Population: 444 (1991 & 1996)

Located on the North Shore of Conception Bay, about 20km's northeast of Carbonear, is the fishing community of Western Bay. The Harbour is one of the best on the North Shore, although it is exposed to northeasterly winds.

Western Bay was one of the first communities in Newfoundland to adopt the Methodist religion.

The economy of Western Bay was mainly the cod fishery, however, the land was also cultivated. In 1884 there were 400 people engaged in the Labrador fishery, by this time it had become the mainstay of the local economy. In the 1920's and 30's the population began to decrease when the Labrador fishery came to an end.

At the turn of the 20th century, a number of men found employment as miners at Bell Island.