Alma is a town in the Canadian province of Quebec

Quebec

Quebec or is a province in east-central Canada. It is the only Canadian province with a predominantly French-speaking population and the only one whose sole official language is French at the provincial level....

.

Geography

Alma is located on the southeast coast of Lac Saint-Jean

Lac Saint-Jean

Lac Saint-Jean is a large, relatively shallow lake in south-central Quebec, Canada, in the Laurentian Highlands. It is situated 206 kilometres north of the Saint Lawrence River, into which it drains via the Saguenay River. It covers an area of 1003 km² Lac Saint-Jean is a large, relatively...

 where it flows into the Saguenay River

Saguenay River

The Saguenay River is a major river of Quebec, Canada.It drains Lac Saint-Jean in the Laurentian Highlands, leaving at Alma and running east, and passes the city of Saguenay. It drains into the Saint Lawrence River at Tadoussac....

, in the Saguenay–Lac-Saint-Jean region of Quebec

Quebec

Quebec or is a province in east-central Canada. It is the only Canadian province with a predominantly French-speaking population and the only one whose sole official language is French at the provincial level....

, Canada

Canada

Canada is a North American country consisting of ten provinces and three territories. Located in the northern part of the continent, it extends from the Atlantic Ocean in the east to the Pacific Ocean in the west, and northward into the Arctic Ocean...

, approximately 175 km north of Quebec City

Quebec City

Quebec , also Québec, Quebec City or Québec City is the capital of the Canadian province of Quebec and is located within the Capitale-Nationale region. It is the second most populous city in Quebec after Montreal, which is about to the southwest...

. Alma is the seat of Lac-Saint-Jean-Est Regional County Municipality

Lac-Saint-Jean-Est Regional County Municipality, Quebec

Lac-Saint-Jean-Est is a regional county municipality in northeastern Quebec, Canada. The county seat is in Alma. In 2006 it was 99.5% French-speaking.-Communities:* Cities & Towns** Alma** Desbiens** Métabetchouan–Lac-à-la-Croix...

.

Alma is the seat of the judicial district of Alma.

History

The present city of Alma was formed in 1962 from the merging of four villages: Isle-Maligne, Naudville, Riverbend and St-Joseph d'Alma. The oldest of the villages, St-Joseph d'Alma, was founded in 1867 by Damase Boulanger. The area became an important industrial center during the 1920s and 1930s with the construction of a hydro-electrical dam on the Grande-Décharge River, a paper mill (Price) and an aluminum smelting plant (Alcan

Alcan

Rio Tinto Alcan Inc. is a Canadian company based in Montreal. It was created on November 15, 2007 as the result of the merger between Rio Tinto PLC's Canadian subsidiary, Rio Tinto Canada Holding Inc., and Canadian company Alcan Inc. On the same date, Alcan Inc. was renamed Rio Tinto Alcan Inc..Rio...

), all of which are still in activity today.

In 2002, Alma amalgamated with the Municipality of Delisle.

Demographics

Population trend:

• Population in 2006: 29,998 (2001 to 2006 population change: -0.4 %)
• Population total in 2001: 30,126
  • Alma (ville): 25,918
  • Delisle (municipality): 4,208
• Population in 1996:
  • Alma (ville): 26,127
  • Delisle (municipality): 4,256
• Population in 1991:
  • Alma (ville): 25,910
  • Delisle (municipality): 4,281

Private dwellings occupied by usual residents: 12,730 (total dwellings: 13,336)

Mother tongue:

• English as first language: 0.5 %
• French as first language: 98.5 %
• English and French as first language: 0.1 %
• Other as first language: 0.9 %

External links

Ville d'Alma