Verchères, Quebec

Verchères, Quebec
—  Municipality  —
Statue honouring Canadian heroine Madeleine de Verchères.
Location within Lajemmerais Regional County Municipality.
Coordinates (581, route Marie-Victorin [1]):
Country  Canada
Province  Quebec
Region Montérégie (16)
RCM Lajemmerais
Incorporated September 18, 1971
Electoral Districts
Federal

Verchères—Les Patriotes
Provincial Verchères
Government[1][2][3]
 • Mayor Claude Fradet
 • Federal MP(s) Luc Malo (BQ)
 • Quebec MNA(s) Stephane Bergeron (PQ)
Area[4]
 • Land 73.24 km2 (28.3 sq mi)
Population (2006)[4]
 • Total 5,243
 • Density 71.6/km2 (185.4/sq mi)
 • Change (2001-06) 9.6%
 • Dwellings 2,162
Time zone EST (UTC-5)
 • Summer (DST) EDT (UTC-4)
Postal code(s) J0L
Area code(s) 450
Access Routes[5]
A-30

Route 132
Website www.ville.vercheres.qc.ca

Verchères is an off-island suburb of Montreal, in Montérégie, Quebec, located on the south bank of the Saint Lawrence River. The population as of the Canada 2006 Census was 5,243.

Contents

History

In the 17th century, the settlement at Verchères was the scene of an Iroquois raid that was apparently thwarted by the ingenuity of a 14 year old girl named Madeleine (now known as Madeleine de Verchères). A cast-iron statue of Madeleine de Verchères stands today by the former location of the settlement stronghold on the shore of the Saint-Lawrence river.

In French, the word Verchères can be used as an adjective to describe a specific type of rowboat invented in Verchères at the end of the 19th century, i.e. chaloupe verchères. A specimen of the rowboat is on permanent outdoor display during in the summer and fall in at the Parc Jean-Marie Moreau across from the town office.

The motto of Verchères is "In Tenebris Lumen Rectis Corde". The streets of Verchères are mostly named after the patronyms of residing families but also after local people who rose to celebrity in Canadian history.

Panorama

View of Verchères from the Saint Lawrence River in winter

Demographics

Population

Population trend[6]

Census Population Change (%)
2006 5,243 9.6%
2001 4,782 1.5%
1996 4,854 1.5%
1991 4,781 N/A

Language

Mother tongue language (2006)[4]

Language Population Pct (%)
French only 5,035 97.11%
English only 40 0.77%
Both English and French 20 0.39%
Other languages 90 1.73%

Notable natives and residents

See also

References

External links

Media related to [//commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/Category:Verch%C3%A8res_(Qu%C3%A9bec) Verchères (Québec)] at Wikimedia Commons