Alma, Quebec

Alma
Town
Official seal of Alma
Seal
Coat of arms of Alma
Coat of arms
Motto: 
Crescit eundo
Alma is located in Lac-Saint-Jean, Quebec
Alma
Alma
Location in Saguenay–Lac-Saint-Jean Quebec
Coordinates: 48°33′N 71°39′W / 48.550°N 71.650°W / 48.550; -71.650[1]
CountryCanada
ProvinceQuebec
RegionSaguenay–Lac-Saint-Jean
RCMLac-Saint-Jean-Est
Amalgamation1962 (of Isle-Maligne, Naudville, Riverbend and St-Joseph d'Alma.)
ConstitutedFebruary 21, 2001 (amalgamation with Delisle)
Government
[2]
 • MayorSylvie Beaumont
 • Federal ridingLac-Saint-Jean
 • Prov. ridingLac-Saint-Jean
Area
[2][3]
 • Town
230.30 km2 (88.92 sq mi)
 • Land194.92 km2 (75.26 sq mi)
 • Urban
[4]
15.94 km2 (6.15 sq mi)
Population
 (2021)[3]
 • Town
30,331
 • Density155.6/km2 (403/sq mi)
 • Urban
[4]
20,274
 • Urban density1,272.2/km2 (3,295/sq mi)
 • Pop 2016-2021
Decrease 1.4%
 • Dwellings
14,493
Time zoneUTC−5 (EST)
 • Summer (DST)UTC−4 (EDT)
Postal code(s)
G8B, G8C & G8E
Area codes418 and 581
Highways R-169
R-170
R-172
Telephone Exchanges212, 321, 480-2, 487, 662, 668-9, 719, 720, 769
NTS Map22D12 Alma
GNBC CodeEFHQD[5]
Websitewww.ville.alma.qc.ca Edit this at Wikidata

Alma (French pronunciation: [alma] ⓘ; 2021 Town population: 30,331; UA Population 20,274) is a town in Saguenay–Lac-Saint-Jean, in the Canadian province of Quebec.

History

The present town of Alma was formed in 1962 from the merging of four villages: Isle-Maligne, Naudville, Riverbend and St-Joseph d'Alma. The oldest of the villages, St-Joseph-d'Alma, was founded in 1867 by Damase Boulanger. The area became an important industrial centre during the 1920s and 1930s with the construction of a hydro-electrical power station on the Grande-Décharge River, a paper mill (Price) and an aluminum smelting plant (Alcan), all of which are still in activity today.

In 2002, Alma merged with the Municipality of Delisle. Both modern day Alma and St-Joseph d'Alma are named after the Battle of the Alma.

Geography

Alma is located on the southeast coast of Lac Saint-Jean where it flows into the Saguenay River, in the Saguenay–Lac-Saint-Jean region of Quebec, Canada, approximately 175 km north of Quebec City. Alma is the seat of Lac-Saint-Jean-Est Regional County Municipality. Alma is the second largest city in population in the Saguenay-Lac-Saint-Jean region after the city of Saguenay.

Alma is the seat of the judicial district of Alma.[6]

Demographics

In the 2021 Census of Population conducted by Statistics Canada, Alma had a population of 30,331 living in 13,815 of its 14,493 total private dwellings, a change of -1.4% from its 2016 population of 30,771. With a land area of 194.92 km2 (75.26 sq mi), it had a population density of 155.6/km2 (403.0/sq mi) in 2021.[7]

Population trend:[8]

  • Population in 2021: 30,331
  • Population in 2016: 30,771
  • Population in 2011: 30,904
  • Population in 2006: 29,998
  • Population in 2001: 25,918
  • Population in 1996: 26,127
  • Population in 1991: 25,910
  • Population in 1986: 25,923
  • Population in 1981: 26,322
  • Population in 1976: 25,638
  • Population in 1971: 24,956
  • Population in 1966: 22,195
  • Population in 1961: 13,309
  • Population in 1956: 10,822
  • Population in 1951: 7,975
  • Population in 1941: 6,449
  • Population in 1931: 3,970
  • Population in 1921: 850

Mother tongue:[9]

  • English as first language: 0.4%
  • French as first language: 98.5%
  • English and French as first language: 0.3%
  • Other as first language: 0.7%
Visible minority and Aboriginal population (Canada 2021 Census)
Population group Population % of total population
White 28,015 95.5%
Visible minority group
Source:[10]		 South Asian 0 0%
Chinese 55 0.2%
Black 185 0.6%
Filipino 15 0.1%
Arab 35 0.1%
Latin American 30 0.1%
Southeast Asian 35 0.1%
West Asian 0 0%
Korean 0 0%
Japanese 0 0%
Visible minority, n.i.e. 0 0%
Multiple visible minority 10 0%
Total visible minority population 375 1.3%
Aboriginal group
Source:[11]		 First Nations 350 1.2%
Métis 500 1.7%
Inuk 10 0%
Aboriginal, n.i.e. 65 0.2%
Multiple Aboriginal identity 10 0%
Total Aboriginal population 935 3.2%
Total population 29,325 100%

Infrastructure

Petite-Décharge

Transportation

Alma is serviced by the Alma Airport, located 4.1 km to the south of the town.

Sister cities

See also: List of twin towns and sister cities in Canada

Alma has been twinned with Falaise, Calvados, France, since 1969.[12]

Notable people

See also

References

  1. ^ "Banque de noms de lieux du Québec: Reference number 1013". toponymie.gouv.qc.ca (in French). Commission de toponymie du Québec.
  2. ^ a b Ministère des Affaires municipales, des Régions et de l'Occupation du territoire - Répertoire des municipalités: Alma Archived 2012-01-15 at the Wayback Machine
  3. ^ a b "Alma census profile". 2021 Census data. Statistics Canada. 15 November 2023. Retrieved 2024-11-07.
  4. ^ a b "Alma (Population centre) community profile". 2021 Census data. Statistics Canada. 15 November 2023. Retrieved 2024-11-07.
  5. ^ "Alma". Geographical Names Data Base. Natural Resources Canada.
  6. ^ Territorial Division Act. Revised Statutes of Quebec D-11.
  7. ^ "Population and dwelling counts: Canada, provinces and territories, and census subdivisions (municipalities), Quebec". Statistics Canada. February 9, 2022. Retrieved August 29, 2022.
  8. ^ Statistics Canada: 1996, 2001, 2006, 2011, 2016, 2021 census
  9. ^ "Alma community profile". 2021 Census data. Statistics Canada. 15 November 2023. Retrieved 2024-11-07.
  10. ^ [1], Community Profiles from the 2021 Census, Statistics Canada - Census Subdivision
  11. ^ [2], Aboriginal Population Profile from the 2021 Census, Statistics Canada - Census Subdivision
  12. ^ FLURY, Jérôme (September 5, 2019). "Falaise. Les anecdotes étonnantes des villes jumelles européennes". Ouest-France.fr.
Wikimedia Commons has media related to Alma, Quebec.