Everything about Quebec City totally explained
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MNAs
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|established_title = Founded
|established_date = 1608 by
Samuel de Champlain
|established_title2 = Constitution date
|established_date2 = 1833
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|area_metro_km2 = 3276.53
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|population_as_of =
2006
|population_footnotes =
|population_note =
|population_total = 491,142 (
Ranked 10th)
|population_density_km2 = 1081.2
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|population_metro = 715,515 (
Ranked 7th)
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|population_blank1_title =
Région de Québec
|population_blank1 =1064047
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|postal_code_type =
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|area_code =
418/581
|blank_name =
SGC code
|blank_info = 24 23 027
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NTS Map
|blank1_info = 021L14
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GNBC Code
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Official website of Quebec City
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Quebec City (
French:
Ville de Québec, or simply
Québec) (or /kəˈbɛk/) is the
capital of the
Canadian province of
Quebec and located within the
Capitale-Nationale region. It is the second largest city in the province, after
Montreal. Quebec City is about away from Montreal. The
ramparts surrounding
Old Quebec (
Vieux-Québec) are the only remaining fortified
city walls in the
Americas north of
Mexico, and were declared a
World Heritage Site by
UNESCO in 1985 as the "Historic District of Old Quebec". It is also one of the
oldest cities in
North America (founded in 1608). As of the
2006 Canadian Census, the city has a population of 491,142, and the
metropolitan area has a population of 715,515.
Quebec City is internationally known for its
Summer Festival,
Winter Carnival and the
Château Frontenac, a historic
hotel which dominates the city skyline. The chief of
Parliament, the
National Assembly of Quebec (provincial parliament), the
Musée national des beaux-arts du Québec (National Museum of Fine Arts) and the
Musée de la civilisation (Museum of Civilization) are found within or near Vieux-Québec.
Among the tourist attractions near the city are
Montmorency Falls and the
Basilica of Sainte-Anne-de-Beaupré in the town of
Sainte-Anne-de-Beaupré.
History
Etymology
The narrow width of the river as it enters the towns of Quebec and
Lévis, on the opposite bank, provided the name given to the city,
Kébec being the
Algonquin word meaning "where the river narrows".
Early history: from Stadacona to Seven Years War
Quebec City is one of the oldest European settlements in
North America. While many of the major cities in
Mexico date from the
sixteenth century, among cities in the U.S. and Canada only
St. John's, Newfoundland and Labrador,
Port Royal, Nova Scotia,
St. Augustine, Florida,
Santa Fe, New Mexico, and
Tadoussac, Quebec were created earlier than Quebec. However Quebec City is the first to have been founded with the goal of receiving permanent
settlement, and not as a
commercial outpost, and therefore is considered to be the first European-built
city in non-Spanish North America.
Québec was founded by
Samuel de Champlain on
3 July 1608 at the site of a long abandoned
St. Lawrence Iroquoian settlement called Stadacona. It was to this settlement that the
name "Canada" refers. Although called the cradle of the
Francophone population in North America, the Acadian settlement at Port-Royal antedates it. The place seemed favourable to the establishment of a permanent colony.
Before Champlain, French explorer
Jacques Cartier built a fort at the site in 1535, where he stayed for the winter before going back to France in spring 1536. He came back in 1541 with the goal of building a permanent settlement. This first settlement was abandoned less than one year after its foundation, in the summer 1542, due in large part to the hostility of the natives combined with the harsh living conditions during winter.
At the end of French rule in 1763, the territory of present-day Quebec City was a world of contrasts. Forests, villages, fields and pastures surrounded the town of 8 000 inhabitants. The town distinguished itself by its monumental architecture, fortifications, muddy and filthy streets, affluent homes of masonry and shacks in the suburbs St-Jean and St-Roch. Despite its urbanity and its status as capital, Quebec City remained a small colonial city with close ties to its rural surroundings. Nearby inhabitants traded their farm surpluses and firewood for imported goods from France at the two city markets.
Quebec City was captured by the British in 1759 and held until 1763. It was the site of the
Battle of the Plains of Abraham during the
Seven Years' War, in which British troops under General
James Wolfe defeated the French general
Louis-Joseph de Montcalm and took the city. France later ceded
New France to Britain.
British rule
During the
American Revolution, revolutionary troops from the southern colonies assaulted the British garrison in an attempt to 'liberate' Quebec City now known as the
Battle of Quebec. The defeat of the revolutionaries from the south put an end to the hopes that the peoples of Quebec would rise and join the
Revolution. Major General
Isaac Brock fortified Quebec City by strengthening the walls and building an elevated
artillery battery before the
War of 1812.
In 1840, after the Province of Canada was formed, the capital was shared between
Kingston,
Montreal,
Toronto,
Ottawa and Quebec City (from 1852 to 1856 and from 1859 to 1866). In 1867, Ottawa (which was chosen to be the permanent capital of the Province of Canada) was chosen to be the capital of the Dominion of Canada. The
Quebec Conference on
Canadian Confederation was held here.
20th and 21st centuries
During
World War II, two conferences were held in Quebec City. The first one was held in 1943 with
Franklin Delano Roosevelt (the
United States' president),
Winston Churchill (the
United Kingdom's prime minister),
William Lyon Mackenzie King (Canada's prime minister) and
T.V. Soong (
China's minister of foreign affairs). The second one was held in 1944, and was attended by Churchill and Roosevelt. They took place in the buildings of the
Citadelle and of nearby
Château Frontenac. A large part of the
D-Day Landings plans were made during those meetings.
Capital
Throughout its nearly four hundred years of existence, Quebec City has served as a capital:
- from 1608 to 1627 and 1632 to 1763, it was capital of French Canada and all of New France,
- from 1763 to 1791, it was the capital of the Province of Quebec,
- from 1791 to 1841, it was the capital of the Province of Lower Canada,
- from 1852 to 1856 and from 1859 to 1866, it was capital of the Province of Canada,
- from 1867 to today, it has been capital of the Province of Quebec.
Geography and climate
Quebec City is located in the
Saint Lawrence River valley, on the north bank of the Saint Lawrence River near its meeting with the St. Charles River. The region is low-lying and flat. The river valley has rich, arable
soil, which makes this region the most fertile in the province. The
Laurentian Mountains lie to the north of the city.
Upper Town lies on the top of Cap-Diamant (Cape Diamond) promontory. A high stone wall surrounds this portion of the city. The
Plains of Abraham are located near the edge of the promontory. Lower Town is located at shore level, below Cap-Diamant.
Climate
Quebec City has a humid continental climate (
Koppen climate classification Dfb) characterized by cold and snowy winters, warm and rather humid summers, and ample precipitation throughout the year. Quebec City is one of the snowiest cities in Canada (the mean annual snowfall is 384 cm) and is almost guaranteed a
white Christmas. The prolonged winter season and ample snowfall led to the idea of establishing the
Quebec Winter Carnival. The transitional seasons, spring and autumn, are rather short, although autumn produces spectacular foliage colors. The summer is the sunniest, and paradoxically, the wettest time of year.
Municipal public administration
City Council
The
Mayor of Quebec City is Régis Labeaume, elected on 2 December 2007.
Jacques Joli-Coeur, from the
Renouveau municipal de Québec party (succeeding to
Andrée P. Boucher, an independent, who died on August 24th 2007) had been the interim mayor. The leader of the
Renouveau municipal de Québec party and leader of the city council's majority is councillor
Jean-Marie Matte.
Boroughs
Quebec City has thirty-four
districts in eight
boroughs.
The Lower Town is filled with original architecture and street designs, dating back to the city's beginnings. Murals and statues are also featured. The Lower Town is also noted for its wide variety of
boutiques, many featuring hand-crafted goods.
Demographics
According to the last (May 2000) census, there were 682,757 people residing in Quebec City, of whom 48.2% were male and 51.8% were female. Children under five accounted for approximately 4.7% of the resident population of Quebec City. This compares with 5.2% in the province of Quebec, and 5.6% for Canada overall.
While Montreal is considered by many to be a
bilingual city, with many of its residents having a working knowledge of both French and English, Quebec City and its surrounding region is largely
Francophone. The large majority of city residents are native
French-speakers. At the English community's peak during the 1860s, 40% of Quebec City's residents were
Anglophone. Today, Anglophones only make up 1.5% of both the city and metropolitan area's population .
In mid-2001, 13.0% of the resident population in Quebec City was of retirement age (65 and over for males and females) compared with 13.2% in Canada. The average age is 39.5 years of age compared to 37.6 years of age for Canada as a whole.
In the five years between 1996 and 2001, the population of Quebec City grew by 1.6%, compared with an increase of 1.4% for the province of Quebec as a whole. Population density of Quebec City averaged 216.4 people per square kilometre, compared with an average of 5.3, for the province of Quebec as a whole.
At the time of that May 2001 census, the population of the Quebec City authority was 682,757, but was 710,700 when encompassing the Greater Quebec City Area, compared with a resident population in the province of Quebec of 7,237,479 people.
According to the 2001 census, over 90% of the population was
Roman Catholic, along with small
Jewish and
Protestant populations.
| 1931
|
1941 |
1951 |
1961 |
1971 |
1981 |
1991 |
2001 |
2006 |
| 131 000 |
151 000 |
289 000 |
379 000 |
481 000 |
576 000 |
645,550 |
686 569 |
715 515 |
Mother tongue language
from Canada 2006 Census
| Language |
Population |
Percentage (%) |
| French |
456,225 |
94.55% |
| English |
7,030 |
1.46% |
| Both English and French |
1,460 |
0.3% |
| Other languages |
17,825 |
3.69% |
Transportation
Quebec City is served by
Jean Lesage International Airport, located in the West of the city.
The city also has a large major
port on the St-Lawrence in the first, fifth and sixth boroughs.
Roads
Three bridges, the
Quebec Bridge and
Pierre Laporte Bridge connect the city with the south shore of the
Saint Lawrence River, as does a
ferry service to
Lévis, and
Orleans Island Bridge connects Quebec City with
the Orleans Island. The city is a major hub in the Quebec provincial road network, fanning out from both sides of the river with an extensive
autoroute system.
Several important motorways of the Quebec road network pass by Quebec City, of which
Autoroute 40 connects it towards the west to Montreal and
Route 175 connects it towards the north to
Chicoutimi.
Three principal expressways cross the agglomeration from the north to the south (starting from the west):
Autoroute Henri-IV,
Autoroute Robert-Bourassa , and
Autoroute Laurentienne. Three other motorways cross the western part of town (from north to south):
Autoroute Félix Leclerc (known by the inhabitants as "Autoroute de la Capitale"),
Autoroute Charest, as well as Champlain Boulevard, which goes along the river to the Downtown area, then another Autoroute called
Dufferin-Montmorency allows easier access to the extreme east of the city.
Public Transit
The
Réseau de transport de la Capitale is responsible for public transit in the region. The RTC operates a fleet of buses and will eventually implement articulated buses. The RTC is studying the return of a
tram system to help ease overcrowding on its busiest lines as well as attract new users to public transit. The $700-million revitalization project needs approval from higher levels of government since the city doesn't have the financial resources to fund such an ambitious project on its own.
Rail transport is operated by
VIA Rail at the (
Gare du Palais). The station is the eastern terminus of the railway's main
Quebec City-Windsor Corridor.
An inter-city bus station, with connections to the provincial long-distance bus network, is adjacent to the train station.
Public safety
Quebec City is protected by
Service de police de la Ville de Québec and
Service de protection contre les incendies de Québec. Quebec City has one of the lowest crime rates in Canada. The city reported no murders in 2007, a streak that stretched back to October 31, 2006.
Attractions
Many of the city's attractions are east of the fortification walls in
Vieux-Québec (Old Quebec) and
Place Royale (Royal Place). This area has a distinct European feel unique in North America with its stone buildings and winding streets lined with shops and restaurants. Porte St-Louis (St. Louis Gate) and Porte St-Jean (St. Jean Gate) are the main gates through the walls from the modern section of downtown. West of the walls are the Colline-Parlementaire (Parliament Hill) district and the Plaines d'Abraham (Plains of Abraham).
Quebec City's skyline is dominated by the massive
Château Frontenac Hotel, perched on top of Cap-Diamant. The hotel is beside the Terrasse Dufferin (Dufferin Terrace), a walkway along the edge of the cliff, offering beautiful views of the Saint Lawrence River.
Near the Château Frontenac is
Notre-Dame de Québec Cathedral, mother church of the
Roman Catholic Archdiocese of Quebec. It is the first church in the
New World to be raised to a
basilica and is the
primatial church of Canada.
The Terrasse Dufferin leads toward the nearby
Plains of Abraham, site of the battle in which the
British took Quebec from
France, and the
Citadelle of Quebec, a
Canadian Forces installation and the
federal vice-regal secondary residence. The
National Assembly, Quebec's provincial legislature, is also near the
Citadelle.
The Haute-Ville (Upper Town) is linked by the Escalier
«casse-cou» (literally "neck-breaker" steps) and the
Old Quebec Funicular to the Basse-Ville (Lower Town), which includes such sites as the ancient
Notre Dame des Victoires church, the historic Petit Champlain district, the port, and the
Musée de la Civilisation (Museum of Civilization).
Université Laval is located in the western end of the city, in the borough of
Sainte-Foy. However, the school of architecture of Université Laval is located in Old Quebec. The central campus of the
Université du Québec, originally in
Sainte-Foy, is also, since the amalgamation, located in Quebec City.
Canon balls are placed beside "Château Frontenac."
Quebec City is known for its
Winter Carnival and for its
Saint-Jean-Baptiste Day celebrations.
Quebec city has the oldest educational institution for women in North America, the
Ursulines of Quebec monastery, located at 12 Rue Donnacona.
Tourist attractions located near Quebec City include
Montmorency Falls and the
Basilica of Sainte-Anne-de-Beaupré.
Museums
Musée national des beaux-arts du Québec
Musée de la civilisation
Musée de l'Amérique française
Espace Félix Leclerc
Musée naval de Québec
Choco-Musée Erico
Musée des Ursulines de Québec (See Ursulines of Quebec)
La Citadelle de Québec/The Royal 22e Régiment Museum
Musée de l'Abeille
Plains of Abraham Exhibition Center
Natural science sites
Jardin zoologique du Québec, reopened in 2002 after two years of restorations but closed in 2006 after a political decision. It was presenting to the public 750 specimens of 300 different species. The zoo was specialized in winged fauna and garden themes, but also presented several species of mammals. While it emphasizes the indigenous fauna of Québec, one of its principal attractions was the Indo-Australian greenhouse, featuring fauna and flora from these areas.
Parc Aquarium du Québec, reopened in 2002 on a site overlooking the St. Lawrence River, presents more than 10,000 specimens of mammals, reptiles, fish and other aquatic fauna of North America and the Arctic. Polar bears and various species of seals of the Arctic sector and the "Large Ocean", a large basin offering visitors a view from underneath, form part of the principal attractions. Website : http://www.spsnq.qc.ca/
Education
University level
Université Laval
Université du Québec (Headquarters of the network)
École nationale d'administration publique (ENAP)
Institut national de la recherche scientifique (INRS)
Télé-université (TELUQ) - a component of UQAM
College level
Cégep François-Xavier-Garneau
Cégep O'Sullivan
Cégep Limoilou
- Campus of Québec(Registered office)
- Campus of Charlesbourg
- Campus of the "Maison des métiers d'art de Québec"
Cégep de Sainte-Foy
Collège Notre-Dame-de-Foy
Collège Mérici
Collège Bart
Collège CDI
Collège Multihexa
Champlain-St. Lawrence College (English-speaking Cégep)
Lianna Warburton College
Sports
Sports teams
Quebec Kebs of the Premier Basketball League
Québec Remparts of the Quebec Major Junior Hockey League
Québec Radio X of the Ligue nord-américaine de hockey
Quebec Capitales of the Canadian-American Association of Professional Baseball
Laval University Rouge-et-Or of the Canadian Interuniversity Sport men's football
Quebec City Monarks of the Ligue de football majeur du Québec
Quebec City Rebelles of the Ligue de football majeur du Québec
FC Quebec of the Canadian Soccer League
Quebec Phoenix of the Canadian Women's Hockey League
Former teams
Quebec Bulldogs of the National Hockey League
Quebec Nordiques of the National Hockey League and World Hockey Association
Quebec Aces of the American Hockey League
Quebec Citadelles of the American Hockey League
Québec Rafales of the International Hockey League
Quebec Caribous of the National Lacrosse League (1974-75)
Québec Carnavals of baseball's Eastern League
Sporting events
Challenge Bell, a women's WTA tennis tournament.
Quebec City International Pee-Wee Tournament, a major minor hockey tournament.
The Quebec Nordiques played in the World Hockey Association (WHA) from 1972 to 1979 and then in the National Hockey League (NHL) from 1979 to 1995, maintaining a strong rivalry with the Montreal Canadiens, and the Buffalo Sabres. Due to financial problems, the team moved to Denver, Colorado in 1995, becoming Colorado Avalanche. There has been discussion of bringing a team back to the city, but former mayor Andrée Boucher hadn't supported the project. It is generally expected that Quebec City will need to build a new arena to get a new team, replacing the Colisée Pepsi, as well as organizing an ownership group.
There have been discussions around getting a Canadian Football League team. Quebec City is expected to be in competition with Moncton and Halifax for the franchise, though a new stadium would likely be needed as well. The local football team, the Rouge & Or of the Université Laval remains very popular.
Quebec City was appointed, together with Halifax, Nova Scotia, co-host of the 2008 International Ice Hockey Federation World Championships Quebec City played host to various games (Group A and Group D) and the semi-finals, the bronze game and the finals. —the IIHF World Championships were last held in North America in 1962, by Denver and Colorado Springs, Colorado.
Quebec City was the host of the Special Olympics Canada National Winter Games, held from February 26 to March 1, 2008. This event brought together over 1,000 athletes, coaches and mission staff members from Canada’s 10 provinces and 2 territories as well as more than 600 volunteers. Competitions were held throughout the week in the following sports: curling, snowshoeing, cross-country skiing, downhill skiing, floor hockey, figure skating and speed skating. The snowsoeing and cross-country events were held on the Plains of Abraham, one of Canada's most historic sites. The athletes selected for the Games strove for a place in Team Canada’s training group at the 2009 Special Olympics World Winter Games.
Media
Famous Quebec City natives and residents
(See Wikipedia category for a more systematic list.)
Astronauts : Marc Garneau
Writers : Jacques Poulin, Anne Hébert, Gabrielle Roy, Jean Lemieux, Yves Thériault, Roland Michel Tremblay.
Painters : Paul-Henri DuBerger,
Musicians and singers : Steve Barakatt, Richard Verreau, Bruno Pelletier, Gilles Vigneault, Félix Leclerc, Alys Robi.
Politicians : Stéphane Dion, Jean Lesage, Pauline Marois, Louis-Alexandre Taschereau.
Theatre : Robert Lepage, Jacques Leblanc, Marie Gignac.
Humourists/Comedians : André-Philippe Gagnon, Mike Ward, Norm Macdonald, François Pérusse, Terry Mosher.
Actors : Céline Bonnier, Glenn Ford.
Television/Radio Personalities: André Arthur, Jeff Fillion, Richard Garneau.
Athletes : Jessica Dubé, Sylvie Bernier, Elena Grosheva, Martin St. Louis, Joe Malone, Myriam Bédard, Patrick Roy, Manon Rhéaume, Mélanie Turgeon, Gaétan Boucher, Rick Martel, Simon Gagné, Yan Stastny, Paul Stastny, Patrice Bergeron, Francis Bouillon, Kevin Dineen, Marty Barry
Theologian : Neil Gillman
Sister cities
Albany, United States
Beirut, Lebanon
Bordeaux, Aquitaine, France (since 1962)
Calgary, Alberta, Canada (since 1956)
Cannes, France
Changchun, China
Iaşi, Romania
Guanajuato, Guanajuato, Mexico (since 2002)
Huế, Vietnam (since 2005)
Liège, Belgium (since 2002)
Montevideo, Uruguay (since 2000)
Namur, Belgium (since 1999)
Ouagadougou, Burkina Faso (since 2000)
Paris, France (since 2003)
Sousse, Tunisia (since 2004)
St. Petersburg, Russia (since 2002)
Xi'an, China (since 2001)Further Information
Get more info on 'Quebec City'.
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