Coteau-du-Lac

Coteau-du-Lac (French pronunciation: [kɔto dy lak]) is a small city in southwestern Quebec, Canada. It is on the north shore of the St. Lawrence River in the Vaudreuil-Soulanges Regional County Municipality.

Coteau-du-Lac
City
Rue Principale, Coteau-du-Lac
Coat of arms
Location within Vaudreuil-Soulanges RCM
Coteau-du-Lac Location in southern Quebec
Coordinates: 45°18′N 74°11′W[1]
Country	Canada
Province	Quebec
Region	Montérégie
RCM	Vaudreuil-Soulanges
Constituted	6 February 1982
Government [2][3]
• Mayor	Andrée Brosseau
• Federal riding	Beauharnois—Salaberry—Soulanges—Huntingdon
• Prov. riding	Soulanges
Area [2][4]
• Total	57.20 km2 (22.09 sq mi)
• Land	46.89 km2 (18.10 sq mi)
Population  (2016)[4]
• Total	7,044
• Density	150.2/km2 (389/sq mi)
• Pop 2011-2016	3.0%
• Dwellings	2,743
Time zone	UTC−5 (EST)
• Summer (DST)	UTC−4 (EDT)
Postal code(s)	J0P
Area codes	450 and 579
Highways A-20	R-201 R-338
Website	www.coteau-du-lac.com

The name of the town comes from the French word coteau which means "slope" and from its location on the north shore of Lake Saint Francis.^[5] The National Historic Site of Canada of the Coteau-du-Lac canal is the location of the first canal lock system in North America. The city has an industrial park.

The population was 7,044 as of the 2016 Canadian Census.^[4]

History

The place was mentioned in 1687 by Marquis de Denonville. His record stated that "Costeau du Lac is a place where one stopped on the way to the Rapides d'en Haut", referring to a small hillside (French: coteau) on the north side of the St. Lawrence River near the mouth of Lake Saint Francis (French: lac Saint-François).^[1]

In 1779, the Coteau-du-Lac canal was constructed to bypass the numerous rapids between Lake Saint-Louis and Lake Saint-Francis. Two years later, a military detachment was stationed there. In 1789, its post office opened under the name Coteau-du-Lac.^[1]

During the War of 1812, a fort was built to protect the canal. In 1832, the Parish of Saint-Ignace was created. The following year, the parish was civilly established under the name "Saint Ignace du Côteau du Lac". In 1845, it was formed into a municipality, but abolished in 1847. In 1855, it was reestablished as the Parish Municipality of Saint-Ignace-du-Côteau-du-Lac.^[1]

In 1907, the Village Municipality of Côteau-du-Lac was formed out of Saint-Ignace-du-Côteau-du-Lac (orthography was later changed to "Coteau" without circumflex). These two entities merged again on 6 February 1982, to form the Municipality of Coteau-du-Lac, which changed statutes in 2007 to become a city.^[1][6]

In mid-2013, around 120 people were temporarily evacuated, and two people died after an explosion in the local fireworks factory.^[7]

In early April 2023, 3,672 people lost electric power for up to several days as the result of a massive power outage caused by an extended period of freezing rain in the region.^[8]

Demographics

Historical census populations – Coteau-du-Lac, Quebec

Year	Pop.	±%
1976	2,589	—
1981	3,181	+22.9%
1986	3,547	+11.5%
1991	4,193	+18.2%
1996	4,960	+18.3%
2001	5,573	+12.4%
2006	6,346	+13.9%
2011	6,842	+7.8%
2016	7,044	+3.0%
Population amounts prior to 1982 are total of Coteau-du-Lac (VL) and Saint-Ignace-du-Coteau-du-Lac (P). Source: Statistics Canada[9]

In the 2021 Census of Population conducted by Statistics Canada, Coteau-du-Lac had a population of 7,473 living in 2,928 of its 3,025 total private dwellings, a change of 6.1% from its 2016 population of 7,044. With a land area of 46.87 km² (18.10 sq mi), it had a population density of 159.4/km² (413.0/sq mi) in 2021.^[10]

Canada census – Coteau-du-Lac community profile

	2021	2016	2011
Population	7,473 (+6.1% from 2016)	7,044 (3.0% from 2011)	6,842 (+7.8% from 2006)
Land area	46.87 km2 (18.10 sq mi)	46.89 km2 (18.10 sq mi)	47.06 km2 (18.17 sq mi)
Population density	159.4/km2 (413/sq mi)	150.2/km2 (389/sq mi)	145.4/km2 (377/sq mi)
Median age	44.0 (M: 43.6, F: 44.4)	41.6 (M: 41.3, F: 41.8)	39.0 (M: 39.0, F: 38.9)
Private dwellings	3,025 (total)  2,928 (occupied)	2,743 (total)	2,631 (total)
Median household income	$91,000	$80,268	$71,517

References: 2021^[11] 2016^[12] 2011^[13]

Canada Census Mother Tongue – Coteau-du-Lac, Quebec[9]
Census		Total		French				English				French & English				Other
Year		Responses		Count	Trend	Pop %		Count	Trend	Pop %		Count	Trend	Pop %		Count	Trend	Pop %
2016		7,015		6,495	2.3%	92.6%		315	31.3%	4.5%		75	36.4%	1.1%		125	60.0%	1.8%
2011		6,720		6,350	6.5%	94.5%		240	71.4%	3.6%		55	22.2%	0.8%		75	16.7%	1.1%
2006		6,235		5,960	14.2%	95.6%		140	17.6%	2.3%		45	28.6%	0.7%		90	200.0%	1.4%
2001		5,455		5,220	11.2%	95.7%		170	28.6%	3.1%		35	0.0%	0.6%		30	0.0%	0.6%
1996		4,895		4,695	n/a	95.9%		135	n/a	2.8%		35	n/a	0.7%		30	n/a	0.6%
Note: Percentages may not equal 100% due to multiple responses and rounding.

Local government

Town hall of Coteau-du-Lac

List of former mayors (since formation of current municipality):^[14]

• Joseph Henri Paul Fernand Desforges (1982–1989)
• Pierre Chevrier (1989–1996)
• Robert Sauvé (1996–2013)
• Guy Jasmin (2013–2017)
• Andrée Brosseau (2017–present)

Education

Commission Scolaire des Trois-Lacs operates Francophone schools.^[15]

• École de Coteau-du-Lac (pavillons Académie-Wilson, de l'Éclusière, and Saint-Ignace)

Lester B. Pearson School Board operates Anglophone schools.^[16]

• Evergreen Elementary and Forest Hill Elementary (Junior Campus and Senior campus) in Saint-Lazare or Soulanges Elementary School in Saint-Télesphore

Notable people

• Jules Fournier (1884-1918) was a Canadian writer and newspaper owner^[17]

See also

• List of cities in Quebec