Saint-François-d'Assise, Quebec

Saint-François-d'Assise (French pronunciation: [sɛ̃ fʁɑ̃swa dasiz]) is a municipality in Quebec, Canada.

Saint-François-d'Assise
Municipality
Location within Avignon RCM
St-François-d'Assise Location in eastern Quebec
Coordinates: 47°59′N 67°10′W[1]
Country	Canada
Province	Quebec
Region	Gaspésie– Îles-de-la-Madeleine
RCM	Avignon
Constituted	September 3, 1926
Government [2]
• Mayor	Rémi Lagacé
• Federal riding	Gaspésie—Les Îles-de-la-Madeleine—Listuguj
• Prov. riding	Bonaventure
Area [2][3]
• Total	179.75 km2 (69.40 sq mi)
• Land	179.34 km2 (69.24 sq mi)
Population  (2021)[3]
• Total	679
• Density	3.8/km2 (10/sq mi)
• Pop (2016-21)	5.4%
• Dwellings	367
Time zone	UTC−5 (EST)
• Summer (DST)	UTC−4 (EDT)
Postal code(s)	G0J 2N0
Area codes	418 and 581
Highways	No major routes
Website	www.matapedia lesplateaux.com

In addition to Saint-François-d'Assise itself, the municipality also includes the communities of L'Immaculée-Conception, Saint-Jean-de-Matapédia, and Saint-Joseph-de-Matapédia.

History

In 1887, the mission of Saint-Joseph was established, that was in the jurisdiction of the Parish of Saint-Alexis-de-Matapédia. It was renamed to Saint-François-d'Assise or Saint-François-de-Matapédia in 1889 by Joseph-Elzéar Pelletier, priest of Saint-Alexis-de-Matapédia, after François Cinq-Mars (1847-1902), who served as priest at the mission from 1890 to 1892, while also honouring Francis of Assisi.^[1]

In 1900, its post office opened, and in 1924, the parish was formed. In 1926, the Parish Municipality of Saint-François-d'Assise was created when it split off from the Parish Municipality of Saint-Alexis-de-Matapédia.^[1] In 1968, it lost part of its territory when the Municipality of L'Ascension-de-Patapédia was created.^[4]

In 2003, the parish municipality changed statutes to become a regular municipality.^[1]

Demographics

Canada census – Saint-François-d'Assise community profile

	2021	2016	2011
Population	679 (+5.4% from 2016)	644 (-8.8% from 2011)	706 (-5.0% from 2006)
Land area	179.34 km2 (69.24 sq mi)	178.56 km2 (68.94 sq mi)	178.12 km2 (68.77 sq mi)
Population density	3.8/km2 (9.8/sq mi)	3.6/km2 (9.3/sq mi)	4.0/km2 (10/sq mi)
Median age	61.2 (M: 60.4, F: 62)	56.8 (M: 56.8, F: 56.8)	52.1 (M: 51.6, F: 52.6)
Private dwellings	367 (total)  323 (occupied)	360 (total)  304 (occupied)	353 (total)
Median household income	$52,000	$43,776	$42,085

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

Historical Census Data - Saint-François-d'Assise, Quebec

Year Pop. ±% 1931 891 —     1941 1,268 +42.3% 1951 1,334 +5.2% 1956 1,551 +16.3% 1961 1,490 −3.9% 1966 1,454 −2.4%	Year Pop. ±% 1971 1,118 −23.1% 1976 979 −12.4% 1981 904 −7.7% 1986 942 +4.2% 1991 883 −6.3% 1996 897 +1.6%	Year Pop. ±% 2001 807 −10.0% 2006 743 −7.9% 2011 706 −5.0% 2016 644 −8.8% 2021 679 +5.4%
Population counts are not adjusted for boundary changes. Source: Statistics Canada[4][8]

Government

List of former mayors:

• Hermel Gallant (...–2005)
• Ghislain Michaud (2005–2023)
• Rémi Lagacé (2023–present)

See also

• List of municipalities in Quebec