From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
Rawdon is a municipality located on the Ouareau River in southwestern Quebec, 45 minutes north of Montreal; it is the seat for the Regional County Municipality of Matawinie, in the Lanaudière region. Rawdon is part of the Joliette electoral district.
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 francophone Quebecers settled the region as small shops and industries emerged. Following the First World War, Rawdon saw a considerable number of Russian and East European families arrive to settle in its contryside. 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. Rawdon is home to one English public school and four French puclic schools as well as a medium-size ski resort.
[edit] Geography
Rawdon is located at the beginning of the Canadian Shield mountains. Its beautiful lakes and rolling mountains make it a popular destination for summer tourism with its many camps and cottages. Rawdon is home to the Dorwin and Manchester falls which lie less than a kilometer from downtown and offer breathtaking sights, as well as a public beach on the artificial Rawdon lake. In summer, temperatures can soar as high as 35 degrees celsius while temperatures as cold as -20 celsius can be felt in winter. The autumn colours offer extraordinary views of the mountains.
[edit] Demographics
According to the 2006 census, the population of Rawdon is 10,058. In summer, the population is said to double and even sometimes triple due to tourism and the presence of many cottages in the vicinity.
[edit] Notable Rawdon natives
[edit] External links
Coordinates: 46°01′59″N 73°42′00″W / 46.033, -73.7
