Acton Vale is an industrial

town A town is a human settlement. Towns are generally larger than villages and smaller than cities, though the criteria to distinguish between them vary considerably in different parts of the world. Origin and use The word "town" shares an ori ...

in southcentral

Quebec Quebec ( ; )According to the Canadian government, ''Québec'' (with the acute accent) is the official name in Canadian French and ''Quebec'' (without the accent) is the province's official name in Canadian English is one of the thirtee ...

, Canada. It is the seat of the

Acton Regional County Municipality Acton Regional County Municipality is a regional county municipality located in the Montérégie region of Quebec. The seat is Acton Vale. Founded in 1982, the Acton Regional County Municipality is made up of eight smaller municipalities contai ...

and is in the

Montérégie Montérégie () is an administrative region in the southwest part of Quebec. It includes the cities of Boucherville, Brossard, Châteauguay, Longueuil, Saint-Hyacinthe, Saint-Jean-sur-Richelieu, Salaberry-de-Valleyfield and Vaudreuil-Dorion. ...

administrative region. Its population in the

Canada 2021 Census The 2021 Canadian census was a detailed enumeration of the Canadian population with a reference date of May 11, 2021. It follows the 2016 Canadian census, which recorded a population of 35,151,728. The overall response rate was 98%, which is sli ...

was 7,605. The town covers an area of 90.96 km (35 sq. mi.). By road, Acton Vale is 100 km (60 mi.) from the province's largest city,

Montreal Montreal ( ; officially Montréal, ) is the List of the largest municipalities in Canada by population, second-most populous city in Canada and List of towns in Quebec, most populous city in the Provinces and territories of Canada, Canadian ...

, and 190 km (120 mi.) from the province's capital,

Quebec City Quebec City ( or ; french: Ville de Québec), officially Québec (), is the capital city of the Provinces and territories of Canada, Canadian province of Quebec. As of July 2021, the city had a population of 549,459, and the Communauté métrop ...

. It is also 100 km (60 mi.) from the border with the

United States The United States of America (U.S.A. or USA), commonly known as the United States (U.S. or US) or America, is a country primarily located in North America. It consists of 50 states, a federal district, five major unincorporated territorie ...

History

While the Township of Acton was proclaimed in 1806, it wasn't until 1850 when the area opened up for settlement due to the construction of the railroad. Incorporated in 1861, the town was named for

Acton Acton may refer to: Places Antarctica * Mount Acton Australia * Acton, Australian Capital Territory, a suburb of Canberra * Acton, Tasmania, a suburb of Burnie * Acton Park, Tasmania, a suburb of Hobart, Tasmania, formerly known as Acton Canada ...

, a suburb of

London London is the capital and largest city of England and the United Kingdom, with a population of just under 9 million. It stands on the River Thames in south-east England at the head of a estuary down to the North Sea, and has been a majo ...

England England is a country that is part of the United Kingdom. It shares land borders with Wales to its west and Scotland to its north. The Irish Sea lies northwest and the Celtic Sea to the southwest. It is separated from continental Europe b ...

. The name means "oak town." The town was once a centre for copper mining. Between 1860 and 1875, the Acton copper mine was one of the most important copper mines in the world, but the deposits were quickly depleted. On January 26, 2000, the parish municipality of Saint-André-d'Acton was merged into the Town of Acton Vale.

Communities

Beside Acton Vale is Lavoie, a community in the south of the municipality, accessible by Highway 139.

Demographics

In the 2021 Census of Population conducted by

Statistics Canada Statistics Canada (StatCan; french: Statistique Canada), formed in 1971, is the agency of the Government of Canada commissioned with producing statistics to help better understand Canada, its population, resources, economy, society, and cultur ...

, Acton Vale had a population of living in of its total private dwellings, a change of from its 2016 population of . With a land area of , it had a population density of in 2021.

Government

The mayor is Éric Charbonneau.

List of former mayors

* Éric Charbonneau (2009 - ) * Juliette Dupuis (2005 - 2009) * Maurice Coutu (2001-2005) * Anatole Bergeron (1993-2001) * Gaston Gigère (????-1993) * Roger Labrèque (1974-1986) * Henri Boisvert (1966-1974) * J.Edmour Gagnon (1963-1966) * Lucien Désautels (1962-1963) * Roger Labrèque (1948-1962) * J.W. Cantin (1942-1948) * J. Antonio Leclerc (1940-1942) * Dr Philippe Adam (1934-1940) * Ernest Boisvert (1932-1933) * Auray Fontaine (1928-1932) * Ernest Boisvert (1926-1928) * Auray Fontaine (1924-1926) * Dr. Léon Gauthier (1922-1924) * J.E. Marcile (1918-1922) * Dr. F.H. Daigneault (1916-1918) * Charles Viens (1915-1916) * David Lemay (1914-1915) * Dr. F.H. Daigneault (1905-1914) * Pierre Guertin (1902-1905) * Georges Deslandes (1901-1902) * J.E. Marcile (1900-1901) * Milton McDonald (1897-1900) * Auguste Dalpé (1896-1897) * Alfred Saint-Amour (1895-1896) * Pierre Guertin (1893-1895) * Alfred Saint-Amour (1891-1893) * Charles Roscony (1881-1891) * N.H Dubois (1880-1881) * Charles Roscony (1872-1880) * Jérémie Morrier (1870-1872) * J.A. Cushing (1868-1870) * Charles F. McCallum (1866-1868) * Jérémie Morrier (1864-1866) * A.H. Dubrule (1863-1864) * J.A. Cushing (1861-1863)

Media

''La Pensée de Bagot'' La Pensée de Bagot
/ref> is the local newspaper for Acton Vale and the region.

Notable people

* Kevin Asselin, born 1985, professional ice hockey player

References

External links

Acton Vale Official Web Site
{{Authority control Cities and towns in Quebec Incorporated places in Acton Regional County Municipality 1862 establishments in Canada