Editing Miramichi, New Brunswick (section)

===20th century industry and politics===
[[File:Miramichi Map.jpg|thumb|Communities amalgamated in 1995 to form the City of Miramichi]]

As the shipbuilding, [[masting]] and lumber industries waned, [[Pulp and paper industry|pulp and paper]] production eventually replaced lumber exports as the mainstay of the area's economy. A valuable sports fishery developed, attracting "sports" initially from adjacent [[New England]], and subsequently from all parts of the world. In the mid 20th century, an air force base, [[CFB Chatham]], became the cornerstone of Chatham's economy. The discovery of base metal deposits (lead, zinc, copper, silver, and traces of gold).) and the development of [[Heath Steele Mines]], 60&nbsp;km to the northwest, allowed Newcastle's economy to diversify and strengthen through the 1960s. The mine and air force base had both closed by 1999 as the mine's ore body was depleted, and with the collapse of the [[Cold War]]. The forest industry reemerged as the dominant player in the city's economy today.

In the 20th century the rivalry between Newcastle and Chatham continued, expressed chiefly through sports, politics, and in competition for businesses and government largesse. In 1994 then Premier [[Frank McKenna]] (the Member of the [[Legislative Assembly of New Brunswick|Legislative Assembly]] for Chatham) developed and implemented a plan for merging the communities. The [[Municipal amalgamations in New Brunswick|amalgamation]] of the former towns and villages to form the City of Miramichi was controversial at the time, and remains so today, due in part to the strong identities that each of the communities possessed. The 1995 amalgamation of the communities served to limit local rivalries, giving the region a larger and more united voice in promoting the region.<ref>{{cite web |last1=Spray |first1=William A. |title=Miramichi |url=https://www.thecanadianencyclopedia.ca/en/article/miramichi |website=The Canadian Encyclopedia |access-date=August 23, 2019}}</ref> In addition to this, many smaller communities in the [[Miramichi Valley]] felt that the name of the newly formed city was a threat to their tourism industry, and to their identity as "Miramichiers".