Saint-Pierre-de-l'Île-d'Orléans

Saint-Pierre-de-l'Île-d'Orléans (French pronunciation: [sɛ̃ pjɛʁ də lil dɔʁleɑ̃], lit. 'Saint-Pierre of the Orléans Island') is a municipality in the Capitale-Nationale region of Quebec, Canada, part of the L'Île-d'Orléans Regional County Municipality. It is situated on the west side of Orléans Island, and accessible by Quebec Route 368 and the Île d'Orléans Bridge which connects Saint-Pierre with the Beauport borough of Quebec City. Until 1997, it was known simply as Saint-Pierre.

Saint-Pierre-de-l'Île-d'Orléans
Municipality
Location within L'Île-d'Orléans RCM
St-Pierre-de-l'Île-d'Orléans Location in central Quebec
Coordinates: 46°53′N 71°04′W[1]
Country	Canada
Province	Quebec
Region	Capitale-Nationale
RCM	L'Île-d'Orléans
Settled	c. 1660
Constituted	July 1, 1855
Government [2]
• Mayor	Sylvain Bergeron
• Federal riding	Montmorency—Charlevoix
• Prov. riding	Charlevoix–Côte-de-Beaupré
Area [2][3]
• Total	32.20 km2 (12.43 sq mi)
• Land	31.64 km2 (12.22 sq mi)
Population  (2021)[3]
• Total	1,743
• Density	55.1/km2 (143/sq mi)
• Pop 2016-2021	12.5%
• Dwellings	811
Time zone	UTC−5 (EST)
• Summer (DST)	UTC−4 (EDT)
Postal code(s)	G0A 4E0
Area codes	418 and 581
Highways	R-368
Website	st-pierre.iledorleans.com

The Quebec poet and songwriter Félix Leclerc (1914-1988) is buried in this town, having lived there from 1958 to his death.

Geography

Saint-Pierre-de-l'Île-d'Orléans is located on the west side of Orléans Island, downstream from Quebec City, in the estuary of the St. Lawrence River.

Since the northern slope of the island is conducive to the cultivation of grapes, apples and berries, several agri-food companies are located there, including vineyards, orchards and cider factories, a blackcurrant liqueur factory, pick-your-own small fruit and more.^[4]

History

Église St-Pierre

The first European settlers came to the area around 1660. They constructed the first chapel in 1662 and by 1679 the Parish of Saint-Pierre-et-Saint-Paul was formed which at that time also included the territory of Sainte-Pétronille. Between 1716 and 1718, one of the oldest churches in Quebec was built (since 1954 classified as a historic monument and occasionally used as a concert hall). In 1722, the civil parish was established. For 54 years from 1734 to 1788, the first bishop of Quebec born in Canada, Louis-Philippe Mariauchau d'Esgly (1710-1788), served there as the resident priest.^[1]

In 1845, the Parish Municipality was formed under the name of Saint-Pierre-Isle-d'Orléans, probably in honour of Apostle Peter. It was abolished two years later in 1847 when it became part of the County Municipality, but restored again in 1855 as Saint-Pierre-et-Saint-Paul.^[1] In 1874, it lost a portion of its territory when Sainte-Pétronille separated and became a municipality.^[5] Over time, only the "Saint-Pierre" part of the name was retained.

In 1935, the Île d'Orléans Bridge was built, leading to a steady increase of residential development and making Saint-Pierre now the most populated municipality on the island. In 1997, the Parish Municipality of Saint-Pierre was renamed to Saint-Pierre-de-l'Île-d'Orléans to better distinguish the town from other namesake municipalities.^[1]

Demographics

Population

Canada census – Saint-Pierre-de-l'Île-d'Orléans, Quebec community profile

	2021	2016	2011
Population	1,743 (-12.5% from 2016)	1,993 (11.4% from 2011)	1,789 (-1.5% from 2006)
Land area	31.64 km2 (12.22 sq mi)	31.38 km2 (12.12 sq mi)	31.34 km2 (12.10 sq mi)
Population density	55.1/km2 (143/sq mi)	63.5/km2 (164/sq mi)	57.1/km2 (148/sq mi)
Median age	51.6 (M: 51.6, F: 51.6)	48.9 (M: 48.9, F: 48.9)	46.3 (M: 46.6, F: 45.8)
Private dwellings	770 (total)	871 (total)	748 (total)
Median household income	$84,000	$69,803	$54,829

References: 2021^[6] 2016^[7] 2011^[8]

Historical Census Data - Saint-Pierre-de-l'Île-d'Orléans, Quebec

Year Pop. ±% 1976 1,416 —     1981 1,666 +17.7% 1986 1,892 +13.6% 1991 1,992 +5.3% 1996 1,982 −0.5%	Year Pop. ±% 2001 1,891 −4.6% 2006 1,816 −4.0% 2011 1,789 −1.5% 2016 1,993 +11.4% 2021 1,743 −12.5%
Source: Statistics Canada[9]

Language

Canada Census Mother Tongue - Saint-Pierre-de-l'Île-d'Orléans, Quebec[9]
Census		Total		French				English				French & English				Other
Year		Responses		Count	Trend	Pop %		Count	Trend	Pop %		Count	Trend	Pop %		Count	Trend	Pop %
2021		1,705		1,680	12.3%	98.5%		5	50.0%	0.3%		5	0.0%	0.3%		10	0.0%	0.6%
2016		1,940		1,915	12.0%	98.2%		10	33.3%	0.5%		5	0.0%	0.3%		10	n/a	0.5%
2011		1,730		1,710	0.9%	98.84%		15	50.0%	0.87%		5	50.0%	0.29%		0	100.0%	0.00%
2006		1,760		1,695	6.4%	96.31%		10	n/a%	0.57%		10	33.3%	0.57%		45	350.0%	2.56%
2001		1,835		1,810	5.7%	98.64%		0	0.0%	0.00%		15	n/a%	0.82%		10	0.0%	0.54%
1996		1,930		1,920	n/a	99.48%		0	n/a	0.00%		0	n/a	0.00%		10	n/a	0.52%

Tourism and attractions

Île d'Orléans pastoral character is well preserved in Saint-Pierre.

Orleans Island, known as the "Garden of Quebec", attracts many vacationers and daytrippers with its pastoral character and cultural heritage. Since they enter the island through Saint-Pierre, it is home to many businesses catering to tourism, such as bed-and-breakfast accommodations, restaurants, art galleries, and sugar houses.^[10]

Local attractions include:

• Espace Félix-Leclerc - a museum and art gallery in a historic building dedicated to the works of poet and songwriter Félix Leclerc, as well as showcasing other Quebec folk singers
• Wineries and vineyards - offering tours and tasting local wines

Local government

Saint-Pierre-de-l'Île-d'Orléans federal election results^[11]

Year		Liberal		Conservative		Bloc Québécois		New Democratic		Green
	2021	19%	175	36%	336	38%	356	3%	28	1%	12
	2019	16%	157	34%	342	35%	347	6%	57	2%	23

Saint-Pierre-de-l'Île-d'Orléans provincial election results^[12]

Year		CAQ		Liberal		QC solidaire		Parti Québécois
	2018	50%	547	19%	204	12%	127	18%	193
	2014	38%	399	38%	396	5%	51	18%	190

Saint-Pierre-de-l'Île-d'Orléans forms part of the federal electoral district of Montmorency—Charlevoix and has been represented by Gabriel Hardy of the Conservative Party since 2025. Provincially, Saint-Pierre-de-l'Île-d'Orléans is part of the Charlevoix–Côte-de-Beaupré electoral district and has been represented by Kariane Bourassa of the Coalition Avenir Québec since 2022.

List of former mayors:

• Roger Deblois (2003–2009)
• Jacques Trudel (2009–2013)
• Sylvain Bergeron (2013–present)

See also

• Chenal de l'Île d'Orléans
• Île d'Orléans
• List of municipalities in Quebec