| Saint-Jérôme, Quebec | |
 |
|
| Coordinates: | |
|---|---|
| Country |  Canada |
| Province |  Quebec |
| Region | La Rivière-du-Nord |
| Settled | 1834[1] |
| Constituted | January 1st, 2002[1] |
| Government | |
| - Mayor | Marc Gascon |
| - MNA | Martin Camirand |
| - MP | Monique Guay |
| Area [2] | |
| - Total | 89.37 km² (34.5 sq mi) |
| Population (2006) | |
| - Total | 63,729 (ranked 15th) |
| Time zone | EST (UTC-5) |
| - Summer (DST) | EDT (UTC-4) |
| Postal codes | J5L, J7Y, J7Z |
| Area code(s) | 450 |
| Website: www.vsj.ca | |
Saint-Jérôme, Quebec (2006 Population 63,729) is a town in Quebec, near Mirabel, about 40 kilometers (25 miles) northwest of Montreal along Autoroute des Laurentides. It is home to the Cégep de Saint-Jérôme, one of the Colleges of General and Vocational Education located in the province. It is also home to a new branch campus, the Centre d'études universitaires des Laurentides, of the Université du Québec en Outaouais.
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History
The territory where the actual city of Saint-Jérôme now stands was conceded in 1752 by the marquis de la Jonquière, governor of New France, as the seignory of Augmentation des Mille-Iles (literally "enlargement" of the seignory of Mille-Iles). From the 1760s to the 1840s, the seignory was owned by the Dumont and Lefebvre de Bellefeuille families, living in the town of Saint-Eustache, 25 kilometers (15 miles) to the south. The Dumont and the Lefebvre conceded the farmland to colonists coming mostly from the region lying north of Montreal. The emerging town was then known under the name of Dumontville. The Catholic parish of Saint-Jérôme was constituted on November 15th, 1834 and the village itself was constituted on July 1st, 1845 by governor Metcalfe.[3] The priest François-Xavier-Antoine Labelle, the large colonizer of the North of Montreal, was in charge of the pastoral administration of Saint-Jérôme of 1868 until his death, in 1891. Eight years after its arrival, it had made a success of the enormous building firm of a railroad linking Saint-Jérôme in Montreal. Antoine Labelle was priest of Saint-Jérôme for 22 years, from 1868 until his death, at the 57 years age, on January 4, 1891. He was called "the king of North, the apostle of colonization", and it passes in the history like a giant of legend. The opening of roads and the arrival of a railroad became essential with the development of the small communities. These transportation routes for the movement of the goods and the people would ensure the establishment of the trade and industry. The Labelle priest was the promoter of the idea of a railroad towards North since 1869 but it saw appearing the first Saint-Jérôme engine only in 1876, and that partly because of the requirement out of firewood and construction for great urban centres like Montreal and Quebec The mayor is Marc Gascon. The town is a gateway to Laurentian mountains resorts. It is an important stop on the north-south trunk of the "route verte" cycling path which makes it possible for nature lovers who are also pedaling enthusiasts to make short trips or excursions lasting several days going (or coming from) as far south as Blainville, Quebec on the outskirts of Montreal and as far north as Mont-Tremblant, Quebec without ever sharing the road with a motorized vehicle. North of Saint-Jérôme, the trail is known as the "P'tit Train du Nord" linear park[4] and is also used as a cross-country ski trail in winter. The town is named after Saint Jerome (ca. 347 – September 30, 420), a church father best known as the translator of the Bible from Greek and Hebrew into Latin. His translation is known as the Vulgate. In 2002 Saint-Jérôme amalgamated with the following municipalities (2001 populations):
- Saint-Jérôme (24,583)
- Bellefeuille (14,066)
- Saint-Antoine (11,488)
- Lafontaine (9,477)
Public transportation
The Saint-Jérôme train and bus station is an intermodal bus and commuter train station. It serves bus routes operated by local transit agencies and by two intercity bus companies. Commuter trains to Montreal began to serve the station on Monday January 8, 2007, with four trains in each direction each business day.[5].
Attractions
- Roman Catholic cathedral, which includes a small museum
- Vieux-Palais modern art museum and public library
- Statue of Antoine Labelle, known as curé Labelle, who was principally responsible for the settlement of the Laurentians
- Several summer festivals
Notable people
- les Denis Drolets, two comedians
- Jean-René Dufort, broadcaster
- Boule Noire, singer
- Arthur Thuot, artist-painter
- Lionel Giroux alias Little Beaver, wrestler
See also
Stéphane Ménard (Musical Producer)
External links
- Ville de Saint-Jérôme, in French
- Commission de toponymie du Québec - Saint-Jérôme, in French
- Cégep de Saint-Jérôme, in French
References
- ^ a b Histoire de Saint-Jérôme
- ^ Profil statistiques de Saint-Jérôme
- ^ Auclair, Elie-J., Saint-Jérôme de Terrebonne, Imprimerie J.H.A. Labelle, 1934, pages 13-35.
- ^ Government of Quebec – Parc Linéaire Le P'tit Train du Nord
- ^ La Presse, 28 novembre 2006 "Saint-Jérôme aura son train de banlieue" par Jean-Paul Charbonneau
