Rosemère, Quebec

Rosemère
City
Coat of arms
Motto: "Vivat floreat crestat" (Latin for, "Live, Bloom and Grow")
Location within Thérèse-De Blainville RCM.
Rosemère Location in central Quebec.
Coordinates: 45°38′13″N 73°48′00″W / 45.63694°N 73.80000°W / 45.63694; -73.80000Coordinates: 45°38′13″N 73°48′00″W / 45.63694°N 73.80000°W / 45.63694; -73.80000[1]
Country	Canada
Province	Quebec
Region	Laurentides
RCM	Thérèse-De Blainville
Constituted	January 1, 1947
Government[2]
• Mayor	Madeleine Leduc
• Federal riding	Rivière-des-Mille-Îles
• Prov. riding	Groulx
Area[2][3]
• Total	12.20 km2 (4.71 sq mi)
• Land	10.77 km2 (4.16 sq mi)
Elevation	29 m (95 ft)
Population (2011)[3]
• Total	14,294
• Density	1,326.9/km2 (3,437/sq mi)
• Pop 2006–2011	0.9%
Time zone	EST (UTC−5)
• Summer (DST)	EDT (UTC−4)
Postal code(s)	J6Z, J7A
Area code(s)	450 and 579
Highways A-640	Route 117 Route 344
Website	www.ville.rosemere.qc.ca

Church in Rosemère

Rosemère is an off-island suburb of Montreal, in southwestern Quebec, Canada on the north shore of the Rivière des Mille-Îles in the Thérèse-De Blainville Regional County Municipality. The town is noted for its green look, due to the high density of trees. Some wooded areas in the town have been left intact as the town has grown around them. Homes are mostly upscale, varying from renovated cottages to unique character homes. It is almost entirely residential, with no significant industries. Boulevard Curé-Labelle, the town's main commercial artery, is lined up by suburban shops and shopping malls, the largest of which is Place Rosemère.

Its most famous resident is likely Alexandre Bilodeau, who became the first Canadian athlete to win an Olympic gold medal on Canadian soil. He won the Men's Moguls event at the 2010 Winter Olympic Games in Vancouver, BC.

Demographics

According to the Town of Rosemère website:

• Total population: 14,377
• Dwellings: 5,258
• Area (km².): 12.35
• Density (persons per km².): 1166
• Mayor: Madeleine Leduc

Canada Census Mother Tongue - Rosemère, Quebec[4]
Census		Total		French				English				French & English				Other
Year		Responses		Count	Trend	Pop %		Count	Trend	Pop %		Count	Trend	Pop %		Count	Trend	Pop %
2011		14 135		10,720	0.03%	75.84%		1,825	10.68%	12.91%		190	13.15%	1.35%		1,270	14.56%	9.06%
2006		14,010		10,685	5.66%	76.26%		2,020	3.57%	14.41%		215	20.93%	1.53%		1,085	24%	7.74%
2001		13,215		10,080	12.9%	76.27%		2,095	4.3%	15.85%		170	5.5%	1.24%		875	8.5%	6.62%
1996		12 025		8,770	n/a	72.93%		2,190	n/a	18.21%		180	n/a	1.49%		805	n/a	6.69%

History

The area that would become Rosemère was first settled in 1714, with the establishment of the Mille-Îles Seigneury.^[5] By 1780, the Seigneury was well established, with large tracts of land under cultivation. Rosemere was named by J.P. Withers, of the Canadian Pacific Railway, who moved to the area in 1880. At first he called his new home "Rose", after the many wild roses growing there. Later he added "mere" an old English word for a lake. The Mille-Îles river is wide and has the appearance of a lake at this location. So the English meaning would be "lake of roses". After the town's incorporation documents were forwarded to Quebec City, an accent was added to the middle e; according to statements by residents. In French, the name does not mean "Mother of Roses", which would be said "Mère des Roses" in French. The town's name has no sensible meaning in French, though in typical Canadian fashion, the name has become bilingual.

In the first half of the last century, Rosemère had several natural sandy beaches on the Rivière des Mille-Îles and many cottages along the shoreline that were only used during the summer. These beaches fell into disuse in the early 1960s because of pollution. A majority of the year-round residents were francophone and many of the summer-only residents were anglophone. After World War II, Rosemère was transformed into a bedroom community of Montreal with the construction of homes in farmland and forested areas NW of Grande Cote. By 1964, 65% of Rosemère's residents were anglophone. While the French and English residents of Rosemère have always enjoyed the ambience of the area in harmony, the English population has declined over the years to today's 16% (Statistics Canada 2001 Census), but has since climbed to 19.89% (Statistics Canada 2006 Census).

The French and English speaking communities of Rosemère have been cohabitating for a long time, each of them leaving its own mark and institutions. In 1992, a public consultation process confirmed the desire of residents to preserve the Town of Rosemère's bilingual status.

Education

The Commission scolaire de la Seigneurie-des-Mille-Iles (CSSMI) operates French-language schools in the city.^[6]

• École secondaire Hubert-Maisonneuve^[7]
• École Alpha^[8]

Furthermore, the administration building for the Sir Wilfrid Laurier School Board which operates English-language schools found in the Laval, Laurentian and Lanaudière regions is located in Rosemere. It neighbours one of its secondary schools, Rosemere High School which also houses the English school board's educational and complimentary services.^[9] The board also operates McCaig Elementary School, which is located in very close proximity to the high school, as it is located on the same street.^[10]

Transportation

Rosemère is connected to Montreal's Lucien-L'Allier Station by commuter rail via the Rosemère station of the Réseau de transport métropolitain's Saint-Jérôme line. Local bus service is provided by the RTM's CITL section.

See also

• Place Rosemère
• Rivière aux Chiens (rivière des Mille Îles), a river

References

External links

• City of Rosemère
• Rosemère/Lorraine Hockey Association
• Rosemère/Lorraine Annual Novice Hockey Tournament