Mont-Saint-Hilaire, Quebec

Mont -Saint -Hilaire is a city in the southwest of the Canadian province of Quebec. It is located in the Montérégie administrative region, about 30 kilometers east of Montreal. Mont -Saint -Hilaire part of the regional county municipality ( municipalité régional du comté ) La Vallée- du- Richelieu, has an area of ​​44.29 km ² and has 18,200 inhabitants ( 2011).

Geography

Mont -Saint -Hilaire is located in the region Rive- Sud, on the right bank of the Rivière Richelieu. This tributary of the St. Lawrence River also forms the western city limits. Outstanding topographical feature is the 414 meter high Mont Saint- Hilaire, who is one of the Montérégie hills. He stands almost 400 meters from the surrounding plane, forms a highly visible landmark and is a UNESCO Biosphere Reserve. The mountain has several peaks. Around a central lake, the Lac Hertel are grouped, Mont -Saint -Hilaire has grown together with Belœil, McMasterville and Otterburn Park to agglomeration with more than five thousand inhabitants.

Neighboring communities are Saint -Charles -sur -Richelieu in the north, Sainte -Marie -Madeleine in the Northeast, Saint -Jean -Baptiste in the Southeast, Saint -Mathias -sur -Richelieu in the south, Otterburn Park in the southwest, Belœil in the west and Saint -Marc -sur -Richelieu in the northwest.

History

The officer Joseph Hertel de Rouville -Baptiste received 1694 Seigneurie Rouville awarded the first farmer but before 1731 settled down. Around 1745, was built on the side of the mountain a small village where the springing in the higher Lac Hertel Bach drive several mills. However, most colonists preferred land near the river, so that the original settlement was abandoned towards the end of the 19th century. The parish of Saint- Hilaire, named after Saint Hilary of Poitiers, was founded in 1795. In December 1848, the St. Lawrence and Atlantic Railroad ( later Grand Trunk Railway ) took over the railway line from Montreal to Saint- Hyacinthe in operation, the first section of the railway Montreal Iceland Pond. One year after the dissolution of the Seigneurie followed 1855, the founding of the church of Mont-Saint -Hilaire. This was 1941, a direct road to Montreal and 1963 the city status. Since 2000, the city is a member of the administration union Communauté métropolitaine de Montréal.

Population

According to the 2011 census counted Mont -Saint -Hilaire 18,200 inhabitants, which corresponds to a population density of 410.9 inh. / Km ². 94.0 % of the population reported French as the main language, the proportion of English was 3.1 %. As a bilingual ( French and English) is designated 0.7 %, to other languages ​​and multiple responses accounted for 2.2%. Exclusively spoke French 45.7%. In 2001, 90.1 % of the population were Roman Catholic, 3.3% Protestant, and 5.3% non-denominational.

Traffic

By Mont -Saint -Hilaire leads in west-east direction, the route 116 from Montreal to Lévis, one of the major national main roads of the province. The Autoroute 40, the highway between these two cities runs, about five miles to the north. These two roads crossing the Route 133 between Sorel - Tracy and Saint -Jean -sur- Richelieu. Mont -Saint -Hilaire is the terminus of an AMT suburban railway line to Montreal. In addition, several bus lines of the company CIT de la Vallée du Richelieu connect the city with the surrounding communities, Montreal, Longueuil and Saint- Hyacinthe.

Personalities

  • Paul -Émile Borduas (1905-1960), painter
  • Ozias Leduc (1864-1955), painter
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