Alma (French pronunciation: [alma] ⓘ; 2021 Town population: 30,331; UA Population 20,274) is a town in Saguenay–Lac-Saint-Jean, in the Canadian province of Quebec.
Alma | |
|---|---|
 Mosaic of Alma | |
 Seal .svg) Coat of arms | |
| Motto: Crescit eundo | |
 | |
  Alma Location in Saguenay–Lac-Saint-Jean Quebec | |
| Coordinates: 48°33′N 71°39′W / 48.550°N 71.650°W[1] | |
| Country | Canada |
| Province | Quebec |
| Region | Saguenay–Lac-Saint-Jean |
| RCM | Lac-Saint-Jean-Est |
| Amalgamation | 1962 (of Isle-Maligne, Naudville, Riverbend and St-Joseph d'Alma.) |
| Constituted | February 21, 2001 (amalgamation with Delisle) |
| Government | |
| • Mayor | Sylvie Beaumont |
| • Federal riding | Lac-Saint-Jean |
| • Prov. riding | Lac-Saint-Jean |
| Area | |
| 230.30 km2 (88.92 sq mi) | |
| • Land | 194.92 km2 (75.26 sq mi) |
| • Urban | 15.94 km2 (6.15 sq mi) |
| Population (2021)[3] | |
| 30,331 | |
| • Density | 155.6/km2 (403/sq mi) |
| • Urban | 20,274 |
| • Urban density | 1,272.2/km2 (3,295/sq mi) |
| • Pop 2016-2021 |  1.4% |
| • Dwellings | 14,493 |
| Time zone | UTC−5 (EST) |
| • Summer (DST) | UTC−4 (EDT) |
| Postal code(s) | G8B, G8C & G8E |
| Area codes | 418 and 581 |
| Highways |  R-169  R-170  R-172 |
| Telephone Exchanges | 212, 321, 480-2, 487, 662, 668-9, 719, 720, 769 |
| NTS Map | 22D12 Alma |
| GNBC Code | EFHQD[5] |
| Website | www |
History
editThe present town of Alma was formed in 1962 from the merging of four villages: Isle-Maligne, Naudville, Riverbend and St-Joseph d'Alma. In 2002, Alma merged with the Municipality of Delisle. The oldest of the villages, St-Joseph-d'Alma, was founded in 1867 by Damase Boulanger. Both modern day Alma and St-Joseph d'Alma are named after the Battle of the Alma.
The area became an important industrial centre during the 1920s and 1930s with the construction of a hydro-electrical power station on the Grande-Décharge River, a paper mill (Price) and an aluminum smelting plant (Alcan), all of which are still in activity today.
Geography
editAlma is located on the southeast coast of Lac Saint-Jean where it flows into the Saguenay River, in the Saguenay–Lac-Saint-Jean region of Quebec, Canada, approximately 175 km north of Quebec City. Alma is the seat of Lac-Saint-Jean-Est Regional County Municipality. Alma is the second largest city in population in the Saguenay-Lac-Saint-Jean region after the city of Saguenay.
Alma is the seat of the judicial district of Alma.[6]
Demographics
edit| Year | Pop. | ±% |
|---|---|---|
| 1921 | 850 | — |
| 1931 | 3,970 | +367.1% |
| 1941 | 6,449 | +62.4% |
| 1951 | 7,975 | +23.7% |
| 1956 | 10,822 | +35.7% |
| 1961 | 13,309 | +23.0% |
| 1966 | 22,195 | +66.8% |
| 1971 | 24,956 | +12.4% |
| 1976 | 25,638 | +2.7% |
| 1981 | 26,322 | +2.7% |
| 1986 | 25,923 | −1.5% |
| 1991 | 25,910 | −0.1% |
| 1996 | 26,127 | +0.8% |
| 2001 | 25,918 | −0.8% |
| 2006 | 29,998 | +15.7% |
| 2011 | 30,904 | +3.0% |
| 2016 | 30,771 | −0.4% |
| 2021 | 30,331 | −1.4% |
| Statistics Canada[7] | ||
In the 2021 Census of Population conducted by Statistics Canada, Alma had a population of 30,331 living in 13,815 of its 14,493 total private dwellings, a change of -1.4% from its 2016 population of 30,771. With a land area of 194.92 km2 (75.26 sq mi), it had a population density of 155.6/km2 (403.0/sq mi) in 2021.[8]
Language
editAs of the 2021 Census, 81% of residents in Alma reported their knowledge of official languages being French only. 18.8% had knowledge of both English and French, while a small number reported only knowing English (0.1%). English was the mother tongue for 0.4% of residents, while French was the mother tongue for 98.9%.[a]
| Language | Count | % |
|---|---|---|
| English Only | 20 | 0.1% |
| French Only | 24,315 | 81.0% |
| Both English and French | 5,655 | 18.8% |
| Neither English nor French | 20 | 0.1% |
| Language | Count | % |
|---|---|---|
| English | 125 | 0.4% |
| French | 29,550 | 98.9% |
| Non-official language | 215 | 0.7% |
| English and French | 85 | 0.3% |
| Language | Count | % |
|---|---|---|
| English | 115 | 0.4% |
| French | 29,855 | 99.5% |
| English and French | 25 | 0.1% |
| Neither English nor French | 20 | 0.1% |
Ethnicity
edit| Visible minority and Aboriginal population (Canada 2021 Census) | |||
|---|---|---|---|
| Population group | Population | % of total population | |
| White | 28,015 | 95.5% | |
| Visible minority group Source:[10] | South Asian | 0 | 0% |
| Chinese | 55 | 0.2% | |
| Black | 185 | 0.6% | |
| Filipino | 15 | 0.1% | |
| Arab | 35 | 0.1% | |
| Latin American | 30 | 0.1% | |
| Southeast Asian | 35 | 0.1% | |
| West Asian | 0 | 0% | |
| Korean | 0 | 0% | |
| Japanese | 0 | 0% | |
| Visible minority, n.i.e. | 0 | 0% | |
| Multiple visible minority | 10 | 0% | |
| Total visible minority population | 375 | 1.3% | |
| Aboriginal group Source:[11] | First Nations | 350 | 1.2% |
| Métis | 500 | 1.7% | |
| Inuk | 10 | 0% | |
| Aboriginal, n.i.e. | 65 | 0.2% | |
| Multiple Aboriginal identity | 10 | 0% | |
| Total Aboriginal population | 935 | 3.2% | |
| Total population | 29,325 | 100% | |
Infrastructure
edit
Transportation
editAlma is serviced by the Alma Airport, located 4.1 km to the south of the town.
Sister cities
editAlma has been twinned with Falaise, Calvados, France, since 1969.[12]
Notable people
edit- Camille Bedard, hockey player
- Chris Boucher, basketball player for the Toronto Raptors
- Lucien Bouchard, former premier of Québec
- Guy Cloutier, producer and artist manager
- Guillaume Desbiens, hockey player
- Michel Harvey, hockey player for the Quebec Nordiques
- Charles Hudon, hockey player for the Ontario Reign
- Pierre Lapointe, singer
- Émilie Fortin Tremblay (1872–1949), one of the first white women to cross the Chilkoot on the way to the Yukon gold fields
- François-Louis Tremblay, Olympic gold medallist short-track speed skater
- Mario Tremblay, hockey player and former coach of the Montreal Canadiens
See also
editNotes
edit- ↑ The 2021 Census of Population defines mother tongue as being the first language learn at home that is still understood by the person at the time the census was conducted.
- ↑ Mother tongue responses are separated by single responses and multiple responses. The data for English, French and non-official language as mother tongue reflect the population that gave single responses only.
References
edit- ↑ "Banque de noms de lieux du Québec: Reference number 1013". toponymie.gouv.qc.ca (in French). Commission de toponymie du Québec.
- 1 2 Ministère des Affaires municipales, des Régions et de l'Occupation du territoire - Répertoire des municipalités: Alma Archived 2012-01-15 at the Wayback Machine
- 1 2 "Alma census profile". 2021 Census data. Statistics Canada. 15 November 2023. Retrieved 2024-11-07.
- 1 2 "Alma (Population centre) community profile". 2021 Census data. Statistics Canada. 15 November 2023. Retrieved 2024-11-07.
- ↑ "Alma". Geographical Names Data Base. Natural Resources Canada.
- ↑ Territorial Division Act. Revised Statutes of Quebec D-11.
- ↑ Statistics Canada: 1996, 2001, 2006, 2011, 2016, 2021 census
- ↑ "Population and dwelling counts: Canada, provinces and territories, and census subdivisions (municipalities), Quebec". Statistics Canada. February 9, 2022. Retrieved August 29, 2022.
- 1 2 3 "Alma community profile". 2021 Census data. Statistics Canada. 15 November 2023. Retrieved 2024-11-07.
- ↑ , Community Profiles from the 2021 Census, Statistics Canada - Census Subdivision
- ↑ , Aboriginal Population Profile from the 2021 Census, Statistics Canada - Census Subdivision
- ↑ FLURY, Jérôme (September 5, 2019). "Falaise. Les anecdotes étonnantes des villes jumelles européennes". Ouest-France.fr.
External links
edit
- (in French) Ville d'Alma