Industry Although well known as 'the port city,' twentieth-century Saint John was one of the most important industrial centres in the Maritime region. Manufacturing enterprises ranged from small workshops to large mills and foundries employing sizeable workforces. Products included textiles, lumber, pulp and paper and consumer items such as beer, brooms and brushes.

Industrialization affected much of the development of the railway system and harbour facilities. Even though the region suffered from relative de-industrialization after World War I, the city attracted two long-standing industries, a modern dry dock and shipyard, and a sugar refinery. Reflecting the land use patterns of the previous century, industries tended to be located near the waterfront, or, prior to municipal amalgamation in 1967, in the nearby parish of Simonds or town of Lancaster. A planning study in the 1940s pointed to the environmental consequences of industry: polluted water, air and soil and noise and dust that affected nearby residents.

Though more of the workforce was found in the service sector, the city's industrial image persisted. An important new sector in the second half of the twentieth century was petrochemicals- a new refinery in the 1960s followed by a deep-water oil terminal in the early 1970s. The 'smokestack' industries of the late 19th century were joined by light industries and industrial parks by the 1960s. In a colourful chapter in the history of regional development, Saint John even manufactured a high-performance luxury sports car, the highly-collectible Bricklin.