Plessisville, Quebec
{{Use Canadian English|date=January 2023}}
{{Infobox settlement
|name = Plessisville
|official_name =
|native_name =
|other_name =
|settlement_type = City
|image_skyline = Centre-ville de Plessisville.jpg
|imagesize =
|image_caption =
|image_flag = Flag of Plessisville.png
|flag_size = 125px
|image_seal =
|seal_size =
|image_shield = Coat of arms of Plessisville.svg
|shield_size = 100x80px
|nickname =
|motto = "Meliora paramus" (We are preparing better things)
|image_map = Plessisville location diagram.png
|map_caption = Location within L'Érable RCM.
|pushpin_map = Canada Southern Quebec
|pushpin_label_position =
|pushpin_label =
|pushpin_map_caption = Location in southern Quebec.
|coordinates = {{coord|46|13|N|71|47|W|region:CA-QC|display=inline,title}}
|coor_pinpoint =
|subdivision_type = Country
|subdivision_name = {{CAN}}
|subdivision_type1 = Province
|subdivision_name1 = {{QC}}
|subdivision_type2 = Region
|subdivision_name2 = Centre-du-Québec
|subdivision_type3 = RCM
|subdivision_name3 = L'Érable
|subdivision_type4 =
|subdivision_name4 =
|established_title =
|established_date =
|established_title1 = Constituted
|established_date1 = January 1, 2024
|established_title2 =
|established_date2 =
|established_title3 =
|established_date3 =
|government_type =
|leader_title = Mayor
|leader_name = Jean-François Labbé
|leader_title1 = Federal riding
|leader_name1 = Mégantic—L'Érable
|leader_title2 = Prov. riding
|leader_name2 = Arthabaska
|leader_title3 =
|leader_name3 =
|leader_title4 =
|leader_name4 =
|area_magnitude =
|area_total_km2 = 145.85
|area_land_km2 = 146.11
|area_water_km2 =
|area_water_percent =
|area_urban_km2 =
|area_metro_km2 =
|area_blank1_title =
|area_blank1_km2 =
|elevation_footnotes =
|elevation_m =
|population_total = 9069
|population_as_of = 2021
|population_density_km2 = 62.1
|population_urban =
|population_density_urban_km2 =
|population_metro =
|population_density_metro_km2 =
|population_blank1_title = Pop 2016-2021
|population_blank1 = {{decrease}} 1.6%
|population_density_blank1_km2 =
|population_blank2_title= Dwellings
|population_blank2 = 4547
|population_note =
|timezone = EST
|utc_offset = −5
|timezone_DST = EDT
|utc_offset_DST = −4
|postal_code_type = Postal code(s)
|postal_code = G6L
|area_code = 819
|blank_name = Highways
|blank_info = {{jct|state=QC|QC|116}}
{{jct|state=QC|QC|165}}
{{jct|state=QC|QC|265}}
{{jct|state=QC|QC|267}}
|blank1_name =
|blank1_info =
|website = {{URL|www.ville.plessisville.qc.ca}}
|footnotes =
}}
Plessisville ({{IPA|fr|plɛsivil}}) is a county seat of L'Érable Regional County Municipality, Quebec, Canada. Routes 116 and 165 go through it. The city is 185 km from Montreal and 95 km from Quebec City. The city has hosted an annual Maple festival since 1958, and the Institut québécois de l'érable (Quebec Maple Institute) is headquartered there. The production of maple syrup and maple products is a major industry in the entire area, even giving the regional county municipality its name (érable is French for "maple").
The first person to permanently settle in the area was Jean-Baptiste Lafond, in 1835. First incorporated as the village of Somerset, the settlement was officially incorporated as the village of Plessisville in 1855 in honour of Monseigneur Octave Plessis, bishop of Quebec at the time. In 2024, the city and the parish merged to form the current city.{{Cite journal |author-link=Government of Quebec |date=2023-12-20 |title=Décret 1748-2023 concernant le regroupement de la Ville de Plessisville et de la Municipalité de la paroisse de Plessisville |url=https://www.publicationsduquebec.gouv.qc.ca/fileadmin/gazette/pdf_encrypte/lois_reglements/2023F/82087.pdf |department=Règlements et autres actes |journal=Gazette officielle du Québec, Partie 2 - Lois et règlements |language=fr-ca |publisher=Éditeur officiel du Québec |volume=155 |issue=51 |issn=0703-5756}}
History
Plessisville was officially established on January 1, 2024, following the merger of the former city of Plessisville and the parish municipality of Plessisville.{{Cite web |title=Un regroupement pour la Ville de Plessisville et la Municipalité de la paroisse de Plessisville |url=https://www.quebec.ca/nouvelles/actualites/details/un-regroupement-pour-la-ville-de-plessisville-et-la-municipalite-de-la-paroisse-de-plessisville-52625}}
Plessisville's history dates back to 1835, when its first resident, Jean-Baptiste Lafond, settled in the area. By 1845, the population had grown to approximately 143 people, making it the oldest municipality in the Bois-Francs region.{{Cite web |title=Histoire et patrimoine {{!}} Ville de Plessisville |url=https://plessisville.quebec/loisirs-et-culture/culture/histoire-patrimoine |access-date=2025-01-10 |website=plessisville.quebec |language=fr}}
In 1885, a fire destroyed sixty homes, the foundry, the presbytery, and the church, marking a major turning point in its development.
Demographics
In the 2021 Census of Population conducted by Statistics Canada, the merged city of Plessisville had a population of {{val|9069|fmt=commas}} living in {{val|4220|fmt=commas}} of its {{val|4547|fmt=commas}} total private dwellings, a change of {{percentage|{{#expr:9069-9214}}|9214|1}} from its 2016 population of {{val|9214|fmt=commas}}. With a land area of {{convert|146.11|km2|sqmi|abbr=on}}, it had a population density of {{Pop density|9069|146.11|km2|sqmi|prec=1}} in 2021.{{cite web | url=https://www12.statcan.gc.ca/census-recensement/2021/dp-pd/prof/details/page.cfm?LANG=E&GENDERlist=1&STATISTIClist=1,4&DGUIDlist=2021A00052432040,2021A00052432045&HEADERlist=0&SearchText=Plessisville | title=Population and dwelling counts: Canada, provinces and territories, and census subdivisions (municipalities), Quebec | publisher=Statistics Canada | date=February 9, 2022 | accessdate=January 1, 2024}}
Notable people
- Denis Blondin, anthropologist
- Mavrik Bourque, hockey player
- Pierre Bourque, saxophonist
- Pierre-Andre Fournier, Roman Catholic Archbishop
- Raymond Garneau, politician
- Louis-Édouard Roberge, politician
- François-Théodore Savoie, politician
- Pierre Vachon, president of IB Quebec
Sources
- {{in lang|en}} [http://ville.plessisville.qc.ca/en/content/historique.aspx Official City website]
- {{in lang|en}} [http://www.erable.org/english/histoire.asp Quebec Maple Institute]
- {{in lang|fr}} [http://www.festivaldelerable.com Maple Festival]
References
{{Reflist|refs=
{{mamrot |type=municipalite |32043}}
}}
{{Geographic location
| Northwest =
| North = Notre-Dame-de-Lourdes
| Northeast = Laurierville
| West = Princeville
| Centre = Plessisville
| East =
| Southwest =
| South = Sainte-Sophie-d'Halifax
| Southeast = Saint-Pierre-Baptiste
}}
{{L'Érable RCM}}
{{authority control}}