Verdun, Quebec

Verdun is one of 19 arrondissements of the city of Montreal in the Canadian province of Québec. Before 2002 it was a separate municipality. In 2011, the 9.7 km ² large city district counted 66 158 inhabitants.

Geography

Verdun is located in the southeast of Ile de Montréal, on the banks of the St. Lawrence River at the Lachine Rapids and near the city center. The district also includes a barrier island, the three -kilometer-long and a kilometer wide Île des Sœurs, which is separated from the main part of the district by a 300 meter wide arm. Adjacent arrondissements the city of Montreal are Le Sud -Ouest in the north and west, and LaSalle in the southwest.

History

After Montreal Verdun is the oldest settlement on the Île de Montréal. 1665, Governor Paul Chomedey de Maisonneuve, near the rapids the fortress Côte -des- Argoulets build, which should protect the city of Montreal from attacks by the Iroquois. To the fortress was a small village called Rivière -Saint -Pierre, named for a now- subterranean creek. The village was an independent municipality in 1875 and took the following year the name of Verdun. This name dates back to 1671, when the officer Zacharie Dupuis received a fief in the area. Dupuis called his possession Verdun, in memory of his French home village Saverdun (now in the department of Ariège located ). Due to the strong population growth, the community gained city status in 1907.

The Île des Sœurs was originally called Île Saint -Paul, Paul Chomedey de Maisonneuve named after. The present name was first published in the mid-19th century, then still in English form Nuns ' Iceland (Island of the nuns ), and finally sat down around 1950 by. This designation is an indication of the Congregation of Notre-Dame de Montréal, a religious community founded by Marguerite Bourgeoys, who was in possession of part of the island from 1706. 1899, the municipality of L'Île -Saint -Paul was founded, which merged in 1956 with Verdun. On 1 January 2002 merged with Verdun Montreal and has since formed a district.

Population

According to the 2011 census counted 66,158 inhabitants Verdun, was / is equivalent to a population density of 6820 inhabitants km ². Of those surveyed, 62.4 % French and 16.8 % English as their native language. Other important languages ​​include Chinese (4.0% ), Spanish ( 4.3%) and Arab ( 2.5%).

Attractions

  • Church of Notre- Dame-des- Sept- Douleurs
  • Pont Champlain
  • Canal de l' aqueduc

Personalities

  • Martin Bergeron ( born 1968 ), ice hockey player
  • Scotty Bowman ( born 1933), ice hockey player
  • Éric Charron (born 1970 ), ice hockey player
  • Guy Charron ( born 1949 ), ice hockey player
  • Ed Courtenay ( b. 1968 ), ice hockey player
  • Maynard Ferguson (1928-2006), jazz musician
  • Rick Martin (1951-2011), ice hockey player
  • Lise Payette (* 1931), politician and author
  • Dorothea rock Burne ( b. 1934 ), painter
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