Rawdon, Quebec

Rawdon
Municipality

Location within Matawinie RCM.
Rawdon

Location in central Quebec.

Coordinates: 46°03′N 73°43′W / 46.050°N 73.717°W / 46.050; -73.717Coordinates: 46°03′N 73°43′W / 46.050°N 73.717°W / 46.050; -73.717[1]
Country  Canada
Province  Quebec
Region Lanaudière
RCM Matawinie
Settled 1799
Constituted May 28, 1998
Government[2]
  Mayor Bruno Guilbault
  Federal riding Joliette
  Prov. riding Rousseau
Area[2][3]
  Total 193.00 km2 (74.52 sq mi)
  Land 187.07 km2 (72.23 sq mi)
Population (2011)[3]
  Total 10,416
  Density 55.7/km2 (144/sq mi)
  Pop 2006-2011 Increase 3.6%
  Dwellings 5,422
Time zone EST (UTC−5)
  Summer (DST) EDT (UTC−4)
Postal code(s) J0K 1S0
Area code(s) 450 and 579
Highways Route 125
Route 337
Route 341
Route 348
Website www.rawdon.ca

Rawdon is a municipality located on the Ouareau River in southwestern Quebec, Canada, about 60 kilometres north of Montreal. It is the seat for the Regional County Municipality of Matawinie, in the Lanaudière region. Rawdon is part of the Joliette federal electoral district.

The town of Rawdon is a mostly French-speaking tourist resort and is home to one English public school and four French public schools as well as a medium-size ski resort.

Geography

Dorwin Falls, Rawdon, QC

Rawdon is located at the beginning of the Canadian Shield mountains. Its lakes and mountains make it a destination for summer tourism with its many camps and cottages. Rawdon is home to the Dorwin and Manchester falls, which lie less than a kilometre from downtown and offer a public beach on the artificial Rawdon Lake. In summer, temperatures can soar as high as 35 °C (95 °F) while temperatures as cold as −30 °C (−22 °F) can be felt in winter.

History

Canadiana historic village in 1948

Rawdon township was established in 1799 and named after Sir Francis Rawdon-Hastings, 1st Marquess of Hastings. The town of Rawdon was primarily home to people of Irish background up until 1844, when more and more French-Canadians settled the region and small shops and industries emerged. Following the First World War and October Revolution, Rawdon saw a considerable number of Russian, Ukrainian and Belorussian noble families arrive to settle in its countryside (update - These noble families come from Polish-Lithuanian Commonwealth). It was originally part of Montcalm County. From 1920 to 1998, there were two separate municipalities named "Rawdon": the township of Rawdon and the village of Rawdon; in 1998, they were reunited into a single municipality.

Demographics

Population

Historical Census Data - Rawdon, Quebec[4]
YearPop.±%
1991 6,841    
1996 8,254+20.7%
YearPop.±%
2001 8,648+4.8%
2006 10,058+16.3%
YearPop.±%
2011 10,416+3.6%

In summer, the population is said to double and even sometimes triple due to tourism and the presence of many cottages in the vicinity.

Private dwellings occupied by usual residents: 4532 (total dwellings: 5422)

Language

Mother tongue:[3]

Notable Rawdon natives

See also

References



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