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Saint-Jean-sur-Richelieu | |
|---|---|
| Ville de Saint-Jean-sur-Richelieu | |
 Downtown Saint Jean sur Richelieu | |
 Flag  Logo | |
 Location within Le Haut-Richelieu RCM | |
  St-Jean-sur-Richelieu Location in southern Quebec | |
| Coordinates: 45°19′N 73°16′W / 45.317°N 73.267°W / 45.317; -73.267[1] | |
| Country | Canada |
| Province | Quebec |
| Region | Montérégie |
| RCM | Le Haut-Richelieu |
| Settled | 1665 |
| Constituted | January 24, 2001 |
| Government [2][3] | |
| • Mayor | Andrée Bouchard |
| • Federal riding | Saint-Jean |
| • Prov. riding | Iberville and Saint-Jean |
| Area [2][4] | |
| • City | 233.75 km2 (90.25 sq mi) |
| • Land | 226.93 km2 (87.62 sq mi) |
| • Urban [5] | 53.80 km2 (20.77 sq mi) |
| Population (2021)[4] | |
| • City | 97,873 |
| • Density | 431.3/km2 (1,117/sq mi) |
| • Urban | 88,083 |
| • Urban density | 1,637.3/km2 (4,241/sq mi) |
| • |  2.9% |
| • Dwellings | 44,255 |
| Time zone | UTC−5 (EST) |
| • Summer (DST) | UTC−4 (EDT) |
| Postal code(s) | |
| Area code(s) | 450 and 579 |
Highways  A-35 |  R-104  R-133  R-219  R-223 |
| Website | www.ville.saint-jean-sur-richelieu.qc.ca |
Saint-Jean-sur-Richelieu (French pronunciation: [sɛ̃ ʒɑ̃ syʁ ʁiʃ(ə)ljø]) is a city in eastern Montérégie in the Canadian province of Quebec, about 40 kilometres (25 mi) southeast of Montreal, located roughly halfway between Montreal and the Canada–United States border with the state of Vermont. It is situated on both the west and east banks of the Richelieu River at the northernmost navigable point of Lake Champlain. As of December 2019, the population of Saint-Jean-sur-Richelieu was 98,036.[6]
History
Historically, the city has been an important transportation hub. The first railway line in British North America connected it with La Prairie in 1836. It also hosts the annual International Balloon Festival of Saint-Jean-sur-Richelieu, a hot air balloon festival which attracts thousands of tourists who come to see the hundreds of balloons in the sky each August.
The Chambly Canal extends 20 kilometres (12 mi) north along the west bank of the river and provides modern freight passage to Chambly and the St. Lawrence River. The canal has one lock near the downtown core of Saint-Jean-sur-Richelieu. In the winter, the city builds a skating rink on the canal near the lock. In the summer, the embankment on the east side of the canal has a 20-kilometre (12 mi) cycling path.
The French built Fort Saint-Jean in the seventeenth century. Known to early English settlers as St. Johns, it provided an important communication link during the French and Indian Wars. During the American Revolutionary War control of the town changed hands several times as British and American forces moved through the area.
In 2001 the city and several adjoining communities were merged into the new regional county municipality with a population to 79,600. This merger was requested by the five municipalities involved and was not part of the municipal fusions imposed by the Quebec government the following year.
Geography
Saint-Jean-sur-Richelieu is located on the banks of the Richelieu River. The city is the seat of Le Haut-Richelieu regional county municipality and of the judicial district of Iberville.[7]
Neighbourhoods
The city is divided in five sectors which refer to the former municipalities. Each sector contains different neighbourhoods:
Demographics
In the 2021 Census of Population conducted by Statistics Canada, Saint-Jean-sur-Richelieu had a population of 97,873 living in 42,913 of its 44,255 total private dwellings, a change of 2.9% from its 2016 population of 95,114. With a land area of 226.93 km2 (87.62 sq mi), it had a population density of 431.3/km2 (1,117.0/sq mi) in 2021.[9]
Canada census – Saint-Jean-sur-Richelieu community profile