The growth of the local economy can be connected to the town's proximity to other major Newfoundland markets, by road and by water.

As a result, the town is a centre for major transportation and distribution, providing services for the Avalon Peninsula and surrounding areas.

The town has a provincially recognized museum called the Road to Yesterday, and the Shoreline Heritage Walk has been developed.

When the French arrived in 1697, Abbé Baudoin, a priest who accompanied Pierre Le Moyne d'Iberville on his raids, maintained a journal.

By the time Abbé Baudoin and Pierre d'Iberville arrived, many of the people who lived in Bay Roberts had probably escaped into the woods or to Carbonear Island because they had been warned that the French were coming.

J. Bowering was a renowned shipbuilder, who produced 50 ships a year for merchants and the Hudson's Bay Company for use in the fishing and sealing industries.

However, the economy depended to a large extent on the fishing industry, as merchants owned between 60 and 70 ships which were used by the local fishermen.

The first combined passenger and mail flight in Newfoundland, made by Major F. S. Cotton on February 24, 1922 was between St. John's and Harbour Grace.

At the start of the 20th century, French's Cove in Bay Roberts East was a bustling fishing community.

However, the remains of root cellars and rock walls are in fairly good shape and have been reconstructed as part of the development of the Bay Roberts Heritage Trail.

The Klondyke, a causeway that connects Coley's Point and Bay Roberts, was once considered to be a "gold mine" to local families that were paid to complete it in 1897.

Before the construction of the Klondyke, passengers and freight were ferried from Water Street in Bay Roberts to Coley's Point.

Their wage was enough to buy one barrel of flour or one keg of molasses - a welcome relief for people facing a winter of hunger.

One store owner in the area (reportedly Mrs. Bursell) compared the project to the Klondike Gold Rush and, as a result, the causeway got its name - The Klondyke.

In 1909, he bought a small printing plant from Harris and Wesley Mosdell who for a number of years published a weekly newspaper called The Bay Roberts Outlook.

Also on the lighter side were the reports of receptions on the occasion of homecomings and letters to loved ones at home, and the happy news of the Armistices.

Other events that made interesting headlines were: "The Loss of the Swallow" which was the story of the Coley's Point fishing vessel, The Swallow, owned and mastered by John Bowering and his crew, all from Coley's Point, who were driven to sea in the Atlantic during a hurricane in September, 1915.

After many days adrift, they were rescued from their sinking vessel by a passing ocean liner and brought to England, and after being given up for lost, they arrived home on Christmas Eve that same year.

The Cable Building in Bay Roberts was designated a National Historic Site in 2008, having already been recognized as a Provincial Registered Heritage Structure.

Vast improvements have also been made in the area of recreation with the modernization of the swimming pool and the development of the ball fields and tennis courts.

While the town flourished as a commercial centre during the early part of the 1900s, it was after incorporation in 1951, that it firmly established itself as a major service hub for the Avalon Peninsula.

Others elected included: Eric Dawe of Avalon Coal Salt & Oil Ltd; Alton Churchill of Churchill's Building Supplies; John North, an early volunteer fireman with the town and later owner of a popular outdoor skating rink on Central Street; Victor Sparkes, Principal of St. Mark's School; Eric Marshall (Marshall's Hardware and later Marshall's Restaurant); Magistrate William E. Mercer, and Ray Cave, Cave's Barber Shop.

The production features musician and storyteller, Kelly Russell (recognized by the provincial government as Newfoundland and Labrador's first tradition bearer in 2009).

A Time in Pigeon Inlet is based on stories written and performed on CBC radio by Kelly's father, Ted Russell.

[6] In July and August 2010, Victoria LOL #3 Museum and Playhouse featured a production of "Saltwater Moon" by award-winning Canadian playwright David French (who was born on Coley's Point.)

"[7] Bay Roberts won the Newfoundland and Labrador 2011 Tidy Towns Award in the 4001 - 8000 population category.

[citation needed] Award-winning Canadian playwright David French, author of Salt-Water Moon, Leaving Home, and Of the Fields, Lately, was also born at Coley's Point.

In 1914, nurse Myra Louise Taylor volunteered her services and was placed in charge of caring for the survivors of the SS Newfoundland sealing disaster.