Sainte-Félicité, Bas-Saint-Laurent, Quebec

Sainte-Félicité is a municipality in La Matanie Regional County Municipality of Quebec, Canada, located on the south shore of the Saint Lawrence River. It is named after Felicitas of Rome, a martyred saint. Its economy is based on fishing and agriculture.

Sainte-Félicité
Municipality
Church of Sainte-Félicité
Location within La Matanie RCM.
Sainte-Félicité Location in eastern Quebec.
Coordinates: 48°54′N 67°20′W[1]
Country	Canada
Province	Quebec
Region	Bas-Saint-Laurent
RCM	La Matanie
Settled	mid 19th century
Constituted	January 10, 1996
Government [2]
• Mayor	Claudine Desjardins
• Federal riding	Haute-Gaspésie—La Mitis—Matane—Matapédia
• Prov. riding	Matane-Matapédia
Area [2][3]
• Total	90.60 km^2 (34.98 sq mi)
• Land	91.35 km^2 (35.27 sq mi)
	There is an apparent contradiction between two authoritative sources
Population  (2011)[3]
• Total	1,175
• Density	12.9/km^2 (33/sq mi)
• Pop 2006-2011	2.2%
• Dwellings	625
Demonym(s)	Félicitois, Félicitoise
Time zone	UTC−5 (EST)
• Summer (DST)	UTC−4 (EDT)
Postal code(s)	G0J 2K0
Area code(s)	418 and 581
Highways	Route 132

Notable people who came from Sainte-Félicité include Québécois pop singer Isabelle Boulay, who was born there in 1972.

In addition to Sainte-Félicité itself, the municipality also includes the communities of Cap-à-la-Baleine, L'Anse-à-la-Croix, Le Grand-Deuxième, Le Petit-Deuxième, and Sainte-Félicité-Ouest.

History

According to recent studies, Cap à la Baleine (Cape Whale) was how far Jacques Cartier sailed up the Saint Lawrence in 1534. It was also an area with many shipwrecks, earning it the name Pointe-au-Massacre (Massacre Point), sometimes pluralized as Pointe-aux-Massacres. While Saint-Denis, the name of the geographic township, was used concurrently, the macabre name remained in use until the mid 19th century and was the inspiration for the current name, because Bishop Charles-François Baillargeon wrote "je change le Massacre en Félicité" ("I change the massacre to happiness") in 1860.[1]

In 1857, a mission was established. In 1864, the post office opened under the name Sainte-Félicité. In 1866, the place was incorporated as the Township Municipality of Saint-Denis, but two years later changed its name and status to Parish Municipality of Sainte-Félicité.[1]

In 1955, the main settlement separated from the parish municipality and was incorporated as the Village Municipality of Sainte-Félicité.[1]

On January 10, 1996, the current Municipality of Sainte-Félicité was formed when the Village Municipality and Parish Municipality were rejoined together again.[1]

Demographics

Population

Canada census – Sainte-Félicité, Bas-Saint-Laurent, Quebec community profile
	2011	2006
Population:	1,175 (-2.2% from 2006)	1,201 (-4.4% from 2001)
Land area:	91.35 km^2 (35.27 sq mi)	91.35 km^2 (35.27 sq mi)
Population density:	8.3/km^2 (21/sq mi)	13.1/km^2 (34/sq mi)
Median age:	49.7 (M: 49.2, F: 50.2)	46.3 (M: 46.0, F: 46.6)
Total private dwellings:	625	679
Median household income:	$42,819	$34,300
References: 2011[3] 2006[4] earlier[5]

Historical Census Data - Sainte-Félicité, Bas-Saint-Laurent, Quebec[6]

Year Pop. ±% 1991 666 —

Year Pop. ±% 1996 1,330 +99.7%

Year Pop. ±% 2001 1,256 −5.6%

Year Pop. ±% 2006 1,201 −4.4%

Year Pop. ±% 2011 1,175 −2.2%

Population trend (pre-merger):[7]

• Population totals in 1991:
  • Sainte-Félicité (parish municipality): 666
  • Sainte-Félicité (village municipality): 758

See also

• List of municipalities in Quebec

References

1. "Sainte-Félicité (Municipalité)" (in French). Commission de toponymie du Québec. Retrieved 2012-01-20.
2. "Sainte-Félicité". Répertoire des municipalités (in French). Ministère des Affaires municipales, des Régions et de l'Occupation du territoire. Retrieved 2012-01-20.
3. "2011 Community Profiles". 2011 Canadian Census. Statistics Canada. July 5, 2013. Retrieved 2014-02-08.
4. "2006 Community Profiles". 2006 Canadian Census. Statistics Canada. March 30, 2011. Retrieved 2012-01-20.
5. "2001 Community Profiles". 2001 Canadian Census. Statistics Canada. February 17, 2012.
6. Statistics Canada: 1996, 2001, 2006, 2011 census
7. Statistics Canada: 1996