Saint-Hyacinthe

Saint-Hyacinthe (French: ) is a city in southwestern Quebec east of Montreal on the Yamaska River. The population as of the 2021 Canadian census was 57,239. The city is located in Les Maskoutains Regional County Municipality of the Montérégie region, and is traversed by the Yamaska River. Quebec Autoroute 20 runs perpendicular to the river. Saint-Hyacinthe is the seat of the judicial district of the same name.
History
Jacques-Hyacinthe Simon dit Delorme, owner of the seigneurie, started its settlement in 1757. He gave his patron saint name (Saint Hyacinth the Confessor of Poland) to the seigneurie, which was made a city in 1850.
St. Hyacinth's Cathedral is the seat of the Roman Catholic Diocese of Saint-Hyacinthe. It was erected in 1852.
2001 merger
As part of the 2000–06 municipal reorganization in Quebec, on 27 December 2001, the city of Saint-Hyacinthe amalgamated with five neighbouring towns (listed here with their populations as of 2001):
Saint-Hyacinthe (39,739)
Sainte-Rosalie (4,170)
Saint-Thomas-d'Aquin (4,000)
Sainte-Rosalie Parish (1,476)
Saint-Hyacinthe-le-Confesseur, Quebec (1,151)
Notre-Dame-de-Saint-Hyacinthe, Quebec (858)
Demographics
In the 2021 Canadian census conducted by Statistics Canada, Saint-Hyacinthe had a population of living in of its total private dwellings, a change of from its 2016 population of . With a land area of , it had a population density of in 2021.
In 2021, 9.8% of Saint-Hyacinthe residents were visible minorities, 1.3% were Indigenous, and the remaining 88.9% were white/European. The largest visible minority groups were Black (4.4%), Latin American (3.1%) and Arab (1.4%).
71.8% of residents were Christian, down from 88.8% in 2011. 63.2% were Catholic, 5.6% were Christian n.o.s, 1.6% were Protestant, and 1.3% were other Christian denominations or Christian-related traditions. Non-religious or secular people were 25.0% of the population, up from 9.9% in 2011. The only named non-Christian religions with adherents in Saint-Hyacinthe were Islam (2.6%) and Buddhism (0.2%). Other religions and spiritual traditions accounted for just 0.3% of the population.
In 2021, French was the mother tongue of 90.9% of residents. Other common first languages were Spanish (3.1%), Arabic (0.9%) and English (0.9%). 0.7% listed both French and a non-official language as mother tongues, while 0.6% listed both French and English.
Economy
Agriculture and its related derivates are at the heart of Saint-Hyacinthe's economic infrastructure. The city has been nicknamed the "Agricultural technopolis of Canada", because it is home to several research institutions in the field such as the centre de recherche sur les aliments, the Institut de recherche et développement en agro-environnement, the Institut de technologie agroalimentaire and the head office of the Artificial Insemination Center of Quebec.
Saint-Hyacinthe hosts numerous agriculture related events such as fairs, exposition and congresses and acts a hub in the field. The Agricultural Hall of Fame of Quebec decided to move there from Quebec City to give itself more visibility in the community.
In addition, it is also home to Orgues Létourneau and Casavant Frères, builders of pipe organs, and Intact Financial, formerly known as ING Canada.
Transport
Local bus service operated by Transport Scolaire Sogesco
Paratransit service by MRC Les Maskoutains
Train bus service to Mont-Saint-Hilaire station, connecting by Exo on the Mont-Saint-Hilaire line to Central Station in Downtown Montreal
Interurban bus service by Exo de la Vallée du Richelieu sector
Via Rail has several trains that stop at the Saint-Hyacinthe station
The private Saint-Hyacinthe Aerodrome is located west of the city.
Education
The South Shore Protestant Regional School Board previously served the municipality.
In association with the Université de Montréal, Saint-Hyacinthe is home to the only veterinary medicine faculty of Quebec and the only such school in North America where teaching is provided in French.
Sports
From 1989 to 1996 the city had a team in the Quebec Major Junior Hockey League known as the Saint-Hyacinthe Laser. From 2001 to 2009 the city was represented in the Ligue Nord-Américaine de Hockey (known as the Quebec Semi-Pro Hockey League (QSPHL) until 2004) by the Saint-Hyacinthe Cousin (200105), Saint-Hyacinthe Cristal (200506), Saint-Hyacinthe Top Design (200608) and Saint-Hyacinthe Chiefs (200809). The city's main hockey arena is the historic Stade L.P. Gaucher, which was built in 1937.
Notable people
The following individuals were born or grew up in the region of Saint-Hyacinthe:
Paul Arcand, host and journalist
François Avard, author and screenwriter known for the television series Les Bougon
Télesphore-Damien Bouchard (1881–1962), Quebec politician
Robert Bédard, professional tennis player, President of Tennis Québec, Vice-President of Tennis Canada, teacher (Bishop's College School), teacher and headmaster (St. Andrew's College, Aurora)
Michel-Esdras Bernier, Former Minister of Inland Revenue
Colonel (Ret.) Jean Berthiaume, OBE, CD, infantry officer of the Régiment de St-Hyacinthe and of the Royal 22e Régiment - 1915-2003
Martin Brodeur, National Hockey League (NHL) hockey player, goalie for the New Jersey Devils
Geneviève Brouillette, actress
Jean-Paul Cabana, racing driver
Anthony Chabot (1813-1888), businessman and entrepreneur known for his development of water systems and hydraulic mines, especially in Northern California.
Gérard Côté, marathon runner
Sébastien Demers, boxer
Henriette Dessaulles (1860–1946), journalist (aka Fadette)
Gérald Fauteux (1900–1980), former Chief Justice of the Supreme Court of Canada
Willie Lamothe (1920–1992), singer and actor
Sir François Langelier (1838–1915), politician
Ricardo Larrivée, cooking show host
Pierre Lassonde, businessperson and philanthropist
Yvan Loubier, politician
Victor Morin, notary, politician, and writer
David Savard, NHL player for the Montreal Canadiens
Hyacinthe-Marie Simon, dit Delorme, (1777–1814) son of Jacques-Hyacinthe Simon dit Delorme, the original owner of the seigneurie
Mario Pouliot, former head hockey coach for Saint-Hyacinthe Laser LHJMQ
Gallery
See also
Alexander "Buck" Choquette
Jewish colonies in Canada
List of towns in Quebec
References
External links
Cities and towns in Quebec
Incorporated places in Les Maskoutains Regional County Municipality