Grande-Vallée

Grande-Vallée (French pronunciation: [ɡʁɑ̃d vale]) is a municipality in the Gaspésie-Îles-de-la-Madeleine region of the province of Quebec in Canada.

Grande-Vallée
Municipality
Location within La Côte-de-Gaspé RCM
Grande-Vallée Location in eastern Quebec
Coordinates: 49°13′N 65°08′W[1]
Country	Canada
Province	Quebec
Region	Gaspésie–Îles-de-la-Madeleine
RCM	La Côte-de-Gaspé
Settled	1842
Constituted	September 15, 1927
Government [2]
• Mayor	Noel Richard
• Federal riding	Gaspésie—Îles-de-la-Madeleine
• Prov. riding	Gaspé
Area [2][3]
• Total	144.86 km2 (55.93 sq mi)
• Land	144.16 km2 (55.66 sq mi)
Population  (2021)[3]
• Total	1,077
• Density	7.5/km2 (19/sq mi)
• Pop (2016-21)	1.9%
• Dwellings	595
Time zone	UTC−5 (EST)
• Summer (DST)	UTC−4 (EDT)
Postal code(s)	G0E 1K0
Area code(s)	418 and 581
Highways	R-132
Website	www.grande-vallee.ca

Its name (French for "Great Valley") describes its location in a large fertile valley through which the Grand Vallée River flows.

History

View of the colony of Grande-Vallée in 1943

In 1691, Governor General Frontenac granted the area to François Hazeur, a prosperous merchant from Quebec City. The seignory, called La Grande-Vallée-des-Monts, stretched from Rivière-Magdeleine Seignory in the west to the Saint-Hélier portage in the east. It was inherited by Hazeur's son-in-law, Michel Sarrazin, a surgeon, biologist, and doctor of the King.^[1][4]

No colonization took place until the 1830s, when fishermen of Saint-Thomas-de-Montmagny occupied the place during the summer. In 1842, Alexis Caron and his family, also from Saint-Thomas-de-Montmagny, became the first permanent settlers. In 1846, the mission of Saint-François-Xavier-de-Grande-Vallée was founded. In 1872, the post office opened.^[1][4]

On September 15, 1927, the village was incorporated as a parish municipality, with Arthur S. Fournier as first mayor, although its status as parish municipality was not officially recognized until 1995. In 2005, Grande-Vallée changed its status from parish municipality to just municipality.^[1][4]

Geography

Communities

The following locations reside within the municipality's boundaries:^[1]

• Grande-Vallée-des-Monts (49°10′19″N 65°11′05″W) – a hamlet located along Rivière de la Grande Vallée
• L'Anse-à-Mercier (49°13′36″N 65°06′08″W) – a hamlet located on the Saint Lawrence River

Lakes & Rivers

Grande-Vallée River

The following waterways pass through or are situated within the municipality's boundaries:^[1]

• Rivière de la Grande Vallée (49°13′31″N 65°07′39″W) – a river that empties into Anse de la Rivière de la Grande Vallée
• Lac de la Confrérie (49°11′06″N 65°06′23″W) – a small lake located 5 kilometres (3.1 mi) southeast of Grande-Vallée village
• Lac du Rocher (49°13′09″N 65°03′47″W) – a lake that lies just south of Route 132

Demographics

Population

	2021	2016	2011
Population	1,077 (+1.9% from 2016)	1,057 (-7.0% from 2011)	1,137 (-7.6% from 2006)
Land area	144.16 km2 (55.66 sq mi)	144.50 km2 (55.79 sq mi)	144.37 km2 (55.74 sq mi)
Population density	7.5/km2 (19/sq mi)	7.3/km2 (19/sq mi)	7.9/km2 (20/sq mi)
Median age	59.2 (M: 59.2, F: 59.2)	56.1 (M: 56.0, F: 56.2)	52.1 (M: 51.4, F: 52.5)
Private dwellings	595 (total)  530 (occupied)	569 (total)  493 (occupied)	572 (total)
Median household income	$60,400	$51,520	$47,360

Canada census – Grande-Vallée community profile

References: 2021^[5] 2016^[6] 2011^[7]

Historical Census Data - Grande-Vallée, Quebec

Year Pop. ±% 1931 928 —     1941 827 −10.9% 1951 1,068 +29.1% 1956 1,263 +18.3% 1961 1,490 +18.0% 1966 1,461 −1.9%	Year Pop. ±% 1971 1,412 −3.4% 1976 1,493 +5.7% 1981 1,612 +8.0% 1986 1,561 −3.2% 1991 1,420 −9.0% 1996 1,431 +0.8%	Year Pop. ±% 2001 1,309 −8.5% 2006 1,230 −6.0% 2011 1,137 −7.6% 2016 1,057 −7.0% 2021 1,077 +1.9%
Source: Statistics Canada[8]

Language

Canada Census Mother Tongue - Grande-Vallée, Quebec[9]
Census		Total		French				English				French & English				Other
Year		Responses		Count	Trend	Pop %		Count	Trend	Pop %		Count	Trend	Pop %		Count	Trend	Pop %
2021		1,075		1,065	1.4%	99.1%		5	0.0%	0.5%		0	100.0%	0.0%		0	0.0%	0.0%
2016		1,160		1,050	6.7%	99.1%		5	n/a%	0.5%		5	n/a%	0.5%		0	100.0%	0.0%
2011		1,130		1,125	2.0%	99.6%		0	0.0%	0.0%		0	0.0%	0.0%		5	n/a%	0.4%
2006		1,205		1,205	6.6%	100.0%		0	0.0%	0.0%		0	0.0%	0.0%		0	0.0%	0.0%
2001		1,290		1,290	7.2%	100.0%		0	100.0%	0.0%		0	0.0%	0.0%		0	0.0%	0.0%
1996		1,415		1,390	n/a	98.2%		25	n/a	1.8%		0	n/a	0.0%		0	n/a	0.0%

Government

List of former mayors:^[10]

• Arthur S. Fournier (1927–1933)
• Wilfrid Fournier (1933–1945)
• Georges Fournier (1945–1951)
• Robert Lebreux (1951–1959, 1960–1969)
• Rodolphe Fournier (1959–1960)
• Rock Fournier (1969–1978)
• Jean Claude Côté (1978–1986)
• Nelson Fournier (1986–1993)
• Sylvain Bouchard (1993–2005)
• Gabriel Minville (2005–2009)
• Nathalie Côté (2009–2017)
• Noël Richard (2017–present)

See also

• List of municipalities in Quebec