Gaspé () is a city at the tip of the
Gaspé Peninsula
The Gaspé Peninsula, also known as Gaspesia (, ; ), is a peninsula along the south shore of the St. Lawrence River that extends from the Matapedia Valley in Quebec, Canada, into the Gulf of St. Lawrence. It is separated from New Brunswick on it ...
in the
Gaspésie–Îles-de-la-Madeleine
() is an administrative region of Quebec consisting of the Gaspé Peninsula () and the . It lies in the Gulf of Saint Lawrence at the eastern extreme of southern Quebec. The predominant economic activities are fishing, forestry and tourism.
...
region of eastern
Quebec
Quebec is Canada's List of Canadian provinces and territories by area, largest province by area. Located in Central Canada, the province shares borders with the provinces of Ontario to the west, Newfoundland and Labrador to the northeast, ...
in Canada. Gaspé is about northeast of
Quebec City
Quebec City 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 Census Metropolitan Area (including surrounding communities) had a populati ...
and east of
Rimouski
Rimouski ( ; ) is a city in Quebec, Canada. Rimouski is located in the Bas-Saint-Laurent region, at the mouth of the Rimouski River. It has a population of 48,935 (as of 2021). Rimouski, whose motto is ''Legi patrum fidelis'' (Faithful to ...
. Gaspé has a total population of 15,063, as of the
2021 Canadian Census.[
Gaspé is where ]Jacques Cartier
Jacques Cartier (; 31 December 14911 September 1557) was a French maritime explorer from Brittany. Jacques Cartier was the first Europeans, European to describe and map the Gulf of Saint Lawrence and the shores of the Saint Lawrence River, wh ...
took possession of New France
New France (, ) was the territory colonized by Kingdom of France, 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 Kingdom of Great Br ...
(now part of Canada) in the name of François I of France
Francis I (; ; 12 September 1494 – 31 March 1547) was King of France from 1515 until his death in 1547. He was the son of Charles, Count of Angoulême, and Louise of Savoy. He succeeded his first cousin once removed and father-in-law Louis&nb ...
on July 24, 1534.
The most common assumption is that "Gaspé" may come from the Miꞌkmaq
The Mi'kmaq (also ''Mi'gmaq'', ''Lnu'', ''Mi'kmaw'' or ''Mi'gmaw''; ; , and formerly Micmac) are an Indigenous group of people of the Northeastern Woodlands, native to the areas of Canada's Atlantic Provinces, primarily Nova Scotia, New Bru ...
word ''Gespeg'' which means "Land's end". Other theories hold that the name may be a mutation of the Basque
Basque may refer to:
* Basques, an ethnic group of Spain and France
* Basque language, their language
Places
* Basque Country (greater region), the homeland of the Basque people with parts in both Spain and France
* Basque Country (autonomous co ...
word ''geizpe'' or ''kerizpe'' which means "shelter" or "place of refuge". Another theory is that it is named after Portuguese explorer Gaspar Corte-Real
Gaspar Corte-Real (1450–1501) was a Portuguese people, Portuguese Exploration, explorer who, alongside his father João Vaz Corte-Real and brother Miguel Corte-Real, Miguel, participated in various exploratory voyages sponsored by the Portuguese ...
, who explored Labrador
Labrador () is a geographic and cultural region within the Canadian province of Newfoundland and Labrador. It is the primarily continental portion of the province and constitutes 71% of the province's area but is home to only 6% of its populatio ...
in 1500.
In 1600, Englishman Richard Hakluyt
Richard Hakluyt (; 1553 – 23 November 1616) was an English writer. He is known for promoting the British colonization of the Americas, English colonization of North America through his works, notably ''Divers Voyages Touching the Discov ...
used the name ''Gaspay'' in his translation of ''Cosmosgraphie'' by Jean Alfonse, which became the common spelling in the early 17th century. Thereafter, many other spellings appeared, such as ''Gachepé, Gachepay, Gaschepay, Gaspey, Gaspèche'', and ''Gapèche''.[
]
History
Gaspé claims the title of "Cradle of French America
French America (), sometimes called Franco-America, in contrast to Anglo-America, is the French-speaking community of people and their diaspora, notably those tracing back origins to New France, the early French colonization of the Americas. The ...
", because on June 24, 1534, explorer Jacques Cartier
Jacques Cartier (; 31 December 14911 September 1557) was a French maritime explorer from Brittany. Jacques Cartier was the first Europeans, European to describe and map the Gulf of Saint Lawrence and the shores of the Saint Lawrence River, wh ...
halted in the bay after losing an anchor during a storm and claimed possession of the area by planting a wooden cross with the king's coat of arms and the sentence ''Vive le Roi de France'' ("Long live the King of France"). Cartier met there an indigenous tribe that called the territory ''Honguedo'', probably a Mi'kmaq word meaning "meeting place".[
Following the Treaty of Paris in 1763, British officers and soldiers acquired free land in Gaspé. In 1784, they were joined by many ]Loyalist
Loyalism, in the United Kingdom, its overseas territories and its former colonies, refers to the allegiance to the British crown or the United Kingdom. In North America, the most common usage of the term refers to loyalty to the British Cr ...
settlers. From then on, Gaspé became an important commercial fishing centre, especially of cod
Cod (: cod) is the common name for the demersal fish genus ''Gadus'', belonging to the family (biology), family Gadidae. Cod is also used as part of the common name for a number of other fish species, and one species that belongs to genus ''Gad ...
. In 1804, its post office opened.
In 1833 in Gaspé County there were only ten farmers, all in the Gaspé Bay area (of whom seven were also involved in the fishery), four whalers in Gaspé Bay, five shipbuilders (one a Jersey
Jersey ( ; ), officially the Bailiwick of Jersey, is an autonomous and self-governing island territory of the British Islands. Although as a British Crown Dependency it is not a sovereign state, it has its own distinguishing civil and gov ...
firm), one blacksmith, two lumber merchants, five shipowners (all of whom were Jerseymen), 18 fish merchants (13 of whom were Jerseymen) and 32 major fishing establishments (of which 16 were Jersey-owned).
Gaspé was incorporated as a village municipality in 1855.[ From 1861 to 1866, the port of Gaspé was a duty-free port, making shipping the primary economic activity. With 40 to 50 European ships docking annually, many countries opened consulates in Gaspé, including Italy, the United States, Brazil, Portugal, and Norway. By 1911, the railway reached Gaspé. But the town's ambition to become an international shipping and transportation hub ended with the growing importance of the ]Montreal
Montreal is the List of towns in Quebec, largest city in the Provinces and territories of Canada, province of Quebec, the List of the largest municipalities in Canada by population, second-largest in Canada, and the List of North American cit ...
and Halifax harbours.[
During World War II, 3,000 soldiers were stationed at a naval base built at Sandy Beach to patrol the Gulf of Saint Lawrence against German submarines.][
In 1959, Gaspé gained city status. In 1971, the city was greatly expanded when it amalgamated these 11 surrounding municipalities (with year of original incorporation):
* Baie-de-Gaspé-Nord (1855)
* Baie-de-Gaspé-Sud (1855)
* Douglastown (1855)
* Grande-Grève (1944)
* Haldimand (1953)
* L'Anse-aux-Griffons (1870)
* Rivière-au-Renard (1933)
* Saint-Alban-du-Cap-des-Rosiers (1896)
* Saint-Majorique (1966)
* Saint-Maurice (1923)
* York (1866)
In subsequent years, the city's area was further expanded by absorbing large tracts of adjacent unorganized territory.][
A representation of a small village, with a dozen houses serving as a historical site, was opened in 2015 in front of the Place Jacques-Cartier mall and above the boardwalk along the York River. The village is a monument to Cartier and serves as a museum for tourists and locals.
]
Geography
In addition to the city, Gaspé's territory includes the communities of Cap-aux-Os, Cap-des-Rosiers, Douglastown, Haldimand, Jersey Cove, L'Anse-à -Fugère, L'Anse-à -Valleau, L'Anse-au-Griffon, Penouille, Petit-Cap, Petite-Rivière-au-Renard, Pointe-Jaune, Rivière-au-Renard, Rivière-Morris, Sandy Beach, Saint-Majorique, Saint-Maurice-de-l'Échouerie, Wakeham, and York Centre. The city's territory occupies and borders the sea and the St. Lawrence River
The St. Lawrence River (, ) is a large international river in the middle latitudes of North America connecting the Great Lakes to the North Atlantic Ocean. Its waters flow in a northeasterly direction from Lake Ontario to the Gulf of St. Lawren ...
for some . French is the first language of most of Gaspé's population, where nearly 90% of the population is of French-Canadian
French Canadians, referred to as Canadiens mainly before the nineteenth century, are an ethnic group descended from French colonists first arriving in France's colony of Canada in 1608. The vast majority of French Canadians live in the prov ...
origin.
Climate
In spite of its coastal position, Gaspé experiences a humid continental climate
A humid continental climate is a climatic region defined by Russo-German climatologist Wladimir Köppen in 1900, typified by four distinct seasons and large seasonal temperature differences, with warm to hot (and often humid) summers, and cold ...
(Köppen climate classification
The Köppen climate classification divides Earth climates into five main climate groups, with each group being divided based on patterns of seasonal precipitation and temperature. The five main groups are ''A'' (tropical), ''B'' (arid), ''C'' (te ...
'' Dfb'') with vast seasonal differences in temperature. Summers are warm but relatively short, whereas winters are cold and long, but still far warmer than inland areas of the province given its coastal position. It stays above the subarctic range due to the seasonal lag
Seasonal lag is the phenomenon whereby the date of maximum average air temperature at a geographical location on a planet is delayed until some time after the date of maximum daylight (i.e. the summer solstice). This also applies to the minimum ...
keeping September temperatures above in daily mean. As a result of the seasonal lag, March is a proper winter month and is far colder than November. As typical of Quebec, precipitation and resulting snowfall is high due to the reliable winter temperatures below freezing.
The highest temperature ever recorded in Gaspé was on 27 June 2003. The coldest temperature ever recorded was on 26 January 1897.
Demographics
In the 2021 Census of Population conducted by Statistics Canada
Statistics Canada (StatCan; ), 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 culture. It is headquartered in ...
, Gaspé 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.
Economy
The regional hospital is the main employer in the city. Tourism is a very important part of the city and the region's economy. Many visitors come to the city to enjoy the environment and the surrounding attractions, such as Forillon National Park that is fully within the city's boundaries. One of the main summer attractions for tourists is salmon fishing. The York River, Saint John's River, and the Dartmouth River are where tourists and locals come to fish. It is not required to have a guide while fishing these rivers but a private guide can be hired upon request. Other tourist attractions include Haldimand Beach, Jacques Cartier's Cross (stone monument), and a local museum which shelters the World War I
World War I or the First World War (28 July 1914 – 11 November 1918), also known as the Great War, was a World war, global conflict between two coalitions: the Allies of World War I, Allies (or Entente) and the Central Powers. Fighting to ...
and World War II
World War II or the Second World War (1 September 1939 – 2 September 1945) was a World war, global conflict between two coalitions: the Allies of World War II, Allies and the Axis powers. World War II by country, Nearly all of the wo ...
cenotaph commemorating Gaspésian veterans.
Another big employer is the LM Wind Power
LM Wind Power (formerly LM Glasfiber) is a Danish manufacturer of wind turbine blades, and a subsidiary of GE Vernova.
History
LM Wind Power was founded in 1940, as ''Lunderskov Møbelfabrik'' (Lunderskov furniture factory) in the small town Lun ...
Canada Inc. factory that makes the windmill blades to then have them transported elsewhere. The windmill
A windmill is a machine operated by the force of wind acting on vanes or sails to mill grain (gristmills), pump water, generate electricity, or drive other machinery.
Windmills were used throughout the high medieval and early modern period ...
factory is a tourist attraction where tourist can see the big size of the blades and have the opportunity to take a picture next to one. The factory was expanded in 2015 by a joint venture with Senvion to produce long-blade turbine components for the Mesgi'g Ugju's'n wind farm, developed by Longueuil, Quebec-based Innergex in Avignon Township. The $365-million project, one of over two dozen financed by Hydro-Quebec and the provincial government, was completed on time in December 2016.
Attractions
Cross of Gaspé
In 1934, the Canadian government commissioned the installation of a monolithic granite cross in Gaspé, for the 400th anniversary of the arrival of Jacques Cartier
Jacques Cartier (; 31 December 14911 September 1557) was a French maritime explorer from Brittany. Jacques Cartier was the first Europeans, European to describe and map the Gulf of Saint Lawrence and the shores of the Saint Lawrence River, wh ...
in Gaspé as of July 24, 1534. This high monolithic cross had been cut from a block of gray granite extracted from the stone quarry of Augustus Dumas, in Rivière-à -Pierre in the Portneuf region, on North Shore of the Saint Lawrence River
The St. Lawrence River (, ) is a large international river in the middle latitudes of North America connecting the Great Lakes to the North Atlantic Ocean. Its waters flow in a northeasterly direction from Lake Ontario to the Gulf of St. Lawrenc ...
. The Cross of Gaspé weighs more than 42 tons and was transported by two railcars of the Canadian National Railway
The Canadian National Railway Company () is a Canadian Class I freight railway headquartered in Montreal, Quebec, which serves Canada and the Midwestern and Southern United States.
CN is Canada's largest railway, in terms of both revenue a ...
from Rivière-à -Pierre. The cross was carried on a coaster to the Gaspé wharf. The cross was erected on its base using a rail system of pulleys and cables, driven by horses. The original craftsmen would be listed at the top of the cross. This cross is the largest monolithic granite cross crafted in Canada.
A commemorative plaque located at the foot of the Cross in Gaspé was inaugurated on August 23, 2009, in memory of artisans from Rivière-à -Pierre who extracted and cut the block of granite. A replica of the Cross of Gaspé was crafted by Rivière-à -Pierre craftsmen and erected in the heart of the village of Rivière-à -Pierre. That granite cross is half the height of the original cross.
Government
List of former mayors:
* Arthur Drolet (–2003)
* François Roussy (2003–2013)
* Daniel Côté (2013–present)
Infrastructure
Gaspé is accessible by automobile or Orléans Express bus service via Quebec Route 132
Route 132 is the longest highway in Quebec. It follows the south shore of the Saint Lawrence River from the border with the state of New York (state), New York in the hamlet of Dundee, Quebec, Dundee (connecting with New York State Route 3 ...
, and the Michel-Pouliot Gaspé Airport.
The town is also accessible by Quebec Route 198 that passes through the interior of the peninsula. Select travellers can also access the town during the winter via one of the many snowmobile
A snowmobile, also known as a snowmachine (chiefly Alaskan), motor sled (chiefly Canadian), motor sledge, skimobile, snow scooter, or simply a sled is a motorized vehicle designed for winter travel and recreation on snow.
Their engines normally ...
trails that run through the interior and connect with many other towns on the northern and southern coasts of the peninsula. In the summer the same trails are open to all-terrain vehicle
An all-terrain vehicle (ATV), also known as a light utility vehicle (LUV), a quad bike or quad (if it has four wheels), as defined by the American National Standards Institute (ANSI), is a vehicle that travels on low-pressure tires, has a seat ...
travellers as well.
Via Rail
Via Rail Canada Inc. (), operating as Via Rail or Via (stylized as VIA Rail), is a Canadian Crown corporation that operates intercity passenger rail service in Canada.
As of December 2023, Via Rail operates 406 trains per week across eight ...
's Montreal–Gaspé train was terminated due to unsafe trackage sometime in 2013. The VIA Rail Train to Gaspé was being turned in New Carlisle, west of Gaspé. Via was offering bus service between New Carlisle and Gaspé. The line was undergoing repairs since December 2011. At present time Via has no plans to reinstate service on this line.
The Port of Gaspé has a two-sided wharf; on the one, it measures , with a depth of , and on the other measures with a depth of . The Port of Gaspé is accessible year-round with the occasional help of an icebreaker
An icebreaker is a special-purpose ship or boat designed to move and navigate through ice-covered waters, and provide safe waterways for other boats and ships. Although the term usually refers to ice-breaking ships, it may also refer to smaller ...
.
Its near neighbour Chandler is a port of call for '' Le Vacancier'', a ferry which links Montréal
Montreal is the List of towns in Quebec, largest city in the Provinces and territories of Canada, province of Quebec, the List of the largest municipalities in Canada by population, second-largest in Canada, and the List of North American cit ...
to the ÃŽles-de-la-Madeleine.
Education
Centre des services scolaire des Chic-Chocs operates Francophone schools.
* École secondaire Antoine-Roy
* École secondaire C.-E.-Pouliot
* École Aux Quatre-Vents
* École Notre-Dame-de-Liesse
* École Notre-Dame-du-Sacré-Cœur
* École Saint-Joseph-Alban
* École Saint-Paul
* École Saint-Rosaire et de la Découverte
Eastern Shores School Board operates Anglophone schools. It is zoned to Gaspé Polyvalent School and Gaspé Elementary School.
Sister cities
Gaspé is twinned with:
* Puerto Montt
Puerto Montt (Mapuche: Meli Pulli) is a port city and commune in southern Chile, located at the northern end of the Reloncavà Sound in the Llanquihue Province, Los Lagos Region, 1,055 km to the south of the capital, Santiago. The commune ...
, Chile
Chile, officially the Republic of Chile, is a country in western South America. It is the southernmost country in the world and the closest to Antarctica, stretching along a narrow strip of land between the Andes, Andes Mountains and the Paci ...
(2005)
* Saint-Malo
Saint-Malo (, , ; Gallo language, Gallo: ; ) is a historic French port in Ille-et-Vilaine, Brittany (administrative region), Brittany.
The Fortification, walled city on the English Channel coast had a long history of piracy, earning much wealth ...
, France
France, officially the French Republic, is a country located primarily in Western Europe. Overseas France, Its overseas regions and territories include French Guiana in South America, Saint Pierre and Miquelon in the Atlantic Ocean#North Atlan ...
(2009)
See also
* Gaspé (electoral district)
* List of anglophone communities in Quebec
This is a list of anglophone communities in the Canadian province of Quebec. Municipalities with a high percentage of English-speakers in Quebec are listed.
The provincial average of Quebecers whose mother tongue is English is 7.6%, with a tot ...
* List of cities in Quebec
This is the list of municipalities that have the Classification of municipalities in Quebec, Quebec municipality type of city (Quebec), city (''ville'', code=V), an Administrative divisions of Quebec, administrative division defined by the Minist ...
References
Notes
External links
Ville de Gaspé
{{DEFAULTSORT:Gaspe, Quebec
Cities and towns in Quebec
Populated coastal places in Canada
1971 establishments in Canada