Verchères

Verchères
Municipality

Statue honouring heroine Madeleine de Verchères.

Location within Marguerite-D'Youville RCM.
Verchères

Location in southern Quebec.

Coordinates: 45°47′N 73°21′W / 45.783°N 73.350°W / 45.783; -73.350Coordinates: 45°47′N 73°21′W / 45.783°N 73.350°W / 45.783; -73.350[1]
Country  Canada
Province  Quebec
Region Montérégie
RCM Marguerite-D'Youville
Constituted September 18, 1971
Government[2][3]
  Mayor Alexandre Bélisle
  Federal riding Pierre-Boucher—Les Patriotes—Verchères
  Prov. riding Verchères
Area[2][4]
  Total 85.20 km2 (32.90 sq mi)
  Land 73.27 km2 (28.29 sq mi)
Population (2011)[4]
  Total 5,692
  Density 77.7/km2 (201/sq mi)
  Pop 2006-2011 Increase 8.6%
  Dwellings 2,406
Time zone EST (UTC−5)
  Summer (DST) EDT (UTC−4)
Postal code(s) J0L 2R0
Area code(s) 450 and 579
Highways
A-30

Route 132
Website www.ville.vercheres.qc.ca

Verchères is an off-island suburb of Montreal, in Montérégie, Quebec, located on the south bank of the Saint Lawrence River. The population as of the Canada 2011 Census was 5,692.

History

In the 17th century, the settlement at Verchères was the scene of an Iroquois raid that was apparently thwarted by the ingenuity of a 14-year-old girl named Madeleine (now known as Madeleine de Verchères). A cast-iron statue of Madeleine de Verchères stands today by the former location of the settlement stronghold on the shore of the Saint-Lawrence river.

In French, the word Verchères can be used as an adjective to describe a specific type of rowboat invented in Verchères at the end of the 19th century, i.e. chaloupe verchères. A specimen of the rowboat is on permanent outdoor display during in the summer and fall in at the Parc Jean-Marie Moreau across from the town office.

The motto of Verchères is In Tenebris Lumen Rectis Corde. The streets of Verchères are mostly named after the patronyms of residing families but also after local people who rose to celebrity in Canadian history.

Demographics

Population

Historical Census Data - Verchères, Quebec[8]
YearPop.±%
1991 4,781    
1996 4,854+1.5%
YearPop.±%
2001 4,782−1.5%
2006 5,243+9.6%
YearPop.±%
2011 5,692+8.6%

Language

Canada Census Mother Tongue - Verchères, Quebec[8]
Census Total
French
English
French & English
Other
Year Responses Count Trend Pop % Count Trend Pop % Count Trend Pop % Count Trend Pop %
2011
5,675
5,545 Increase 10.1% 97.71% 60 Increase 50.0% 1.06% 25 Increase 25.0% 0.44% 45 Decrease 50.0% 0.79%
2006
5,185
5,035 Increase 8.3% 97.11% 40 Increase 33.3% 0.77% 20 Increase 100.0% 0.39% 90 Increase 125.0% 1.73%
2001
4,730
4,650 Decrease 2.3% 98.31% 30 Decrease 25.0% 0.63% 10 Increase n/a% 0.21% 40 Increase 60.0% 0.85%
1996
4,825
4,760 n/a 98.65% 40 n/a 0.83% 0 n/a 0.00% 25 n/a 0.52%

Notable natives and residents

Panorama

View of Verchères from the Saint Lawrence River in winter
View of Verchères from the Saint Lawrence River in summer

See also

References

External links

Media related to Verchères (Québec) at Wikimedia Commons



This article is issued from Wikipedia - version of the Tuesday, January 12, 2016. The text is available under the Creative Commons Attribution/Share Alike but additional terms may apply for the media files.