Varennes (Quebec)

Varennes
	; Basilica of Sainte-Anne de Varennes
Location in Quebec
	Varennes
	Varennes
State :	Canada
Province :	Quebec
Administrative region :	Montérégie
MRC or equivalent :	Marguerite-D'Youville
Coordinates :	45 ° 41 ′ N , 73 ° 26 ′ W Coordinates: 45 ° 41 ′ N , 73 ° 26 ′ W
Height :	14 m
Area :	92.53 km²
Residents :	20,994 (as of 2011)
Population density :	226.9 inhabitants / km²
Time zone :	Eastern Time ( UTC − 5 )
Municipality number:	59020
Postal code :	J3X
Area code :	+1 450
Mayor :	Martin Damphousse
Website :	www.ville.varennes.qc.ca
	; Located in the MRC Marguerite-D'Youville

Varennes is a city in the southwest of the Canadian province of Quebec . It is located in the administrative region of Montérégie , around 25 km northeast of central Montreal . Varennes belongs to the regional county municipality (municipalité régionale du comté) Marguerite-D'Youville , has an area of 92.53 km² and has 20,994 inhabitants (2011).

geography

Varennes is located on the east bank of the St. Lawrence River in the Rive-Sud region , in largely flat terrain. The urban area also includes some islands of the Hochelaga archipelago , including the Île Sainte-Thérèse . Neighboring municipalities are Verchères in the north, Saint-Amable in the east, Sainte-Julie in the southeast, Boucherville in the south, Montreal in the west (on the opposite side of the St. Lawrence River) and Repentigny in the north-west.

history

City arms

René Gaultier, sieur de Varennes, received in 1672 by Jean Talon , the fundamental rule about today's urban area awarded. The place name is derived from the French village of Varennes-sur-Loire in today's Maine-et-Loire department , Gaultier's homeland. The civil parish was founded in 1848. In the mid-19th century, Varennes was known as Bedeort. From the end of the 19th century to the beginning of the 1970s, the saltworks of the Montreal company Gurd had a decisive influence on the town and ensured above-average population growth. In 1969, the state research institute Institut national de la recherche scientifique started operations. In 1972 Varennes received city status after the merger with the commune of Sainte-Anne-de-Varennes. Since 2000, the city has been a member of the Communauté métropolitaine de Montréal association .

Attractions

The town's landmark is the Basilica of Sainte-Anne de Varennes , which was built between 1884 and 1887 in the neo-Romanesque-neo-Gothic style. There is also a pilgrimage chapel in honor of Saint Marguerite d'Youville .

population

According to the 2011 census, Varennes had 20,994 inhabitants, which corresponds to a population density of 226.9 inh / km². 95.7% of the population stated French as their main language, the share of English was 1.7%. 0.6% said they were bilingual (French and English), other languages and multiple answers made up 2.0%. Only French spoke 55.0%. In 2001, 95.3% of the population were Roman Catholic , 1.5% Protestant and 2.7% of no religion.

Transport and economy

Autoroute 30 runs east of the city ; this motorway bypasses the Montreal metropolitan area and connects it with Sorel-Tracy . Route 132 , an important main road connection between Longueuil along the St. Lawrence River to Lévis , runs through the city center . A Canadian National Railway runs through the city, but only freight traffic is handled on it. The company CIT Sorel-Varennes is responsible for local public transport and operates several lines to Longueuil and Sorel-Tracy.

Varennes has two industrial areas. In the first, the chemical industry is predominant; one of the six Canadian plants of the chemical company Dow Chemical is located here . The second industrial area includes several research centers. Represented are the state institute national de la recherche scientifique , the electrotechnical research department of the utility company Hydro-Québec , a research facility for transformers from Asea Brown Boveri , the solar energy center CANMET and the energy transmission center CITEQ.