Baytona

Not to be confused with the Tigrayan political party Baytona.

Baytona is a small rural community found in Newfoundland and Labrador. It is situated off Route 340, which runs from Lewisporte to Twillingate island, aptly named "Road to the Isles". A bay separates Baytona from a neighboring town called Birchy Bay. The first settlers of Baytona were fishermen, with women mainly staying home to raise children; however, with a depletion in cod stocks and lobsters, there was a shift away from the fishing industry.

Baytona Birchy Bay North
Community
Baytona Location of Baytona in Newfoundland
Coordinates: 49°20′32″N 54°45′56″W
Country	Canada
Province	Newfoundland and Labrador
Government
• Mayor	Rex Quinlan
• MHA	Derek Bennett
• MP	Clifford Small
Area [1]
• Land	15.38 km2 (5.94 sq mi)
Elevation	0 m (0 ft)
Population  (2021)
• Total	251
• Density	17.0/km2 (44/sq mi)
Time zone	UTC-3:30 (Newfoundland Time)
• Summer (DST)	UTC-2:30 (Newfoundland Daylight Time)
Area code	709
Highways	Route 340

Baytona has a fire department, town council and a recreation committee. There is currently one running convenience store. The community has a playground, and a basketball court.

The town also has an Anglican and a Pentecostal church.

Demographics

Historical population

Year	Pop.	±%
2006	276	—
2011	264	−4.3%
2016	262	−0.8%
2021	251	−4.2%
[2][1]

In the 2021 Census of Population conducted by Statistics Canada, Baytona had a population of 251 living in 111 of its 162 total private dwellings, a change of -4.2% from its 2016 population of 262.^[1] With a land area of 15.15 km² (5.85 sq mi), it had a population density of 16.6/km² (42.9/sq mi) in 2021.^[3]

Name change

Originally, Baytona was known as "Birchy Bay North". In 1958 the name was changed to "Gayside" to help the flow of mail delivery. The name was a play on the word "gay", which at that time meant happy, implying that Gayside was the more pleasant of the two communities. However, in 1985, due to a change in definition of the word "gay", and subsequent joking and harassment of neighbouring communities, the name of the town was, once again, changed from "Gayside" to "Baytona".^[4][5]