Saint-Jérôme, Quebec
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| Saint-Jérôme, Quebec | |||
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| Country |  Canada |
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| Province |  Quebec |
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| Region | La Rivière-du-Nord | ||
| Settled | 1834[1] | ||
| Constituted | January 1st, 2002[1] | ||
| Government | |||
| - Mayor | Marc Gascon | ||
| - MNA | Martin Camirand | ||
| - MP | Monique Guay | ||
| Area [2] | |||
| - Total | 89.37 km² (34.5 sq mi) | ||
| Population (2006) | |||
| - Total | 63,729 (ranked 15th) | ||
| Time zone | EST (UTC-5) | ||
| - Summer (DST) | EDT (UTC-4) | ||
| Postal codes | J5L, J7Y, J7Z | ||
| Area code(s) | 450 | ||
| Website: www.vsj.ca | |||
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Saint-Jérôme, Quebec (2006 Population 63,729) is a town in Quebec, near Mirabel, about 40 kilometers (25 miles) northwest of Montreal along Autoroute des Laurentides. It is home to the Cégep de Saint-Jérôme, one of the Colleges of General and Vocational Education located in the province. It is also home to a new branch campus, the Centre d'études universitaires des Laurentides, of the Université du Québec en Outaouais.
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[edit] History
The territory where the present city of Saint-Jérôme now stands was granted in 1752 by the marquis de la Jonquière, governor of New France, as the seignory of Augmentation des Mille-Iles (literally "enlargement" of the seignory of Mille-Iles). From the 1760s to the 1840s, the seignory was owned by the Dumont and Lefebvre de Bellefeuille families, living in the town of Saint-Eustache, 25 kilometers (15 miles) to the south. The Dumont and the Lefebvre conceded the farmland to colonists coming mostly from the region lying north of Montreal. The emerging town was then known under the name of Dumontville. The Catholic parish of Saint-Jérôme was constituted on November 15th, 1834 and the village itself was constituted on July 1st, 1845 by governor Metcalfe.[3]
François-Xavier-Antoine Labelle, a Roman Catholic priest who was the great "colonizer" (promoter of settlement) of the North of Montreal, was in charge of the pastoral administration of Saint-Jérôme of 1868 until his death, in 1891. Eight years after his arrival, he had succeeded in having a railroad built linking Saint-Jérôme and Montreal.
Antoine Labelle was the parish priest of Saint-Jérôme for 22 years, from 1868 until his death, at 57 years of age, on January 4, 1891. He was called "the king of North, the apostle of colonization".
The opening of roads and the arrival of a railroad became essential with the development of the small communities in the Laurentians. These transportation routes for the movement of goods and people would ensure the establishment of trade and industry.
Labelle promoted the idea of a railroad towards the North beginning in 1869. The railway reached Saint-Jérôme in 1876, partly because a railway was seen as a way to meet the needs for firewood and construction materials for great urban centres like Montreal and Quebec.
The mayor is Marc Gascon.
The town is a gateway to Laurentian mountains resorts.
It is an important stop on the north-south trunk of the "route verte" cycling path which makes it possible for nature lovers who are also pedaling enthusiasts to make short trips or excursions lasting several days going (or coming from) as far south as Blainville, Quebec on the outskirts of Montreal and as far north as Mont-Tremblant, Quebec without ever sharing the road with a motorized vehicle. North of Saint-Jérôme, the trail is known as the "P'tit Train du Nord" linear park[4] and is also used as a cross-country ski trail in winter.
The town is named after Saint Jerome (ca. 347 – September 30, 420), a church father best known as the translator of the Bible from Greek and Hebrew into Latin. His translation is known as the Vulgate.
In 2002 Saint-Jérôme amalgamated with the following municipalities (2001 populations):
- Saint-Jérôme (24,583)
- Bellefeuille (14,066)
- Saint-Antoine (11,488)
- Lafontaine (9,477)
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[edit] Public transportation
The Saint-Jérôme train and bus station is an intermodal bus and commuter train station. It serves bus routes operated by local transit agencies and by two intercity bus companies. Commuter trains to Montreal began to serve the station on Monday January 8, 2007, with four trains in each direction each business day.[5].
[edit] Attractions
- Roman Catholic cathedral, which includes a small museum
- Vieux-Palais modern art museum and public library
- Statue of Antoine Labelle, known as curé Labelle, who was principally responsible for the settlement of the Laurentians
- Several summer festivals
[edit] Notable people
- les Denis Drolets, two comedians
- Jean-René Dufort, broadcaster
- Boule Noire, singer
- Arthur Thuot, artist-painter
- Lionel Giroux alias Little Beaver, wrestler
- Stéphane Ménard, musical producer
[edit] See also
[edit] External links
- Ville de Saint-Jérôme, in French
- Commission de toponymie du Québec - Saint-Jérôme, in French
- Cégep de Saint-Jérôme, in French
[edit] References
- ^ a b Histoire de Saint-Jérôme
- ^ Profil statistiques de Saint-Jérôme
- ^ Auclair, Elie-J., Saint-Jérôme de Terrebonne, Imprimerie J.H.A. Labelle, 1934, pages 13-35.
- ^ Government of Quebec – Parc Linéaire Le P'tit Train du Nord
- ^ La Presse, 28 novembre 2006 "Saint-Jérôme aura son train de banlieue" par Jean-Paul Charbonneau
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