Sainte-Félicité, Bas-Saint-Laurent, Quebec

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Sainte-Félicité
Municipality
Church of Sainte-Félicité
Church of Sainte-Félicité
Location within La Matanie RCM.
Location within La Matanie RCM.
Sainte-Félicité is located in Eastern Quebec
Sainte-Félicité

Sainte-Félicité
Location in eastern Quebec.
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Country  Canada
Province  Quebec
Region Bas-Saint-Laurent
RCM La Matanie
Settled mid 19th century
Constituted January 10, 1996
Government[2]
 • Mayor Claudine Desjardins
 • Federal riding Haute-Gaspésie—La Mitis—Matane—Matapédia
 • Prov. riding Matane-Matapédia
Area[2][3]
 • Total 90.60 km2 (34.98 sq mi)
 • Land 91.35 km2 (35.27 sq mi)
  There is an apparent
contradiction between two
authoritative sources
Population (2011)[3]
 • Total 1,175
 • Density 12.9/km2 (33/sq mi)
 • Pop 2006-2011 Decrease 2.2%
 • Dwellings 625
Demonym(s) Félicitois, Félicitoise
Time zone EST (UTC−5)
 • Summer (DST) EDT (UTC−4)
Postal code(s) G0J 2K0
Area code(s) 418 and 581
Highways Route 132

Sainte-Félicité is a municipality in La Matanie Regional County Municipality of Quebec, Canada, located on the south shore of the Saint Lawrence River. It is named after Felicitas of Rome, a martyred saint. Its economy is based on fishing and agriculture.

Notable people who came from Sainte-Félicité include Québécois pop singer Isabelle Boulay, who was born there in 1972.

In addition to Sainte-Félicité itself, the municipality also includes the communities of Cap-à-la-Baleine, L'Anse-à-la-Croix, Le Grand-Deuxième, Le Petit-Deuxième, and Sainte-Félicité-Ouest.

History

According to recent studies, Cap à la Baleine (Cape Whale) was how far Jacques Cartier sailed up the Saint Lawrence in 1534. It was also an area with many shipwrecks, earning it the name Pointe-au-Massacre (Massacre Point), sometimes pluralized as Pointe-aux-Massacres. While Saint-Denis, the name of the geographic township, was used concurrently, the macabre name remained in use until the mid 19th century and was the inspiration for the current name, because Bishop Charles-François Baillargeon wrote "je change le Massacre en Félicité" ("I change the massacre to happiness") in 1860.[1]

In 1857, a mission was established. In 1864, the post office opened under the name Sainte-Félicité. In 1866, the place was incorporated as the Township Municipality of Saint-Denis, but two years later changed its name and status to Parish Municipality of Sainte-Félicité.[1]

In 1955, the main settlement separated from the parish municipality and was incorporated as the Village Municipality of Sainte-Félicité.[1]

On January 10, 1996, the current Municipality of Sainte-Félicité was formed when the Village Municipality and Parish Municipality were rejoined together again.[1]

Demographics

Population

Historical Census Data - Sainte-Félicité, Bas-Saint-Laurent, Quebec[6]
Year Pop. ±%
1991 666 —    
Year Pop. ±%
1996 1,330 +99.7%
Year Pop. ±%
2001 1,256 −5.6%
Year Pop. ±%
2006 1,201 −4.4%
Year Pop. ±%
2011 1,175 −2.2%

Population trend (pre-merger):[7]

  • Population totals in 1991:
    • Sainte-Félicité (parish municipality): 666
    • Sainte-Félicité (village municipality): 758

See also

References

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  2. 2.0 2.1 Lua error in package.lua at line 80: module 'strict' not found.
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  6. Statistics Canada: 1996, 2001, 2006, 2011 census
  7. Statistics Canada: 1996