Lac-Mégantic, Quebec
Encyclopedia
Lac-Mégantic is a town
in Estrie
(Quebec
, Canada
) on Lac Mégantic, a freshwater lake for which the town was named. Situated in the former Frontenac County in the historic Eastern Townships
, Lac-Mégantic is the seat of Le Granit Regional County Municipality
and of the judicial district
of Mégantic.
:
began construction of the final segment in its transcontinental railway linking Montreal
with the Atlantic Ocean
port of Saint John
, New Brunswick
; the CPR subsidiary International Railway of Maine opened in 1889. Lac-Mégantic was also situated on a line of the Quebec Central Railway
, making the town an important junction. In 1988, CPR folded its line to Saint John into the Canadian Atlantic Railway
which lasted until the end of 1994. Today, the Quebec Central line is gone and the CPR line has been sold to the Montreal, Maine and Atlantic Railway
. Via Rail
service provided by the Atlantic was cut in December 1994.
The town derives its name from the adjacent Lac Mégantic, located on the municipality's southern boundary. Although the railway has declined in recent decades, Lac-Mégantic remains an important lumbering and farming centre. Other industries have included a paper-printing plant, a sash-and-door factory, saw mills, and a butter, cheese, and cheese box factory.
The town is home to the now-decommissioned Megantic Airport, as well as a junior college, Centre d’études collégiales de Lac-Mégantic. A weekly newspaper is published in the town, L'Écho de Frontenac. Lac Megantic is the sister-city of fellow American
college town, Farmington, Maine.
Town
A town is a human settlement larger than a village but smaller than a city. The size a settlement must be in order to be called a "town" varies considerably in different parts of the world, so that, for example, many American "small towns" seem to British people to be no more than villages, while...
in Estrie
Estrie
The Estrie is an administrative region of Quebec that overlaps mostly the Eastern Townships. Estrie, a French neologism, was coined as a derivative of est, "east."...
(Quebec
Quebec
Quebec or is a province in east-central Canada. It is the only Canadian province with a predominantly French-speaking population and the only one whose sole official language is French at the provincial level....
, Canada
Canada
Canada is a North American country consisting of ten provinces and three territories. Located in the northern part of the continent, it extends from the Atlantic Ocean in the east to the Pacific Ocean in the west, and northward into the Arctic Ocean...
) on Lac Mégantic, a freshwater lake for which the town was named. Situated in the former Frontenac County in the historic Eastern Townships
Eastern Townships
The Eastern Townships is a tourist region and a former administrative region in south-eastern Quebec, lying between the former seigneuries south of the Saint Lawrence River and the United States border. Its northern boundary roughly followed Logan's Line, the geologic boundary between the flat,...
, Lac-Mégantic is the seat of Le Granit Regional County Municipality
Le Granit Regional County Municipality, Quebec
-References:...
and of the judicial district
Judicial districts of Quebec
The province of Quebec is divided into 36 judicial districts by the , R.S.Q., chapter D-11. Each district has a seat where the courthouse is located, although some have more than one courthouse, service point, or itinerant court location....
of Mégantic.
Statistics
According to the Canada 2006 CensusCanada 2006 Census
The Canada 2006 Census was a detailed enumeration of the Canadian population. Census day was May 16, 2006. The next census following will be the 2011 Census. Canada's total population enumerated by the 2006 census was 31,612,897...
:
- Population: 5,967
- % Change (2001–2006): 1.2
- Dwellings: 2,873
- Area (km2.): 21.76
- Density (persons per km2.): 274.2
History
Formerly called Megantic, the town was founded in 1884 after the Canadian Pacific RailwayCanadian Pacific Railway
The Canadian Pacific Railway , formerly also known as CP Rail between 1968 and 1996, is a historic Canadian Class I railway founded in 1881 and now operated by Canadian Pacific Railway Limited, which began operations as legal owner in a corporate restructuring in 2001...
began construction of the final segment in its transcontinental railway linking Montreal
Montreal
Montreal is a city in Canada. It is the largest city in the province of Quebec, the second-largest city in Canada and the seventh largest in North America...
with the Atlantic Ocean
Atlantic Ocean
The Atlantic Ocean is the second-largest of the world's oceanic divisions. With a total area of about , it covers approximately 20% of the Earth's surface and about 26% of its water surface area...
port of Saint John
Saint John, New Brunswick
City of Saint John , or commonly Saint John, is the largest city in the province of New Brunswick, and the first incorporated city in Canada. The city is situated along the north shore of the Bay of Fundy at the mouth of the Saint John River. In 2006 the city proper had a population of 74,043...
, New Brunswick
New Brunswick
New Brunswick is one of Canada's three Maritime provinces and is the only province in the federation that is constitutionally bilingual . The provincial capital is Fredericton and Saint John is the most populous city. Greater Moncton is the largest Census Metropolitan Area...
; the CPR subsidiary International Railway of Maine opened in 1889. Lac-Mégantic was also situated on a line of the Quebec Central Railway
Quebec Central Railway
The Quebec Central Railway was a railway in the Canadian province of Quebec, that served the area of Quebec called the Eastern Townships, south of the St. Lawrence River. Its headquarters was in Sherbrooke. It was originally incorporated in 1869 as the Sherbrooke, Eastern Townships and Kennebec...
, making the town an important junction. In 1988, CPR folded its line to Saint John into the Canadian Atlantic Railway
Canadian Atlantic Railway
The Canadian Atlantic Railway is a historic Canadian and U.S. railway that existed from 1988 to 1994.The CAR was created in September 1988 as a business unit of CP Rail System to serve the Maritime Provinces and state of Maine...
which lasted until the end of 1994. Today, the Quebec Central line is gone and the CPR line has been sold to the Montreal, Maine and Atlantic Railway
Montreal, Maine and Atlantic Railway
The Montreal, Maine and Atlantic Railway is a Class II freight railroad operating in the U.S. states of Maine and Vermont and the Canadian provinces of New Brunswick and Quebec. Its Canadian subsidiary is the Montreal, Maine and Atlantic Canada Company. The entire system is owned by Rail World,...
. Via Rail
VIA Rail
Via Rail Canada is an independent crown corporation offering intercity passenger rail services in Canada. It is headquartered near Montreal Central Station at 3 Place Ville-Marie in Montreal, Quebec....
service provided by the Atlantic was cut in December 1994.
The town derives its name from the adjacent Lac Mégantic, located on the municipality's southern boundary. Although the railway has declined in recent decades, Lac-Mégantic remains an important lumbering and farming centre. Other industries have included a paper-printing plant, a sash-and-door factory, saw mills, and a butter, cheese, and cheese box factory.
The town is home to the now-decommissioned Megantic Airport, as well as a junior college, Centre d’études collégiales de Lac-Mégantic. A weekly newspaper is published in the town, L'Écho de Frontenac. Lac Megantic is the sister-city of fellow American
United States
The United States of America is a federal constitutional republic comprising fifty states and a federal district...
college town, Farmington, Maine.