.

Geography
The community is located around the mouth of the Cocagne River in Cocagne Bay at the crossroads of Route 535 and Route 134. Cocagne is also located on the northern terminus of Route 530

Demographics
Following incorporation, Statistics Canada determined Cocagne's 2011 population to be 2,540. This population includes 2,312 in the portion formerly part of Dundas Parish and 228 in the portion formerly part of Wellington Parish.

Education

 * École Blanche-Bourgeois

Notable people

 * Auguste Théophile Léger (1852-1923) - New Brunswick politician
 * Alfred Edmond Bourgeois (1872-1939) - New Brunswick politician, clerk, landlord and merchant.
 * Allison Dysart (1880-1962) - New Brunswick politician, lawyer and judge
 * Louis-Prudent-Alexandre Robichaud (1890-unknown) - New Brunswick political figure and jurist.
 * Michel Cormier (b. 1957) - Canadian journalist, lecturer and author.
 * Serge Despres (b. 1978) - Canadian bobsledder