Pointe-Claire, Quebec
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| Pointe-Claire, Quebec | |
| — City — | |
| City of Pointe Claire | |
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| Coordinates: | |
|---|---|
| Country |  Canada |
| Province |  Quebec |
| Region | Montréal |
| Founded | 1698 |
| municipality | 1854 |
| Government | |
| - Mayor | Bill McMurchie |
| Area | |
| - Total | 18.88 km² (7.3 sq mi) |
| Population (2006) | |
| - Total | 30,161 |
| - Density | 1,597.7/km² (4,138/sq mi) |
| Time zone | Eastern (EST) (UTC-5) |
| - Summer (DST) | EDT (UTC-4) |
| Postal code span | H9R, H9S |
| Area code(s) | (514) and (438) |
| Website: City of Pointe-Claire | |
Pointe-Claire is a municipality in southwestern Quebec, Canada; population 29,286 (Statistics Canada, 2001). Along with the other municipalities on the island of Montreal, it was merged with the city of Montreal on January 1, 2002 by the provincial government. On June 20, 2004, referendums were held in the boroughs of Montreal that had recently been merged to determine whether or not there was popular support to reinstate them as their own separate entities. As a result, Pointe-Claire was reinstated as a city on January 1, 2006.
The city's symbol is the windmill located on the shoreline. The area remains known in the sports world for its contributions to competitive swimming and diving, and has sent several Canadian athletes to the Summer Olympic Games. It is also the hometown of musician Sam Roberts and British tennis star Greg Rusedski.
Pointe-Claire is on the north shore of Lac Saint-Louis. It is bordered on the east by Dorval, on the north by Dollard-Des Ormeaux, and on the west by Kirkland and Beaconsfield.
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[edit] History
The development of the territory of la Pointe Claire did not truly begin until 1698–1699. After 1706, deforestation along the riverbank was advanced enough that the opening of a road along the lake, from La Présentation to the tip of the island, was decreed. In addition to the concessions bordering the lake and served by "the King's Road" (chemin du Roy, now Lakeshore Road), the parish was subdivided in three côtes: St. Rémy (Boulevard-des-Sources), St. Jean and St. Charles (currently boulevards of the same names). The parish was first established in the name of St. Francis of Sales in 1713 and dedicated to St. Joachim the following year. Between côtes St. Rémy and St. Charles lay 33 lots (numbers 145 to 177). These were generally three acres wide by 20 or 30 acres deep.
In 1834, Monseigneur Signay decreed the canonical establishment of the parish. In 1845, Pointe Claire became a civil entity; then, in 1854, a municipality. Agriculture was always the center of activity and the area changed little in appearance. Transformations gradually came about with the influx of English-speaking summer vacationers attracted by the area's natural features. This new social context and its activities marked the landscape and influenced the area's development until the Second World War.
Real changes appeared with the coming of the Grand Trunk Railway in 1855 (now CN), which reduced the journey to Montreal to 45 minutes, as well as with the opening of the Canadian Pacific Railway line in 1887 and the initiation of telephone service in the 1890s. At the turn of the 20th century, several hotels, which no longer exist, were built for vacationers, and a large number of private dwellings were rented. Seasonal cottages were also built which eventually became permanent residences.
In 1889, the area of the municipality was enlarged through the annexation of properties. On May 22, 1900, the heart of the village suffered a major fire that destroyed 23 houses along Church Street (St. Joachim Street), St. Anne Street and the current Lakeshore Road. The town was incorporated in 1911 and included the whole village, plus a fairly large section of the old parish, of which an additional part was annexed in 1958.
With the construction of a highway alongside the railway in 1940, now Autoroute 20, Pointe Claire's role as a suburb was confirmed. The important part of its architectural and historical heritage is located to the south of highway 20.
[edit] Government
The current mayor of Pointe-Claire is Bill McMurchie. There are eight city councilors.
- Robert Geller (District 1 - Cedar-Le Village)
- Paul Bissonnette (District 2 - Lakeside)
- Jacques Labbé (District 3 - Valois)
- Aldo Iermieri (District 4 - Cedar Park Heights)
- Edward Sztuka (District 5 - Lakeside Heights)
- Jean-Pierre Grenier (District 6 - Seigniory)
- Dennis Smith (District 7 - Northview)
- Morris Trudeau (District 8 - Oneida)
[edit] Demographics
As of the census of 2001, there were 29,286 people, 11,400 households, and 8,620 families residing in the city. The population density was 1,551.99/km². There were 11,656 housing units at an average density of 617.70/km². The racial makeup of the city was 88.06% White, 1.67% Black Canadian, 0.21% Aboriginal, 6.97% Asian Canadian, and 0.87% Latin American.
| Language | Population | Percentage (%) |
|---|---|---|
| English | 16,435 | 55.01% |
| French | 6,680 | 22.36% |
| Both English and French | 480 | 1.61% |
| Other languages | 6,275 | 21% |
The linguistic makeup of the city was English as the first language of 56.7% of the population, French the first of 24.0%, 1.7% of the population learnt both English and French, and 17.6% first learnt other languages. 26.4% of the population can speak only English, 4.0% can speak only French, 69.0% can speak both English and French, and 0.6% cannot speak English nor French.
In the city the population was spread out with 19.4% under the age of 15, 11.9% from 15 to 24, 27.3% from 25 to 44, 25.7% from 45 to 64, and 15.7% who were 65 years of age or older. The median age was 40 years. For every 100 females there were 90.0 males. For every 100 females age 15 and over, there were 86.3 males.
There were 11,400 households out of which 34.3% had children living with them, 53.7% were married couples living together, 8.1% had a female lone-parent as a householder, and 26.8% of all households were made up of individuals. The average married-couple family size was 3.2.
Christians made up 84.0% of the population, or 51.2% Catholic, 28.5% Protestant, 2.9% Orthodox, and 1.4% other Christian. Other religions in the city include 1.5% Muslim, 1.0% Jewish, 1.6% Eastern religions, and 0.1% other religions. 11.8% of the population claimed to have no religious affiliation.
The median income for a household in the city was $61,133, and the median income for a family was $71,808. Males had an average income of $49,068 versus $29,125 for females. About 5.7% of the labour force was unemployed. The largest occupation categories were 22.3% employed in business, finance, and administration occupations, 19.0% sales and service occupations, and 17.3% in management occupations.
Note: Percentages may not add up to 100 percent due to rounding of data samples.
[edit] Education
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There are four high schools in Pointe-Claire.
- École secondaire Felix-Leclerc, 311 Inglewood Dr (formerly École secondaire Saint-Thomas and adjacent to Saint Thomas High School)
- John Rennie High School, 501 St John's Boulevard
- Lindsay Place High School, 111 Broadview Avenue
- St. Thomas High School, 120 Ambassador Avenue
[edit] Born in Pointe-Claire, Quebec
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- Autumn Phillips, wife of Peter Phillips
- Benoit Brunet (born 1968), NHL player
- Patricia Noall (born 1970), Olympic freestyle swimmer for Canada
- Laisha Rosnau (born 1972), novelist and poet
- Sam Roberts (born 1974), rock musician
- L.P. Ladouceur (born 1981), long-snapper with the Dallas Cowboys
- Alex Burrows (born 1981), Forward for the Vancouver Canucks
[edit] See also
[edit] External links
