Matapédia, Quebec

Matapédia
Municipality
Confluence of Matapédia and Restigouche Rivers Confluence of Matapédia and Restigouche Rivers
Location within Avignon RCM. Location within Avignon RCM.
Matapédia Location in eastern Quebec.
Coordinates:
Country	Canada
Province	Quebec
Region	Gaspésie– Îles-de-la-Madeleine
RCM	Avignon
Settled	1808
Constituted	November 4, 1905
Government
• Mayor	Louis Michaud
• Federal riding	Gaspésie— Îles-de-la-Madeleine
• Prov. riding	Bonaventure
Area
• Total	72.10 km2 (27.84 sq mi)
• Land	72.49 km2 (27.99 sq mi)
	There is an apparent contradiction between two authoritative sources
Population (2011)
• Total	664
• Density	9.2/km2 (24/sq mi)
• Pop 2006-2011	4.6%
• Dwellings	360
Time zone	EST (UTC−5)
• Summer (DST)	EDT (UTC−4)
Postal code(s)	G0J 1V0
Area code(s)	418 and 581
Highways	Route 132

Matapédia (former name: Saint-Laurent-de-Matapédia) is a village at the southern tip of the Gaspé peninsula, in Eastern Quebec, Canada. Matapedia is located along Quebec Route 132 on the border of New Brunswick.

In addition to Matapédia itself, the municipality also includes the communities of Mann Settlement and Runnymede.

History

Its name comes from the Mi'kmaq word matapegiag, meaning "river junction", from the parts mata (junction) and pegiag (river), referring to the Matapédia River that crosses the town just before its confluence with the Restigouche River. It has also been spelled over time as Matapediach, Matapeguia, Matapediac, Matakpediack, Madapeguia, or Matapediac.

In 1808, colonization began with the arrival of Loyalists, followed by Irish settlers in 1850, Acadians in 1860, and French Canadians in 1865.

In 1842, the geographic township was formed, named after the Matapédia River. In 1860, a mission is established, and in 1864, the Matapedia Post Office opened. On November 4, 1905, the place was incorporated as the Parish Municipality of Saint-Laurent-de-Matapédia, named after the local parish and township. But since 1973, it has been officially known by its abbreviated name Matapédia.

On February 27, 2010, the status of the parish municipality was changed to just municipality.

Present day

The village has one general store and a designated Heritage Railway Station. The economy is mainly focused on the local geography with activities such as salmon fishing, hunting and tourism. For many years the town contained a baseball field, however in recent times it has been transformed into a soccer field. Although Matapedia contains a CLSC, the closest hospital is on the New Brunswick side: the Restigouche Hospital Centre on Salmon Boulevard. The town also contains a belvedere facing the main part of town.

Demographics

Population

Historical Census Data - Matapédia, Quebec
Year Pop. ±% 1991 786 —     1996 749 −4.7%	Year Pop. ±% 2001 707 −5.6% 2006 696 −1.6%	Year Pop. ±% 2011 664 −4.6%

Language

Mother tongue:

• English as first language: 20%
• French as first language: 80%
• English and French as first language: 0%
• Other as first language: 0%

See also

• List of municipalities in Quebec