Rawdon, Quebec
Rawdon | |
|---|---|
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 Location within Matawinie RCM. | |
| Country |  Canada |
| Province |  Quebec |
| Region | Lanaudière |
| RCM | Matawinie |
| Settled | 1799 |
| Constituted | May 28, 1998 |
| Government | |
| • Mayor | Bruno Guilbault |
| • Federal riding | Joliette |
| • Prov. riding | Rousseau |
| Area | |
| • Total | 193.00 km2 (74.52 sq mi) |
| • Land | 187.07 km2 (72.23 sq mi) |
| Population (2011)[2] | |
| • Total | 10,416 |
| • Density | 55.7/km2 (144/sq mi) |
| • Pop 2006-2011 |  3.6% |
| • Dwellings | 5,422 |
| Time zone | UTC−5 (EST) |
| • Summer (DST) | UTC−4 (EDT) |
| Postal code(s) | |
| Area code(s) | 450 and 579 |
| Highways |  R-125  R-337  R-341  R-348 |
| Website | www |
Rawdon is a municipality located on the Ouareau River in southwestern Quebec, Canada, about 60 kilometres north of Montreal. It is the seat for the Regional County Municipality of Matawinie, in the Lanaudière region. Rawdon is part of the Joliette federal electoral district.
The town of Rawdon is a mostly French-speaking tourist resort and is home to one English public school and four French public schools as well as a medium-size ski resort.
Geography
Rawdon is located at the beginning of the Canadian Shield mountains. Its lakes and mountains make it a destination for summer tourism with its many camps and cottages. Rawdon is home to the Dorwin and Manchester falls, which lie less than a kilometre from downtown and offer a public beach on the artificial Rawdon Lake. In summer, temperatures can soar as high as 35 °C (95 °F) while temperatures as cold as −30 °C (−22 °F) can be felt in winter.
History
Rawdon township was established in 1799 and named after Sir Francis Rawdon-Hastings, 1st Marquess of Hastings. The town of Rawdon was primarily home to people of Irish background up until 1844, when more and more French-Canadians settled the region and small shops and industries emerged. Following the First World War and October Revolution, Rawdon saw a considerable number of Russian, Ukrainian and Belorussian noble families arrive to settle in its countryside (update - These noble families come from Polish-Lithuanian Commonwealth). It was originally part of Montcalm County. From 1920 to 1998, there were two separate municipalities named "Rawdon": the township of Rawdon and the village of Rawdon; in 1998, they were reunited into a single municipality.
Demographics
Population
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In summer, the population is said to double and even sometimes triple due to tourism and the presence of many cottages in the vicinity.
Private dwellings occupied by usual residents: 4532 (total dwellings: 5422)
Language
Mother tongue:[2]
- English as first language: 10.4%
- French as first language: 84.1%
- English and French as first language: 0.6%
- Other as first language: 4.9%
Notable Rawdon natives
- Jonathan Girard, former Boston Bruins hockey player
- Firmin Dugas (1830-1889), businessman and politician
- Martin Deschamps Canadian rock singer
- Debra Arbec CBC news anchor (Montréal)
See also
References
- ^ a b "Répertoire des municipalités: Geographic code 62037". www.mamh.gouv.qc.ca (in French). Ministère des Affaires municipales et de l'Habitation.
- ^ a b c Statistics Canada 2011 Census - Rawdon census profile
- ^ "Banque de noms de lieux du Québec: Reference number 341185". toponymie.gouv.qc.ca (in French). Commission de toponymie du Québec.
- ^ Statistics Canada: 1996, 2001, 2006, 2011 census
External links
Adjacent Municipal Subdivisions | |
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 Subdivisions of Matawinie Regional County Municipality | |
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| Municipalities | |
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| Unorganized territories | |
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