Bécancour, Quebec

Bécancour (French pronunciation: ​[bekɑ̃kuʁ]) is a city in the Centre-du-Québec region of Québec, Canada; it is the seat of the Bécancour Regional County Municipality. It is located on the south shore of the Saint Lawrence River at the confluence of the Bécancour River, opposite Trois-Rivières.

For the community, see Bécancour, Quebec (community).
Bécancour
City
Sainte-Angèle-de-Laval
Coat of arms
Motto(s): 
Vivre et grandir
("To live and to grow")
Location within Bécancour RCM.
Bécancour
Location in southern Quebec.
Coordinates: 46°20′N 72°26′W[1]
Country Canada
Province Quebec
RegionCentre-du-Québec
RCMBécancour
ConstitutedOctober 17, 1965
Government
 • MayorJean-Guy Dubois
 • Federal ridingBécancour—Nicolet—Saurel
 • Prov. ridingNicolet-Bécancour
Area
 • Total494.60 km2 (190.97 sq mi)
 • Land440.74 km2 (170.17 sq mi)
Elevation
148 m (486 ft)
Population
 (2011)[3]
 • Total12,438
 • Density28.2/km2 (73/sq mi)
 • Pop 2006-2011
 13.3%
 • Dwellings
5,667
Time zoneUTC−5 (EST)
 • Summer (DST)UTC−4 (EDT)
Postal code(s)
G9H
Area code(s)819
Highways
A-30
A-55
Route 132
Route 226
Route 261
Websitewww.becancour.net

Wôlinak, an Abenaki Indian reserve, is an enclave within the town of Bécancour. They arrived from Norridgewock, Maine (formerly Acadia) in the aftermath of Father Rale's War.

There was a small migration of Acadians to the village (1759), after the British began the Expulsion of the Acadians from the Maritimes. Specifically, the Acadians migrated from present-day New Brunswick to avoid being killed or captured in the St. John River Campaign.

Description

The town of Bécancour was created October 17, 1965, from an amalgamation of eleven municipalities. Bécancour was one of the province of Quebec's first amalgamated cities.[4] At the time, Bécancour was the largest city in Quebec in terms of land area (as of 2003, the title belongs to La Tuque, Quebec).

Bécancour is now divided into six secteurs (lit. "sectors"): Bécancour, Saint-Grégoire, Gentilly, Précieux-Sang, Sainte-Angèle-de-Laval, and Sainte-Gertrude. Bécancour, Saint-Grégoire and Gentilly, each located near the shore of the Saint Lawrence River, can be considered the main urban centres. Autoroute 55 intersects Autoroute 30 and Route 132 at Saint-Grégoire.

Bécancour is part of the Trois-Rivières metropolitan area; many residents work in Trois-Rivières and commute across the Laviolette Bridge daily. The economy of Bécancour, once mainly agricultural, shifted towards heavy industry and manufacturing in the 1970s and 1980s. An industrial park was built in the area, attracting producers of aluminum, magnesium, refractory metals, and petroleum products; machine shops; and many related services, such as excavators and sales of industrial parts. A nuclear power plant, Gentilly Nuclear Generating Station, was commissioned in 1983 in the Gentilly sector; it was decommissioned in 2012.[5]

Despite its proximity to Trois-Rivières, Bécancour has a vibrant culture and identity of its own. The city hosts a hot air balloon festival,[6] a weekly public marketplace, a biodiversity museum and interpretation centre, and a maritime pumpkin race.[7]

History

Constituent municipalities of Bécancour included:[4]

  • La Nativité de Notre-Dame-de-Bécancour (1722)
  • Saint-Édouard-de-Gentilly (1784)
  • Saint-Grégoire-le-Grand (1802)
  • Sainte-Gertrude (1845)
  • Sainte-Angèle-de-Laval (1868)
  • Très-Précieux-Sang-de-Notre-Seigneur (1903)

And the villages of:

  • Larochelle (1863)
  • Gentilly (1900)
  • Villers (1901)
  • Bécancour et Laval (1909)

Demographics

According to the Canada 2011 Census:

  • Population: 12,438
  • % Change (2006–2011): +13.3
  • Dwellings: 5,667
  • Area (km2): 440.74
  • Density (persons per km2): 28.2

Communities
Village Bécancour

Notable people

Sister city

Emblems and symbols

See also

References
  1. Reference number 4505 of the Commission de toponymie du Québec (in French)
  2. Geographic code 38010 in the official Répertoire des municipalités (in French)
  3. "(Code 2438010) Census Profile". 2011 census. Statistics Canada. 2012.
  4. "Becancour.net". Archived from the original on 2006-08-29. Retrieved 2006-08-26.
  5. http://nuclearsafety.gc.ca/eng/resources/my-community/becancour-trois-rivieres/index.cfm
  6. "Archived copy". Archived from the original on 2006-08-19. Retrieved 2006-08-26.CS1 maint: archived copy as title (link)
  7. "Archived copy". Archived from the original on 2007-09-28. Retrieved 2006-08-26.CS1 maint: archived copy as title (link)
  8. "Bishop Bl. Louis-Zéphirin Moreau". Catholic-Hierarchy.org. David M. Cheney. Retrieved 21 January 2015.



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