Rimouski, Quebec
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| Rimouski, Quebec | |
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| Motto: Legi patrum fidelis (Fidèles à la loi de nos pères) (Faithful to the law of our fathers) | |
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| Country |  Canada |
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| Province |  Quebec |
| Region | Bas-Saint-Laurent |
| Constitution date | January 1, 2002 |
| Government | |
| - Mayor | Éric Forest (2005–08) |
| - Governing body | |
| Area | |
| - Total | 254.16 km² (98.1 sq mi) |
| Population (2005) | |
| - Total | 42,460 |
| - Density | 167.1/km² (432.8/sq mi) |
| Time zone | EST (UTC-5) |
| Geographical code | 24 10043 |
| People | Rimouskois, Rimouskoises |
| Website: Ville de Rimouski | |
Rimouski is a Canadian city in the central part of Bas-Saint-Laurent region in eastern Quebec. It is located on the south shore of the Saint Lawrence River at the mouth of the Rimouski River, north-east of Quebec City.
The city, whose population was 42,460 in 2005, offers several tourist attractions. With the new Desjardins-Telus theatre and the expansion of the industrial district to include many department stores, Rimouski has become a major service centre for the region.
Rimouski is a major regional centre and is home of several institutions such as Université du Québec à Rimouski and Cégep de Rimouski. It is the seat for the Rimouski-Neigette Regional County Municipality. It is also the centre of the Roman Catholic Archdiocese of Rimouski. The Saint-Germain Cathedral is the tallest building in the downtown area.
Rimouski is part of Maritime Quebec, a territory which includes the largest group of francophone and bilingual institutions dedicated to ocean sciences and technology in North America. These organizations include the Institut Maritime du Québec (IMQ), the Institut des sciences de la mer (ISMER), the Centre de recherche sur les biotechnologies marines (CRBM),the Centre interdisciplinaire de développement en cartographie des océans (CIDCO) and the Maurice-Lamontagne Institute (the federal Department of Fisheries and Oceans Marine Science Research Centre), based in Mont-Joli.
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[edit] History
The city was founded by Sir René Lepage de Ste-Claire in 1696. Originally from Ouanne in the Burgundy region, he exchanged property he owned on the Ile d'Orleans with Augustin Rouer de la Cardonnière for the Seigneurie of Rimouski, which extended along the Saint Lawrence River from the Hâtée River at Le Bic to the Métis River. De la Cardonnière had been the owner of Rimouski since 1688, but had never lived there. René Lepage moved his family to Rimouski, where it held the seigneurie until 1780 when it was gradually sold to the Quebec City businessman Joseph Drapeau.
Today, a boulevard, park and monument at the western entrance of the Rimouski bear the name of the Sir René Lepage de Ste-Claire.
On May 6, 1950, Rimouski suffered a terrible fire in which 319 houses burned to the ground. This event is known as La nuit rouge (French for Red Night). The fire originated in the Price Brothers Company yard on the left shore of the Rimouski River and quickly crossed the river and spread throughout the city pushed by strong winds, destroying half of the city. No one died in the blaze. Legend has it that a priest sprinkled holy water around the city's cathedral and that the fire would not cross the line.
[edit] Districts
The city is divided in 10 districts:
- District 1 - Sacré-Coeur
- District 2 - Nazareth
- District 3 - Saint-Germain
- District 4 - Rimouski-Est
- District 5 - Pointe-au-Père
- District 6 - Sainte-Odile
- District 7 - Saint-Robert
- District 8 - Terrasses Arthur-Buies
- District 9 - Saint-Pie-X
- District 10 - Sainte-Blandine/Mont-Lebel
In 2002 Rimouski amalgamated with the following communities. (2001 populations)
- Rimouski (31,305)
- Pointe-au-Père (4,171)
- Sainte-Blandine (2,218)
- Rimouski-Est (2,058)
- Sainte-Odile-sur-Rimouski (1,463)
- Mont-Lebel (334)
[edit] Culture
Rimouski has a rich cultural life. Each year, it hosts a jazz festival (Festi Jazz International de Rimouski) and a film festival for children (Carrousel international du film de Rimouski). One of its main tourist attractions is the Musée de la mer (Museum of the Sea), which is centred on the RMS Empress of Ireland disaster and the Pointe-au-Père lighthouse. The museum commemorates the most fatal shipwreck after the Titanic tragedy in the 20th century.
The city is the host each year of the Book Show of Rimouski, oldest of all the events of the kind in Quebec. It was created in 1964 by a group of impassioned women of literature and who wished to make the literature more accessible to the young public. The Show presents each year more than 125 authors of the area and besides, representing more than 300 quebecers publishers distributed on some 75 stands. Supported by Canada Heritage, the Canada Council of the Arts, the Society of development of the cultural companies of Quebec and the city of Rimouski, the event attracts more than 8000 visitors each year in November.
[edit] Sports
Sports are also very popular. Since 1995, the city is home to the Rimouski Oceanic of the Quebec Major Junior Hockey League, who were the Memorial Cup champions in 2000 and finalists in 2005. Rimouski was the host of the Jeux du Québec as well, during the winter of 1975 and 2001. Rimouski will be the host city for the Memorial Cup in May of 2009.
[edit] Transportation
There is a ferry service which crosses the river to Forestville, Quebec on the north shore. The city can also be reached by train on VIA Rail. There is also a municipal airport (IATA airport code YXK).
[edit] See also
[edit] External links
- (French) Ville de Rimouski
- (French) Tourisme Rimouski
- (French) Portail Rimouskiweb
- (French) Université du Québec à Rimouski
- (French) Institut des Sciences de la mer
- (French) Cégep de Rimouski
- (French) Institut Maritime du Québec
- Maurice-Lamontagne Institute - Institut Maurice-Lamontagne
- St.Lawrence River Observatory - Observatoire du Saint-Laurent
- (French) Centre de Recherche sur les Biotechnologies Marines
- (French) Association des Lepage d'Amérique
- (French) Rimouski Festi Jazz International
- (French) Le Carrousel International du Film de Rimouski
- (French) Ligue de hockey junior majeur du Québec
- Rimouski Oceanic Hockey Club - Club de hockey L'Océanic de Rimouski
- The official website of Sidney Crosby
- (French) Musée de la mer
- Centre interdisciplinaire de développement en cartographie des océans
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