Portneuf, Quebec

Portneuf
City
Aerial view of Portneuf
Aerial view of Portneuf
Location within Portneuf RCM
Location within Portneuf RCM
Portneuf is located in Central Quebec
Portneuf
Portneuf
Location in central Quebec
Coordinates: 46°42′N 71°53′W / 46.700°N 71.883°W / 46.700; -71.883[1]
Country Canada
Province Quebec
RegionCapitale-Nationale
RCMPortneuf
Settled1640
ConstitutedJuly 4, 2002
Government
[2]
 • MayorMario Alain
 • Federal ridingPortneuf—Jacques-Cartier
 • Prov. ridingPortneuf
Area
[2][3]
 • Total
117.10 km2 (45.21 sq mi)
 • Land109.39 km2 (42.24 sq mi)
Population
 (2016)[3]
 • Total
3,187
 • Density29.1/km2 (75/sq mi)
 • Pop 2011-2016
Increase 2.6%
 • Dwellings
1,545
Time zoneUTC−5 (EST)
 • Summer (DST)UTC−4 (EDT)
Postal code(s)
G0A 2Y0
Area code(s)418 and 581
Highways
A-40
R-138
Websitewww.villedeportneuf.com

Portneuf (French pronunciation: [pɔʁnœf]) is a municipality in the Portneuf Regional County Municipality, in the province of Quebec, Canada. It is located on the Saint Lawrence River, between Quebec City and Trois-Rivières. The Portneuf River runs on the east side of the town centre.

The town of Portneuf is named after a seignory that was founded in 1636, and first settled in 1640.

The municipal territory consists of 2 non-contiguous areas, separated by the municipality of Sainte-Christine-d'Auvergne. The smaller northern portion is undeveloped, whereas the southern piece is the main inhabited part with the population centres of Portneuf (south of Autoroute 40), and the adjacent Notre-Dame-de-Portneuf, north of A-40. The present-day municipality was created in 2002, when the old city of Portneuf merged with the town of Notre-Dame-de-Portneuf.[4]

The town is located on the Chemin du Roy, a historic segment of Quebec Route 138 that stretches from near Montreal to Quebec City. The town is also close by to A-40, where Provencher Street connects to the town at Exit 261.

One of Portneuf's major employers is a local paper mill owned by Metro Paper Industries, a Toronto-based paper company.[5] Paper had been a major part of Portneuf's development since the first paper mill opened in 1839.[6]

History

In 1636, the area was granted by the Compagnie de la Nouvelle-France as a seignory to Jacques Leneuf de La Poterie (1606-after 1685), who arrived in Quebec only some months later and became substitute governor of Trois-Rivières from 1645 to 1662. The first colonizers came around 1640 and settled at the mouth of the "Port Neuf" River (meaning new harbour).[1][7]

In 1817, the Portneuf post office opened. In 1861, the Parish of Notre-Dame-de-Portneuf was formed, and two years later in 1863, it was incorporated as a parish municipality. In 1896, it lost a large portion of its territory when the Parish Municipality of Sainte-Christine was formed.[1]

In 1914, the village centre itself separated from the Parish Municipality of Notre-Dame-de-Portneuf and was incorporated as the Village Municipality of Notre-Dame-de-Portneuf. In 1961, this latter one changed status and abbreviated its name, becoming the City of Portneuf. On July 4, 2002, the parish municipality was amalgamated into the new City of Portneuf.[1][7]

Demographics

In the 2021 Census of Population conducted by Statistics Canada, Portneuf had a population of 3,329 living in 1,609 of its 1,696 total private dwellings, a change of 4.5% from its 2016 population of 3,187. With a land area of 109.1 km2 (42.1 sq mi), it had a population density of 30.5/km2 (79.0/sq mi) in 2021.[8]

Population trend:[9]

  • Population in 2011: 3107 (2006 to 2011 population change: 0.7%)
  • Population in 2006: 3086
  • Population total in 2001: 3095
    • Notre-Dame-de-Portneuf (parish): 1659
    • Portneuf (ville): 1436
  • Population in 1996:
    • Notre-Dame-de-Portneuf (parish): 1727
    • Portneuf (ville): 1470
  • Population in 1991:
    • Notre-Dame-de-Portneuf (parish): 1675
    • Portneuf (ville): 1394

Mother tongue:

  • English as first language: 0.8%
  • French as first language: 97.2%
  • English and French as first language: 0.3%
  • Other as first language: 1.6%
  • Old inn in Portneuf
    Old inn in Portneuf
  • Notre-Dame-des-Sept-Douleurs Church
    Notre-Dame-des-Sept-Douleurs Church

See also

References

  1. ^ a b c d "Portneuf (ville)" (in French). Commission de toponymie du Québec. Retrieved 2010-03-24.
  2. ^ a b Ministère des Affaires municipales, des Régions et de l'Occupation du territoire - Répertoire des municipalités: Portneuf Archived 2015-12-12 at the Wayback Machine
  3. ^ a b "Portneuf, Quebec (Code 2434048) Census Profile". 2016 census. Government of Canada - Statistics Canada.
  4. ^ "Archived copy" (PDF). stat.gouv.qc.ca. Archived from the original (PDF) on 30 December 2006. Retrieved 22 May 2022.{{cite web}}: CS1 maint: archived copy as title (link)
  5. ^ Web page for MPI's Portneuf plant
  6. ^ University of Western Ontario: "Business and History - J. Ford & Co. Limited" Archived 2010-10-08 at the Wayback Machine
  7. ^ a b "Notre-Dame-de-Portneuf (Municipalité de paroisse)" (in French). Commission de toponymie du Québec. Retrieved 2010-03-24.
  8. ^ "Population and dwelling counts: Canada, provinces and territories, and census subdivisions (municipalities), Quebec". Statistics Canada. February 9, 2022. Retrieved August 29, 2022.
  9. ^ Statistics Canada: 1996, 2001, 2006, 2011 census
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