Chicoutimi () is the most populous
borough
A borough is an administrative division in various English-speaking countries. In principle, the term ''borough'' designates a self-governing walled town, although in practice, official use of the term varies widely.
History
In the Middle Ag ...
(
arrondissement
An arrondissement (, , ) is any of various administrative divisions of France, Belgium, Haiti, certain other Francophone countries, as well as the Netherlands.
Europe
France
The 101 French departments are divided into 342 ''arrondissements' ...
) of the city of
Saguenay in
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 situated at the
confluence
In geography, a confluence (also: ''conflux'') occurs where two or more flowing bodies of water join to form a single channel. A confluence can occur in several configurations: at the point where a tributary joins a larger river (main stem); o ...
of the
Saguenay and
Chicoutimi
Chicoutimi () is the most populous borough (arrondissement) of the city of Saguenay in Quebec, Canada.
It is situated at the confluence of the Saguenay and Chicoutimi rivers. During the 20th century, it became the main administrative and com ...
rivers. During the 20th century, it became the main administrative and commercial centre of the
Saguenay–Lac-Saint-Jean region. In 2002 it merged into the new city of
Saguenay and forms the heart of the 5th-largest urban area of the province of Quebec. At the 2021 census, its population was 69,004.
History
What was ultimately to become the centre of the borough of Chicoutimi was first settled by French colonists in 1676 as a
trading post
A trading post, trading station, or trading house, also known as a factory, is an establishment or settlement where goods and services could be traded.
Typically the location of the trading post would allow people from one geographic area to tr ...
in the
fur trade
The fur trade is a worldwide industry dealing in the acquisition and sale of animal fur. Since the establishment of a world fur market in the early modern period, furs of boreal, polar and cold temperate mammalian animals have been the mos ...
. At that time, the Saguenay and the Chicoutimi rivers had been used as waterways by the
Montagnais tribes for centuries. The name ''Chicoutimi'' means ''the end of the deep water'' in the
Innu
The Innu / Ilnu ("man", "person") or Innut / Innuat / Ilnuatsh ("people"), formerly called Montagnais from the French colonial period ( French for "mountain people", English pronunciation: ), are the Indigenous inhabitants of territory in the ...
language. After the British seized Lower Canada, the Chicoutimi trading post continued to operate only until 1782, as the fur trade had moved further west of the Great Lakes.
The city of Chicoutimi was officially incorporated in 1845 as a municipality by Peter McLeod, a
Métis timber contractor who built a sawmill there in 1842. The town was designated in 1855 as the seat of Chicoutimi County and the seat of the
Roman Catholic Diocese of Chicoutimi
The Diocese of Chicoutimi ( la, Dioecesis Chicoutimiensis) is a Roman Catholic diocese in Quebec, centred on the borough of Chicoutimi in the city of Saguenay. It is part of the ecclesiastical province of Quebec.
On 18 November 2017, Pope Fran ...
in 1878.
The arrival of the
Canadian National Railway
The Canadian National Railway Company (french: Compagnie des chemins de fer nationaux du Canada) is a Canadian Class I freight railway headquartered in Montreal, Quebec, which serves Canada and the Midwestern and Southern United States.
CN i ...
in 1893 stimulated the growth of Chicoutimi's
pulp and paper industries, particularly mechanical pulp production. The railway also built
Chicoutimi station
Chicoutimi station is a former Canadian National Railway Company railway station in the Chicoutimi borough of the city of Saguenay in Quebec's Saguenay–Lac-Saint-Jean region.
When the station was built, it was adjacent to Chicoutimi's port.
...
, which served the city until 1988. The Chicoutimi Pulp Co. was founded in 1896 backed by
French-Canadian investors. The Chicoutimi Pulp Mill became the biggest producer of mechanical pulp in Canada by 1910.
Since the
Great Depression
The Great Depression (19291939) was an economic shock that impacted most countries across the world. It was a period of economic depression that became evident after a major fall in stock prices in the United States. The economic contagio ...
, the city has become an administrative and commercial centre. New centres of education and culture were established: in 1967, the
Conservatoire de musique de Saguenay
A music school is an educational institution specialized in the study, training, and research of music. Such an institution can also be known as a school of music, music academy, music faculty, college of music, music department (of a larger in ...
; and in 1969, the
Université du Québec à Chicoutimi
The Université du Québec à Chicoutimi (UQAC) is a branch of the Université du Québec network founded in 1969 and based in the Chicoutimi borough of Saguenay, Quebec, Canada. UQAC has secondary study centres in La Malbaie, Saint-Félicien ...
. The city also played host to the Quebec Summer Games in 1972.
In the municipal amalgamations of 1976, Chicoutimi annexed the neighbouring towns of Chicoutimi-Nord and Rivière-du-Moulin. In a much larger round of
Municipal reorganization in Quebec
A municipality is usually a single administrative division having corporate status and powers of self-government or jurisdiction as granted by national and regional laws to which it is subordinate.
The term ''municipality'' may also mean the g ...
in 2002, the cities of Chicoutimi,
Jonquière
Jonquière (; ; 2021 population: 60,250) is a borough (arrondissement) of the city of Saguenay in the Saguenay–Lac-Saint-Jean region of Quebec, Canada. It is located on the Saguenay River, near the borough of Chicoutimi.
History
Jonquièr ...
,
La Baie
La Baie (French pronunciation: / la bɛ/, Quebec French pronunciation: / la be/) is one of three boroughs in the city of Saguenay, Quebec, Canada. It was created during Quebec's municipal reorganization in 2002. From 1976 to 2001, it was know ...
, Lac-Kénogami,
Laterrière, Shipshaw and part of
Tremblay merged to form the new city of
Saguenay.
ISQ – Redirection
/ref> Chicoutimi became a borough of Saguenay.
During the summer of 1996, a record rainfall in the region caused major flooding in the downtown, as well as outlying areas. Dams were overrun, many bridges were destroyed throughout the region. The total cost of the disaster was recorded as 1.5 billion Canadian dollars. The flood also killed seven people.
Chicoutimi's sister city
A sister city or a twin town relationship is a form of legal or social agreement between two geographically and politically distinct localities for the purpose of promoting cultural and commercial ties.
While there are early examples of inter ...
is Camrose, Alberta
Alberta ( ) is one of the thirteen provinces and territories of Canada. It is part of Western Canada and is one of the three prairie provinces. Alberta is bordered by British Columbia to the west, Saskatchewan to the east, the Northwest Ter ...
.
Geography and cityscape
Chicoutimi is located in Saguenay–Lac-Saint-Jean region on the western end of the Saguenay Fjord
Saguenay Fjord National Park (french: parc national du Fjord-du-Saguenay) is a provincial park located in Quebec, Canada. In the regions of Saguenay–Lac-Saint-Jean, Charlevoix, Côte-Nord, and Bas-Saint-Laurent, the park is situated along the ...
; most of the borough, including the downtown section, is on the south shore of the Saguenay River
__NOTOC__
The Saguenay River () is a major river of Quebec, Canada.
It drains Lac Saint-Jean in the Laurentian Highlands, leaving at Alma and running east; the city of Saguenay is located on the river. It drains into the Saint Lawrence River. T ...
. It is the geographical centre of the city of Saguenay; the Jonquière
Jonquière (; ; 2021 population: 60,250) is a borough (arrondissement) of the city of Saguenay in the Saguenay–Lac-Saint-Jean region of Quebec, Canada. It is located on the Saguenay River, near the borough of Chicoutimi.
History
Jonquièr ...
and La Baie boroughs adjoin on the west and east sides. Chicoutimi is about north of 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 ...
and northwest upriver from Tadoussac
Tadoussac () is a village in Quebec, Canada, at the confluence of the Saguenay and Saint Lawrence rivers. The indigenous Innu call the place ''Totouskak'' (plural for ''totouswk'' or ''totochak'') meaning "bosom", probably in reference to the t ...
, at the confluence of the St. Lawrence River
The St. Lawrence River (french: Fleuve Saint-Laurent, ) is a large river in the middle latitudes of North America. Its headwaters begin flowing from Lake Ontario in a (roughly) northeasterly direction, into the Gulf of St. Lawrence, connecting ...
. The former cities of Chicoutimi borough are Chicoutimi, Laterrière, Canton-Tremblay, Chicoutimi-Nord and Rivière-du-Moulin. They have maintained their names as wards in the amalgamated city.
The landscape of Chicoutimi consists of hills, valleys and plains, with the terrain becoming steeper near the Saguenay River. Its two major physical features are the Saguenay Graben
The Saguenay Graben is a rift valley or graben in the geological Grenville Province of southern Quebec, Canada. It is an elongated flat-bottomed basin long and wide, bounded by normal faults running parallel to its length.
Formation of the S ...
, a rift valley of the Laurentian Highlands in which the city spreads, and the Saguenay Fjord, the glacier-carved steep shores of the Saguenay River. Mount Valin
Mount Valin is the highest mountain of the Saguenay–Lac-Saint-Jean region (as measured from sea level) in the Canadian province of Quebec. Situated from Chicoutimi, the mountain receives an average of of rain and of snow every year.
Mount ...
at is the tallest mountain of the region, and overlooks Chicoutimi north-east. The Chicoutimi, Du Moulin and Valin rivers all empty in the Saguenay river in Chicoutimi.
Culture
Sports
The city has been home to the QMJHL
The Quebec Major Junior Hockey League (french: Ligue de hockey junior majeur du Québec; abbreviated ''QMJHL'' in English, ''LHJMQ'' in French) is one of the three major junior ice hockey leagues that constitute the Canadian Hockey League. The l ...
's Chicoutimi Saguenéens
The Chicoutimi Saguenéens are a junior ice hockey team which plays in the Quebec Major Junior Hockey League (QMJHL). The team is based out of Chicoutimi, Quebec, Canada (now a part of the city of Saguenay) and owned by the City of Saguenay. Th ...
since 1973. They play at the Centre Georges-Vézina
The Centre Georges-Vézina, formerly the Colisée de Chicoutimi, is a 4,724 capacity (3,683 seated) multi-purpose arena in Saguenay, Quebec, Canada. The arena was built in 1949 and features an Olympic-sized ice pad of 200' X 100'.
It is named ...
.
Cycles Devinci started here in 1987.
Professional hockey players from Chicoutimi
* Luc Dufour
* Johnny Gagnon
Jean Joseph "Black Cat" Gagnon (June 3, 1905 in Chicoutimi, Quebec – March 21, 1984) was a Canadian ice hockey forward.
Johnny played in the National Hockey League from 1930 to 1940. During this time, he played for the New York Americans, B ...
* Leo Gaudreault
Joseph Anne Leonard Gaudreault (October 19, 1905 – March 21, 1950) was a Canadian professional ice hockey forward. He played 67 games in the National Hockey League for the Montreal Canadiens over three seasons between 1927 and 1933. The rest o ...
* Sylvain Locas
Sylvain Locas (born February 17, 1958 in Chicoutimi, Quebec) is a former professional ice hockey centre.
Prior to turning professional Locas played four seasons (1974–78) in the QMJHL with the Chicoutimi Saguenéens and Sherbrooke Beavers. Loc ...
* John Smrke
John Smrke (born February 25, 1956) is a Canadian-born American former professional ice hockey player who played 103 games in the National Hockey League with the St. Louis Blues and Quebec Nordiques between 1977 and 1980.
Smrke was born in Chicou ...
* Georges Vezina Georges may refer to:
Places
* Georges River, New South Wales, Australia
* Georges Quay (Dublin)
*Georges Township, Fayette County, Pennsylvania
Other uses
*Georges (name)
* ''Georges'' (novel), a novel by Alexandre Dumas
* "Georges" (song), a 19 ...
Law and government
Residents of Chicoutimi are represented by three tiers of government. The first are the city councillors elected from single-member district
A single-member district is an electoral district represented by a single officeholder. It contrasts with a multi-member district, which is represented by multiple officeholders. Single-member districts are also sometimes called single-winner vo ...
s and the mayor elected at-large
At large (''before a noun'': at-large) is a description for members of a governing body who are elected or appointed to represent a whole membership or population (notably a city, county, state, province, nation, club or association), rather than ...
for the city of Saguenay. At the provincial tier, two elected members serve in the National Assembly of Quebec
The National Assembly of Quebec (officially in french: link=no, Assemblée nationale du Québec) is the legislative body of the province of Quebec in Canada. Legislators are called MNAs (Members of the National Assembly; french: link=no, déput ...
for the provincial ridings of Chicoutimi
Chicoutimi () is the most populous borough (arrondissement) of the city of Saguenay in Quebec, Canada.
It is situated at the confluence of the Saguenay and Chicoutimi rivers. During the 20th century, it became the main administrative and com ...
and Dubuc. The federal representation consists of a members of parliament serving in the Parliament of Canada
The Parliament of Canada (french: Parlement du Canada) is the federal legislature of Canada, seated at Parliament Hill in Ottawa, and is composed of three parts: the King, the Senate, and the House of Commons. By constitutional convention, the ...
for the federal riding of Chicoutimi—Le Fjord
Chicoutimi—Le Fjord (formerly known as Chicoutimi) is a federal electoral district in Quebec, Canada, that has been represented in the House of Commons of Canada since 1925. The riding consists of the northern part of the Chicoutimi borough o ...
.
Education
International relations
Twin towns – sister cities
Chicoutimi is twinned with:
* Angoulême
Angoulême (; Poitevin-Saintongeais: ''Engoulaeme''; oc, Engoleime) is a communes of France, commune, the Prefectures of France, prefecture of the Charente Departments of France, department, in the Nouvelle-Aquitaine region of southwestern Franc ...
, France
Notable people
* Marilyn Bergeron
* Johnny Gagnon
Jean Joseph "Black Cat" Gagnon (June 3, 1905 in Chicoutimi, Quebec – March 21, 1984) was a Canadian ice hockey forward.
Johnny played in the National Hockey League from 1930 to 1940. During this time, he played for the New York Americans, B ...
* John Kricfalusi
Michael John Kricfalusi ( ; born September 9, 1955), known professionally as John K., is a Canadian illustrator, blogger, voice actor and former animator. He is the creator of the animated television series ''The Ren & Stimpy Show'', which was ...
* Kevin Lambert, writer
* René Simard
René Claude Simard, , (born February 28, 1961) is a pop singer from Quebec. He is the older brother of Nathalie Simard.
Early life
Simard was born in Chicoutimi, Quebec.
Career
In 1974, René Simard was awarded the Grand Prix by Frank Sinatra a ...
* Charles Sirois
Charles Sirois, (born May 22, 1954) is a Canadian businessman. He is the founder, controlling shareholder, chairman and CEO of Telesystem Ltd., a Canadian private equity firm. Effective from March 1, 2017, he has been the CEO and chairman of ...
* Georges Vézina
Joseph Georges Gonzague Vézina (; ; , 1887 – , 1926) was a Canadian professional ice hockey goaltender who played seven seasons in the National Hockey Association (NHA) and nine in the National Hockey League (NHL), all with the Montreal C ...
* Arthur Villeneuve
* Élisabeth Vonarburg
Élisabeth Vonarburg (born 5 August 1947) is a science fiction writer. She was born in Paris (France) and has lived in Chicoutimi (now Saguenay), Quebec, Canada since 1973.
From 1979 to 1990 she was the literary director of the French-Canadian ...
, author
* Jeanick Fournier
Jeanick Fournier is a Canadian singer from Saguenay, Quebec, most noted as the winner of the second season of ''Canada's Got Talent''.
Fournier, who works as a palliative care attendant in Saguenay and is the adoptive mother of two children w ...
, singer and winner of Canada's Got Talent (season 2)
References
External links
*
Borough Council of Chicoutimi
*
Municipality of Chicoutimi
(Archive)
{{Authority control
Populated places established in 1676
Populated places disestablished in 2002
Boroughs of Saguenay, Quebec
Former cities in Quebec
Hudson's Bay Company trading posts
1676 establishments in French colonial empire