Salaberry-de-Valleyfield
Salaberry -de- Valleyfield is a city in the southwest of the Canadian province of Quebec. It is located in the Montérégie administrative region, approximately 60 kilometers southwest of Montreal, 35 km north of the border with the United States and 20 km east of the border with the province of Ontario. Salaberry -de- Valleyfield is the administrative seat of the regional county municipality ( municipalité régional du comté ) Beauharnois - Salaberry, has an area of 107.10 km ² and has 40 077 inhabitants ( 2011). The present city was founded in 2002 by the merger of three communities.
Geography
Salaberry -de- Valleyfield is located on the south shore of the St. Lawrence River, between the Lac Saint- Louis and Lac Saint -François. About a quarter of the urban area is situated on the Ile de Salaberry (also called Grande Ile ). These nine kilometer long island is located between the partially canalised river branch Rivière Saint -Charles in the south of Baie Saint -François in the west and the rapids of Les Cedars in the north. More to the urban area associated islands are Dondaine Ile, Ile des Chats, Ile and Ile Papineau Brisebois. At the mouth of the Rivière Saint -Charles is the hamlet of Saint - Timothée. Forms the southern boundary of the city in 1932 opened Canal de Beauharnois, a 1 km wide inlet channel to the Beauharnois hydroelectric power plant and part of the St. Lawrence Seaway. Since then, the earlier continental part of the city is an island, but it has no name.
Neighboring municipalities are Les Cedars in the north, Pointe -des- Cascades in the Northwest, Beauharnois in the east, Saint -Louis -de- Gonzague in the south and Saint- Stanislas -de- Kostka in the southwest.
History
The French king Louis XIV entrusted in 1673 the Seigneurie Châteauguay to Charles LeMoyne. 1729 new Seigneurie Beauharnois was separated from it. The densely forested area was still poorly understood at this time and was generally regarded as not allowed colonization. It was only in 1795 began the systematic settlement than the dealer Alexander Ellice acquired the Seigneurie. To circumvent the rapids of Les Cedars originated from 1842, the old Canal de Beauharnois. Its opening in 1845 had an economic boom in the region result.
With the abolition of the seigneurial regime was 1854 the establishment of the civil parish, which at first was called Pointe -du -Lac. The present name was introduced in 1874, when the community received the city status. It is reminiscent of Charles -Michel de Salaberry, the victorious commander at the Battle of Châteauguay. The addition Valleyfield comes from the same name in 1854 opened paper mill and is reminiscent of an old paper mill in the Scottish Penicuik. The Canal de Beauharnois proved over time to be inadequate and was replaced in 1899 by the Canal de Soulanges on the north shore of the St. Lawrence River. But this channel does not satisfy the needs soon and so was 1930-1932, the new Canal de Beauharnois, located east of the city along with border hydroelectric power plant.
On Grande Ile, the settlement began in 1798. During the British - American War in 1813 the British established a fortress to block the Americans access to Lac Saint- François and to Montreal. During the rebellion of 1837, some insurgents sought refuge here. From 1877 a dam connected the island to the north shore of the St. Lawrence River. In 1932, the northern part of the island to an independent of Salaberry -de- Valleyfield community.
The town of Saint - Timothée was built around 1780th In 1831 and 1845 two mills were built, which took advantage of the water power of the rapids. The founding of the town of Saint - Timothée, named after Saint Timothy, was 1855. Status the city received in 1994. On 24 April 2002 merged Grande -Île Saint- Timothée and with Salaberry -de- Valleyfield.
Attractions
Landmark of the city is the Cathedral of Sainte -Cécile. She is since 1892 the seat of the diocese of Valleyfield and since 1991 a minor Basilica. The old church was destroyed by fire in 1933 and 1934/35 was rebuilt in neo-Gothic style. Various buildings from the 19th and early 20th centuries are under monument protection.
Population
According to the 2011 census counted Salaberry -de- Valleyfield 40 077 inhabitants, which corresponds to a population density of 374.2 inh. / Km ². 94.9 % of the population reported French as the main language, the proportion of English was 2.8 %. As a bilingual ( French and English) is designated 1.2%, to other languages and multiple responses accounted for 1.1%. Only 64.0 % spoke French. In 2001, 93.3 % of the population were Roman Catholic, 2.0% Protestant, and 4.0% non-denominational.
Transport and the economy
In the north- west of the metropolitan area Autoroute 30, a highway that bypasses the Montreal metropolitan area extends widely. From this short Autoroute 530 branches in the city center. An important main road link is Route 132 to the south shore of the St. Lawrence River along. The town lies on the railway Ottawa East Alburgh, but this option is used only for freight. Several bus lines of the company CIT du Sud -Ouest connect the city with the surrounding communities and to the train station in Vaudreuil and Montreal.
Salaberry is an important industrial center with over 100 different companies. Predominant are the aluminum industry and the chemical industry. On the Canal de Beauharnois is a small river port, the only Canadian owned by the city.
Sister City
Since 1998, a twinning with Combs- la -Ville in France.
Personalities
- Pierre Cossette (1923-2009), television and theater producer
- Paul -Émile Léger (1904-1991), Cardinal
- Yves Sarault (born 1972 ), ice hockey player and coach