Matane

For other uses, see Matane (disambiguation).

Matane
Town
Coat of arms
Motto: Le succès dans l'effort (Success in effort)
Location within La Matanie RCM.
Matane Location in eastern Quebec.
Coordinates:
Country	Canada
Province	Quebec
Region	Bas-Saint-Laurent
RCM	La Matanie
Constituted	September 26, 2001
Government
• Mayor	Jérome Landry
• Federal riding	Avignon—La Mitis—Matane—Matapédia
• Prov. riding	Matane-Matapédia
Area
• Town	228.50 km2 (88.22 sq mi)
• Land	195.47 km2 (75.47 sq mi)
• Metro	662.96 km2 (255.97 sq mi)
Population (2011)
• Town	14,462
• Density	74.0/km2 (192/sq mi)
• Metro	18,368
• Metro density	27.7/km2 (72/sq mi)
• Pop 2006-2011	1.9%
• Dwellings	7,293
Demonym(s)	Matanais, Matanaises
Time zone	EST (UTC−5)
• Summer (DST)	EDT (UTC−4)
Postal code(s)	G4W
Area code(s)	418 and 581
Highways	Route 132 Route 195
Website	www.ville.matane.qc.ca

Matane is a town on the Gaspé Peninsula in Quebec, Canada, on the south shore of the Saint Lawrence River at the mouth of the Matane River. The town is the seat for the La Matanie Regional County Municipality.

In addition to Matane itself, the town's territory also includes the communities of Petit-Matane and Saint-Luc-de-Matane.

There is a ferry service which crosses the river to Baie-Comeau and Godbout on the north shore as well as a rail ferry service to Baie-Comeau and Sept-Îles.

Etymology

The name Matane was first assigned to the river by Samuel de Champlain as "Mantanne" in 1603. Its meaning is open to different interpretations, with the most common one being that it comes from the Mi'kmaq word mtctan meaning "beaver pond", since the region had an abundant beaver population. It could also come a Maliseet word for "spinal cord", referring to the course of the Matane River; or from the word Mattawa/Matawin, meaning "meeting of the waters". Finally, it could be an abbreviation of the word matandipives, meaning "shipwreck".

History

Lumber mill of Price Company, Matane, circa 1914

In 1603, Samuel de Champlain visited the area and considered the location as "pleasant enough". In 1616 merchants known as the Rochelais from La Rochelle were the first Europeans to spend the winter. Matane was used as a trading post for the Rochelais who were exchanging European goods for furs with the Mi'kmaq people. In 1672, the land on both sides of the Matane River was granted as a seignory to Mathieu D'Amours, which led to the first settlements shortly after. The Mi'kmaq people lived there until 1845.

In 1845, the place was first incorporated as the Municipality of Matane, but dissolved two years later. In 1855, it was reestablished as the Parish Municipality of Saint-Jérôme-de-Matane, named after the local parish. In 1893, the main population centre at the mouth of the Matane River separated from the parish municipality and was incorporated as the Village Municipality of Saint-Jérôme-de-Matane, which changed status and name to City of Matane in 1937 when city status was granted.

After World War II, Matane merchants decided to strengthen their economic and maritime bonds with the North side of the Saint Lawrence River. They ran a service of a regular ferry in 1962. In 1978 a train ferry system was in place.

On September 26, 2001, the neighbouring municipalities of Petit-Matane, Saint-Luc-de-Matane, and Saint-Jérôme-de-Matane were amalgamated into the Town of Matane.

Tourism

Since Matane is the first step to Gaspé's tourist circuit it receives and accommodates many passing tourists. The old lighthouse of Matane was transformed into a tourist information centre with a panoramic view of its surroundings.

Matane is known for its excellent shrimp. The town is known also for its windmills with Quebec's biggest windfarm. The Matane River is known as the "River-School" in Quebec because so many people learn to fish there. The river itself is 101 km in length and is the only place in Quebec where you can fish in the town square.

A number of people from Matane and the area are well known locally or internationally, including artist Claude Picher and NHL players such as Yves Racine. There are a number of art galleries in Matane that support local talent.

In 2000 Matane was named East Quebec's industrial capital.

Districts

The town is divided in 4 districts that match the former municipalities before amalgamation in 2001:

• District 1 - Matane
• District 2 - Saint-Jérome-de-Matane
• District 3 - Petit-Matane
• District 4 - Saint-Luc-de-Matane

Demographics

Population

Population trend:

• Population total in 2001: 14,948
  • Matane (ville): 11,635
  • Petit-Matane (municipality): 1365
  • Saint-Jérôme-de-Matane (parish municipality): 1154
  • Saint-Luc-de-Matane (municipality): 839

• Population in 1996:
  • Matane (ville): 12,364
  • Petit-Matane (municipality): 1360
  • Saint-Jérôme-de-Matane (parish municipality): 1165
  • Saint-Luc-de-Matane (municipality): 899

File:Matane bridge-panorama.jpg

Parc-des-Îles bridge from the Mathieu D'Amours dam

Language

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%

See also

• List of cities in Quebec
• COGEMA

External links

• Media related to at Wikimedia Commons
• Matane travel guide from Wikivoyage