The name Rimouski most likely derived from a Micmac word meaning "land of the moose".[6] The city was founded by Sir René Lepage de Ste-Claire in 1696. Originally from Ouanne in the Burgundy region, he exchanged property he owned on the Île d'Orléans with Augustin Rouer de la Cardonnière for the Seigneurie of Rimouski, which extended along the St. Lawrence River from the Hâtée River at Le Bic to the Métis River. De la Cardonnière had been the owner of Rimouski since 1688, but had never lived there. René Lepage moved his family to Rimouski, where it held the seigneurie until 1790, when it was sold to the Quebec City businessman Joseph Drapeau.
"Maison Lamontagne"
The "Maison Lamontagne" was built in 1750 per Marie-Agnès Lepage, granddaughter of René Lepage de Ste-Claire. It carries now the surname of the family that resided at it in 1844. It is one of the oldest half-timbered houses in Quebec and is within what is now called the District of Rimouski-Est.
Today, a boulevard, park and monument at the western entrance of Rimouski bear the name of René Lepage.
The "Red Night"
On May 6, 1950, Rimouski suffered a severe fire, in which 319 houses burned to the ground. This event is known as La nuit rouge (French for Red Night). The fire originated in the Price Brothers and Company [fr] yard on the left shore of the Rimouski River and quickly crossed the river and spread throughout the city pushed by strong winds, destroying half of the city. No one died in the blaze. Legend has it that a priest sprinkled holy water around the city's cathedral and that the fire would not cross the line.
In the 2021 Census of Population conducted by Statistics Canada, Rimouski had a population of 48,935 living in 23,470 of its 24,849 total private dwellings, a change of 0.6% from its 2016 population of 48,664. With a land area of 339.13 km2 (130.94 sq mi), it had a population density of 144.3/km2 (373.7/sq mi) in 2021.[9][failed verification]
The 2021 census found that French was the mother tongue of 97.2% of the population. The next most common mother tongues were English (0.8%), Spanish (0.3%), Arabic (0.2%), and Swahili (0.1%).[10][failed verification]
Rimouski is also home to the headquarters of the St. Lawrence Global Observatory,[2] an inter-institutional group seeking to provide, through its Internet portal, an integrated and rapid access to data and information concerning the global ecosystem of the St. Lawrence, in order to promote sustainable management.
A ferry used to cross over from Forestville twice daily from May to September, but it is not currently running.[11][12][13]
The port operates five berths ranging from 130 to 213 metres in length, with a water depth of 7.3 metres, and is mainly used for the transshipment of salt.[14]
The tide station located at Pointe-au-Père serves as the reference point for measuring mean sea level for the North American Vertical Datum of 1988, which is the reference point for determining altitude in North America.[15]
In November, the town is the host of the yearly Salon du Livre de Rimouski, the oldest event of its kind in the province of Quebec. It was created in 1964 by a group of women with a passion for literature, who wished to make literature more accessible to young readers. Every year, more than 125 authors from the region and its surroundings participate in the event, and over 300 Quebec Publishers distribute about 75 stands among themselves. Supported by Canada Heritage, the Canada Council of the Arts, the Society of development of the cultural companies of Quebec and the city of Rimouski, the event attracts more than 8000 visitors per year.
The town is also enthusiastic about sporting events. The town hosted the Jeux du Québec in 2001 and was the host of the Memorial Cup Tournament in 2009.
The city is divided into 11 districts. Six of those districts (Pointe-au-Père, Sainte-Blandine, Rimouski-Est, Sainte-Odile-sur-Rimouski and Le Bic) were small communities but were merged within Rimouski in 2002, except for Le Bic, which was merged in 2009. The municipal council is composed of the mayor and eleven councillors, each one representing a district.
The city is served by the municipal Rimouski Airport (IATA airport code YXK), which caters to general aviation and cargo aircraft, and by the regional Mont-Joli Airport (YYY), 35 km to the east of Rimouski, which caters to commercial passenger aircraft. There are daily passenger flights to destinations in Quebec (Quebec City, Montreal, and others) and Newfoundland and Labrador.
The Canadian National south shore railway passes through town, and there is a VIA Railservice three times weekly in each direction, which heads westbound toward Quebec City (Sainte-Foy) and Montreal and eastbound toward Moncton and Halifax.[21]
The Orleans Express bus service also serves Rimouski; Rimouski station is on the main thoroughfare from Quebec City to the maritime provinces.
Health
Regional Hospital of Rimouski
The largest employer in Rimouski and the region is the Regional Hospital of Rimouski with 2200 employees and 170 doctors. It handles a budget of more than 150 million dollars. Since 2004 the hospital is known as CSSS Rimouski-Neigette. The hospital serves the large majority of patients in the region as far as Gaspé. Several medical specialties are present at the hospital such as cardiology, endocrinology, fertility, gastroenterology, hematology, obstetric-gynecology, neurology, oncology, otorhinolaryngology, orthopedic, pediatric, rheumatology, surgery, and urology. The hospital also has several departments such as emergency, intensive care, and pharmacy. Several medical clinics surround the hospital located on Rouleau Avenue. The CLSC however is located in front of the obstetrics and gynecology clinic on du Gouverneur Street.
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