Portneuf-sur-Mer () is a

municipality A municipality is usually a single administrative division having municipal corporation, corporate status and powers of self-government or jurisdiction as granted by national and regional laws to which it is subordinate. The term ''municipality' ...

in the

Côte-Nord Côte-Nord (Region 09) (, ; ) is an List of regions of Quebec, administrative region of Quebec, on the Quebec-Labrador peninsula, Quebec-Labrador Peninsula, Canada. The region runs along the St. Lawrence River and then the Gulf of St. Lawrence, ...

region In geography, regions, otherwise referred to as areas, zones, lands or territories, are portions of the Earth's surface that are broadly divided by physical characteristics (physical geography), human impact characteristics (human geography), and ...

of the

province A province is an administrative division within a country or sovereign state, state. The term derives from the ancient Roman , which was the major territorial and administrative unit of the Roman Empire, Roman Empire's territorial possessions ou ...

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 ...

. The municipality is located at the mouth of the Portneuf River on the St. Lawrence River. The municipality was known as Sainte-Anne-de-Portneuf prior to January 31, 2004.

History

Around 1500, this place was already visited by

Basques The Basques ( or ; ; ; ) are a Southwestern European ethnic group, characterised by the Basque language, a Basque culture, common culture and shared genetic ancestry to the ancient Vascones and Aquitanians. Basques are indigenous peoples, ...

whalers and sealers, who may have named it after Port-Neuf near

Bayonne Bayonne () is a city in southwestern France near the France–Spain border, Spanish border. It is a communes of France, commune and one of two subprefectures in France, subprefectures in the Pyrénées-Atlantiques departments of France, departm ...

in Basque Country. It was mentioned by

Samuel de Champlain Samuel de Champlain (; 13 August 1574#Fichier]For a detailed analysis of his baptismal record, see #Ritch, RitchThe baptism act does not contain information about the age of Samuel, neither his birth date nor his place of birth. – 25 December ...

in 1626 as "Port neuf", and François de Crespieul held his first mass there in 1683. A trading post existed there at the end of the 17th century. In 1788, a chapel was built at the mouth of the Portneuf River and dedicated to Saint Anne. Permanent settlement began in around 1845, and the community had several names over time: Saint-Georges in 1848 (after the surveyor Georges Duberger), Portneuf Mills in 1882 (due to the presence of a mill), and Hamilton Cove in 1883 (named after a forestry company). This last name was also chosen for the post office. The Innu called the location Mitinekapitsh or Mitinakup. In 1875, the parish of Sainte-Anne-de-Portneuf was founded. In 1902, the place was incorporated as the United Township Municipality of Sainte-Anne de Portneuf, when it split off from the Township of Saint-Paul de Mille-Vaches (now part of Longue-Rive). In 1949, the post office was renamed to Portneuf-sur-Mer. On January 1, 1950, it lost part of its territory when the Municipality of Saint-Luc-de-Laval was created (which was annexed into Forestville in 1980). On July 16, 1955, the united township municipality changed statutes and became a regular municipality. On January 31, 2004, it was renamed to Portneuf-sur-Mer.

Demographics

Population

Private dwellings occupied by usual residents (2021): 321 (total dwellings: 357) Mother tongue (2021): * English as first language: 0% * French as first language: 100% * English and French as first language: 0% * Other as first language: 0%

Government

List of former mayors: * Alcide Tremblay (1940–1941) * Albertus Bouchard (1941–1943) * Alcide Tremblay (1943–1957) * Gilles Tremblay (1957–1958) * Alcide Tremblay (1959–1961) * Jules Ouellet (1961–1963) * Alcide Tremblay (1963–1964) * Benoit Gagnon (1964–1966) * Adélard Maltais (1966–1967) * Alcide Tremblay (1967–1973) * Clarisse Miller Gagnon (1973–1977) * Renaud Desmeules (1977–1985) * Jean-Marie Delaunay (1985–2013) * Gontran Tremblay (2013–2021) * Jean-Maurice Tremblay (2021–present)

Notable people

* Hugo Girard, strongman

References

External links

* {{authority control Municipalities in Quebec Incorporated places in Côte-Nord La Haute-Côte-Nord Regional County Municipality Canada geography articles needing translation from French Wikipedia