Chicoutimi | |
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 Downtown Chicoutimi | |
.svg) Coat of arms | |
| Nicknames: Queen of the North, Saguenay Queen, Saguenay metropolis, Saguenay kingdom capital, Conventions city (Reine du Nord, Reine du Saguenay, Métropole du Saguenay, Capitale du royaume du Saguenay, Ville des congrès) | |
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| Coordinates:48°25′40″N71°03′33″W / 48.42778°N 71.05917°W /48.42778; -71.05917 | |
| Country | Canada |
| Province | Quebec |
| Region | Saguenay–Lac-Saint-Jean |
| City | Saguenay |
| Government | |
| • Borough president | Michel Tremblay |
| Website | Borough Council of Chicoutimi |
Chicoutimi (/ʃɪˈkuːtɪmi/shih-KOO-tim-ee,French:[ʃikutimi]) is the most populousborough (arrondissement) of the city ofSaguenay inQuebec, Canada.
It is situated at theconfluence of theSaguenay andChicoutimi rivers. During the 20th century, it became the main administrative and commercial centre of theSaguenay–Lac-Saint-Jean region. In 2002 it merged into the new city ofSaguenay and forms the heart of the 5th-largest urban area of the province of Quebec. At the 2021 census, its population was 69,004.[1]
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What was ultimately to become the centre of the borough of Chicoutimi was first settled by French colonists in 1676 as atrading post in thefur trade. At that time, the Saguenay and the Chicoutimi rivers had been used as waterways by theMontagnais tribes for centuries. The nameChicoutimi derives from theInnu for 'the end of the deep water'. After the British seized Lower Canada, the Chicoutimi trading post continued to operate only until 1782, as the fur trade had moved further west of the Great Lakes.
The city of Chicoutimi was officially incorporated in 1845 as a municipality by Peter McLeod, aMétis timber contractor who built a sawmill there in 1842. The town was designated in 1855 as the seat of Chicoutimi County and the seat of theRoman Catholic Diocese of Chicoutimi in 1878.
The arrival of theCanadian National Railway in 1893 stimulated the growth of Chicoutimi'spulp and paper industries, particularly mechanical pulp production. The railway also builtChicoutimi station, which served the city until 1988. The Chicoutimi Pulp Co. was founded in 1896 backed byFrench-Canadian investors. The Chicoutimi Pulp Mill became the biggest producer of mechanical pulp in Canada by 1910.
Since theGreat Depression, the city has become an administrative and commercial centre. New centres of education and culture were established: in 1967, theConservatoire de musique de Saguenay; and in 1969, theUniversité du Québec à Chicoutimi. The city also played host to the Quebec Summer Games in 1972.
In the municipal amalgamations of 1976, Chicoutimi annexed the neighbouring towns of Chicoutimi-Nord and Rivière-du-Moulin. In a much larger round ofMunicipal reorganization in Quebec in 2002, the cities of Chicoutimi,Jonquière,La Baie, Lac-Kénogami,Laterrière, Shipshaw and part ofTremblay merged to form the new city ofSaguenay.[2] Chicoutimi became a borough of Saguenay.
During the summer of 1996, a record rainfall in the region causedmajor flooding in the downtown, as well as outlying areas. Dams were overrun, many bridges were destroyed throughout the region. The total cost of the disaster was recorded as 1.5 billion Canadian dollars. The flood also killed seven people.
Chicoutimi'ssister city isCamrose,Alberta.
Chicoutimi is located inSaguenay–Lac-Saint-Jean region on the western end of theSaguenay Fjord; most of the borough, including the downtown section, is on the south shore of theSaguenay River. It is the geographical centre of thecity of Saguenay; theJonquière and La Baie boroughs adjoin on the west and east sides. Chicoutimi is about 200 kilometres (120 miles) north ofQuebec City and 126 kilometres (78 miles) northwest upriver fromTadoussac, at the confluence of theSt. Lawrence River. The former cities of Chicoutimi borough are Chicoutimi,Laterrière, Canton-Tremblay, Chicoutimi-Nord and Rivière-du-Moulin. They have maintained their names as wards in the amalgamated city.
The landscape of Chicoutimi consists of hills, valleys and plains, with the terrain becoming steeper near the Saguenay River. Its two major physical features are theSaguenay Graben, a rift valley of theLaurentian Highlands in which the city spreads, and the Saguenay Fjord, the glacier-carved steep shores of the Saguenay River.Mount Valin at 3,215 feet (980 metres) is the tallest mountain of the region, and overlooks Chicoutimi 30 kilometres (19 miles) north-east. The Chicoutimi, Du Moulin and Valin rivers all empty in the Saguenay river in Chicoutimi.
The city has been home to theQMJHL'sChicoutimi Saguenéens since 1973. They play at theCentre Georges-Vézina.
Cycles Devinci started here in 1987.
Residents of Chicoutimi are represented by three tiers of government. The first are the city councillors elected fromsingle-member districts and the mayor electedat-large for the city of Saguenay. At the provincial tier, two elected members serve in theNational Assembly of Quebec for the provincial ridings ofChicoutimi andDubuc. The federal representation consists of a members of parliament serving in theParliament of Canada for the federal riding ofChicoutimi—Le Fjord.
Chicoutimi istwinned with:
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