Sorel-Tracy
| Sorel-Tracy | |||
|---|---|---|---|
_%E2%80%93_2.jpg) Aerial view of Sorel-Tracy and the surrounding area |
|||
| Location in Quebec | |||
|
|||
| State : |
 Canada
|
||
| Province : | Quebec | ||
| Administrative region : | Montérégie | ||
| MRC or equivalent : | Pierre-De Saurel | ||
| Coordinates : | 46 ° 2 ′ N , 73 ° 7 ′ W | ||
| Height : | 9 m | ||
| Area : | 66.7 km² | ||
| Residents : | 34,600 (as of 2011) | ||
| Population density : | 518.7 inhabitants / km² | ||
| Time zone : | Eastern Time ( UTC − 5 ) | ||
| Municipality number: | 53052 | ||
| Postal code : | J3P | ||
| Area code : | +1 450 and 579 | ||
| Mayor : | Réjean Dauplaise | ||
| Website : | www.ville.sorel-tracy.qc.ca | ||
 Located in the MRC Pierre-De Saurel |
|||
Sorel-Tracy is a city in the southwest of the Canadian province of Québec . It is located in the Montérégie region , about 80 kilometers north of Montreal . Sorel-Tracy is the capital of the regional municipality Pierre-De Saurel , has an area of 66.70 km² and has 34,600 inhabitants (2011). The city was created in 2000 through the merger of the previously independent cities of Sorel and Tracy.
geography
Sorel-Tracy is located on the south bank of the St. Lawrence River , on both sides of the mouth of the important tributary Rivière Richelieu . Sorel is the eastern (right bank) part of the city, Tracy the western (left bank) part. To the north and northeast of the city, in the middle of the St. Lawrence River, is the Archipel du Lac Saint-Pierre , a group of 103 islands in front of Lac Saint-Pierre .
Neighboring municipalities are Saint-Joseph-de-Sorel in the northwest. Sainte-Anne-de-Sorel in the northeast, Yamaska and Saint-Robert in the east, Sainte-Victoire-de-Sorel in the south, Saint-Roch-de-Richelieu and Contrecœur in the southwest, Lanoraie in the west and Sainte-Geneviève-de- Berthier in the northwest.
history
Sorel is the fourth oldest city in Canada. Charles de Montmagny , Governor of New France , had Fort Richelieu built on August 13, 1642 to protect the strategically important estuary. In particular, settlers and travelers on the river should be protected from attacks by the Iroquois . They destroyed the fort in 1647, but the Carignan Salières regiment built a new fortress on the same site in 1665.
The name Sorel comes from Pierre de Saurel, an officer in the regiment. In 1672 he received a fief from King Louis XIV , making him the first seigneur in the area. A settlement quickly developed around the fort when numerous soldiers settled here with their families instead of returning to Europe. In 1721, the Bishop of Québec founded the parish of Saint-Pierre de Saurel. In the fall of 1760, the residents of Sorel tried in vain to stop the British troops on their advance into Montreal.
In 1777 the place existed according to a contemporary report
- " a church, a windmill and other 5 inhabited houses, but is provided on both sides with rivers of water rich in ships and from which rebels [of the American War of Independence ] are well provided with a fort, which, however, when they are abandoned, was razed, but also made in such a way, that at the same time several redoubts as no less barracks were built, that a crew of 4,000 men can be stopped inside. Everyone assures himself that Sorell is in a position to find the most convenient [= most comfortable] place for commerce. "
In 1781 the British government acquired the Sorel Seigneurie to settle loyalists there. After a visit by William Henry, Duke of Gloucester in 1787, the place was renamed William-Henry, but returned to the ancestral name in 1860.
At the beginning of the 19th century, forestry and shipbuilding replaced the traditional fur trade. Shipbuilding in particular was of great importance; it entailed the construction of a river port and finally led to the settlement of the metalworking industry. In 1848 Sorel received city rights. During the two world wars, the shipyards produced numerous warships. In 1962, the Shawinigan Water and Power Company opened the Tracy Thermal Power Plant. A year later, Hydro-Québec took over the plant, which generated an output of up to 660 MW. Due to the severe environmental pollution, the power plant was shut down in 2011; it is to be dismantled by the end of 2013.
The name Tracy is derived from Alexandre de Prouville, sieur de Tracy , the commander-in-chief of the Carignan Salières regiment. The area of this municipality was separated from Sorel in 1875 and was initially called Saint-Joseph-de-Sorel, until it was also given city status in 1954 and was renamed Tracy. In 2000, Sorel and Tracy merged to form the city of Sorel-Tracy.
population
According to the 2011 census, Sorel-Tracy had 34,600 inhabitants, which corresponds to a population density of 518.7 inh / km². 97.5% of the population stated French as their main language, the share of English was 1.0%. 0.4% said they were bilingual (French and English), other languages and multiple answers made up 1.1%. Only French spoke 74.6%. In 2001, 96.6% of the population were Roman Catholic , 1.1% Protestant, and 2.0% of no denomination.
Attractions
There are two National Historic Sites of Canada in Sorel-Tracy. These are on the one hand the location of the former Fort Richelieu and on the other hand the Château des Gouverneurs . Built in 1781 by order of Frederick Haldimand , this house served as the summer residence of governors-general and military commanders until 1860.
Economy and Transport
The city has traditionally been an important center of the steel industry . The most important company is the Rio Tinto Group , which operates the RTFT (Rio Tinto Fer et Titane) steelworks here. Also of great importance is the river port on the bank of the St. Lawrence River, which is mainly used for handling bulk goods (especially oil). The traditional shipbuilding industry is no longer present ; the Marine Industries shipyard was closed in 1986.
Sorel-Tracy is connected to Longueuil and the Montreal agglomeration by Autoroute 30 . Major main roads are Route 132 and Route 133 . Both parts of the city are connected by the Pont Turcotte and the motorway bridge. A ferry operated by the Société des traversiers du Québec runs from Sorel over the Saint Lawrence River to the island of Dupas , from where Berthierville can be reached. The company CIT de Sorel-Varennes is responsible for public transport .
Sports
Sorel-Tracy is an ice hockey stronghold. The Colisée Cardin stadium, built in 1954, has a capacity of 3,037 spectators. Since 2010 it has been the home of the Éperviers de Sorel-Tracy in the Ligue Nord-Américaine de Hockey . Previous teams were the Éperviers de Sorel (1969–1977, 1980–1981), the Royaux de Sorel (1999–2004) and the Mission de Sorel-Tracy (2004–2008).
Personalities
- François Beauchemin (* 1980), ice hockey player
- Anthony Beauvillier (born 1997), ice hockey player
- Victoria Cartier (1867–1955), organist
- Frédéric Cassivi (* 1975), ice hockey player
- Marc-André Fleury (* 1984), ice hockey player
- André Gill (1941–2014), ice hockey player
- Pierre Mondou (* 1955), ice hockey player, trainer and scout
Web links
- Official website of Sorel-Tracy (French)
- Historical map of Sorel 1777 at the Digital Archive Marburg ( Hessisches Staatsarchiv Marburg )
Individual evidence
- ↑ a b c Historique. Ville de Sorel-Tracy, archived from the original on August 28, 2011 ; accessed on January 20, 2020 (French).
- ↑ Philipp Jakob Hildebrandt : Diary . In: Holger Graef and Lena Haunert (eds.): Among Canadians, Iroquois and rebels. The diary of the Hessen-Hanau hunter Philipp Jakob Hildebrandt from the years 1777-1781 = Hanau history sheets 46 = studies and materials on constitutional and regional history 29, Hanau and Marburg 2011, p. 28.
- ↑ a b Sorel-Tracy. Commission de toponymie du Québec, January 10, 2013, accessed January 28, 2013 (French).
- ↑ Julie Lambert: Démolition de la centrale thermique d'Hydro-Québec. Journal de Montréal, January 9, 2013, accessed January 28, 2013 (French).
- ^ Population profile of the municipality of Sorel-Tracy. In: 2011 Census. Statistics Canada , 2011, accessed December 16, 2013 (French).
- ^ Population profile of the municipality of Sorel-Tracy. In: 2001 Census. Statistics Canada , 2001, accessed December 16, 2013 (French).
- ^ Lieu historique national du Canada du Château des Gouverneur. Répertoire des lieux patrimoniaux du Canada, accessed on January 28, 2013 (French).
- ^ Colisee Cardin. QMJHL Travel Guide, October 24, 2008, accessed January 28, 2013 .