Saguenay, Quebec
Template:Canadian City Saguenay (officially Ville de Saguenay) is a city (2001 population: 148,050) in the Saguenay–Lac-Saint-Jean region of Quebec, Canada, on the Saguenay River, about 200 kilometres north of Quebec City.
Description
The city was formed on February 18, 2002, by the merger of the cities of Chicoutimi, Jonquière, La Baie, and Laterrière, along with the municipalities of Lac-Kénogami and Shipshaw and part of the township of Tremblay.
The city is divided into three boroughs:
- Chicoutimi (territories of Chicoutimi, Laterrière, and Tremblay township);
- Jonquière (territories of Jonquière, Lac-Kénogami, Arvida, and Shipshaw);
- La Baie (territory of La Baie).
The mayor of Saguenay is Jean Tremblay, mayor of Chicoutimi before the merger.
The term "the Saguenay" or (less commonly) "Saguenay Valley" is used for the whole Saguenay River region. See Saguenay-Lac-Saint-Jean. The provincial riding of René-Lévesque on the Côte Nord was named Saguenay before 2003 elections.
Camrose, Alberta is the sister city of Saguenay.
Location in Quebec
Saguenay is located in a depression in the Canadian shield with a somewhat more temperate climate than the surrounding region, allowing agriculture and human settlement to take place. The relatively small and concentrated Lac St-Jean area where the city is located can be described as an "oasis" in the middle of the vast remote wilderness of Northern Quebec. Few roads connect with the area from the south and east, and only one road connects from the west. No roads go north from the area into the wilderness; the last roads north end just a short distance from the city—still within the Lac St-Jean area. There are no human settlements directly north of Saguenay all the way to the Canadian Arctic islands.
Demographics
(Institut de la Statistique du Québec, 2005)
Total Population: 146 000 inhabitants
Chicoutimi: 67 800
Jonquière: 58 900
La Baie: 19 300
98% of Saguenay's inhabitants claim French as their mother tongue.
Economy
Saguenay's economy is mainly based on the primary transformation of natural resources, including paper (under Abitibi-Consolidated) and aluminum (under Alcan). The city is also home to several hydro-electric power plants, notably the 800 MW plant at Shipshaw. Recent years have been hard on Saguenay's economy. Citing difficult market conditions (possibly arising from the United States-Canada softwood lumber dispute), Abitibi-Consolidated closed down several of its transformation plants in the area—including the Port-Alfred plant in La Baie, which was closed for good on January 26, 2005 after a little over a year of inactivity.
Education
Apart from hosting two Cégeps—one in Jonquière and one in Chicoutimi, the city also benefits from the presence of the Université du Québec à Chicoutimi. Several other schools have campuses in Saguenay, including the Université de Sherbrooke and the École nationale d'administration publique. Saguenay is also home to a music conservatory.
Media
Radio
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Television
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See also
- Saguenay-Lac-Saint-Jean
- List of people from Saguenay-Lac-Saint-Jean
- Chicoutimi—Le Fjord
- Jonquière—Alma
- Saguenay River
- Saguenay Flood
- Kingdom of Saguenay
External links
48°26′N 71°05′W / 48.433°N 71.083°W
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