Quebec City
History of the name Quebec
The low width of the river as it enters the towns of Quebec and
Lévis, on the opposite bank, provided the name given to the city,
Kébec being the
Algonquin word meaning "where the river narrows".
From Stadacona to James Wolfe
Quebec City is one of the oldest settlements in Canada, only
St. John's, Newfoundland and Labrador,
Port Royal, Nova Scotia, and
Tadoussac, Quebec were created earlier. However Quebec city is the first to have been founded with the explicit goal of receiving permanent settlement and not as a commercial outpost, and therefore is often considered to be the first
city in Canada.
It was founded by
Samuel de Champlain on
3 July 1608 at the site of a
First Nations settlement called Stadacona. It was to this settlement that the
name "Canada" refers (
kanata is an
Iroquoian word meaning "village"). It is the cradle of the
Francophone population in North America. The place seemed favourable to the establishment of a permanent colony.
At the end of French rule, the territory of present-day Quebec City was a world of contrasts. Forests, villages, fields and pastures surrounded the town of 8 000 inhabitants. The town distinguished itself by its monumental architecture, fortifications, muddy and filthy streets, affluent homes of masonry and shacks in the suburbs St-John and St-Roch. Despite its urbanity and its status as capital, Quebec City remained a small colonial city with close ties to its rural surroundings. Nearby inhabitants traded their farm surpluses and firewood for imported goods from France at the two city markets.
Quebec City was captured by the British in 1759 and held until 1763. It was the site of the
Battle of the Plains of Abraham during the
Seven Years' War, in which British troops under General
James Wolfe defeated the French general
Louis-Joseph de Montcalm and took the city. France later ceded
New France to Britain.
British rule
During the
American Revolution, the British garrison at Quebec City was assaulted by American troops in the
Battle of Quebec. The defeat of the Americans put an end to their hopes that Canada would also rebel. Major General
Isaac Brock fortified Quebec City by strengthening the walls and building an elevated
artillery battery before the
War of 1812.
Quebec City was the capital of Canada from 1859 to 1865. After the Province of Canada was formed, the capital moved to
Kingston and
Montreal. When the Dominion of Canada was formed in 1867, the capital was moved to
Ottawa. The
Quebec Conference on
Canadian Confederation was held here.
20th and 21st centuries
In
World War II, two conferences were held in Quebec City. The first one was held in 1943 with
Franklin Delano Roosevelt (the
United States' president),
Winston Churchill (the
United Kingdom's prime minister),
William Lyon Mackenzie King (Canada's prime minister) and
T.V. Soong (
China's minister of foreign affairs). The second one was held in 1944, and was attended by Churchill and Roosevelt. They took place in the buildings of the
Citadelle and of nearby
Château Frontenac.
Capital
Through nearly 500 years of its existence, Quebec City has served as a capital:
* from 1608 to 1627 and 1632 to 1763, it was capital of French
Canada and all of
New France,
* from 1763 to 1791, it was the capital of the Province of
Quebec,
* from 1791 to 1841, it was the capital of the Province of
Lower Canada,
* from 1849 to 1865, it was capital of the
Province of Canada,
* from 1867 to today, it has been capital of the Province of
Quebec.
It is also the principal city of the
Agglomeration of Quebec City, the
Greater Quebec City Area, the administrative region of
Capitale-Nationale, and the
Quebec City Area.
|
Alley in lower Québec/Quebec City. |
The city is called
Québec (with an
acute accent) by both the provincial and
federal governments in both languages. To differentiate between Quebec the city and Quebec the province in
English, the city is commonly referred to as "Quebec City" while the province is referred to as "Québec". It is common for the accent to be dropped in English texts.
In
French, Quebec City is generally referred to simply as "Québec" without the French equivalent of the word "city." French names of large geographical regions such as provinces and countries are typically preceded by articles whereas city names are not (unless it is part of the name, such as "La Malbaie"). As a result, the province is called
le Québec ("in Quebec" =
au Québec, from Quebec =
du Québec) while the city is simply
Québec ("in Quebec City" is
à Québec, "from Quebec City" =
de Québec).
The official legal, corporate name of the city is
Ville de Québec in both languages. In the English section of Quebec City's official website, the city is referred to as "Québec City" (with the acute accent over the 'e').
In French, residents of Quebec City are called
Québécois (male) or
Québécoise (female). To avoid confusion with
Québécois/e meaning an inhabitant of the province, the term
Québécois/e de Québec for residents of the city is sometimes used (as opposed to
Québécois/e du Québec, resident of the province). As noted above, in French, the city is
Québec (possessive form "de Québec") and the province,
le Québec (possessive form "du Québec"). In English, the term
Quebecer (or Quebecker) is generally (and variably) used.
Also, Quebec City is sometimes referred to as
"la capitale nationale" ("the national capital"). The government officially named it this way under the
Union Nationale party.
Its region bears this name as well.
City Council
The mayor of Quebec City is
Andrée P. Boucher, independent, and the chief of the official opposition is
Ann Bourget from the
Renouveau municipal de Québec.
| Party | Initial | Chief | Governorship | Opposition | Seats |
|---|
| Renouveau municipal de Québec | R.M.Q. | Ann Bourget | 1989 - 2006 | 2006 - | 24 |
| Action civique de Québec | A.C.Q. | Pierre-Michel Bouchard | style="background: white;" | style="background: white;" | 6 |
| Parti Vision Québec | V.Q. | Marc Bellemare | style="background: white;" | style="background: white;" | 1 |
| Option Capitale | O.C. | Pierre Coté | style="background: white;" | style="background: white;" | 0 |
| Independent | Ind. | style="background: white;" | style="background: white;" | style="background: white;" | 6 |
| Vacant | style="background: white;" | style="background: white;" | style="background: white;" | style="background: white;" | 0 |
| Total | 37 |
Boroughs Council
Quarters Council
Public safety
Quebec City is protected by
Service de police de la Ville de Québec and
Service de protection contre les incendies de Québec.
International networks, twinning and agreements
|
The Lower Town by the river |
Quebec City is twinned with the cities of :*
Bordeaux (France)
*
Calgary (Canada)
*
Namur (Belgium)
*
Xi'an (China)
It has agreements of co-operation and friendship with :Quebec City has 34 districts in 8 boroughs.
* These neighbourhoods are not legally separate.The Lower Town is filled with Statues ,Wall paintings and gorgeous streets and shops.
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Satellite image: Quebec City on the north bank of the St. Lawrence river, Lévis on the south bank, and the western point of the Île d'Orléans |
According to the last (May 2001) census, there were 682,757 people residing in Quebec City, of whom 48.2% were male and 51.8% were female. Children under five accounted for approximately 4.7% of the resident population of Quebec City. This compares with 5.2% in the province of Quebec, and 5.6% for Canada overall.
In mid-2001, 13.0% of the resident population in Quebec City was of retirement age (65 and over for males and females) compared with 13.2% in Canada; therefore, the average age is 39.5 years of age compared to 37.6 years of age for Canada as a whole.
In the five years between 1996 and 2001, the population of Quebec City grew by 1.6%, compared with an increase of 1.4% for the province of Quebec as a whole. Population density of Quebec City averaged 216.4 people per square kilometre, compared with an average of 5.3, for the province of Quebec as a whole.
At the time of that May 2001 census, the population of the Quebec City authority was 682,757, but was 710,700 when encompassing the Greater Quebec City Area, compared with a resident population in the province of Quebec of 7,237,479 people.
According to the 2001 census, over 90% of the population was
Roman Catholic, along with sizable
Jewish and
Protestant populations.
| 1931 | 1941 | 1951 | 1961 | 1971 | 1981 | 1991 | 2001 | 2006 |
|---|
| 131 000 | 151 000 | 289 000 | 379 000 | 481 000 | 576 000 | 646 000 | 683 000 | 720 000 |
Quebec City is served by
Jean Lesage International Airport, located in the West of the city.
Web siteThe city also has a large major
port on the St-Lawrence in the first, fifth and sixth boroughs.
Web siteThree bridges, the
Quebec Bridge and
Pierre Laporte Bridge connect the city with the south shore of the
Saint Lawrence River, as does a ferry service to
Lévis, and
Orleans Island Bridge connects Quebec City with the Orleans Island. The city is a major hub in the Quebec provincial road network, fanning out from both sides of the river with an extensive
autoroute system.
Several important motorways of the Quebec road network pass by Quebec City, of which Autoroute 40 connects it towards the west to Montreal and Autoroute 175 connects it towards the north to
Saguenay.
Three principal expressways cross the agglomeration from the north to the south (starting from the west) : Autoroute Henri-IV, Autoroute du Vallon, and Autoroute Laurentienne. Three other motorways cross the western part of town (from north to south): Autoroute Félix Leclerc (known by the inhabitants as "Autoroute de la Capitale"), Autoroute Charest, as well as Champlain Boulevard, which goes along the river to the Downtown area, then another Autoroute called Dufferin-Montmorency allows easier access to the extreme east of the city.
The city is served by
VIA Rail (Gare du Palais), and is the eastern terminus of the railway's main
Quebec City-Windsor Corridor. The provincial networks of transport per long distance bus have also their station at this place.
The
Réseau de transport de la Capitale is responsible for public transportation by bus.
Web site in French only |
Notre Dame des Victoires church, Basse-Ville (Lower Town) |
Many of the city's attractions are east of the fortification walls in
Vieux-Québec (Old Quebec). This area has a distinct European feel unique in North America with its stone buildings and winding streets lined with shops and restaurants. Porte St-Louis (St. Louis Gate) and Porte St-Jean (St. Jean Gate) are the main gates through the walls from the modern section of downtown. West of the walls are the Colline-Parlementaire (Parliament Hill) district and the Plaines d'Abraham (Plains of Abraham).
Quebec City's skyline is dominated by the massive
Château Frontenac Hotel, perched on top of Cap-Diamant. The hotel is beside the Terrasse Dufferin (Dufferin Terrace), a walkway along the edge of the cliff, offering beautiful views of the Saint Lawrence River.
Near the Château Frontenac is
Notre-Dame de Québec Cathedral, mother church of the
Roman Catholic Archdiocese of Quebec. It is the first church in the
New World to be raised to a
basilica and is the
primatial church of Canada.
The Terrasse Dufferin leads toward the nearby
Plains of Abraham, site of the battle in which the
British took Quebec from
France, and the
Citadel of Quebec, a
Canadian Forces installation and the
federal vice-regal secondary residence. The
National Assembly, Quebec's provincial legislature, is also near the Citadelle.
The Haute-Ville(Upper Town) is linked by the Escalier «casse-cou» (literally "neck-breaker" steps) and a
funicular to the Basse-Ville (Lower Town), which includes such sites as the ancient
Notre Dame des Victoires church, the historic Petit Champlain district, the port, and the Musée de la Civilisation (Museum of Civilization).
Laval University is located in the western end of the city, in the borough of
Sainte-Foy. However, Laval University's school of architecture is located in Vieux Quebec. The central campus of the
Université du Québec is also located in Quebec City.Canon balls are placed beside "Château Frontenac"
Quebec City is known for its Winter Carnival and for its Saint-Jean-Baptiste Day celebrations.
Tourist attractions located near Quebec City include Montmorency Falls and the Basilica of Sainte-Anne-de-Beaupré.Museums* Musée national des beaux-arts du Québec
* Musée de la civilisation
* Musée de l'Amérique française
* Espace Félix Leclerc
* Musée naval de Québec
* Choco-Musée Erico
* Musée des Ursulines de Québec
* Musée du Fort
* Musée du Royal 22e Régiment
* Musée Québec Expérience
* Mussee de l'AbeilleFestivals and eventsContest* Concours de musique du Canada (Le) Web site in French only was established in Quebec and caters to young Canadian musicians under 25 (under 30 for singers) aspiring to compete at the international level in various disciplines.
Autumn (September & October)
* Envol et macadam Web site in French only is both a contest and a festival of alternative music held annually in September. It is devoted to the latest musical trends (Punk, Hip-hop, Techno, Rock'n'Roll) and features indoor and outdoor shows.
* Fête du quartier Saint-Sauveur is celebrated annually in September in the First District.
* Festival des journées d'Afrique, Danses et Rythmes du monde Web site in French only is held September, featuring African and Latin American shows.
* Fête Arc-en-ciel Web site in French only is a gay and lesbian festival held in September.
* Journées de la Culture (Les) Web site offers free cultural events in September
* Québec Ateliers Ouverts Web site in French only, held every two years in September. Professional artists and craftsmen open their workshops to the general public to showcase their works and techniques.
Winter (November to March)
* Carnaval de Québec (Le) Website is the biggest winter carnival in the world, held over two weeks in February.
* Coup de cÅ"ur francophone (Le) Web site in French only is a festival of Francophone music held in November each year in 8 Canadian cities. In Quebec City, the event is held over 10 days in small venues.
* Festival des musiques sacrées de Québec (Le) Web site in French only is held in November and features sacred music from various nations and time periods.
* Parade des jouets (La) Web site in French only is an interactive parade of mascots and floats held in November by city firefighters to collect toys and gifts for local underprivileged children.
* Mois Multi (Le) Web site in French only features electronic and multidisciplinary art expositions, held annually in February.
* Québec Celebrates Christmas Web site is held in December and January, features activities and exhibits throughout Quebec City.
Spring (April & May)
* Festival de cinéma des 3 Amériques (Le) Web site in French only is held over 5 days in March/April featuring independent films from the Americas.
* Carrefour international de théâtre de Québec (even years) and the Théâtres d'ailleurs Festival (odd years) Web site are held in May or June.
* Festival de la gastronomie du Québec - Coupe des Nations (Le) Web site in French only, held in April, features competitions in culinary arts and wine making.
* Salon International du Livre de Québec (Le) Web site in French only takes place in April and features French literature amd comic strips from Québec.
Summer (June to August)
* Birthday Of Quebec City Web site give place to family festivals of district in the districts of the city on July 3 of each year. Major demonstrations will take place all the summer 2008 for the 400e birthday of foundation of the city.
* Fetes de la Nouvelle France is a celebration in early August held in remembrance of the early French colonial times.
* Plein art is an arts/crafts exhibition.
* Fete Internationale de Musiques Militaires is a celebration of military music which is held in late August.
First borough (La Cité)
* Grand Rire (Le) Web site in French only is a festival of humour, who takes place over 10 days in June. Spectacles in sport and official receptions in room introduce humorists of Quebec city and elsewhere, beginners or confirmed.
* Fête nationale des Québécois et des Québécoises is celebrated by various activities including one large outside spectacle in the evening of June 23 on the Plains of Abraham.
* Fête du Canada (La) Web site is celebrated to it June 30th and July 1st at vearious locations in the Old-Quebec, by spectacles and activities and free admission to the national historic sites of the city.
* Festival d'été de Québec (Le) Web site is a major event which annually presents during two weeks in July a great number of musical spectacles (popular, French-speaking person and English-speaking, music of the world, classical music) for the majority in sport and of many services in arts of the street at various places in the old capital as well as interior spectacles in various rooms of the capital.
* Fête du Faubourg (La) is a street fair which takes place in the Saint-Jean-Baptist district in the first borough (La Cité) on a weekend beginning July, annually.
* Fêtes de la Nouvelle-France (Les) Web site is a major event which presents during one week in August various activities allowing of replonger the XVIIe century, the time of Nouvelle-France, in the Old-Quebec and the Royal Place (processions, spectacles, animations, demonstrations of the everyday life of the time, market in sport of Nouvelle-France, dressed up observers and citizens, etc.).Natural science sites* Jardin zoologique du Québec, reopened in 2002 after two years of restorations but closed in 2006 after a political decision. It was presenting to the public 750 specimens of 300 different species. The zoo was specialized in winged fauna and garden themes, but also presented several species of mammals. While it emphasizes the indigenous fauna of Quebec, one of its principal attractions was the Indo-Australian greenhouse, featuring fauna and flora from these areas.
* Parc-Aquarium du Québec, reopened in 2002 on a site overlooking the St. Lawrence River, presents approximately 3500 specimens of mammals, reptiles, fish and other aquatic fauna of North America and the Arctic. Polar bears and various species of seals of the Arctic sector and the "Large Ocean", a large basin offering visitors a view from underneath, form part of the principal attractions. Website : http://www.spsnq.qc.ca/University level* Université Laval
* Université du Québec (Headquarter of the network) [1]
* École nationale d'administration publique (ENAP)
* Institut national de la recherche scientifique (INRS)
* Téluq - L'université à distance de l'UQAM [2]
College level* Cégep François-Xavier-Garneau
* Cégep O'Sullivan
* Cégep Limoilou
** Campus of 6th borough (Registered office)
** Campus of 4th borough
** Campus of the "Maison des métiers d'art de Québec"
* Cégep de Sainte-Foy
* Collège Notre-Dame-de-Foy
* Collège Mérici
* Collège Bart
* Collège CDI
* Collège Multihexa
* Champlain-St. Lawrence College (English-speaking Cégep)
Canone balls are placed beside this Hotel.Sports teams*Quebec Remparts of the Quebec Major Junior Hockey League
*Quebec Radio X of the Ligue nord-américaine de hockey
*Quebec Capitales of the Canadian-American Association of Professional BaseballFormer teams*Quebec Bulldogs of the National Hockey League
*Quebec Nordiques of the National Hockey League
*Quebec Aces of the American Hockey League
*Quebec Citadelles of the American Hockey League
*Quebec Rafales of the International Hockey League
*Quebec Carib of the National Lacrosse League (1974-75)
*Quebec Carnavales of baseball's Eastern LeagueSports events*Challenge Bell, a women tennis tournament.
*Quebec City International Pee-Wee Tournament, a minor hockey tournament.
The Quebec Nordiques played in the World Hockey Association (WHA) from 1972 to 1979 and then in the National Hockey League (NHL) from 1979 to 1995, maintaining a strong rivalry with the Montreal Canadiens. Due to financial problems, the team moved to Denver, Colorado in 1995, becoming Colorado Avalanche. There has been discussion of bringing a team back to the city, but mayor Andrée Boucher has not supported the project. It is generally expected that Quebec City will need to build a new arena to get a new team, replacing the Colisée Pepsi, as well as organizing an ownership group.
There have been discussions around getting a Canadian Football League team. Quebec City is expected to be in competition with Moncton and Halifax for the franchise, though a new stadium would likely be needed as well. The local football team, the Rouge & Or of the Université Laval remains popular.Radio
* 800 AM - CHRC, French news/talk
* 88.3 FM - CKIA, community
* 89.1 FM - CKRL, community
* 90.9 FM - CION, Christian religious programming
* 91.9 FM - CJEC, Rythme FM hot adult contemporary
* 93.3 FM - CJMF, active rock
* 94.3 FM - CHYZ, Laval University campus radio
* 95.3 FM - CBVX, Espace musique
* 98.1 FM - CHOI, modern rock
* 98.9 FM - CHIK, contemporary hit radio
* 103.7 FM - CIMI, modern rock
* 104.7 FM - CBVE, CBC Radio One
* 106.3 FM - CBV, La Première Chaîne
* 107.5 FM - CITF, RockDétente adult contemporary
Television
* Channel 2 - CFAP, TQS
* Channel 4 - CFCM, TVA
* Channel 5 - CBVE, CBC
* Channel 11 - CBVT, SRC
* Channel 15 - CIVQ, Télé-Québec
* Channel 20 - CKMI, Global
Print
Quebec City's main daily newspapers are the broadsheet Le Soleil and the tabloid Le Journal de Québec. The Quebec Chronicle-Telegraph, a weekly English community paper, is also published. It claims to be North America's oldest newspaper, in existence since 1764.
* Astronauts : Marc Garneau
* Writers : Jacques Poulin, Anne Hébert, Alain Beaulieu, Gabrielle Roy, Christine Brouillet, Denis Côté, Martine Latulippe, Jean Lemieux, Hélène Vachon, Anique Poitras, Martin Pouliot, Gilles Pellerin, Marie Laberge, Yves Thériault
* Painters : Paul-Henri DuBerger, Paul Béliveau, Luc Archambault, Gabriel Lalonde.
* Musicians and singers : Richard Verreau, Polémil Bazar, Virginie Hamel, Gilles Vigneault, Paule-Andrée Cassidy, Félix Leclerc, Alys Robi, La Poune.
* Politicians : Jean Lesage, Louis-Alexandre Taschereau.
* Theatre : Robert Lepage, Anne-Marie Olivier, Frédéric Dubois, Lise Castonguay, Marie-Ginette Guay, France Larochelle, Christian Michaud, Loraine Côté, Jacques Leblanc, Paul Hébert, Roland Lepage, Annie Larochelle, Marie-Thérèse Fortin, Marie Gignac.
*Humour : François Morency, Jean-Thomas Jobin, François Pérusse, ...
* Actors : Raymond Cloutier, Francine Ruel, Marie Tifo, Jack Robitaille, Normand Chouinard, Rémy Girard, Guylaine Tremblay, Josée Deschênes, Céline Bonnier.
* Television/Radio : Michel Jasmin, André Arthur, Pierre Jobin, Michel Lamarche, Gilles Parent, Paul Ouellet, Réjean Lemoine, Marie Vallerand, Julie Drolet, Sébastien Bovet, Suzanne Ouellet, Jeff Fillion.
* Sportspeople : Sylvie Bernier, Johanne Bégin, Audrey Lacroix, Richard Garneau, Catherine Léger, Joe Malone, Myriam Bédard, Patrick Roy, Manon Rhéaume, Gaétan Boucher, Yves Laroche, Rick Martel.* The oldest hospital in North America, the Hôtel-Dieu de Québec,
* The oldest inn of North America, the Auberge du Trésor,
* The status of the only walled North American city north of Mexico.
* The oldest newspaper in North America, the The Quebec Chronicle-Telegraph,
* The oldest university in Canada, the Université Laval, and the second oldest in North America,
* The oldest Catholic diocese north of Mexico,
* The oldest community radio station in Canada, CKRL,
* The oldest symphonic formation of Canada, the Orchestre symphonique de Québec,
* The oldest commercial quarter in North America, the Petit-Champlain,
* The only newspaper written by immigrants for immigrants and in French in Canada, the Les Immigrants de la Capitale,
* The largest centre of ski touring in Canada, the Mont-Sainte-Anne,
* The largest shopping center in Eastern Canada, Place Laurier,
* The oldest international festival of theatre in Canada, the Carrefour international de théâtre de Québec,
* The longest-spanned cantilever bridge in the world, the Quebec Bridge,
* The highest proportion of freeway by inhabitant in the world,
* An asteroid named in its honour, (35165) Québec.* Official website of Quebec City
* Quebec City on Google Maps
* Official website of Quebec City Tourism : http://www.regiondequebec.com/e/
* Buildings of Quebec City
* Parc technologique du Québec métropolitain
* Municipal election in Quebec City - Radio-Canada.ca
* http://www.politiqc.com/
* Website of the firemen of Quebec City
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