Bécancour, Quebec

Bécancour (French pronunciation: [bekɑ̃kuʁ]) is a city in the Centre-du-Québec region of Quebec, Canada; it is the seat of the Bécancour Regional County Municipality. It is located on the south shore of the Saint Lawrence River at the confluence of the Bécancour River, opposite Trois-Rivières.

For the community, see Bécancour, Quebec (community).

Bécancour
City
Sainte-Angèle-de-Laval
Sainte-Angèle-de-Laval
Coat of arms of Bécancour
Coat of arms
Motto(s): 
Vivre et grandir
("To live and to grow")
Location within Bécancour RCM.
Location within Bécancour RCM.
Bécancour is located in Southern Quebec
Bécancour
Bécancour
Location in southern Quebec.
Coordinates: 46°20′N 72°26′W[1]
Country Canada
Province Quebec
RegionCentre-du-Québec
RCMBécancour
ConstitutedOctober 17, 1965
Government
[2]
 • MayorLucie Allard
 • Federal ridingBécancour—Nicolet—Saurel
 • Prov. ridingNicolet-Bécancour
Area
[2][3]
 • Total494.60 km2 (190.97 sq mi)
 • Land440.74 km2 (170.17 sq mi)
Elevation
148 m (486 ft)
Population
 (2011)[3]
 • Total12,438
 • Density28.2/km2 (73/sq mi)
 • Pop 2006-2011
Increase 13.3%
 • Dwellings
5,667
Time zoneUTC−5 (EST)
 • Summer (DST)UTC−4 (EDT)
Postal code(s)
G9H
Area code819
Highways
A-30
A-55
R-132
R-226
R-261
Websitewww.becancour.net

Wôlinak, an Abenaki Indian reserve, is an enclave within the town of Bécancour. They arrived from Norridgewock, Maine (formerly Acadia) in the aftermath of Father Rale's War.

There was a small migration of Acadians to the village (1759), after the British began the Expulsion of the Acadians from the Maritimes. Specifically, the Acadians migrated from present-day New Brunswick to avoid being killed or captured in the St. John River Campaign.

Description

The town of Bécancour was created October 17, 1965, from an amalgamation of eleven municipalities. Bécancour was one of the province of Quebec's first amalgamated cities.[4] At the time, Bécancour was the largest city in Quebec in terms of land area (as of 2003, the title belongs to La Tuque, Quebec).

Bécancour is now divided into six secteurs (lit. "sectors"): Bécancour, Saint-Grégoire, Gentilly, Précieux-Sang, Sainte-Angèle-de-Laval, and Sainte-Gertrude. Bécancour, Saint-Grégoire and Gentilly, each located near the shore of the Saint Lawrence River, can be considered the main urban centres. Autoroute 55 intersects Autoroute 30 and Route 132 at Saint-Grégoire.

Bécancour is part of the Trois-Rivières metropolitan area; many residents work in Trois-Rivières and commute across the Laviolette Bridge daily. The economy of Bécancour, once mainly agricultural, shifted towards heavy industry and manufacturing in the 1970s and 1980s. An industrial park was built in the area, attracting producers of aluminum, magnesium, refractory metals, and petroleum products; machine shops; and many related services, such as excavators and sales of industrial parts. A nuclear power plant, Gentilly Nuclear Generating Station, was commissioned in 1983 in the Gentilly sector; it was decommissioned in 2012.[5]

Despite its proximity to Trois-Rivières, Bécancour has a vibrant culture and identity of its own. The city hosts a hot air balloon festival,[6] a weekly public marketplace, a biodiversity museum and interpretation centre, and a maritime pumpkin race.[7]

History
See also: Municipal history of Quebec

Constituent municipalities of Bécancour included:[4]

  • La Nativité de Notre-Dame-de-Bécancour (1722)
  • Saint-Édouard-de-Gentilly (1784)
  • Saint-Grégoire-le-Grand (1802)
  • Sainte-Gertrude (1845)
  • Sainte-Angèle-de-Laval (1868)
  • Très-Précieux-Sang-de-Notre-Seigneur (1903)

And the villages of:

Demographics

In the 2021 Census of Population conducted by Statistics Canada, Bécancour had a population of 13,561 living in 6,034 of its 6,348 total private dwellings, a change of 4.1% from its 2016 population of 13,031. With a land area of 439.54 km2 (169.71 sq mi), it had a population density of 30.9/km2 (79.9/sq mi) in 2021.[8]

Communities
Village Bécancour

Notable people

Sister city

Emblems and symbols

See also

References
  1. "Reference number 4505 in Banque de noms de lieux du Québec". toponymie.gouv.qc.ca (in French). Commission de toponymie du Québec.
  2. "Geographic code 38010 in the official Répertoire des municipalités". www.mamh.gouv.qc.ca (in French). Ministère des Affaires municipales et de l'Habitation.
  3. "Bécancour, Quebec (Code 2438010) Census Profile". 2011 census. Government of Canada - Statistics Canada.
  4. "Becancour.net". Archived from the original on 2006-08-29. Retrieved 2006-08-26.
  5. "Gentilly-2 Nuclear Generating Station - Canadian Nuclear Safety Commission". Archived from the original on 2014-02-27.
  6. "Festival des Montgolieres de Bécancour". Archived from the original on 2006-08-19. Retrieved 2006-08-26.
  7. "Régates du Potirothon". Archived from the original on 2007-09-28. Retrieved 2006-08-26.
  8. "Population and dwelling counts: Canada, provinces and territories, and census subdivisions (municipalities), Quebec". Statistics Canada. February 9, 2022. Retrieved August 29, 2022.
  9. "Bishop Bl. Louis-Zéphirin Moreau". Catholic-Hierarchy.org. David M. Cheney. Retrieved 21 January 2015.
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