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Lachute
City
Lachute QC.JPG
Location within Argenteuil RCM
Location within Argenteuil RCM
Lachute is located in Central Quebec
Lachute
Lachute
Location in Central Quebec
Country Canada
Province Quebec
Region Laurentides
RCM Argenteuil
Settled 1753
Constituted April 30, 1966
Area
 • Total 112.80 km2 (43.55 sq mi)
 • Land 108.66 km2 (41.95 sq mi)
Population
 (2021)
 • Total 14,100
 • Density 129.8/km2 (336/sq mi)
 • Pop 2016–2021
Increase 9.6%
 • Dwellings
6,862
Time zone UTC−5 (EST)
 • Summer (DST) UTC−4 (EDT)
Postal code(s)
J8H
Area code(s) 450 and 579
Highways
A-50

Route 148
Route 158
Route 327
Route 329

Lachute (French pronunciation: [laʃyt]) is a town in southwest Quebec, Canada, 62 km (39 mi) northwest of Montreal, on the Rivière du Nord, a tributary of the Ottawa River, and west of Mirabel International Airport. It is located on Autoroute 50, at the junctions of Quebec Provincial Highways Route 148, Route 158, and Secondary Highways 327 and 329.

Lachute is the seat of Argenteuil Regional County Municipality, and is served by the Lachute Airport. Its major industries include paper mills and lumber. The population is about 14,000 people.

History

Lachute (Québec)-Hôtel de ville-2023-11-10
View of Lachute City Hall (Quebec), Hamford Street.

Originally in the 17th century, "La Chute" identified a cataract or falls on the North River (Rivière du Nord) located about 24 km (15 mi) upstream from its confluence with the Ottawa River. In 1753, Antoine Brunet became the first francophone to settle in Lachute temporarily. In 1796, Jedediah Lane, from Jericho, Vermont, bought several thousand acres of land on both sides of the North River, where Lachute is today. That same year, Hezekiah Clark and his family, also of Jericho, settled near the falls on the North River, followed by Loyalists fleeing the American Revolution. Two years later, the population of the Chute settlement (as it was then known by its English name) consisted of five families.

The village grew quickly; by 1803, 30 families were scattered on both banks of the North River and by 1810, Lachute counted 83 families, including 211 children of school age. In 1804, a mill was built at the falls and the first general store opened in 1813. One year later, Sir John Johnson bought a large part of the Argenteuil Seigneury. He built a sawmill and gave land for the construction of churches, helping to attract new settlers to Argenteuil. In 1825, Thomas Barron became the first judge, then the first mayor of Lachute. The Lachute post office was established in 1835.

From 1870 to 1880, Lachute went through another period of expansion, including economic and social development; the railway linking Montreal and Ottawa was built through the centre of the small town. Industries were established: Félix Hamelin and Thomas Henry Ayers established a wool mill and Irishman James Crocket Wilson opened a paper mill.

In 1885, the Town of Lachute was incorporated with a population around 1300 persons, and in the same year, Lachute high school was founded. In 1901, electricity was brought to the town.

Parc municipal en fleurs
Municipal park

In 1966, Lachute and the Village of Ayersville merged, forming the Cité de Lachute. In 1971, during the construction of Montréal-Mirabel International Airport, a part of the Saint-Jérusalem Parish was added to Lachute. In 1981, Cité de Lachute became Ville de Lachute. In 2000, about 10 km2 of Mirabel's territory were annexed by Lachute. In 2002, the Service de police municipale de Lachute was transferred to the Sûreté du Québec.

The Expo Lachute Fair is the oldest fair in Quebec and the second-oldest in all of Canada, running from 1825 to the present. In 1917, the Argenteuil Agricultural Society purchased land to hold the Expo Lachute Fair permanently in Lachute. In 1917, the construction of the grandstand and the track was completed, with new cattle and horse barns being constructed as time and money allowed. The Fall Fair was changed to a Spring Fair in 1925 so that it could be deemed strictly a livestock show. Lachute was not always host to the exhibition; from 1825 to 1826, inhabitants of the county of York met in the then-bustling business centre of St. Andrews, to form a society called the County of York Agricultural Society, later changed to the Two Mountains Agricultural Society, and finally the Argenteuil Agricultural Society. Today, the Expo Lachute Fair is still going strong; an annual agriculture fair is held in July and the Fall Derby is in September. The fairgrounds are also used for several other local events throughout the year.

Demographics

Historical Census Data – Lachute, Quebec
Year Pop. ±%
1880 650 —    
1925 3,000 +361.5%
1941 5,310 +77.0%
1957 8,848 +66.6%
1976 11,928 +34.8%
1981 11,729 −1.7%
1986 11,586 −1.2%
1991 11,730 +1.2%
1996 11,493 −2.0%
1996A 11,556 +0.5%
2001 11,628 +0.6%
2006 11,832 +1.8%
2011 12,551 +6.1%
2016 12,862 +2.5%
2021 14,100 +9.6%
(A) adjustment due to boundary change.
Source: Statistics Canada

In the 2021 Census of Population conducted by Statistics Canada, Lachute had a population of 14,100 living in 6,531 of its 6,862 total private dwellings, a change of 9.6% from its 2016 population of 12,862. With a land area of 108.66 km2 (41.95 sq mi), it had a population density of 129.8/km2 (336/sq mi) in 2021.

Canada census – Lachute community profile
2016 2011 2006
Population: 12,862 (+2.5% from 2011) 12,551 (+6.1% from 2006) 11,832 (+1.8% from 2001)
Land area: 109.96 km2 (42.46 sq mi) 109.20 km2 (42.16 sq mi) 108.67 km2 (41.96 sq mi)
Population density: 117.0/km2 (303/sq mi) 114.9/km2 (298/sq mi) 108.9/km2 (282/sq mi)
Median age: 49.3 (M: 47.0, F: 51.1) 47.1 (M: 45.6, F: 48.4) 44.8 (M: 43.7, F: 45.9)
Total private dwellings: 6,403 5,991 5,449
Median household income: $44,681 $40,516 $36,444
References: 2016 2011 2006 earlier
Canada Census Mother Tongue – Lachute, Quebec
Census Total
French
English
French & English
Other
Year Responses Count Trend Pop % Count Trend Pop % Count Trend Pop % Count Trend Pop %
2011
12,305
10,705 Increase 6.2% 87.00% 1,310 Increase 7.3% 10.65% 130 Increase 23.1% 1.05% 160 Decrease 5.9% 1.30%
2006
11,525
10,040 Increase 4.3% 87.11% 1,215 Decrease 10.0% 10.54% 100 Decrease 13.0% 0.87% 170 Increase 29.4% 1.48%
2001
11,195
9,610 Increase 3.1% 85.84% 1,350 Decrease 23.1% 12.06% 115 Increase 21.7% 1.03% 120 Decrease 17.2% 1.07%
1996
11,300
9,310 n/a 82.39% 1,755 n/a 15.53% 90 n/a 0.80% 145 n/a 1.28%

Climate

Climate data for Lachute (1981–2010)
Month Jan Feb Mar Apr May Jun Jul Aug Sep Oct Nov Dec Year
Record high °C (°F) 10.5
(50.9)
12.5
(54.5)
20.5
(68.9)
31
(88)
32.2
(90.0)
35
(95)
34.4
(93.9)
35.5
(95.9)
32.5
(90.5)
27.2
(81.0)
20
(68)
13.5
(56.3)
35.5
(95.9)
Mean daily maximum °C (°F) −6.1
(21.0)
−3.5
(25.7)
2.3
(36.1)
11.3
(52.3)
18.8
(65.8)
23.8
(74.8)
26
(79)
24.9
(76.8)
20.0
(68.0)
12.4
(54.3)
4.9
(40.8)
−2.5
(27.5)
11.0
(51.8)
Daily mean °C (°F) −10.7
(12.7)
−8.6
(16.5)
−2.6
(27.3)
6.0
(42.8)
12.9
(55.2)
18.0
(64.4)
20.4
(68.7)
19.3
(66.7)
14.7
(58.5)
7.7
(45.9)
1.3
(34.3)
−6.5
(20.3)
6.0
(42.8)
Mean daily minimum °C (°F) −15.4
(4.3)
−13.6
(7.5)
−7.5
(18.5)
0.7
(33.3)
6.9
(44.4)
12.2
(54.0)
14.7
(58.5)
13.7
(56.7)
9.2
(48.6)
3.1
(37.6)
−2.4
(27.7)
−10.4
(13.3)
0.9
(33.6)
Record low °C (°F) −37
(−35)
−35
(−31)
−30.5
(−22.9)
−15
(5)
−6.7
(19.9)
−1.5
(29.3)
3.5
(38.3)
0
(32)
−5
(23)
−8.9
(16.0)
−20.6
(−5.1)
−34.5
(−30.1)
−37
(−35)
Average precipitation mm (inches) 91.2
(3.59)
69.7
(2.74)
72.9
(2.87)
87.5
(3.44)
96.4
(3.80)
115.0
(4.53)
100.2
(3.94)
103.6
(4.08)
107.6
(4.24)
110.1
(4.33)
106.3
(4.19)
90.1
(3.55)
1,150.5
(45.30)
Source: Environment Canada

Education

The Commission scolaire de la Rivière-du-Nord operates French-language public schools.

  • École l'Oasis
  • École Saint-Alexandre
  • École Saint-Julien
  • École polyvalente Lavigne

Sir Wilfrid Laurier School Board operates English-language public schools:

  • Laurentian Elementary School
  • Laurentian Regional High School

Notable people

  • John Lavis
  • Salem Bland, Methodist theologian and Social Gospel leader.
  • Kevin Lowe, former NHL defenceman and current vice-chairman of the Edmonton Oilers.
  • Jim Watson, former Member of Provincial Parliament (MPP) for the riding of Ottawa West—Nepean and Minister of Municipal Affairs and Housing; former Mayor of Ottawa, Ontario. The Hon. Mayor Watson is a member of the Ontario Liberal Party.
  • Pierre Pagé, former coach of several NHL hockey teams (Calgary, Minnesota, Quebec and Anaheim), and currently head coach of Eisbären Berlin (Berlin Polar Bears) of the Deutsche Eishockey Liga.
  • Thain Wendell MacDowell, Victoria Cross Recipient 1917, Vimy Ridge, France.
  • Bob Paulson, 23rd Commissioner of the RCMP; Commander of the National Security Criminal Investigations Unit.

Media

See also

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