La Prairie, Quebec

Last updated

La Prairie
City
Vieux-Laprairie-Chemin Saint-Jean (coin rue Saint-Laurent)-2022-06-03.jpg
Old La Prairie
Blason ville ca La Prairie.svg
Coat of arms
Motto(s): 
Victor Hostium et Sui
(Latin for "Master of our Enemies and Oneself")
La Prairie Quebec location diagram.PNG
Location within Roussillon RCM
Canada Southern Quebec location map.png
Red pog.svg
La Prairie
Location in southern Quebec
Coordinates: 45°25′N73°30′W / 45.42°N 73.5°W / 45.42; -73.5 [1]
CountryFlag of Canada (Pantone).svg  Canada
Province Flag of Quebec.svg  Quebec
Region Montérégie
RCM Roussillon
ConstitutedMarch 30, 1846
Government
[2] [3]
 • MayorFrédéric Galantai
 •  Federal riding La Prairie
 •  Prov. riding La Prairie
Area
[2] [4]
 • Total54.80 km2 (21.16 sq mi)
 • Land43.47 km2 (16.78 sq mi)
Population
 (2021) [4]
 • Total26,406
 • Density607.4/km2 (1,573/sq mi)
 • Pop 2016–2021
Increase2.svg 9.5%
 • Dwellings
11,309
Demonym(s) Laprairien,(ienne) (French)
Time zone UTC−5 (EST)
 • Summer (DST) UTC−4 (EDT)
Postal code(s)
J5R
Area code(s) 450 and 579
Highways
Quebec Autoroute 15.svg A-15
Quebec Autoroute 30.svg A-30
Qc104.svg R-104
Qc132.svg R-132
Qc134.svg R-134
Qc217.svg R-217
Website www.ville.laprairie.qc.ca

La Prairie is an off-island suburb (south shore) of Montreal, in southwestern Quebec, Canada, at the confluence of the Saint-Jacques River and the Saint Lawrence River in the Regional County Municipality of Roussillon. The population as of the Canada 2021 Census was 26,406.

Contents

History

Plan of La Prairie de la Magdelaine in 1704 Plan de la Prairie de la Madeleine 1704.jpg
Plan of La Prairie de la Magdelaine in 1704
The old post office of La Prairie. La Prairie Post Office.jpg
The old post office of La Prairie.

French Jesuits were the first Europeans to occupy the area, which was named La Prairie de la Magdelaine but was also called François-Xavier-des-Prés. The land was given to the Jesuits by Jacques de La Ferté and the Company of One Hundred Associates in 1647. It is in La Prairie that the story Kateri Tekakwitha took place.

In 1668, the site was named Kentaké, the Iroquois name for "at the prairie". In the beginning of modern Quebec history, the territory of La Prairie would be visited on numerous occasions by Iroquois and English settlers from New York, among others at the time of the Anglo-Iroquois expedition of Pieter Schuyler in 1691, who commanded two battles on August 11, 1691.

The close of the Seven Years' War led to the 1763 treaty ending the French and Indian War. New France, sparsely-populated by indigenous peoples and descendants of French colonists, was ceded by France and divided into British colonies. The territory of La Prairie became part of the Province of Quebec (1763–1791) within the British Empire.

In 1845, the village of La Prairie was established. One year later, La Prairie-de-la-Magdelaine was established. La Prairie was the seat of Laprairie County (1855-1980s), [5] which included the parishes of La Prairie, Notre-Dame, Ste-Catherine, St-Constant, St-Isidore, St-Jacques-le-Mineur, St-Mathieu and St-Philippe. In 1909, La Prairie obtained official city status.

Historically, the city has been an important transportation hub, as it was the point of transfer between Montreal ferries and the land route to Saint-Jean-sur-Richelieu, gateway to Lake Champlain and the Hudson River. The first railway line in British North America, the Champlain and St. Lawrence Railroad, connected it with Saint-Jean-sur-Richelieu on July 21, 1836; [6] the railway ran over 16 miles (26 km). The construction of a rail line between La Prairie and Saint-Jean-sur-Richelieu would greatly accelerate the commercial development of the village. River transport equally played an important role in La Prairie's history.

Geography

Saint-Jean Road Chemin de Saint-Jean La Prairie.jpg
Saint-Jean Road

Climate

Like the rest of southwestern Quebec, La Prairie has hot summers and cold winters, for a generally temperate climate. Winters are cold and sometimes long (snow is usually present from mid-November to mid-April), with temperatures occasionally dipping below -30 °C, not counting the windchill. During snowstorms, snowfall frequently surpasses 40 centimeters. In the summer, temperatures sometimes exceed 30 °C.

Environment

In 2013, Grand Boisé conservation park is planned to be created and orchestrated by Nature-Action. The park would include Smithers' swamp, as well as, Hydro-Quebec's servitude area in which the western chorus frog, a vulnerable species in Quebec, is found in greatest numbers. There is a controversy involving the city housing development in that area which was supposed to be conserved integrally with high priority according to RCM of Roussillon 1990s' maps. Local environmental organisms, such as Vigile verte and Projet Rescousse, are denouncing the choice of that land for housing development. The debate is ongoing.

Demographics

Historical Census Data – La Prairie, Quebec [7]
YearPop.±%
1851 814—    
1861 1,523+87.1%
1871 1,259−17.3%
1881 1,340+6.4%
1891 1,246−7.0%
1901 1,451+16.5%
1911 2,388+64.6%
1921 2,158−9.6%
1931 2,774+28.5%
1941 2,936+5.8%
1951 4,058+38.2%
1956 5,372+32.4%
1961 7,328+36.4%
1966 8,122+10.8%
1971 8,309+2.3%
1976 9,173+10.4%
1981 10,627+15.9%
1986 11,072+4.2%
1991 15,237+37.6%
1996 17,128+12.4%
2001 18,896+10.3%
2006 21,763+15.2%
2011 23,357+7.3%
2016 24,110+3.2%
2021 26,406+9.5%

In the 2021 Census of Population conducted by Statistics Canada, La Prairie had a population of 26,406 living in 11,049 of its 11,309 total private dwellings, a change of 9.5% from its 2016 population of 24,110. With a land area of 43.47 km2 (16.78 sq mi), it had a population density of 607.5/km2 (1,573.3/sq mi) in 2021. [8]

Canada census – La Prairie community profile
2021 2016 2011
Population26,406 (+9.5% from 2016)24,110 (+3.2% from 2011)23,357 (+7.3% from 2006)
Land area43.47 km2 (16.78 sq mi)43.68 km2 (16.86 sq mi)43.28 km2 (16.71 sq mi)
Population density607.4/km2 (1,573/sq mi)552/km2 (1,430/sq mi)539.7/km2 (1,398/sq mi)
Median age42.8 (M: 42.4, F: 43.6)41.4 (M: 41, F: 41.9)39.2 (M: 38.5, F: 39.7)
Private dwellings11,309 (total)  11,049 (occupied)9,947 (total) 9,346 (total) 
Median household income$91,000$79,881$74,167
References: 2021 [9] 2016 [10] 2011 [11] earlier [12] [13]
Canada Census Mother Tongue – La Prairie, Quebec [7]
Mother tongue language
CensusTotal
French
English
French & English
Other
YearResponsesCountTrendPop %CountTrendPop %CountTrendPop %CountTrendPop %
2021
25,285
19,540Decrease2.svg 1.6%74.4%1,260Increase2.svg 27.3%4.8%465Increase2.svg 66.1%1.8%4,490Increase2.svg 72.0%17.1%
2016
23,985
19,860Increase2.svg 0.4%82.8%990Increase2.svg 7.0%4.1%280Increase2.svg 14.3%1.2%2,610Increase2.svg 34.2%10.9%
2011
22,895
19,780Increase2.svg 4.1%86.4%925Increase2.svg 25.0%4.0%245Increase2.svg 113.0%1.1%1,945Increase2.svg 17.5%8.5%
2006
21,520
19,010Increase2.svg 13.5%88.3%740Increase2.svg 2.1%3.4%115Decrease2.svg 25.8%0.5%1,655Increase2.svg 89.1%7.7%
2001
18,500
16,745Increase2.svg 12.6%90.5%725Increase2.svg 26.1%3.9%155Decrease2.svg 13.9%0.8%875Decrease2.svg 18.6%4.7%
1996
16,700
14,870n/a89.0%575n/a3.4%180n/a1.1%1,075n/a6.4%

Infrastructure

Quebec Route 132 in La Prairie. Route 132 La Prairie.jpg
Quebec Route 132 in La Prairie.

The CIT Le Richelain provides commuter and local bus services.

Education

The town has three high schools: l'École de la Magdeleine, a public French school which offers the International Baccalaureate (IB) Programme, Collège Jean de la Mennais, a private mixed French school and Saint-François-Xavier, a public French school.

The South Shore Protestant Regional School Board previously served the municipality. [14]

See also

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References

  1. ↑ "Banque de noms de lieux du Québec: Reference number 34269". toponymie.gouv.qc.ca (in French). Commission de toponymie du Québec.
  2. 1 2 "Ministère des Affaires municipales, des Régions et de l'Occupation du territoire: La Prairie". Mamrot.gouv.qc.ca. 1909-05-07. Archived from the original on 2013-12-13. Retrieved 2013-06-18.
  3. ↑ "Parliament of Canada Federal Riding History: BROSSARD-LA PRAIRIE (Quebec)". .parl.gc.ca. Retrieved 2013-06-18.
  4. 1 2 "2021 Statistics Canada Census Profile: La Prairie, Quebec". 2.statcan.gc.ca. Retrieved 2024-05-06.
  5. ↑ Laprairie County, Quebec - Genealogy, accessed April 2018.
  6. ↑ Ayre, Robert (1932-01-01). "When the Railway Came to Canada". Queen's Quarterly. 39. ProQuest   1296948193.
  7. 1 2 Statistics Canada: 1996, 2001, 2006, 2011, 2016, 2021census
  8. ↑ "Population and dwelling counts: Canada, provinces and territories, and census subdivisions (municipalities), Quebec". Statistics Canada. February 9, 2022. Retrieved August 29, 2022.
  9. ↑ "2021 Community Profiles". 2021 Canadian Census . Statistics Canada. February 4, 2022. Retrieved 2023-10-19.
  10. ↑ "2016 Community Profiles". 2016 Canadian Census . Statistics Canada. August 12, 2021. Retrieved 2024-05-06.
  11. ↑ "2011 Community Profiles". 2011 Canadian Census . Statistics Canada. March 21, 2019. Retrieved 2014-02-21.
  12. ↑ "2006 Community Profiles". 2006 Canadian Census . Statistics Canada. August 20, 2019.
  13. ↑ "2001 Community Profiles". 2001 Canadian Census . Statistics Canada. July 18, 2021.
  14. ↑ King, M.J. (Chairperson of the board). "South Shore Protestant Regional School Board" (St. Johns, PQ). The News and Eastern Townships Advocate . Volume 119, No. 5. Thursday December 16, 1965. p. 2. Retrieved from Google News on November 23, 2014.
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