Gaspé, Quebec
Gaspé | |
---|---|
418 and 581 | |
Highways | ![]() ![]() |
Website | www |
Gaspé is a city at the tip of the
Gaspé is where
![](http://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/thumb/5/50/Les_Micmacs.png/220px-Les_Micmacs.png)
The most common assumption is that "Gaspé" may come from the
In 1600, Englishman Richard Hakluyt used the name Gaspay in his translation of Cosmosgraphie by Jean Alfonse, which became the common spelling in the early 17th century. Thereafter, many other spellings appeared such as Gachepé, Gachepay, Gaschepay, Gaspey, Gaspèche, and Gapèche.[1]
History
![](http://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/thumb/3/3e/Jacques_Cartier_setting_up_a_cross_at_Gasp%C3%A9.jpg/220px-Jacques_Cartier_setting_up_a_cross_at_Gasp%C3%A9.jpg)
Gaspé claims the title of "Cradle of French America", because on June 24, 1534, explorer Jacques Cartier halted in the bay after losing an anchor during a storm and claimed possession of the area by planting a wooden cross with the king's coat of arms and the sentence Vive le Roi de France (meaning "Long live the King of France"). Cartier met there an indigenous tribe that referred to the territory as Honguedo, probably a Mi'kmaq word meaning "meeting place".[1]
Following the Treaty of Paris in 1763, British officers and soldiers acquired free land in Gaspé. And in 1784, they were joined by many Loyalist settlers. From then on, Gaspé became an important commercial fishing centre, especially of cod. In 1804, its post office opened.[6]
In 1833 in Gaspé County there were only ten farmers, all in the Gaspé Bay area (of whom seven were also involved in the fishery), four whalers in Gaspé Bay, five shipbuilders (one a Jersey firm), one blacksmith, two lumber merchants, five shipowners (all of which were Jerseymen), eighteen fish merchants (of whom all but five were Jerseymen) and thirty-two major fishing establishments (of which sixteen were Jersey owned).
Gaspé was incorporated as a village municipality in 1855.
During World War II, some 3000 soldiers were stationed at a naval base built at Sandy Beach to patrol the Gulf of Saint Lawrence against German submarines.[6]
In 1959, Gaspé gained city status. In 1971, the city was greatly expanded when it amalgamated these 11 surrounding municipalities (with year of original incorporation):
- Baie-de-Gaspé-Nord (1855)
- Baie-de-Gaspé-Sud (1855)
- Douglastown (1855)
- Grande-Grève (1944)
- Haldimand (1953)
- L'Anse-aux-Griffons (1870)
- Rivière-au-Renard (1933)
- Saint-Alban-du-Cap-des-Rosiers (1896)
- Saint-Majorique (1966)
- Saint-Maurice (1923)
- York (1866)
In subsequent years, the city's area was further expanded by absorbing large tracts of adjacent unorganized territory.[1]
A representation of a small village, with a dozen houses serving as a historical site, was opened in 2015 in front of the Place Jacques-Cartier mall and above the boardwalk along the York River. The village is a monument to Jacques Cartier and serves as a museum for tourists and locals.[7]
Geography
In addition to the city, Gaspé's territory includes the communities of Cap-aux-Os, Cap-des-Rosiers, Douglastown, Haldimand, Jersey Cove, L'Anse-à-Fugère,
Climate
In spite of its coastal position, Gaspé experiences a humid continental climate (Köppen climate classification Dfb) with vast seasonal differences in temperature. Summers are warm but relatively short, whereas winters are cold and long, but still far warmer than inland areas of the province given its coastal position. It stays above the subarctic range due to the seasonal lag keeping September temperatures above 10 °C (50 °F) in daily mean. As a result of the seasonal lag, March is a proper winter month and is far colder than November. As typical of Quebec, precipitation and resulting snowfall is high due to the reliable winter temperatures below freezing.
The highest temperature ever recorded in Gaspé was 36.0 °C (96.8 °F) on 27 June 2003.[4] The coldest temperature ever recorded was −41.7 °C (−43.1 °F) on 26 January 1897.[8]
Climate data for Gaspé Airport, 1981–2010 normals, extremes 1895–present[a] | |||||||||||||
---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
Month | Jan | Feb | Mar | Apr | May | Jun | Jul | Aug | Sep | Oct | Nov | Dec | Year |
Record high °C (°F) | 14.4 (57.9) |
13.7 (56.7) |
21.1 (70.0) |
27.5 (81.5) |
31.8 (89.2) |
36.0 (96.8) |
34.8 (94.6) |
35.0 (95.0) |
33.2 (91.8) |
29.4 (84.9) |
22.2 (72.0) |
15.6 (60.1) |
36.0 (96.8) |
Mean daily maximum °C (°F) | −5.9 (21.4) |
−4.6 (23.7) |
0.4 (32.7) |
6.4 (43.5) |
14.0 (57.2) |
19.8 (67.6) |
23.2 (73.8) |
22.6 (72.7) |
17.9 (64.2) |
10.8 (51.4) |
4.0 (39.2) |
−2.3 (27.9) |
8.9 (48.0) |
Daily mean °C (°F) | −11.6 (11.1) |
−10.6 (12.9) |
−5.3 (22.5) |
1.5 (34.7) |
7.7 (45.9) |
13.1 (55.6) |
16.8 (62.2) |
16.1 (61.0) |
11.6 (52.9) |
5.6 (42.1) |
−0.2 (31.6) |
−6.9 (19.6) |
3.1 (37.6) |
Mean daily minimum °C (°F) | −17.3 (0.9) |
−16.5 (2.3) |
−10.8 (12.6) |
−3.3 (26.1) |
1.3 (34.3) |
6.3 (43.3) |
10.4 (50.7) |
9.5 (49.1) |
5.2 (41.4) |
0.3 (32.5) |
−4.4 (24.1) |
−11.4 (11.5) |
−2.6 (27.3) |
Record low °C (°F) | −41.7 (−43.1) |
−38.9 (−38.0) |
−32.8 (−27.0) |
−20.6 (−5.1) |
−11.7 (10.9) |
−3.9 (25.0) |
−1.1 (30.0) |
0.0 (32.0) |
−6.7 (19.9) |
−12.2 (10.0) |
−23.3 (−9.9) |
−32.2 (−26.0) |
−41.7 (−43.1) |
Average precipitation mm (inches) | 87.5 (3.44) |
65.1 (2.56) |
98.4 (3.87) |
90.0 (3.54) |
89.2 (3.51) |
79.6 (3.13) |
100.3 (3.95) |
93.7 (3.69) |
81.6 (3.21) |
121.3 (4.78) |
111.4 (4.39) |
116.9 (4.60) |
1,135.1 (44.69) |
Average rainfall mm (inches) | 16.2 (0.64) |
7.8 (0.31) |
27.3 (1.07) |
50.2 (1.98) |
84.1 (3.31) |
79.6 (3.13) |
100.3 (3.95) |
93.7 (3.69) |
81.6 (3.21) |
116.1 (4.57) |
75.8 (2.98) |
46.5 (1.83) |
779.2 (30.68) |
Average snowfall cm (inches) | 80.2 (31.6) |
63.2 (24.9) |
71.8 (28.3) |
36.8 (14.5) |
4.6 (1.8) |
0.0 (0.0) |
0.0 (0.0) |
0.0 (0.0) |
0.0 (0.0) |
4.0 (1.6) |
36.2 (14.3) |
75.0 (29.5) |
371.8 (146.4) |
Average precipitation days (≥ 0.2 mm) | 14.8 | 12.1 | 13.9 | 13.0 | 13.9 | 13.0 | 15.4 | 12.9 | 11.9 | 14.6 | 14.6 | 16.2 | 166.3 |
Average rainy days (≥ 0.2 mm) | 2.3 | 2.0 | 4.0 | 8.8 | 13.7 | 13.0 | 15.4 | 12.9 | 11.9 | 14.1 | 8.9 | 4.5 | 111.4 |
Average snowy days (≥ 0.2 cm) | 13.7 | 11.4 | 11.7 | 6.7 | 1.3 | 0.0 | 0.0 | 0.0 | 0.0 | 1.5 | 8.0 | 14.3 | 68.5 |
Average relative humidity (%) (at 1500 LST)
|
65.3 | 62.6 | 62.1 | 61.0 | 58.0 | 59.3 | 63.4 | 62.0 | 62.7 | 64.9 | 70.0 | 71.5 | 63.6 |
Mean monthly sunshine hours | 106.4 | 128.6 | 154.0 | 162.5 | 211.7 | 236.7 | 251.3 | 231.8 | 176.8 | 131.5 | 90.1 | 88.5 | 1,970.1 |
Percent possible sunshine | 39.2 | 44.3 | 41.8 | 39.6 | 44.8 | 49.2 | 51.6 | 52.1 | 46.7 | 39.1 | 34.5 | 34.6 | 43.0 |
Source: |
Demographics
Year | Pop. | ±% |
---|---|---|
1881 | 174 | — |
1891 | 307 | +76.4% |
1901 | 454 | +47.9% |
1911 | 606 | +33.5% |
1921 | 764 | +26.1% |
1931 | 919 | +20.3% |
1941 | 924 | +0.5% |
1951 | 1,692 | +83.1% |
1956 | 2,194 | +29.7% |
1961 | 2,603 | +18.6% |
1966 | 2,938 | +12.9% |
1971* | 17,211 | +485.8% |
1976 | 16,842 | −2.1% |
1981 | 17,261 | +2.5% |
1986 | 17,350 | +0.5% |
1991 | 16,402 | −5.5% |
1996 | 16,517 | +0.7% |
2001 | 14,932 | −9.6% |
2006 | 14,834 | −0.7% |
2011 | 15,163 | +2.2% |
2016 | 14,568 | −3.9% |
2021 | 15,063 | +3.4% |
(*) Gaspé annexed the Municipality of Baie-de-Gaspé-Sud, the Municipality of Grande-Grève, the Municipality of Haldimand, the Municipality of L’Anse-aux-Griffons, the Municipality of Rivière-au-Renard, the Municipality of Saint-Alban-du-Cap-des-Rosiers, the Municipality of Saint-Majorique, the Municipality of York, the Parish of Saint-Maurice, the Township of Baie-de-Gaspé-Nord and the Township of Douglas. Source: Statistics Canada[11] |
![](http://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/thumb/c/c3/Gasp%C3%A9_-_Rue_de_la_Reine.jpg/220px-Gasp%C3%A9_-_Rue_de_la_Reine.jpg)
In the 2021 Census of Population conducted by Statistics Canada, Gaspé had a population of 15,063 living in 6,780 of its 7,352 total private dwellings, a change of 3.4% from its 2016 population of 14,568. With a land area of 1,118.77 km2 (431.96 sq mi), it had a population density of 13.5/km2 (34.9/sq mi) in 2021.[12]
2021 | 2016 | 2011 | |
---|---|---|---|
Population | 15,063 (+3.4% from 2016) | 14,568 (-3.9% from 2011) | 15,163 (+2.2% from 2006) |
Land area | 1,118.77 km2 (431.96 sq mi) | 1,121.43 km2 (432.99 sq mi) | 1,121.07 km2 (432.85 sq mi) |
Population density | 13.5/km2 (35/sq mi) | 13.0/km2 (34/sq mi) | 13.5/km2 (35/sq mi) |
Median age | 50.4 (M: 49.6, F: 50.8) | 50.0 (M: 49.3, F: 50.6) | 47.5 (M: 47.0, F: 48.0) |
Private dwellings | 7,352 (total) 6,780 (occupied) | 7,074 (total) | 6,897 (total) |
Median household income | $72,000 | $59,819 | $52,898 |
Canada Census Mother Tongue – Gaspé, Quebec[11] | ||||||||||||||||||
---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
Census | Total | French
|
English
|
French & English
|
Other
| |||||||||||||
Year | Responses | Count | Trend | Pop % | Count | Trend | Pop % | Count | Trend | Pop % | Count | Trend | Pop % | |||||
2021
|
14,940
|
12,945 | ![]() |
86.6% | 1,560 | ![]() |
10.4% | 275 | ![]() |
1.8% | 135 | ![]() |
0.9% | |||||
2016
|
14,300
|
12,460 | ![]() |
87.1% | 1,570 | ![]() |
11.0% | 175 | ![]() |
1.2% | 80 | ![]() |
0.6% | |||||
2011
|
15,010
|
13,090 | ![]() |
87.2% | 1,695 | ![]() |
11.3% | 170 | ![]() |
1.1% | 55 | ![]() |
0.4% | |||||
2006
|
14,585
|
12,445 | ![]() |
85.3% | 1,885 | ![]() |
12.9% | 105 | ![]() |
0.7% | 150 | ![]() |
1.0% | |||||
2001
|
14,670
|
12,710 | ![]() |
86.6% | 1,800 | ![]() |
12.3% | 115 | ![]() |
0.8% | 45 | ![]() |
0.3% | |||||
1996
|
16,250
|
13,795 | n/a | 84.9% | 2,235 | n/a | 13.8% | 15 | n/a | 0.1% | 205 | n/a | 1.3% |
Economy
![](http://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/thumb/a/af/Forillon_National_Park_of_Canada_2.jpg/220px-Forillon_National_Park_of_Canada_2.jpg)
The regional hospital is the main employer in the city. Tourism is a very important part of the city and the region's economy. Many visitors come to the city to enjoy the environment and the surrounding attractions, such as Forillon National Park that is fully within the city's boundaries. One of the main summer attractions for tourists is salmon fishing. The York River, Saint John's River, and the Dartmouth River are where tourists and locals come to fish. It is not required to have a guide while fishing these rivers but a private guide can be hired upon request. Other tourist attractions include Haldimand Beach, Jacques Cartier's Cross (stone monument), and a local museum which shelters the World War I and World War II cenotaph commemorating Gaspesian veterans.
Another big employer is the
Attractions
Cross of Gaspé
![](http://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/thumb/e/e0/Gasp%C3%A9%2C_Quebec_%2837075900106%29.jpg/220px-Gasp%C3%A9%2C_Quebec_%2837075900106%29.jpg)
In 1934, the Canadian government commissioned the installation of a monolithic granite cross in Gaspé, for the 400th anniversary of the arrival of
A commemorative plaque located at the foot of the Cross in Gaspé was inaugurated on August 23, 2009, in memory of artisans from Rivière-à-Pierre who extracted and cut the block of granite. A replica of the Cross of Gaspé was crafted by Rivière-à-Pierre craftsmen and erected in the heart of the village of Rivière-à-Pierre. That granite cross is half the height of the original cross.
Government
List of former mayors:
![]() |
- Arthur Drolet (–2003)
- François Roussy (2003–2013)
- Daniel Côté (2013–present)
Infrastructure
![](http://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/thumb/d/d0/QC_Gaspe2_tango7174.jpg/220px-QC_Gaspe2_tango7174.jpg)
Gaspé is accessible by automobile or Orléans Express bus service via Quebec Route 132, and the Michel-Pouliot Gaspé Airport.
The town is also accessible by Quebec Route 198 that passes through the interior of the peninsula. Select travellers can also access the town during the winter via one of the many snowmobile trails that run through the interior and connect with many other towns on the northern and southern coasts of the peninsula. In the summer the same trails are open to all-terrain vehicle travellers as well.
![](http://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/thumb/1/12/Gasp%C3%A9_VIA_Rail.jpg/220px-Gasp%C3%A9_VIA_Rail.jpg)
Via Rail's Montreal–Gaspé train was terminated due to unsafe trackage sometime in 2013. The VIA Rail Train to Gaspé was being turned in New Carlisle, 167 kilometres (104 mi) west of Gaspé. Via was offering bus service between New Carlisle and Gaspé. The line was undergoing repairs since December 2011. At present time Via has no plans to reinstate service on this line.[25]
The Port of Gaspé has a two-sided wharf; on the one, it measures 175 metres (574 ft), with a depth of 8 metres (26 ft), and on the other measures 180 metres (590 ft) with a depth of 10 metres (33 ft). The Port of Gaspé is accessible year-round with the occasional help of an icebreaker.[26]
Its near neighbour
Sister cities
Gaspé is
- Puerto Montt, Chile (2005)
- Saint-Malo, France (2009)
See also
- Gaspé (electoral district)
- List of anglophone communities in Quebec
- List of cities in Quebec
References
- ^ a b c d e f "Gaspé (ville)" (in French). Commission de toponymie du Québec. Retrieved 2011-12-02.
- ^ a b "Gaspé". Répertoire des municipalités (in French). Ministère des Affaires municipales, des Régions et de l'Occupation du territoire. Archived from the original on 2012-05-01. Retrieved 2011-12-02.
- ^ a b c "Census Profile, 2021 Census of Population: Profile Table – Gaspé, Ville". Statistics Canada. Retrieved September 20, 2022.
- ^ Environment Canada. 25 September 2013. Retrieved 27 July 2016.
- ^ Allaire, Bernard. "Jacques Cartier". Retrieved 2016-07-18.
- ^ a b c "À propos de Gaspé" (in French). Ville de Gaspé. Retrieved 2011-12-05.
- ^ "Project history – Site historique Gaspé, Berceau du Canada". Retrieved 2016-07-18.
- ^ Environment Canada. 31 October 2011. Retrieved 27 July 2016.
- Environment Canada. 31 October 2011. Retrieved 27 July 2016.
- Environment Canada. 31 October 2011. Retrieved 27 July 2016.
- ^ 2021census
- ^ "Population and dwelling counts: Canada, provinces and territories, and census subdivisions (municipalities), Quebec". Statistics Canada. February 9, 2022. Retrieved August 29, 2022.
- 2021 Canadian Census. Statistics Canada. February 4, 2022. Retrieved 2023-10-19.
- 2016 Canadian Census. Statistics Canada. August 12, 2021. Retrieved 2021-04-16.
- 2011 Canadian Census. Statistics Canada. March 21, 2019. Retrieved 2014-01-27.
- 2006 Canadian Census. Statistics Canada. August 20, 2019.
- 2001 Canadian Census. Statistics Canada. July 18, 2021.
- ^ creneaueolien.ca: "LM Wind Power Canada Inc."
- ^ newswire.ca: "Senvion inaugurates the serial production of the longest blade with anti-icing system in Canada for its 3.2M114 CCV turbines with LM Wind Power", 28 Sep 2015
- ^ "lmwindpower.com: "Launching Canada's longest blade"". Archived from the original on 2018-04-21. Retrieved 2017-05-29.
- ^ G+M: "Innergex, Mi’gmaq communities join forces on planned $365-million Gaspé wind farm"
- ^ mern.gouv.qc.ca: "Wind energy projects in Québec"
- ^ innergex.ca: "Mesgi’g Ugju’s’n"
- ^ Journal Le Soleil, August 22, 2009, journalist Johanne Martin, article "Croix de Gaspé: des origines reconnues"("Cross of Gaspé: origins recognized"), describing the unveiling of August 23, 2009, a commemorative plaque located at the foot of the cross of Gaspé, in memory of the craftsmen who made the cross in 1934. (in French)
- ^ "Gaspésie : le retour du train de passagers incertain". radio-canada. 4 March 2015. Retrieved 20 November 2016.
- ^ qsl.com: "PORT DE GASPÉTerminal SANDY BEACH" accessed Aug 2014 Archived October 21, 2014, at the Wayback Machine
- ^ gouv.qc.ca: "Traverses et dessertes maritimes du Quebec" [dead link]
Notes
- ^ Extreme high and low temperatures in the table below were recorded at Gaspé from August 1895 to April 1968 and at Gaspé Airport from May 1968 to present.
External links
![](http://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/en/thumb/4/4a/Commons-logo.svg/30px-Commons-logo.svg.png)