Rawdon, Quebec

Rawdon
Coordinates:
Country  Canada
Province  Quebec
Region Lanaudière
Regional County Matawinie
Settled 1799
Incorporated 1845 (township)
Incorporated May 28, 1998 (merger)
Government
 • Type Municipality
 • Mayor Jacques Beauregard
 • Federal riding Joliette
 • Prov. riding Rousseau
Area[1]
 • Land 186.95 km2 (72.2 sq mi)
Population (2006)[1]
 • Total 10,058
 • Density 53.8/km2 (139.3/sq mi)
Time zone EST (UTC-5)
 • Summer (DST) EDT (UTC-4)
Postal Code J0K
Area code(s) 450
Website rawdon.ca

Rawdon is a municipality located on the Ouareau River in southwestern Quebec, Canada, 45 minutes north of Montreal. It is the seat for the Regional County Municipality of Matawinie, in the Lanaudière region. Rawdon is part of the Joliette federal electoral district.

Rawdon is home to one English public school and four French public schools as well as a medium-size ski resort.

Contents

Geography

Rawdon is located at the beginning of the Canadian Shield mountains. Its lakes and mountains make it a destination for summer tourism with its many camps and cottages. Rawdon is home to the Dorwin and Manchester falls, which lie less than a kilometre from downtown and offer a public beach on the artificial Rawdon Lake. In summer, temperatures can soar as high as 35 °C (95 °F) while temperatures as cold as −30 °C (−22 °F) can be felt in winter.

History

Rawdon township was established in 1799 and named after Sir Francis Rawdon-Hastings, 1st Marquess of Hastings. The town of Rawdon was primarily home to people of Irish background up until 1844, when more and more French-Canadians settled the region and small shops and industries emerged. Following the First World War, Rawdon saw a considerable number of Russian and East European families arrive to settle in its countryside. It was originally part of Montcalm County. From 1920 to 1998, there were two separate municipalities named "Rawdon": the township of Rawdon and the village of Rawdon; in 1998, they were reunited into a single municipality.

Demographics

According to the 2006 census, the population of Rawdon is 10,058. In summer, the population is said to double and even sometimes triple due to tourism and the presence of many cottages in the vicinity.

Population trend:[2]

Private dwellings occupied by usual residents: 4261 (total dwellings: 5191)

Mother tongue:[1]

Notable Rawdon natives

References

  1. ^ a b c Statistics Canada 2006 Census - Rawdon community profile
  2. ^ Statistics Canada: 1996, 2001, 2006 census

External links