Morin-Heights () is a

town A town is a type of a human settlement, generally larger than a village but smaller than a city. The criteria for distinguishing a town vary globally, often depending on factors such as population size, economic character, administrative stat ...

in the

Laurentian Mountains The Laurentian Mountains, also known as the Laurentians or Laurentides, are a mountain range in Canada. The range is long and ranges in height from with peaks over . The Laurentian Mountains extend across Labrador and Quebec within the Laurent ...

region of

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, ...

Canada Canada is a country in North America. Its Provinces and territories of Canada, ten provinces and three territories extend from the Atlantic Ocean to the Pacific Ocean and northward into the Arctic Ocean, making it the world's List of coun ...

. It is west of Saint-Sauveur and north of

Lachute Lachute () is a town in southwest Quebec, Canada, northwest of Montreal, on the Rivière du Nord (Laurentides), Rivière du Nord, a tributary of the Ottawa River, and west of Mirabel International Airport, the Mirabel International Airport. It i ...

; municipally, it is within the Regional County Municipality of Les Pays-d'en-Haut. It is primarily a tourist town known for its skiing.

Geography

Morin-Heights is west of Saint-Sauveur and north of

; municipally, it is within the Regional County Municipality of Les Pays-d'en-Haut. It is about 60km southwest of

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 ...

. Running through the municipality is the Simon river; there are several bodies of water, including Lac Bouchette, Lac Écho, Lac Cook and part of Lac Théodore.

History

The first European settlers of the municipality were Anglophones of Irish origin, arriving from Ireland around 1850. They were followed by Francophone settlers from Lachute,

Saint-Jérôme Saint-Jérôme () ( 2021 population 80,213) is a suburban city located about northwest of Montreal on the Rivière du Nord. It is part of the North Shore sector of Greater Montreal. It is a gateway to the Laurentian Mountains and its reso ...

and Saint-Eustache. The township was named after its founder, 19th-century politician

Augustin-Norbert Morin Augustin-Norbert Morin (; October 13, 1803 – July 27, 1865) was a Canadien journalist, lawyer, politician, and rebel in Lower Canada. He was a member of the Legislative Assembly of Lower Canada in the 1830s, as a leading member of the '' ...

, who had at that point a huge farm of more than on the banks of the Rivière du Nord, built around 1850–1860 and included a home, saw mill, and flour mill. An alternate, less accepted origin for the name Morin concerns an engineer named Morin who was dispatched by the provincial government to survey the region and had hired a Native American named Simon as guide, whose name was used to identify the river flowing through the township. The "Heights" part in the name probably refers to the town's high elevation. In 1852, the Morin Township was formed. In 1855, the Township Municipality of Morin-Partie-Sud was established in a part of the township (the remaining part became

Sainte-Adèle Sainte-Adèle () is a municipality in Quebec, Canada, and is part of the Les Pays-d'en-Haut Regional County Municipality. It lies on Route 117 about north-west of Montreal. Its tourism-based economy centres on its skiing and hotel industry. Sai ...

). Until 1911, the territory had the names of Bas-Morin or Morin Flats, name of the post office between 1875 and 1911, while the railway station was known as Morin-Heights Station. In 1950, Morin-Partie-Sud changed its statutes and name to become the municipality of Morin-Heights, going from a township to municipality. On 4 October 1994, members of the

Order of the Solar Temple The Order of the Solar Temple (, OTS), or simply the Solar Temple, was a new religious movement and secret society, often described as a cult, notorious for the mass deaths of many of its members in several mass murders and suicides throughout ...

took part in a mass-murder suicide in Morin-Heights. The members of the group murdered a family of ex-members, including their baby, before setting their chalet on fire and dying in the blaze. Members of the group had in 1992 purchased properties in Morin-Heights and Saint-Sauveur. On March 12, 2008, a roof collapse in the Gourmet du Village bakery warehouse killed three women. An excessive accumulation of snow was suspected to be the cause of the accident. A total of 40 people were in the building at the time of the collapse.

Economy

It is primarily a tourist town known for its skiing. It has a large

ski Skis are runners, attached to the user's feet, designed to glide over snow. Typically employed in pairs, skis are attached to ski boots with ski bindings, with either a free, lockable, or partially secured heel. For climbing slopes, ski skins c ...

hill ( Ski Morin Heights) that is popular during the winter months and being on a recreational

trail A trail, also known as a path or track, is an unpaved lane or a small paved road (though it can also be a route along a navigable waterways) generally not intended for usage by motorized vehicles, usually passing through a natural area. Ho ...

way (the Aerobic Corridor), which is used year-round. A dense network of hiking, cross country skiing, snowshoeing and mountain biking trails surround Morin-Heights, making it the closest multi-recreational outdoor hub to Montreal (45-minute drive in moderate traffic). The old train station, on Lac Écho road, is the starting point for most recreational activities, year-round. Formerly located just south of the town was a

recording studio A recording studio is a specialized facility for Sound recording and reproduction, recording and Audio mixing, mixing of instrumental or vocal musical performances, spoken words, and other sounds. They range in size from a small in-home proje ...

, called

Le Studio Le Studio (later renamed Studio Morin Heights) was a residential recording studio in the Laurentian Mountains near the town of Morin-Heights, Quebec, Canada. Built in 1972 by recording engineer and producer André Perry, along with his wife Ya� ...

, built in 1974, which is now closed. The facility was used by numerous Canadian and international artists. In 1994, another important music recording facility was built in Morin-Heights, on the northern edge of town. Conceived and built by Swedish-born artist Lars Westvind, Studio Nomade exclusively hosted

Sarah McLachlan Sarah Ann McLachlan (born January 28, 1968) is a Canadian singer-songwriter. As of 2015, she had sold over 40 million albums worldwide. McLachlan's best-selling album to date is ''Surfacing (album), Surfacing'' (1997), for which she won two G ...

's recording projects up to 2000. It then was open to other artists, and is still a frequently used production facility. The town hosts a theatre company featuring mostly English-language plays, as well as a choir.

Demographics

Private dwellings occupied by usual residents: 2211 (total dwellings: 2762) Home language: *

English English usually refers to: * English language * English people English may also refer to: Culture, language and peoples * ''English'', an adjective for something of, from, or related to England * ''English'', an Amish ter ...

: 17% *

French French may refer to: * Something of, from, or related to France ** French language, which originated in France ** French people, a nation and ethnic group ** French cuisine, cooking traditions and practices Arts and media * The French (band), ...

: 74.8% * other language only: 4.5%

Education

Sir Wilfrid Laurier School Board The Sir Wilfrid Laurier School Board (SWLSB, , CSSWL) is a school board headquartered in Rosemère, Quebec in Greater Montreal. It officially came into existence in July 1998 when English-language schools from eight former school boards were amalg ...

operates Anglophone public schools: * Morin-Heights Elementary School *

Laurentian Regional High School Laurentian Regional High School () is an English secondary school in Lachute in the region of Laurentides, Québec, Canada. It contains classes for grades seven through eleven, and is run by the Sir Wilfrid Laurier School Board. It serves Lachute ...

in LachuteLAURENTIAN REGIONAL HS ZONE
"

. Retrieved on 4 September 2017. Morin-Heights Library serves the community.

References

External links

* {{authority control Municipalities in Quebec Incorporated places in Laurentides