Bois-des-Filion is an off-island suburb of

Montreal Montreal ( ; officially Montréal, ) is the second-most populous city in Canada and most populous city in the Canadian province of Quebec. Founded in 1642 as '' Ville-Marie'', or "City of Mary", it is named after Mount Royal, the triple- ...

, located 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 thirte ...

, Canada, to the

north North is one of the four compass points or cardinal directions. It is the opposite of south and is perpendicular to east and west. ''North'' is a noun, adjective, or adverb indicating direction or geography. Etymology The word ''north ...

of Montreal. Historically, hundreds of families annually travelled to this region seasonally to experience the magnificent

maple ''Acer'' () is a genus of trees and shrubs commonly known as maples. The genus is placed in the family Sapindaceae.Stevens, P. F. (2001 onwards). Angiosperm Phylogeny Website. Version 9, June 2008 nd more or less continuously updated since h ...

forests; however the

tourist industry Tourism is travel for pleasure or business; also the theory and practice of touring, the business of attracting, accommodating, and entertaining tourists, and the business of operating tours. The World Tourism Organization defines tourism mor ...

is currently a minor source of income for the city. The primary language spoken by its citizens is French, and the primary source of employment is general

manufacturing Manufacturing is the creation or production of goods with the help of equipment, labor, machines, tools, and chemical or biological processing or formulation. It is the essence of secondary sector of the economy. The term may refer to ...

Origin of the name

The name ''Filion'' is derived from the

surname In some cultures, a surname, family name, or last name is the portion of one's personal name that indicates one's family, tribe or community. Practices vary by culture. The family name may be placed at either the start of a person's full name ...

of Antoine Feuillon, a local carpenter who could neither read nor write, and thus was unable to correct any errors in the spelling of his name as the first records were kept. Antoine Feuillion was the son of Michel Feuillon, a captain of the

Musketeers of the Guard The Musketeers of the Guard (french: Mousquetaires de la garde) or King's Musketeers () had the full name - Musketeers of the military household of the King of France. () They were an elite fighting company of the military branch of the Maison du ...

s during the reign of the "Sun King",

Louis XIV of France , house = Bourbon , father = Louis XIII , mother = Anne of Austria , birth_date = , birth_place = Château de Saint-Germain-en-Laye, Saint-Germain-en-Laye, France , death_date = , death_place = Palace of ...

before his immigration to

New France New France (french: Nouvelle-France) was the area colonized by France in North America, beginning with the exploration of the Gulf of Saint Lawrence by Jacques Cartier in 1534 and ending with the cession of New France to Great Britain and Spa ...

. This town is named ''Bois'' des Filion because of the beautiful maple woods bordering it; ''le bois'' being French for "the woods". When the city was newly founded, one had to follow a path through these woods and ford a small river to enter the city.

History

This small town has a rich cultural history rooted in the legend of the lords,

Céloron de Blainville Céloron de Blainville is a French family of officers and colonial administrators, who notably played a role in New France beginning in the 17th century. He is the subject in a folk song by Robert Schertz entitled Celeron. Persons Famous Cél ...

and Lepage of Holy-Claire. Below are some important dates. *1684 - The first Filion migrates to Canada *1913 - The arrival of the Parish from the Abbot De Bray *1945 - An association of citizens is formed and the process of becoming an official city is begun *1949 - Bois-des-Filion becomes officially recognized as a city of Quebec and the first mayor is named, Joseph Germain. *1955 - The second largest

cross A cross is a geometrical figure consisting of two intersecting lines or bars, usually perpendicular to each other. The lines usually run vertically and horizontally. A cross of oblique lines, in the shape of the Latin letter X, is termed a s ...

in the province is erected on Notre-Dame hill to celebrate the 10 year anniversary since the first association of citizens was formed. *1980 - It became a municipality called ''Ville de Bois-des-Filion'' (City of Bois-des-Filion)

Demographics

In the

2021 Census of Population 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 ...

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 cultu ...

, Bois-des-Filion 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

Education

The Commission scolaire de la Seigneurie-des-Mille-Îles (CSSMI) operates Francophone public schools. The territory has the following schools: *

École secondaire Rive-Nord École may refer to: * an elementary school in the French educational stages normally followed by secondary education establishments (collège and lycée) * École (river), a tributary of the Seine flowing in région Île-de-France * École, S ...

* École Le Rucher pavillon Félix-Leclerc Most students are zoned to Le Rucher, secondaire Hubert-Maisonneuve in

Rosemère Rosemère is an affluent suburb of Montreal, in southwestern Quebec, Canada on the north shore of the Rivière des Mille Îles in the Thérèse-De Blainville Regional County Municipality. The town is noted for its green look, due to the high ...

(for lower secondary), and Rive-Nord (for upper secondary). Some are zoned to École Marie-Soleil-Tougas in

Terrebonne Terrebonne, meaning ''good earth'' in French, is a name of several places in North America: ;Canada *Terrebonne, Quebec, a suburb of Montreal **Terrebonne station, a commuter railway station in Terrebonne, Quebec ** Terrebonne City Council, the go ...

, École Le Carrefour in

Lorraine Lorraine , also , , ; Lorrain: ''Louréne''; Lorraine Franconian: ''Lottringe''; german: Lothringen ; lb, Loutrengen; nl, Lotharingen is a cultural and historical region in Northeastern France, now located in the administrative region of Gra ...

, and

École secondaire du Harfang École may refer to: * an elementary school in the French educational stages normally followed by secondary education establishments (collège and lycée) * École (river), a tributary of the Seine flowing in région Île-de-France * École, Savo ...

Sainte-Anne-des-Plaines Sainte-Anne-des-Plaines is a city in southwestern Quebec, Canada, 40 km northwest of the city of Montreal in the Thérèse-De Blainville Regional County Municipality, in the region of Laurentides. Its population was 14,990 during the census ...

Sir Wilfrid Laurier School Board The Sir Wilfrid Laurier School Board (SWLSB, french: Commission scolaire Sir-Wilfrid-Laurier, CSSWL) is a school board headquartered in Rosemère, Quebec in Greater Montreal. It officially came into existence in July 1998 when English-language s ...

operates Anglophone public schools: * McCaig Elementary School in

Rosemere High School Rosemere High School (RHS) of the Sir Wilfrid Laurier School Board is a high school located in the town of Rosemère, Québec, Canada. It is housed in a two-story structure with enrollment of approximately 1,200 students. The building is adjace ...

in RosemereRosemere High School Zone
"

. Retrieved on December 8, 2014.

Notable residents

Terry Farnsworth Terry Farnsworth (born 27 August 1942) is a Canadian former Olympic judoka. He won a Canadian national judo championship in 1972 and 1973, competed at the 1972 Summer Olympics, and won a gold medal at the 1969 Maccabiah Games and a silver medal ...

(born 1942), Olympic judoka * Isabelle Hayeur (born 1969), visual artist * Serge Ménard (born 1941), politician

References

External links

Ville de Bois-des-Filion ''(French)''

{{authority control Cities and towns in Quebec Incorporated places in Laurentides Greater Montreal