Verchères () is an off-island suburb of Montreal, in Montérégie, Quebec, located on the south bank of the Saint Lawrence River. The population as of the Canada 2021 Census was 5,759.

History

In the 17th century, the settlement at Verchères was the scene of an Iroquois raid that was apparently thwarted by the ingenuity of a 14-year-old girl named Madeleine (now known as Madeleine de Verchères). A cast-iron statue of Madeleine de Verchères stands today by the former location of the settlement stronghold on the shore of the Saint-Lawrence river.

In French, the word Verchères can be used as an adjective to describe a specific type of rowboat invented in Verchères at the end of the 19th century, i.e. chaloupe verchères. A specimen of the rowboat is on permanent outdoor display during the summer and fall at the Parc Jean-Marie Moreau across from the town office.

The motto of Verchères is In Tenebris Lumen Rectis Corde. The streets of Verchères are mostly named after the patronyms of residing families but also after local people who rose to celebrity in Canadian history.

Geography Verchères is located about 40 km east of Montreal. The municipality is traversed by Road 132, an important road that runs along the St. Lawrence River and connects several municipalities along the south shore. The river plays a significant role in the economy of Verchères, offering picturesque views and opportunities for recreational activities.

The terrain is relatively flat, typical of the Great Lakes–St. Lawrence Lowlands, with some gentle elevations and wooded areas. The landscape of Verchères is typically rural, with farmland, natural areas and residential zones.

Demographics

Population In the 2021 Census of Population conducted by Statistics Canada, Verchères had a population of living in of its total private dwellings, a change of from its 2016 population of . With a land area of , it had a population density of in 2021.

In 2021, the median age of Verchères was 42.8 and 81% of the population were 15 years of age and over.

Language Residents whose sole native language was French numbered 5,550 (96%), while those with only English as their first language were 60 (1%), 75 people (1%) had another language as their mother tongue and 50 people (0.9%) counted both French and English as their first language. Canada Census Mother Tongue - Verchères, Quebec Census Total Year Responses Count Trend Pop % Count Trend Pop % Count Trend Pop % Count Trend Pop % 5,550 0.7% 96.4% 60 7.7% 1.0% 50 100.0% 0.9% 75 0.0% 1.3% 5,590 0.8% 96.9% 65 8.3% 1.1% 25 0.0% 0.4% 75 66.7% 1.3% 5,545 10.1% 97.7% 60 50.0% 1.1% 25 25.0% 0.4% 45 50.0% 0.8% 5,035 8.3% 97.1% 40 33.3% 0.8% 20 100.0% 0.4% 90 125.0% 1.7% 4,650 2.3% 98.3% 30 25.0% 0.6% 10 n/a% 0.2% 40 60.0% 0.9% 4,760 n/a 98.7% 40 n/a 0.8% 0 n/a 0.0% 25 n/a 0.5%

Government Municipal Municipal elections are held en bloc, according to a six-district system.

Notable people Jean Blouf, pioneer of Verchères Joseph Coulon de Jumonville whose death while a prisoner of George Washington ignited the French and Indian War theater of the Seven Years' War Louis Coulon de Villiers who is the only officer to whom Washington ever surrendered. François Coulon de Villiers another of the Coulon brothers who would later be Alcalde of New Orleans, Louisiana (New Spain) Bernard Landry former Premier of Quebec . Lynda Lemay, songwriter and singer. Calixa Lavallée, composer of O Canada. Pierre Bouchard, Montreal Canadiens retired former professional hockey player. Alexandre Beaudoin, fingerprint scientist Joseph Bailly, fur trader and first permanent Euro-American settler in northwest Indiana. His homestead is a part of Indiana Dunes National Park.

Panorama

See also List of municipalities in Quebec

References

External links

Official site of Verchères