Maria is a
municipality
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 go ...
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.
History
Maria had been the location of a
Mi'kmaq
The Mi'kmaq (also ''Mi'gmaq'', ''Lnu'', ''Miꞌkmaw'' or ''Miꞌgmaw''; ; ) are a First Nations people of the Northeastern Woodlands, indigenous to the areas of Canada's Atlantic Provinces and the Gaspé Peninsula of Quebec as well as the northe ...
summer coastal community prior to European settlement.
In 1774, the area began to be settled by American
Loyalists, and Scottish and Irish settlers. In 1842, the geographic township was formed, named in honour of Lady Maria Howard, wife of
Guy Carleton and third daughter of
Thomas Howard, 2nd Earl of Effingham
Lieutenant-General Thomas Howard, 2nd Earl of Effingham (1714 – 19 November 1763), styled Lord Howard from 1731 to 1743, was a British nobleman and Army officer, the son of Francis Howard, 1st Earl of Effingham.
Lord Howard was appointed a dep ...
.
In 1845, the Township Municipality of Maria was established, dissolved, and re-established in 1855. In 1860, the place experienced rapid development when a group of
Acadians
The Acadians (french: Acadiens , ) are an ethnic group descended from the French who settled in the New France colony of Acadia during the 17th and 18th centuries. Most Acadians live in the region of Acadia, as it is the region where the des ...
arrived and founded the Parish of Sainte-Brigitte-de-Maria.
[
In 1977, Maria changed status from township municipality to just municipality.][
]
Economics
The main economy of the municipality is the hospital which serves the entire region. The hospital of Maria was built between New Richmond and Carleton-sur-Mer
Carleton-sur-Mer is the fifth largest town of the Gaspésie's south shore, in southeastern Quebec, Canada, located on Route 132, along Chaleur Bay. It is the seat of the Avignon Regional County Municipality.
The town's territory includes the co ...
.
Demographics
Notable people
Marie-Christine Lévesque
Marie-Christine Lévesque (1958 – 16 July 2020) was a Canadian art director, author and editor. As an art director she won the 2005 Applied Arts Award for the cover design of ''9 Vues''. Her partner was Serge Bouchard and she co-authored books ...
, author
See also
* List of municipalities in Quebec
__FORCETOC__
Quebec is the second-most populous province in Canada with 8,501,833 residents as of 2021 and is the largest in land area at . For statistical purposes, the province is divided into 1,282 census subdivisions, which are m ...
References
External links
*, the official ''Municipalité de Maria'' web site
{{authority control
Municipalities in Quebec
Incorporated places in Gaspésie–Îles-de-la-Madeleine