Saint-Jean-de-Matha, Quebec

Saint-Jean-de-Matha
Municipality
The l'Assomption River in park Chutes Monte-à-Peine
Nickname(s): Capitale de la force
Location within Matawinie RCM.
Saint-Jean-de-Matha Location in central Quebec.
Coordinates: 46°14′N 73°32′W / 46.233°N 73.533°WCoordinates: 46°14′N 73°32′W / 46.233°N 73.533°W[1]
Country	Canada
Province	Quebec
Region	Lanaudière
RCM	Matawinie
Constituted	July 1, 1855
Government[2]
• Mayor	Normand Champagne
• Federal riding	Joliette
• Prov. riding	Berthier
Area[2][3]
• Total	112.90 km^2 (43.59 sq mi)
• Land	109.35 km^2 (42.22 sq mi)
Population (2011)[3]
• Total	4,335
• Density	39.6/km^2 (103/sq mi)
• Pop 2006-2011	4.4%
• Dwellings	2,496
Time zone	EST (UTC−5)
• Summer (DST)	EDT (UTC−4)
Postal code(s)	J0K 2S0
Area code(s)	450 and 579
Highways	Route 131 Route 337
Website	www.municipalite stjeandematha.com

Saint-Jean-de-Matha is a municipality located within the Matawinie Regional County Municipality, Quebec, Canada, in the Lanaudière region.

History

The territory was once part of the seigneurial system in the 18th century and was travelled by several coureur des bois for the fur industry as well as workers in the logging industry as it was located nearby rich forest lands of the Laurentians and the Haute Mauricie regions near the Saint-Maurice River.

It was in the 1850s that the Saint-Jean-de-Matha Parish was made official and was declared a municipality in 1855. While development was slow in the 19th century, the population grew rapidly as settlers arrived in Quebec or moved away from the regions closer to the Saint Lawrence River as part of measures to develop new lands across the province.

Demographics

Population

Historical Census Data - Saint-Jean-de-Matha, Quebec[4]
Year Pop. ±% 1991 3,260 —     1996 3,624 +11.2%	Year Pop. ±% 2001 3,602 −0.6% 2006 4,152 +15.3%	Year Pop. ±% 2011 4,335 +4.4%

Private dwellings occupied by usual residents: 1946 (total dwellings: 2496)

Language

Mother tongue:^[5]

• English as first language: 0.8%
• French as first language: 97.2%
• English and French as first language: 0.2%
• Other as first language: 1.7%

Transportation

The main transportation link of the municipality is Route 131 which travels throughout much of the Lanaudière region from Saint-Michel-des-Saints southward towards Joliette and Lavaltrie in which it connects Autoroute 40 towards Montreal, Quebec City and Ottawa-Gatineau. Secondary Route 337 travels through more western towns of the Lanaudière region towards the northern Montreal suburbs of Terrebonne and Mascouche located along Autoroute 25 just north of the east end of Laval.

Railway service also exists since the late 19th century part of a Canada-wide development initiated by the first Canadian Prime Minister John A. Macdonald which help develop several small industries despite frequent departures by several locales towards the United States in the late 19th century.

See also

• List of municipalities in Quebec

References

1. Reference number 281417 of the Commission de toponymie du Québec (French)
2. Ministère des Affaires municipales, des Régions et de l'Occupation du territoire
3. Statistics Canada 2011 Census - Saint-Jean-de-Matha census profile
4. Statistics Canada: 1996, 2001, 2006, 2011 census
5. Statistics Canada 2006 Census - Saint-Jean-de-Matha community profile

• Municipal website (French)
• History of the region (French)