Lévis, Quebec
Encyclopedia
Lévis is a city in eastern Quebec
, Canada
. It is located on the south shore of the St. Lawrence River
, opposite Quebec City
. A ferry links Old Quebec with Old Lévis, and two bridges, the Quebec Bridge
and the Pierre Laporte Bridge
, connect western Lévis with Quebec City. The Société de transport de Lévis
is responsible for public transportation by bus.
The population in 2006 was 130,006. Its current incarnation was founded on January 1, 2002, as the result of a merger among ten cities, including the older city of Lévis founded in 1861.
Lévis is also the name of a territory equivalent to a regional county municipality (TE) and census division (CD) of Quebec
, coextensive with the city of Lévis. Its geographical code is 25 as a census division, and 251 as an RCM-equivalent territory.
regional county municipality
(RCM), Chutes-de-la-Chaudière-Ouest Regional County Municipality, and Chutes-de-la-Chaudière-Est Regional County Municipalities, which are now equivalent to current districts within the current Lévis.
On January 1, 2002, ten cities were merged by the Quebec provincial government to form the new city of Lévis. Previously, the former cities of Lauzon
and Saint-David-de-l'Auberivière were merged to Lévis in 1989. The three RCMs which these cities were a part of ceased to exist. The new city, however, was divided into three districts: Desjardins, Chutes-de-la-Chaudière-Ouest and Chutes-de-la-Chaudière-Est, which have the same boundaries as the former RCMs.
Lévis covers an area of 444 km² (171 sq mi): 10% urban, 48% farmlands, 36% forests and 6% wetlands. In addition to the Saint Lawrence River, the Etchemin
and Chaudière River
s also run through the city before ending their journey in the Saint Lawrence. The Chaudière River also boasts a fall with a suspended bridge, which can be accessed from Autoroute 73
.
people are said to have favored the Pointe-Lévy (currently named Lévis) area long before French settlement due to its ideal location, at the junction of the St-Lawrence and the Chaudière rivers. Many archeological sites reveal evidence of human occupation for about 10,000 years. Some historians theorize that Pointe-Lévy could have been one of the main centres of Native American population development in the Quebec province.
In 1636, approximately 28 years after the foundation of Quebec City
, The seignory
of Lauzon was founded on the eastern part of the actual territory. In the following years, other seignories were founded near the St-Lawrence river. Pointe-Lévy was mainly an agricultural domain in which several lords ("Seigneurs") controlled their part of land in a medieval feodal way.
The land of the Lauzon seignory remained unoccupied until 1647, when Guillaume Couture
became the first European settler installed in front of Quebec City
. Couture was at the time first Administrator, Chief Magistrate, Captain of the Militia, member of the Sovereign Council and was widely considered a hero in New France
. Couture was however not the first seignor of the Lauzon Seignory, as the land was owned by Jean de Lauzon
(French Governor between 1651 and 1657).
During the Seven Years' War
in the summer of 1759, General James Wolfe
established a camp in the territory of Pointe-Lévy and laid siege to Quebec City. The siege succeeded and after firing cannons from the hills of Pointe-Lévy for three months and the battle on the plains in front of the walls, Quebec fell to the British. During this time, Pointe-Lévy served as the main camp to sustain the British army in the Quebec area. The constant cannon firing between Quebec City and Pointe-Lévy also served as a way to stop the French and British ships from going farther on the St. Lawrence river thus preventing reinforcement to other major cities like Montreal. In 1763, Marie-Josephte Corriveau
was hanged in Quebec City for killing her husband, and, in accordance with English practice, her body was displayed in a cage for several weeks in St-Joseph-de-la-Pointe-Lévy (old part of the former City of Lauzon). This was an unusual punishment used for the first time by the British government in North America and reserved for persons found guilty of particularly heinous crimes. This punishment was practised in England since the Middle Ages
.
From 1854, the railroad appeared in Pointe-Lévy making the city a major transportation centre for commerce and immigration. Being on the south shore of the St. Lawrence river, Pointe-Levy could be connected through rail to Ontario, Maine (and from there the whole United States) and the Maritime Provinces.
Many years later, between 1865 and 1872 while the city was still under control of Britain, a series of three forts were built to protect Quebec and the surroundings from the threat of American invasion. The forts were never really used for their intended purpose. One of these forts (Fort no.1) still remains today and can be visited.
The City of Lévis was born in 1861. The founder of this new city was Mgr. Joseph-David Déziel (1806–1882). Many municipalities in the territory of present-day Lévis were merged between 1861 and 2002. Many towns were created and the Village of Pointe-Levy (or St-Joseph-de-la-Pointe-Lévy) became the Village of Lauzon in 1867 and then the City of Lauzon in 1910.
In the late 19th and beginning of the 20th century, Alphonse Desjardins
, pioneered the foundation of the credit union
movement and founded the first caisse populaire in Lévis. He also began a long process to create what later became the Desjardins Group by travelling everywhere in Quebec helping people in other cities to start their own credit union.
Although a relatively small city, Lévis is not a typical suburb. The presence of several large employers has allowed many citizens to both live and work in Lévis. It is home to the Ultramar
refinery, one of the largest in eastern Canada, Frito-Lay
and Davie Shipbuilding
are located in Lauzon Area (former city). The Desjardins Group and its subsidiary Desjardins Financial Security
are headquartered in the city. The founder of the latter, Alphonse Desjardins
, lived in Lévis and ran with his wife, Dorimène Roy Desjardins
, the first Caisse Populaire from their home. The city is also a major agricultural business research and development center. More and more high technology companies, such as Creaform (3D)
, are established in Lévis.
There are many schools of different levels, including the Cégep de Lévis-Lauzon
and a UQAR campus (Université du Québec à Rimouski). A lot of small business and entertainment developed in the city during the last decade and finalized the transformation from a Quebec City suburb into a small city.
The city of Lévis' population grew by an estimated 1.3 per cent in 5 years. Lévis is an old community in terms of population as the proportion of youths is lower than the national average and the proportion of those over 65 years of age is higher than the national average. Some 14.5 per cent is under 14 years of age, while those over 65 number 15.7 per cent. The city is one of the most homogeneous in Canada: around 99 per cent of the population are of European ancestry, while over 97% of residents speak French
as their mother tongue.
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 located on the south shore of the St. 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...
, opposite 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...
. A ferry links Old Quebec with Old Lévis, and two bridges, the Quebec Bridge
Quebec Bridge
right|thumb|Lifting the centre span in place was considered to be a major engineering achievement. Photo caption from [[Popular Mechanics]] Magazine, December 1917...
and the Pierre Laporte Bridge
Pierre Laporte Bridge
The Pierre Laporte Bridge is the longest main span suspension bridge in Canada. It crosses the Saint Lawrence River approximately west of the famous Quebec Bridge between historic Quebec City and Lévis, Quebec....
, connect western Lévis with Quebec City. The Société de transport de Lévis
Société de transport de Lévis
The Société de transport de Lévis is a public transportation agency created in 1980, operating mainly in Lévis on the south shore of the Saint Lawrence River, being the counterpart of the Réseau de transport de la Capitale on the north side...
is responsible for public transportation by bus.
The population in 2006 was 130,006. Its current incarnation was founded on January 1, 2002, as the result of a merger among ten cities, including the older city of Lévis founded in 1861.
Lévis is also the name of a territory equivalent to a regional county municipality (TE) and census division (CD) 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....
, coextensive with the city of Lévis. Its geographical code is 25 as a census division, and 251 as an RCM-equivalent territory.
Geography
Lévis County existed until 1980s when it was divided into DesjardinsDesjardins Regional County Municipality, Quebec
Desjardins is a former Regional county municipality of Quebec in Canada. Much of it became part of Lévis, Quebec in 2002....
regional county municipality
Regional county municipality
The term regional county municipality or RCM is used in Quebec to designate one of 86 county-like political and geographic units. In most cases, they are also census divisions. Regional County Municipalities are a supralocal type of "Regional Municipality" and are still commonly referred to as...
(RCM), Chutes-de-la-Chaudière-Ouest Regional County Municipality, and Chutes-de-la-Chaudière-Est Regional County Municipalities, which are now equivalent to current districts within the current Lévis.
On January 1, 2002, ten cities were merged by the Quebec provincial government to form the new city of Lévis. Previously, the former cities of Lauzon
Lauzon, Quebec
Lauzon is a former city in southern Quebec, Canada, located on the St. Lawrence River northeast of Lévis. Founded in 1910, Lauzon had a population of about 14,500 when it merged with Lévis in 1989...
and Saint-David-de-l'Auberivière were merged to Lévis in 1989. The three RCMs which these cities were a part of ceased to exist. The new city, however, was divided into three districts: Desjardins, Chutes-de-la-Chaudière-Ouest and Chutes-de-la-Chaudière-Est, which have the same boundaries as the former RCMs.
Lévis covers an area of 444 km² (171 sq mi): 10% urban, 48% farmlands, 36% forests and 6% wetlands. In addition to the Saint Lawrence River, the Etchemin
Etchemin River
The Etchemin River is a river in the Chaudière-Appalaches region of eastern Quebec.It gave its name to Les Etchemins Regional County Municipality. The river itself was named for the Abenaki native people of the area who the French called "les Etchemins"...
and Chaudière River
Chaudière River
The Chaudière River is a long river with its source near the Town of Lac-Mégantic, in southeast Quebec, Canada. From its source Lake Megantic in the Chaudière-Appalaches region, it runs northwards to flow into the St. Lawrence River opposite Quebec City...
s also run through the city before ending their journey in the Saint Lawrence. The Chaudière River also boasts a fall with a suspended bridge, which can be accessed from Autoroute 73
Quebec Autoroute 73
Autoroute 73 is an important Autoroute in east-central Quebec, Canada...
.
Former Muncipalities (10)
- LevisLévis, QuebecLévis is a city in eastern Quebec, Canada. It is located on the south shore of the St. Lawrence River, opposite Quebec City. A ferry links Old Quebec with Old Lévis, and two bridges, the Quebec Bridge and the Pierre Laporte Bridge, connect western Lévis with Quebec City. The Société de transport de...
- CharnyCharny, QuebecCharny is a community in central Quebec, Canada, south of Quebec City. It is located on the south shore of the St. Lawrence River. Formerly an independent city, Charny was merged with Lévis on January 1, 2002.-History:...
- PintendrePintendre, QuebecPintendre is a settlement in Quebec, Canada, within the City of Lévis; It is located south of central Lévis along both side of Route 173. The Municipality of Pintendre was merged with Lévis on January 1, 2002....
- Sainte-Hélène-de-BreakeyvilleSainte-Hélène-de-Breakeyville, QuebecSaint-Hélène-de-Breakeyville is a settlement in central Quebec, Canada, on the Chaudière River, south of Quebec City. It is located within the city of Lévis.-History:...
- Saint-Étienne-de-LauzonSaint-Étienne-de-Lauzon, QuebecSaint-Étienne-de-Lauzon is a settlement in central Quebec, Canada. It was incorporated in 1860 and remained a separate municipality until January 1, 2002, whereafter it became part of the city of Lévis....
- Saint-Jean-ChrysostomeSaint-Jean-Chrysostome, QuebecSaint-Jean-Chrysostome is a district within the city of Lévis in central Quebec, Canada south of Quebec City on the south bank of the Saint Lawrence River. It was a separate town, incorporated in 1828, but in 2002 was amalgamated into Lévis. It is a mostly suburban community, connected to Quebec...
- Saint-Joseph-de-la-Pointe-de-Lévy
- Saint-NicolasSaint-Nicolas, QuebecSaint-Nicolas is a district of the city of Lévis, Quebec, Canada on the St. Lawrence River.-History:The history of Saint-Nicolas goes back to 1694. It is one of the oldest parishes in Canada...
- Saint-RomualdSaint-Romuald, QuebecSaint-Romuald is a district of Lévis, Quebec, Canada, located on the south shore of the Saint Lawrence River across from Quebec City. The district was formerly a town , but was amalgamated with Lévis on January 1, 2002....
- Saint-RédempteurSaint-rédempteur, Québec-Demographics:According to the Canada 2006 Census:*Population: 6,969*% Change : +9.8*Dwellings: 2,609*Area : 3.71 km²*Density : 1,878.9...
History
First NationsFirst Nations
First Nations is a term that collectively refers to various Aboriginal peoples in Canada who are neither Inuit nor Métis. There are currently over 630 recognised First Nations governments or bands spread across Canada, roughly half of which are in the provinces of Ontario and British Columbia. The...
people are said to have favored the Pointe-Lévy (currently named Lévis) area long before French settlement due to its ideal location, at the junction of the St-Lawrence and the Chaudière rivers. Many archeological sites reveal evidence of human occupation for about 10,000 years. Some historians theorize that Pointe-Lévy could have been one of the main centres of Native American population development in the Quebec province.
In 1636, approximately 28 years after the foundation 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...
, The seignory
Seignory
In English law, Seignory or seigniory , the lordship remaining to a grantor after the grant of an estate in fee simple....
of Lauzon was founded on the eastern part of the actual territory. In the following years, other seignories were founded near the St-Lawrence river. Pointe-Lévy was mainly an agricultural domain in which several lords ("Seigneurs") controlled their part of land in a medieval feodal way.
The land of the Lauzon seignory remained unoccupied until 1647, when Guillaume Couture
Guillaume Couture
Guillaume Cousture was a citizen of New France. During his life he was a lay missonary with the Jesuits, a survivor of torture, a member of an Iroquois council, a translator, a diplomat, a militia captain, and a lay leader among the colonists of the Pointe-Lévy in the Seigneury of Lauzon...
became the first European settler installed in front 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...
. Couture was at the time first Administrator, Chief Magistrate, Captain of the Militia, member of the Sovereign Council and was widely considered a hero in New France
New France
New France was the area colonized by France in North America during a period beginning with the exploration of the Saint Lawrence River by Jacques Cartier in 1534 and ending with the cession of New France to Spain and Great Britain in 1763...
. Couture was however not the first seignor of the Lauzon Seignory, as the land was owned by Jean de Lauzon
Jean de Lauzon
Jean de Lauzon or de Lauson was the French Governor of New France from 1651 to 1657, one of the most challenging times for the colony....
(French Governor between 1651 and 1657).
During the Seven Years' War
Seven Years' War
The Seven Years' War was a global military war between 1756 and 1763, involving most of the great powers of the time and affecting Europe, North America, Central America, the West African coast, India, and the Philippines...
in the summer of 1759, General James Wolfe
James Wolfe
Major General James P. Wolfe was a British Army officer, known for his training reforms but remembered chiefly for his victory over the French in Canada...
established a camp in the territory of Pointe-Lévy and laid siege to Quebec City. The siege succeeded and after firing cannons from the hills of Pointe-Lévy for three months and the battle on the plains in front of the walls, Quebec fell to the British. During this time, Pointe-Lévy served as the main camp to sustain the British army in the Quebec area. The constant cannon firing between Quebec City and Pointe-Lévy also served as a way to stop the French and British ships from going farther on the St. Lawrence river thus preventing reinforcement to other major cities like Montreal. In 1763, Marie-Josephte Corriveau
Marie-Josephte Corriveau
Marie-Josephte Corriveau , better known as "la Corriveau", is one of the most popular figures in Québécois folklore. She lived in New France, and was sentenced to death by a British court martial for the murder of her second husband, was hanged for it and her body hanged in chains...
was hanged in Quebec City for killing her husband, and, in accordance with English practice, her body was displayed in a cage for several weeks in St-Joseph-de-la-Pointe-Lévy (old part of the former City of Lauzon). This was an unusual punishment used for the first time by the British government in North America and reserved for persons found guilty of particularly heinous crimes. This punishment was practised in England since the Middle Ages
Middle Ages
The Middle Ages is a periodization of European history from the 5th century to the 15th century. The Middle Ages follows the fall of the Western Roman Empire in 476 and precedes the Early Modern Era. It is the middle period of a three-period division of Western history: Classic, Medieval and Modern...
.
From 1854, the railroad appeared in Pointe-Lévy making the city a major transportation centre for commerce and immigration. Being on the south shore of the St. Lawrence river, Pointe-Levy could be connected through rail to Ontario, Maine (and from there the whole United States) and the Maritime Provinces.
Many years later, between 1865 and 1872 while the city was still under control of Britain, a series of three forts were built to protect Quebec and the surroundings from the threat of American invasion. The forts were never really used for their intended purpose. One of these forts (Fort no.1) still remains today and can be visited.
The City of Lévis was born in 1861. The founder of this new city was Mgr. Joseph-David Déziel (1806–1882). Many municipalities in the territory of present-day Lévis were merged between 1861 and 2002. Many towns were created and the Village of Pointe-Levy (or St-Joseph-de-la-Pointe-Lévy) became the Village of Lauzon in 1867 and then the City of Lauzon in 1910.
In the late 19th and beginning of the 20th century, Alphonse Desjardins
Alphonse Desjardins (co-operator)
Gabriel-Alphonse Desjardins , born in Lévis, Quebec, was the co-founder of the Caisses Populaires Desjardins , a forerunner of North American credit unions and community banks.- Early life :...
, pioneered the foundation of the credit union
Credit union
A credit union is a cooperative financial institution that is owned and controlled by its members and operated for the purpose of promoting thrift, providing credit at competitive rates, and providing other financial services to its members...
movement and founded the first caisse populaire in Lévis. He also began a long process to create what later became the Desjardins Group by travelling everywhere in Quebec helping people in other cities to start their own credit union.
Economy
Ultramar
Ultramar is a Canadian oil refining and marketing company formerly known as Golden Eagle or Aigle d'or. Its head office is in Montreal...
refinery, one of the largest in eastern Canada, Frito-Lay
Frito-Lay
Frito-Lay North America is the division of PepsiCo that manufactures, markets and sells corn chips, potato chips and other snack foods. The primary snack food brands produced under the Frito-Lay name include Fritos corn chips, Cheetos cheese-flavored snacks, Doritos and Tostitos tortilla chips,...
and Davie Shipbuilding
Davie Shipbuilding
Davie Shipbuilding is a historic shipbuilding company located in Lauzon, Quebec. The facility has undergone restructuring and is currently operating as Davie Yards Incorporated.-History:...
are located in Lauzon Area (former city). The Desjardins Group and its subsidiary Desjardins Financial Security
Desjardins Financial Security
Desjardins Financial Security is the life and health insurance arm of Desjardins Group, the leading financial institution in Quebec and the largest cooperative financial group in Canada....
are headquartered in the city. The founder of the latter, Alphonse Desjardins
Alphonse Desjardins (co-operator)
Gabriel-Alphonse Desjardins , born in Lévis, Quebec, was the co-founder of the Caisses Populaires Desjardins , a forerunner of North American credit unions and community banks.- Early life :...
, lived in Lévis and ran with his wife, Dorimène Roy Desjardins
Dorimène Roy Desjardins
Marie-Clara Dorimène Roy Desjardins and her husband Alphonse Desjardins were co-founders of the Caisses populaires Desjardins , a forerunner of North American credit unions. She was appointed honorary member of the Union régionale des caisses populaires Desjardins de Québec in 1923.-References:...
, the first Caisse Populaire from their home. The city is also a major agricultural business research and development center. More and more high technology companies, such as Creaform (3D)
Creaform (3D)
Creaform makes handheld 3D scanner software and hardware. It markets the Handyscan 3D line of self-positioning, portable handheld laser scanners for medical and industrial applications including 3D scanning and reverse engineering....
, are established in Lévis.
There are many schools of different levels, including the Cégep de Lévis-Lauzon
Cégep de Lévis-Lauzon
Cégep de Lévis-Lauzon is a CEGEP in Lévis, Quebec, Canada.-History:In 1967, several institutions were merged and became public ones, when the Quebec system of CEGEPs was created.-Programs:...
and a UQAR campus (Université du Québec à Rimouski). A lot of small business and entertainment developed in the city during the last decade and finalized the transformation from a Quebec City suburb into a small city.
Demographics
French language
French is a Romance language spoken as a first language in France, the Romandy region in Switzerland, Wallonia and Brussels in Belgium, Monaco, the regions of Quebec and Acadia in Canada, and by various communities elsewhere. Second-language speakers of French are distributed throughout many parts...
as their mother tongue.
People born in Lévis
- Alphonse DesjardinsAlphonse Desjardins (co-operator)Gabriel-Alphonse Desjardins , born in Lévis, Quebec, was the co-founder of the Caisses Populaires Desjardins , a forerunner of North American credit unions and community banks.- Early life :...
- co-operator, founder of the Desjardins Group - Jean CarignanJean CarignanJean Carignan, was a Canadian fiddler.Born in Lévis, Québec on December 7, 1916. He was a well-known fiddler from Quebec. Joseph Allard, Michael Coleman, and J. Scott Skinner are all brilliant traditional fiddlers whose music Carignan studied. Carignan was a friend of famous violinist and...
- fiddler - Céline BonnierCéline BonnierCéline Bonnier is a French Canadian actress from Quebec. She has been nominated for four awards including Genie Awards and Gemini Awards.-Biography:Céline Bonnier was the youngest of eight children, six boys and two girls...
- actress - Ariane MoffattAriane MoffattAriane Moffatt is a Canadian francophone singer-songwriter based in Quebec. She has won Félix and Juno Awards and has performed and collaborated with many artists such as Daniel Bélanger and Marc Déry.-Career:...
- singer - Pierre-Luc Létourneau-LeblondPierre-Luc Létourneau-LeblondPierre-Luc "PL3" Létourneau-Leblond is a Canadian professional ice hockey left winger in the Calgary Flames organization of the National Hockey League...
- hockey player for the Calgary FlamesCalgary FlamesThe Calgary Flames are a professional ice hockey team based in Calgary, Alberta, Canada. They are members of the Northwest Division of the Western Conference of the National Hockey League . The club is the third major-professional ice hockey team to represent the city of Calgary, following the... - Kalyna RobergeKalyna RobergeKalyna Roberge is a Canadian short track speed skater.Roberge has won a gold medal in the 3000m relay at the 2005 World Championships. She also placed third overall at the 2005 World Junior Championships including a gold medal in the 500m. She also won a gold medal at a World Cup event in the...
- speed skater - Charles HamelinCharles HamelinCharles Hamelin is a Canadian short track speed skater from Sainte-Julie, Quebec. Hamelin is a 3 time Olympic medalist having won 2 gold and 1 silver during the 2006 and 2010 Winter Olympics...
- short-track speed skater