Saint-Jérôme, Quebec

Saint-Jérôme
City

Coat of arms

Location within La Rivière-du-Nord RCM.
Saint-Jérôme

Location in central Quebec.

Coordinates: 45°47′N 74°00′W / 45.783°N 74.000°W / 45.783; -74.000Coordinates: 45°47′N 74°00′W / 45.783°N 74.000°W / 45.783; -74.000[1]
Country  Canada
Province  Quebec
Region Laurentides
RCM La Rivière-du-Nord
Settled 1834[2]
Constituted January 1, 2002
Government[3]
  Mayor Marc Gascon
  Mayor-elect Stéphane Maher
  Federal riding Rivière-du-Nord
  Prov. riding Saint-Jérôme
Area[3][4]
  Total 92.90 km2 (35.87 sq mi)
  Land 90.52 km2 (34.95 sq mi)
Population (2011)[4]
  Total 68,456
  Density 756.3/km2 (1,959/sq mi)
  Pop 2006-2011 Increase 7.4%
Time zone EST (UTC−5)
  Summer (DST) EDT (UTC−4)
Postal code(s) J5L, J7Y, J7Z
Area code(s) 450 and 579
Highways
A-15 (TCH)

Route 117
Route 158
Route 333
Website www.vsj.ca

Saint-Jérôme (French pronunciation: [sɛ̃ ʒeʁom]) (2011 Population 68,456) is an off-island suburb of Montreal, located about 60 kilometres (37 mi) northwest of Montreal along Autoroute des Laurentides. The town is a gateway to the Laurentian Mountains and its resorts.

The town is named after Saint Jerome (ca. 347 – September 30, 420), a church father best known as the translator of the Bible from Greek and Hebrew into Latin. His translation is known as the Vulgate.

History

Cathedral of Saint-Jérôme, Quebec, Canada

The territory where the present city of Saint-Jérôme now stands was granted in 1752 by the marquis de la Jonquière, governor of New France, as the seignory of Augmentation des Mille-Iles (literally "enlargement" of the seignory of Mille-Iles). From the 1760s to the 1840s, the seignory was owned by the Dumont and Lefebvre de Bellefeuille families, living in the town of Saint-Eustache, 25 kilometers (16 mi) to the south. The Dumont and the Lefebvre conceded the farmland to colonists coming mostly from the region lying north of Montreal. The emerging town was then known under the name of Dumontville. The Catholic parish of Saint-Jérôme was constituted on November 15, 1834 and the village itself was constituted on July 1, 1845 by governor Metcalfe.[5]

François-Xavier-Antoine Labelle, a Roman Catholic priest who was the great "colonizer" (promoter of settlement) of the North of Montreal, was in charge of the pastoral administration of Saint-Jérôme of 1868 until his death, in 1891. Eight years after his arrival, he had a railroad built linking Saint-Jérôme and Montreal.

Antoine Labelle was the parish priest of Saint-Jérôme for 22 years, from 1868 until his death, at 57 years of age, on January 4, 1891. He was called "the king of North, the apostle of colonization".

The opening of roads and the arrival of a railroad became essential with the development of the small communities in the Laurentians. These transportation routes for the movement of goods and people would ensure the establishment of trade and industry.

Labelle promoted the idea of a railroad towards the North beginning in 1869. The railway reached Saint-Jérôme in 1876, partly because a railway was seen as a way to meet the needs for firewood and construction materials for urban centres like Montreal and Quebec.

In 2002 Saint-Jérôme amalgamated with the municipalities of Bellefeuille (2001 census population 14,066), Saint-Antoine (2001 population 11,488) and Lafontaine (2001 population 9,477).

Saint-Jérôme is the seat of the judicial district of Terrebonne.[6]



Transportation

Road

Saint-Jérôme is served by Québec Autoroute 15, which is part of the Trans-Canada Highway system, and Québec Route 117. In addition, Québec Routes 158 and 333 pass through the city.

Public Transportation

Train

Saint-Jérôme is served by the Saint-Jérôme intermodal commuter rail station on the Réseau de transport métropolitain's Saint-Jérôme line. Commuter trains to Montreal began to serve the station in January 2007, with four trains in each direction each business day.[7]

Since upgrades to the line were made in 2013, which included work to double the track between Sainte-Rose station and Saint-Martin Junction and install Automatic Train Control (ATC) between Parc station and the end of the line in Saint-Jérôme, all trains now serve the station. There are currently 13 departures towards Montreal during the week, and six departures on the weekends and holidays.[8]

Bus

The station is also served by bus routes operated by local transit agency, CIT Laurentides, and the neighbouring transit agency CRT Lanaudière as well as three private intercity bus companies.

Trails

Saint-Jérôme is an important stop on the north-south trunk of the "route verte" cycling path which makes it possible for nature lovers who are also pedaling enthusiasts to make short trips or excursions lasting several days from as far south as Blainville, Quebec on the outskirts of Montreal and as far north as Mont-Tremblant, Quebec without ever sharing the road with a motorized vehicle. North of Saint-Jérôme, the trail is known as the "P'tit Train du Nord" linear park (rail trail)[9] and is also used as a cross-country ski trail in winter.

Industry

Uniroyal plant, built 1911–1930

Uniroyal, Dominion Rubber

Health

Saint-Jerome Hospital, Health Centre (Quebec, Canada)

Institutional health care

The Centre de santé et de services sociaux de Saint-Jérôme (Health and Social Services Centre of Saint-Jérôme or CSSS) is the non-profit body that operates three different types of health care institution in the city: an acute-care hospital (the Hôpital régional de Saint-Jérôme), the CLSC and long-term care facilities. By its regional vocation, it serves the entire Laurentides region. The history of the CSSS of Saint-Jerome begins with the construction of the hospital in 1949 and its opening the following year.

The main purpose of the establishment is to offer care and high quality services to the population. In April 2007, the CSSS obtained accreditation from Accreditation Canada. This distinction confirms adequate standards of care and patient safety.

Education

Saint-Jérôme is home to the Cégep de Saint-Jérôme, one of the Colleges of General and Vocational Education located in the province. It is also home to a new Saint-Jérôme branch campus of the Université du Québec en Outaouais.

The Commission scolaire de la Rivière-du-Nord operates French-language public schools.

Attractions

Priest Labelle statue.

Demographics

According to the 2011 Canadian Census,[10] the population of Saint-Jérôme is 68,456, a 7.4% increase from 2006. The population density is 756.3 people per square km. The median age is 43.9 years old, a bit older than the national median at 40.6 years old. There are 32,534 private dwellings with an occupancy rate of 95.6%. According to the 2011 National Household Survey, the median value of a dwelling in Saint-Jérôme is $200,049 which is lower than the national average at $280,552. The median household income (after-taxes) in Saint-Jérôme is $40,544, a fair bit lower than the national average at $54,089.

Saint-Jérôme is mostly made up of European descents. The racial make up of Saint-Jérôme is:

Most of Saint-Jérôme's population is either Christian (88.1%), or affiliates with no religion (11.1%). The remaining 0.8% affiliate with another religion.

Population trend:[11]

Canada Census Mother Tongue - St-Jerome, Quebec[12]
Census Total
French
English
French & English
Other
Year Responses Count Trend Pop % Count Trend Pop % Count Trend Pop % Count Trend Pop %
2011
67,675
64,395 Increase 7.68% 95.15% 1,005 Increase 17.54% 1.56% 365 Increase 15.88% 0.54% 1,710 Increase 7.55% 2.53%
2006
62,560
59,800 Increase 6.06% 95.58% 855 Increase 20.42% 1.36% 315 Decrease 5.9% 0.50% 1,590 Increase 120.8% 2.54%
2001
58,150
56,385 Increase 4.55% 96,96% 710 Decrease 10.69% 1.2% 335 Decrease 9.45% 0.58% 720 Increase 29.72% 1.23%
1996
55,630
53,930 n/a 97.21% 795 n/a 1.43% 370 n/a 0.67% 555 n/a 1.00%

The 2006 census found that 95.6% of residents spoke French as their mother tongue.

The next most common languages were English (1.4%) and Spanish (1.0%).[13]

Mother Tongue Population Percentage
French 59,795 95.58%
English 855 1.37%
English and French 315 0.50%
French and a non-official language 45 0.07%
English and a non-official language 25 0.04%
Spanish 630 1.01%
Italian 205 0.33%
Greek 135 0.22%
Chinese 90 0.14%
Serbo-Croatian 65 0.10%

Notable people

Twin towns

See also

References

  1. Reference number 151354 of the Commission de toponymie du Québec (in French)
  2. Histoire de Saint-Jérôme
  3. 1 2 Geographic code 75017 in the official Répertoire des municipalités (in French)
  4. 1 2 "(Code 2475017) Census Profile". 2011 census. Statistics Canada. 2012.
  5. Auclair, Elie-J., Saint-Jérôme de Terrebonne, Imprimerie J.H.A. Labelle, 1934, pages 13-35.
  6. Territorial Division Act. Revised Statutes of Quebec D-11.
  7. La Presse, 28 novembre 2006 "Saint-Jérôme aura son train de banlieue" par Jean-Paul Charbonneau
  8. Schedules Saint-Jérôme (RTM)
  9. Government of Quebec – Parc Linéaire Le P'tit Train du Nord
  10. 2011 NHS/Census Profile of Saint-Jérôme: http://www12.statcan.gc.ca/nhs-enm/2011/dp-pd/prof/details/page.cfm?Lang=E&Geo1=CSD&Code1=2475017&Data=Count&SearchText=Saint-Jerome&SearchType=Begins&SearchPR=01&A1=All&B1=All&Custom=&TABID=1
  11. Statistics Canada: 1996, 2001, 2006, 2011 census
  12. Statistics Canada: 1996, 2001, 2006, 2011 census
  13. "Saint-Jérôme, V". Detailed Mother Tongue (103), Knowledge of Official Languages (5), Age Groups (17A) and Sex (3) for the Population of Canada, Provinces, Territories, Census Divisions and Census Subdivisions, 2006 Census - 20% Sample Data. Statistics Canada. 2007-11-20. Retrieved 2008-08-02.



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