Bécancour, Quebec
Encyclopedia
Bécancour is a town
Town
A town is a human settlement larger than a village but smaller than a city. The size a settlement must be in order to be called a "town" varies considerably in different parts of the world, so that, for example, many American "small towns" seem to British people to be no more than villages, while...
in the Centre-du-Québec
Centre-du-Québec
Centre-du-Québec is a region of Quebec, Canada. The main centres are Drummondville, Victoriaville and Bécancour. It has a land area of 6,928.78 km² and a 2006 census population of 224,200 inhabitants.-Description:...
region of Québec
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...
; it is the seat of the Bécancour Regional County Municipality
Bécancour Regional County Municipality, Quebec
Bécancour is a regional county municipality in central Quebec, Canada. The regional county municipality seat is Bécancour.-Communities:*Cities & Towns**Bécancour*Municipalities**Deschaillons-sur-Saint-Laurent**Fortierville**Lemieux**Manseau...
. It is located on the south shore of the Saint Lawrence River
Saint Lawrence River
The Saint Lawrence is a large river flowing approximately from southwest to northeast in the middle latitudes of North America, connecting the Great Lakes with the Atlantic Ocean. It is the primary drainage conveyor of the Great Lakes Basin...
at the confluence of the Bécancour River
Bécancour River
The Bécancour River is a river in the Canadian province of Quebec.The Bécancour takes its source from the lake of the same name in the town of Thetford Mines, in the Chaudière-Appalaches region...
, opposite Trois-Rivières
Trois-Rivières
Trois-Rivières means three rivers in French and may refer to:in Canada*Trois-Rivières, the largest city in the Mauricie region of Quebec, Canada*Circuit Trois-Rivières, a racetrack in Trois-Rivières, Quebec...
.
Wôlinak, an Abenaki Indian reserve
Indian reserve
In Canada, an Indian reserve is specified by the Indian Act as a "tract of land, the legal title to which is vested in Her Majesty, that has been set apart by Her Majesty for the use and benefit of a band." The Act also specifies that land reserved for the use and benefit of a band which is not...
, is an enclave within the town of Bécancour.
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
New Brunswick
New Brunswick is one of Canada's three Maritime provinces and is the only province in the federation that is constitutionally bilingual . The provincial capital is Fredericton and Saint John is the most populous city. Greater Moncton is the largest Census Metropolitan Area...
to avoid being killed or captured in the St. John River Campaign
St. John River Campaign
The St. John River Campaign occurred during the French and Indian War when Colonel Robert Monckton led a force of 1150 British soldiers to destroy the Acadian settlements along the banks of the Saint John River until they reached the largest village of Sainte-Anne des Pays-Bas in February 1759...
.
Description
Bécancour's was one of the province of Quebec's first amalgamated cities. The town was created October 17, 1965 from the amalgamation of eleven municipalities: 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).. The city of Bécancour then became the largest city in area in Quebec (as of 2003, the title belongs to La Tuque, QuebecLa Tuque, Quebec
La Tuque is a city in south central Quebec, Canada, on the Saint-Maurice River, between Trois-Rivières and Chambord. In 2006, it had a population of 11,821 Latuquois....
).
Bécancour is now divided into six secteurs (lit. "sectors"): Bécancour
Bécancour, Quebec (community)
Bécancour is a community of the city of Bécancour, Quebec. It is one of the major population centres within the city. The Indian reserve of Wôlinak lies within its geographical limits....
, Saint-Grégoire
Saint-Grégoire, Quebec
Saint-Grégoire is a community of the city of Bécancour, Quebec. It is one of the major population centres within the city. Autoroute 55 intersects Autoroute 30 and Route 132 at Saint-Grégoire....
, Gentilly
Gentilly, Quebec
Gentilly is a community a couple minutes away from the city of Bécancour, Quebec. It is one of the major population centres within the city. Among other things, it is also home to Gentilly Nuclear Generating Station....
, Précieux-Sang
Précieux-Sang, Quebec
Précieux-Sang is a community of the city of Bécancour, Quebec....
, Sainte-Angèle-de-Laval
Sainte-Angèle-de-Laval, Quebec
Sainte-Angèle-de-Laval is a community of the city of Bécancour, Quebec. Bordering as it does the Saint Lawrence River, Sainte-Angèle-de-Laval has a strong naval history; among other things, a Sea Cadet training centre, the CSTC HMCS Quebec, operates there during the summer...
, and Sainte-Gertrude
Sainte-Gertrude, Quebec
Sainte-Gertrude is a community of the city of Bécancour, Quebec....
. Bécancour, Saint-Grégoire and Gentilly, each located near the shore of the Saint Lawrence River
Saint Lawrence River
The Saint Lawrence is a large river flowing approximately from southwest to northeast in the middle latitudes of North America, connecting the Great Lakes with the Atlantic Ocean. It is the primary drainage conveyor of the Great Lakes Basin...
, can be considered the main urban centres. Autoroute 55
Quebec Autoroute 55
Autoroute 55 Autoroute 55 Autoroute 55 (also called Autoroute de l'Énergie (North of the Autoroute 20) and Autoroute Joseph-Armand Bombardier (South part) is an important north-south Autoroute and the only one running in that direction in central Quebec. It is the longest north-south Autoroute,...
intersects Autoroute 30
Quebec Autoroute 30
Autoroute 30 is a superhighway in Quebec, Canada.There are three segments currently open for travel:...
and Route 132
Quebec route 132
Route 132 is the longest highway in Quebec. It follows the south shore of the Saint Lawrence River from the border with the state of New York in the hamlet of Dundee , west of Montreal to the Gulf of Saint Lawrence and circles the Gaspé Peninsula...
at Saint-Grégoire.
Bécancour is part of the Trois-Rivières
Trois-Rivières
Trois-Rivières means three rivers in French and may refer to:in Canada*Trois-Rivières, the largest city in the Mauricie region of Quebec, Canada*Circuit Trois-Rivières, a racetrack in Trois-Rivières, Quebec...
metropolitan area; many residents work in Trois-Rivières and commute across the Laviolette Bridge
Laviolette Bridge
The Laviolette Bridge is an arch bridge connecting the city of Trois-Rivières, Quebec, Canada to Bécancour on the south shore of the Saint Lawrence River via Autoroute 55.-Overview:...
daily. The economy of Bécancour, once mainly agricultural, shifted towards heavy industry and manufacturing
Manufacturing
Manufacturing is the use of machines, tools and labor to produce goods for use or sale. The term may refer to a range of human activity, from handicraft to high tech, but is most commonly applied to industrial production, in which raw materials are transformed into finished goods on a large scale...
in the 1970s and 1980s. An industrial park
Industrial park
An industrial park is an area zoned and planned for the purpose of industrial development...
and a nuclear power plant
Nuclear power plant
A nuclear power plant is a thermal power station in which the heat source is one or more nuclear reactors. As in a conventional thermal power station the heat is used to generate steam which drives a steam turbine connected to a generator which produces electricity.Nuclear power plants are usually...
(Gentilly Nuclear Generating Station
Gentilly Nuclear Generating Station
Gentilly Nuclear Generating Station is a Canadian nuclear power station located near Bécancour, Quebec. The facility derives its name from the Gentilly suburb of the city of Bécancour, in which it is located...
) were built in the area. Industries in Bécancour include: producers of aluminum
Aluminium
Aluminium or aluminum is a silvery white member of the boron group of chemical elements. It has the symbol Al, and its atomic number is 13. It is not soluble in water under normal circumstances....
, magnesium
Magnesium
Magnesium is a chemical element with the symbol Mg, atomic number 12, and common oxidation number +2. It is an alkaline earth metal and the eighth most abundant element in the Earth's crust and ninth in the known universe as a whole...
, refractory metals
Refractory metals
Refractory metals are a class of metals that are extraordinarily resistant to heat and wear. The expression is mostly used in the context of materials science, metallurgy and engineering. The definition of which elements belong to this group differs...
, and petroleum
Petroleum
Petroleum or crude oil is a naturally occurring, flammable liquid consisting of a complex mixture of hydrocarbons of various molecular weights and other liquid organic compounds, that are found in geologic formations beneath the Earth's surface. Petroleum is recovered mostly through oil drilling...
products; machine shops
Machining
Conventional machining is a form of subtractive manufacturing, in which a collection of material-working processes utilizing power-driven machine tools, such as saws, lathes, milling machines, and drill presses, are used with a sharp cutting tool to physical remove material to achieve a desired...
; and many related services, such as excavators
Earthworks (engineering)
Earthworks are engineering works created through the moving or processing of quantities of soil or unformed rock.- Civil engineering use :Typical earthworks include roads, railway beds, causeways, dams, levees, canals, and berms...
and sales of industrial parts.
Despite its proximity to Trois-Rivières, Bécancour has a vibrant culture and identity of its own. The city hosts a hot air balloon
Hot air balloon
The hot air balloon is the oldest successful human-carrying flight technology. It is in a class of aircraft known as balloon aircraft. On November 21, 1783, in Paris, France, the first untethered manned flight was made by Jean-François Pilâtre de Rozier and François Laurent d'Arlandes in a hot air...
festival, a weekly public marketplace, a biodiversity
Biodiversity
Biodiversity is the degree of variation of life forms within a given ecosystem, biome, or an entire planet. Biodiversity is a measure of the health of ecosystems. Biodiversity is in part a function of climate. In terrestrial habitats, tropical regions are typically rich whereas polar regions...
museum and interpretation centre, and a maritime pumpkin
Pumpkin
A pumpkin is a gourd-like squash of the genus Cucurbita and the family Cucurbitaceae . It commonly refers to cultivars of any one of the species Cucurbita pepo, Cucurbita mixta, Cucurbita maxima, and Cucurbita moschata, and is native to North America...
race.
Demographics
According to the Canada 2006 CensusCanada 2006 Census
The Canada 2006 Census was a detailed enumeration of the Canadian population. Census day was May 16, 2006. The next census following will be the 2011 Census. Canada's total population enumerated by the 2006 census was 31,612,897...
:
- Population: 11,134
- % Change (2001–2006): +0.8
- Dwellings: 4,887
- Area (km²): 441.00
- Density (persons per km²): 25.2
Communities
- Bécancour
- GentillyGentilly, QuebecGentilly is a community a couple minutes away from the city of Bécancour, Quebec. It is one of the major population centres within the city. Among other things, it is also home to Gentilly Nuclear Generating Station....
- Précieux-SangPrécieux-Sang, QuebecPrécieux-Sang is a community of the city of Bécancour, Quebec....
- Sainte-Angèle-de-LavalSainte-Angèle-de-Laval, QuebecSainte-Angèle-de-Laval is a community of the city of Bécancour, Quebec. Bordering as it does the Saint Lawrence River, Sainte-Angèle-de-Laval has a strong naval history; among other things, a Sea Cadet training centre, the CSTC HMCS Quebec, operates there during the summer...
- Sainte-GertrudeSainte-Gertrude, QuebecSainte-Gertrude is a community of the city of Bécancour, Quebec....
- Saint-GrégoireSaint-Grégoire, QuebecSaint-Grégoire is a community of the city of Bécancour, Quebec. It is one of the major population centres within the city. Autoroute 55 intersects Autoroute 30 and Route 132 at Saint-Grégoire....
Notable Bécancour residents
- Nicolas PerrotNicolas PerrotNicolas Perrot , explorer, diplomat, and fur trader, was one of the first white men in the upper Mississippi Valley. Born in France, he came to New France around 1660 with Jesuits and had the opportunity to visit Indian tribes and learn their languages...
(1644–1717), explorer, diplomat, and fur trader. - Blessed Louis Zephyrinus Moreau, Canadian Roman Catholic priestPriestA priest is a person authorized to perform the sacred rites of a religion, especially as a mediatory agent between humans and deities. They also have the authority or power to administer religious rites; in particular, rites of sacrifice to, and propitiation of, a deity or deities...
and fourth Bishop of Saint-HyacintheRoman Catholic Diocese of Saint-HyacintheThe Roman Catholic Diocese of Saint-Hyacinthe is a suffragan of the Archdiocese of Sherbrooke.-Ordinaries:*John Charles Prince *Joseph La Rocque *Charles La Rocque *Bl...
See also
- Bécancour Regional County Municipality, QuebecBécancour Regional County Municipality, QuebecBécancour is a regional county municipality in central Quebec, Canada. The regional county municipality seat is Bécancour.-Communities:*Cities & Towns**Bécancour*Municipalities**Deschaillons-sur-Saint-Laurent**Fortierville**Lemieux**Manseau...
- Bas-Richelieu—Nicolet—BécancourBas-Richelieu—Nicolet—BécancourBas-Richelieu—Nicolet—Bécancour is a federal electoral district in Quebec, Canada, that has been represented in the Canadian House of Commons since 1968.-Geography:...
- Gentilly Nuclear Generating StationGentilly Nuclear Generating StationGentilly Nuclear Generating Station is a Canadian nuclear power station located near Bécancour, Quebec. The facility derives its name from the Gentilly suburb of the city of Bécancour, in which it is located...