Maria, Quebec

Maria (French pronunciation: [maʁja]) is a municipality in Quebec, Canada.

Maria
Municipality
Church in Maria
Coat of arms
Motto(s):  Fidem et caritatem ("Faith and charity")
Location within Avignon RCM
Maria Location in eastern Quebec
Coordinates: 48°10′N 65°59′W[1]
Country	Canada
Province	Quebec
Region	Gaspésie– Îles-de-la-Madeleine
RCM	Avignon
Settled	1774
Constituted	July 1, 1855
Government [2]
• Mayor	Jean-Claude Landry
• Federal riding	Gaspésie—Les Îles-de-la-Madeleine—Listuguj
• Prov. riding	Bonaventure
Area [2][3]
• Total	95.75 km2 (36.97 sq mi)
• Land	94.88 km2 (36.63 sq mi)
Population  (2021)[3]
• Total	2,760
• Density	29.1/km2 (75/sq mi)
• Pop (2016-21)	5.5%
• Dwellings	1,229
Time zone	UTC−5 (EST)
• Summer (DST)	UTC−4 (EDT)
Postal code(s)	G0C 1Y0
Area codes	418 and 581
Highways	R-132
Website	www.mariaquebec.com

History

Maria had been the location of a Mi'kmaq summer coastal community prior to European settlement.^[4] In 1774, the area began to be settled by American Loyalists, and Scottish and Irish settlers. In 1842, the geographic township was formed, named in honour of Lady Maria Howard, wife of Guy Carleton and third daughter of Thomas Howard, 2nd Earl of Effingham.^[1]

In 1845, the Township Municipality of Maria was established, dissolved, and re-established in 1855. In 1860, the place experienced rapid development when a group of Acadians arrived and founded the Parish of Sainte-Brigitte-de-Maria.^[1]

In 1977, Maria changed status from township municipality to just municipality.^[1]

Demographics

Canada census – Maria community profile

	2021	2016	2011
Population	2,760 (+5.5% from 2016)	2,615 (+3.1% from 2011)	2,536 (+5.6% from 2006)
Land area	94.88 km2 (36.63 sq mi)	95.09 km2 (36.71 sq mi)	94.86 km2 (36.63 sq mi)
Population density	29.1/km2 (75/sq mi)	27.5/km2 (71/sq mi)	25.3/km2 (66/sq mi)
Median age	53.2 (M: 52.0, F: 54.4)	51.2 (M: 49.1, F: 52.6)	45.9 (M: 45.6, F: 46.2)
Private dwellings	1,229 (total)  1,164 (occupied)	1,159 (total)	1,122 (total)
Median household income	$73,000	$64,384	$50,129

References: 2021^[5] 2016^[6] 2011^[7]

Historical Census Data - Maria, Quebec

Year Pop. ±% 1861 1,823 —     1871 2,138 +17.3% 1881 2,298 +7.5% 1891 2,433 +5.9% 1901 2,460 +1.1% 1911 2,342 −4.8% 1921 1,946 −16.9% 1931 2,172 +11.6%	Year Pop. ±% 1941 2,181 +0.4% 1951 1,520 −30.3% 1956 1,583 +4.1% 1961 1,696 +7.1% 1966 1,951 +15.0% 1971 2,004 +2.7% 1976 2,042 +1.9% 1981 2,277 +11.5%	Year Pop. ±% 1986 2,461 +8.1% 1991 2,491 +1.2% 1996 2,581 +3.6% 2001 2,458 −4.8% 2006 2,401 −2.3% 2011 2,536 +5.6% 2016 2,615 +3.1% 2021 2,760 +5.5%
Source: Statistics Canada[8]

Mother tongue:^[9]

• English as first language: 2.5%
• French as first language: 95.1%
• English and French as first language: 0.9%
• Other as first language: 0.9%

Economy

The main economy of the municipality is the hospital which serves the entire region. The hospital of Maria was built between New Richmond and Carleton-sur-Mer.

Notable people

Marie-Christine Lévesque, author^[10]

See also

• List of municipalities in Quebec