Rigaud, Quebec
| Rigaud | |
|---|---|
| — Municipality — | |
| Ville de Rigaud | |
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| Coordinates (391, chemin de la Mairie [1]): 45°28′33″N 74°17′04″W / 45.47583°N 74.28444°W | |
| Country |  Canada |
| Province |  Quebec |
| Region | Montérégie |
| RCM | Vaudreuil-Soulanges |
| Incorporated | November 29, 1995 |
| Electoral Districts Federal |
Vaudreuil-Soulanges |
| Provincial | Soulanges |
| Government[1][2][3] | |
| • Mayor | Réal Brazeau |
| • Federal MP(s) | Jamie Nicholls (NDP) |
| • Quebec MNA(s) | Lucie Charlebois (PLQ) |
| Area[4] | |
| • Land | 99.08 km2 (38.3 sq mi) |
| Population (2006)[4] | |
| • Total | 6,780 |
| • Density | 68.4/km2 (177.2/sq mi) |
| • Change (2001-06) |  11.2% |
| • Dwellings | 2,923 |
| Time zone | EST (UTC-5) |
| • Summer (DST) | EDT (UTC-4) |
| Postal code(s) | J0P |
| Area code(s) | 450 |
Access Routes[5] A-40 |
 Route 325 Route 342 |
| Website | www.ville.rigaud.qc.ca |
Rigaud is a municipality in southwestern Quebec, Canada in the county of Vaudreuil-Soulanges at the junction of the Ottawa River (Riviere des Ouatouais) and the Rigaud River. The population as of the Canada 2006 Census was 6,780. It is the farthest western suburb of Montreal.
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[edit] History
The town was named for Pierre François de Rigaud, Marquis de Vaudreuil-Cavagnal, the last governor of New France.
[edit] Demographics
[edit] Population
Population trend[6]
| Census | Population | Change (%) |
|---|---|---|
| 2006 | 6,780 | 11.2% |
| 2001 | 6,095 | 0.6% |
| 1996 | 6,057 | 5.0% |
| 1991 | 5,770 | N/A |
[edit] Language
Mother tongue language (2006)[4]
| Language | Population | Pct (%) |
|---|---|---|
| French only | 5,120 | 77.52% |
| English only | 1,160 | 17.56% |
| Both English and French | 55 | 0.83% |
| Other languages | 270 | 4.09% |
[edit] Attractions
[edit] Rigaud Mountain
Its main attraction is Mont-Rigaud, a small mountain with downhill ski runs (at Ski Mont Rigaud), a private school (Collège Bourget), a monastery, and a shrine dedicated to the Virgin Mary (Sanctuaire Notre-Dame-de-Lourdes). The mountain is also home to an unusual, natural rock garden known as the "champs de patates", so named because of the local legend that it was once a potato field, turned to stone by God because the farmer worked on Sunday. On the opposite side of the mountain is a residential community known as "Mountain Ranches." The middle to upper-middle class community features large, mostly secluded building lots in a wooded setting that draws residents because of its isolated tranquility and privacy. As such, it was the hiding place for fugitive Charlie Wilson, one of the leaders of the notorious 1963 Great train robbery in England.
This area was also known for its "tree farms" in the 1960s and 1970s, providing a tax shelter for the well off, until the tax laws were later changed to require harvesting of those "tree farms". The "Pitcairn Tree Farm", was one such example.
Also located in Rigaud is a training center for the Canada Border Services Agency.
The communities of Dragon and Rigaud are found within the municipality.
[edit] Transportation
The Rigaud station was the former terminus of the AMT commuter train to downtown Montreal.
On July 1, 2010, service to Rigaud was discontinued, as the town was unable to pay the $300,000 annual fee to the AMT to allow service to continue to the town. After that date, the rail line ends at Hudson.[7]
[edit] See also
[edit] References
- ^ a b Ministère des Affaires Municipales et Régions: Rigaud
- ^ Parliament of Canada Federal Riding History: VAUDREUIL--SOULANGES (Quebec)
- ^ Chief Electoral Officer of Québec - 40th General Election Riding Results: SOULANGES
- ^ a b c 2006 Statistics Canada Community Profile: Rigaud, Quebec
- ^ Official Transport Quebec Road Map
- ^ Statistics Canada: 1996, 2001, 2006 census
- ^ Montreal Gazette: "All aboard for the last train to Rigaud", April 23, 2010.
[edit] External links
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Wikimedia Commons has media related to: Rigaud (Québec) |
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Pointe-Fortune | Ottawa River / Saint-André-d'Argenteuil | Ottawa River / Saint-Placide | |
| East Hawkesbury, Ontario |  |
Hudson Vaudreuil-Dorion (West) |
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 Rigaud  |
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| Très-Saint-Rédempteur | Sainte-Marthe | Saint-Lazare |
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