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Baie-Comeau

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Overview

Baie Comeau is a city that is approximately 420 km (260 mi) north-east of Quebec City in the Manicouagan region of the province of Quebec. It is on the shores of the Saint Lawrence River near the mouth of the Manicouagan

Facts

Rank

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Coordinates

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Source

WBP almanac

External sources

Wikivoyage Wikipedia

Media

From Wikipedia1,978 words

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Industry and the river as a travel lens

Baie‑Comeau’s identity is inseparable from the river that frames it. While most visitors glance at the shoreline, the industrial pulse – pulp and paper mills, aluminium smelting and the nearby port – offers a tangible glimpse of Quebec’s resource‑based economy. Guided tours of the harbour give access to working berths where bulk carriers load timber and sulphide ore, a rare chance to watch global supply chains in motion. Pair this with a short walk along the Quai de la Vallée, where the scent of fresh‑cut spruce mingles with the salty air. The juxtaposition of industrious greys against the bright blue of the St. Lawrence makes for a compelling narrative that guidebooks often skim over.

Seasonal rhythms beyond the city limits

The surrounding wilderness dictates a rhythm distinct from the urban core. In early summer, the Manicouagan River swells, turning its tributaries into prime spots for fly‑fishing charters targeting brook trout and Atlantic salmon. Autumn brings a quiet that favours wildlife‑watching; the nearby Manicouagan Wildlife Reserve becomes a staging ground for migratory birds, and the foliage along Route 138 takes on a muted ochre that contrasts with the industrial backdrop. Winter, though stark, offers ice‑fishing on the frozen estuary and cross‑country ski trails that skirt the municipal edge, giving travellers an authentic sense of the Côte‑Nord’s seasonal adaptability.

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Introduction

For the Great Lakes freighter, see Baie Comeau (2013 ship). City in Quebec, CanadaBaie-ComeauCityDowntown Baie-Comeau Coat of armsMap of RCM with Baie-Comeau highlightedBaie-ComeauLocation in Côte-Nord region of QuebecCoordinates: 49°13′N 68°09′W / 49.217°N 68.150°W / 49.217; -68.150CountryCanadaProvinceQuebecRegionCôte-NordRCMManicouaganFounded1936ConstitutedJune 23, 1982Government • MayorMichel Desbiens • Federal ridingCôte-Nord—Kawawachikamach—Nitassinan • Prov. ridingRené-LévesqueArea • Total434.54 km2 (167.78 sq mi) • Land334.83 km2 (129.28 sq mi) • Urban19.95 km2 (7.70 sq mi) • Metro682.89 km2 (263.67 sq mi)Elevation21.60 m (70.9 ft)Population (2021) • Total20,687 • Density61.8/km2 (160/sq mi) • Urban20,247 • Urban density1,014.9/km2 (2,629/sq mi) • Metro26,643 • Metro density39/km2 (100/sq mi) • Change (2016-21) 3.9% • Dwellings10,163Time zoneUTC−05:00 (EST) • Summer (DST)UTC−04:00 (EDT)Postal code(s)G4Z, G5CArea codes418 and 581Highways R-138 R-389Websitewww.ville.baie-comeau.qc.ca Baie-Comeau (French pronunciation: [bɛ kɔmo]) is a city in the Côte-Nord region of the province of Quebec, Canada. It is located on the shores of the St. Lawrence River, and is the seat of Manicouagan Regional County Municipality. It is near the mouth of the Manicouagan River, named after the adjacent Comeau Bay. It has a population of 20,687 in the 2021 Canadian census, and the census agglomeration population is 26,643. Baie-Comeau is the birthplace of Brian Mulroney, former prime minister of Canada. Although the city is officially named in honour of Napoléon-Alexandre Comeau, the origin of the name actually comes from his father Antoine-Alexandre Comeau, who was an employee of the Hudson's Bay Company and had a camp there. Travelers would spontaneously think of “the bay of the Comeau camp”, perpetuated by word of mouth until the employees of the Geography Commission wrote Anse à Comeau (Comeau Cove) on plans. When Baie-Comeau was founded however, the authorities were unaware of the origin of this name, and specified that it honored Napoléon-Alexandre Comeau (1848-1923).

History

[edit] The oldest part of Baie-Comeau is the area known as Vieux-Poste (Old Post) near the mouth of the Amédée River where in 1889, the Saint-Eugène-de-Manicouagan Mission was founded by Eudists. In 1898, the first sawmill in the Côte-Nord region was built there by the brothers Damase and Henri Jalbert, but it closed in 1907 after their timber stock was swept into the St. Lawrence. In 1916, Route 138 was extended to Saint-Eugène-de-Manicouagan and in 1929, its post office opened with the English name of Comeau Bay (francized in 1936). Baie-Comeau itself (the eastern part of the current town) was founded in 1936 when a paper mill was constructed by Colonel Robert R. McCormick, publisher of the Chicago Tribune. Arthur A. Schmon oversaw the project, which included a power station and housing. Experiencing remarkable growth, the Town of Baie-Comeau was incorporated on May 20, 1937. Coinciding with the completion of the mill, the Hudson's Bay Company opened a store on September 15 of that same year. It was the first HBC small department store in Quebec. The area continued to see economic development with the establishment of the hydro-electric power stations on the Manicouagan and Outardes Rivers beginning with the Chutes-aux-Outardes Station in 1952, an aluminum smelter in 1958, and grain warehouses (the largest in Canada) in 1959. In 1950, the village of Saint-Eugène-de-Manicouagan was incorporated as the Municipality of Hauterive. In June 1982, Hauterive was merged into Baie-Comeau, taking effect on January 1, 1983. The HBC closed its Baie-Comeau store in 1986. Baie-Comeau is the seat of the judicial district of Baie-Comeau.

Geography

[edit] Baie-Comeau is located on the north shore of the St. Lawrence River, about 400 kilometres (250 mi) northeast of Quebec City and 230 kilometres (140 mi) southwest of Sept-Îles. There are two urban area population centres within the city limits: Baie-Comeau proper, with a population of 9,100, and Hauterive, with a population of 11,147, in an area of 8.67 km2 (3.35 sq mi) and a density of 1,285.5/km2 (3,329/sq mi), as of the 2021 Canadian census. Baie-Comeau is crossed by five rivers: the Manicouagan River, the Amédée River, the Petit-Bras River, the Chasse River, and the English River. These rivers are fed by around thirty lakes. Climate[edit] Although at the same latitude as Vancouver or Paris, Baie-Comeau has a borderline humid continental climate (Köppen Dfb), just above the subarctic climate. The cold Labrador Current makes the Gulf of St. Lawrence very cold and tends to cool the weather during summer much more than the marginal warming of the winters resulting from its maritime location. With the moist northeasterly winds coming in from the Icelandic Low, snowfall is very heavy, averaging around 342.9 cm (135.00 in) per year with a greatest average depth of around 56 cm (22 in) in March. The extreme snow depth was 226 cm (89 in) on January 10, 1969. Climate data for Baie-Comeau (Baie-Comeau Airport)Climate ID: 7040440; coordinates 49°08′N 68°12′W / 49.133°N 68.200°W / 49.133; -68.200 (Baie-Comeau Airport); elevation: 21.6 m (71 ft); WMO ID: 71890; 1991–2020 normals, extremes 1947–present Month Jan Feb Mar Apr May Jun Jul Aug Sep Oct Nov Dec Year Record high humidex 8.8 8.4 15.3 21.7 30.4 39.1 39.2 46.3 33.2 31.8 20.2 11.6 46.3 Record high °C (°F) 11.4(52.5) 8.2(46.8) 11.4(52.5) 21.8(71.2) 30.0(86.0) 31.8(89.2) 32.8(91.0) 31.1(88.0) 28.6(83.5) 22.6(72.7) 18.1(64.6) 11.1(52.0) 32.8(91.0) Mean daily maximum °C (°F) −8.0(17.6) −6.7(19.9) −1.6(29.1) 4.6(40.3) 12.3(54.1) 18.3(64.9) 21.3(70.3) 20.7(69.3) 15.8(60.4) 9.0(48.2) 2.5(36.5) −4.0(24.8) 7.0(44.6) Daily mean °C (°F) −13.4(7.9) −12.4(9.7) −6.7(19.9) 0.6(33.1) 7.2(45.0) 12.8(55.0) 16.0(60.8) 15.3(59.5) 10.6(51.1) 4.8(40.6) −1.2(29.8) −8.6(16.5) 2.1(35.8) Mean daily minimum °C (°F) −18.8(−1.8) −18.1(−0.6) −11.7(10.9) −3.4(25.9) 2.0(35.6) 7.3(45.1) 10.7(51.3) 9.9(49.8) 5.4(41.7) 0.6(33.1) −4.9(23.2) −13.0(8.6) −2.8(27.0) Record low °C (°F) −47.2(−53.0) −44.4(−47.9) −35.6(−32.1) −21.0(−5.8) −8.3(17.1) −3.2(26.2) 0.6(33.1) −0.7(30.7) −6.1(21.0) −11.0(12.2) −22.8(−9.0) −37.8(−36.0) −47.2(−53.0) Record low wind chill −53.0 −56.9 −48.3 −29.5 −19.0 −4.8 0.0 −2.7 −8.4 −15.1 −31.1 −51.5 −56.9 Average precipitation mm (inches) 64.9(2.56) 60.5(2.38) 64.2(2.53) 71.8(2.83) 76.2(3.00) 82.7(3.26) 110.8(4.36) 81.9(3.22) 92.6(3.65) 96.3(3.79) 86.6(3.41) 77.7(3.06) 966.1(38.04) Average rainfall mm (inches) 12.3(0.48) 14.4(0.57) 23.7(0.93) 50.7(2.00) 88.3(3.48) 88.7(3.49) 93.1(3.67) 75.4(2.97) 86.3(3.40) 90.0(3.54) 57.7(2.27) 17.0(0.67) 697.6(27.46) Average snowfall cm (inches) 83.8(33.0) 59.1(23.3) 48.2(19.0) 30.3(11.9) 2.7(1.1) 0.0(0.0) 0.0(0.0) 0.0(0.0) 0.01(0.00) 5.4(2.1) 40.2(15.8) 73.2(28.8) 342.9(135.0) Average precipitation days (≥ 0.2 mm) 16.4 13.6 14.4 12.7 14.2 13.5 15.7 13.1 13.4 14.6 14.6 16.1 172.2 Average rainy days (≥ 0.2 mm) 1.6 1.8 3.7 8.3 14.1 13.5 14.6 13.5 13.5 14.8 8.7 2.6 110.9 Average snowy days (≥ 0.2 cm) 16.8 11.8 10.7 6.2 0.89 0.0 0.0 0.0 0.05 1.7 8.6 14.3 71.1 Average relative humidity (%) (at 1500 LST) 64.9 63.5 64.4 66.4 62.4 63.6 68.1 67.2 68.9 70.9 72.6 71.0 67.0 Mean monthly sunshine hours 112.5 134.4 163.5 181.7 217.3 237.1 244.0 238.4 163.8 123.4 90.7 94.7 2,001.5 Percentage possible sunshine 41.6 47.0 44.4 44.2 45.8 49.0 49.9 53.5 43.2 36.8 32.9 36.8 43.8 Source: Environment and Climate Change Canada (rain/rain days, snow/snow days and sun 1981–2010)

Demographics

[edit] In the 2021 Census of Population conducted by Statistics Canada, Baie-Comeau had a population of 20,687 living in 9,554 of its 10,163 total private dwellings, a change of -3.9% from its 2016 population of 21,536. With a land area of 334.83 km2 (129.28 sq mi), it had a population density of 61.8/km2 (160.0/sq mi) in 2021. Canada census – Baie-Comeau community profile 202120162011 Population20,687 (-3.9% from 2016)21,536 (-2.6% from 2011)22,113 (-2.0% from 2006) Land area334.83 km2 (129.28 sq mi)336.59 km2 (129.96 sq mi)338.99 km2 (130.88 sq mi) Population density61.8/km2 (160/sq mi)64.0/km2 (166/sq mi)65.2/km2 (169/sq mi) Median age48.4 (M: 48.0, F: 49.2)46.5 (M: 46.0, F: 46.9)45.2 (M: 44.9, F: 45.6) Private dwellings10,163 (total)  9,554 (occupied)10,190 (total)  10,222 (total)  Median household income$75,500$68,393$62,180 Notes: Population in 1996: 25,554 (-1.8% from 1991) - Population in 1991: 26,012 References: 2021 2016 2011 Historical census populations – Baie-ComeauYearPop.±%19411,548—    19513,972+156.6%19564,332+9.1%19617,956+83.7%198112,866+61.7%198626,244+104.0%199126,012−0.9%YearPop.±%199625,554−1.8%200123,079−9.7%200622,554−2.3%201122,113−2.0%201621,536−2.6%202120,687−3.9%Population amounts are not adjusted for boundary changes or merger.Source: Statistics Canada Knowledge of official languages from 2021 (multiple answers were possible): French only: 16,045 English only: 15 French and English: 4,385 Neither English nor French: 5 Visible minority and Aboriginal population (Canada 2021 Census) Population group Population % of total population White 18,660 94.3% Visible minority groupSource: South Asian 15 0.1% Chinese 30 0.2% Black 205 1% Filipino 10 0.1% Arab 0 0% Latin American 35 0.2% Southeast Asian 20 0.1% West Asian 0 0% Korean 10 0.1% Japanese 0 0% Visible minority, n.i.e. 0 0% Multiple visible minority 0 0% Total visible minority population 345 1.7% Aboriginal groupSource: First Nations 385 1.9% Métis 355 1.8% Inuit 10 0.1% Aboriginal, n.i.e. 30 0.2% Multiple Aboriginal identity 0 0% Total Aboriginal population 790 4% Total population 19,795 100%

Sports

[edit] Para-Cyclists at the 2019 UCI Para-Cycling Road World Cup in Baie-Comeau, Canada. Left to right: Carla Shibley, Hassan Dia, Meghan Brown. The 1993 Quebec Winter Games were played in Baie-Comeau. Many different sports are played in Baie-Comeau: Hockey[edit] Baie-Comeau is home to the Baie-Comeau Drakkar, an ice hockey team playing in the Quebec Maritimes Junior Hockey League since 1997. The team plays in the Centre Henry-Leonard located in the eastern sector of the town. Skiing[edit] The Centre de ski du Mont-Tibasse is an alpine ski centre located a few kilometers north of the town where it offers twelve slopes. Cross-country skiing is also popular. Students often frequent Mont-Tibasse as part of their school programs. Golf[edit] An 18-hole golf course is available in the western sector of the town. It is a semi-private golf club and is open for most of the summer. Swimming[edit] The two major high schools of the city each offer an indoor swimming pool and are open to the public year-round. Two outdoor swimming pools are also available to the public. These are open from the end of June until the middle of August each summer. Some beaches are also available in the summer. There are other beaches are along the shore of the St. Lawrence river such as the Plage Champlain and the Plage Pointe-Lebel, among others. Tennis[edit] Several outdoor tennis courts are available to the public in the different parks across town. They are open for most of the summer. Football[edit] The Baie-Comeau Vikings represent the Polyvalente des Baies in the Saguenay-Lac-Saint-Jean League. The team won championships in the eastern Quebec circuit in 2003, 2004 and 2006, and were finalists in 2005.

Education

[edit] Baie-Comeau is home to several French-language public elementary schools, two French-language public high schools and one English-language public school that includes both the elementary and high school levels of education. The town is also home to one French-language CEGEP called the Cégep de Baie-Comeau. List of schools in Baie-Comeau: School name Level Sector École Bois-Du-Nord Elementary Western École Boisvert Elementary Eastern École Leventoux Elementary Eastern École Mgr-Bélanger Elementary Western École Saint-Cœur-de-Marie Elementary Western École Serge-Bouchard High School Western École Trudel Elementary Western Polyvalente des Baies High School Eastern Baie-Comeau High School Elementary and high school Eastern ^ Formerly known as Polyvalente des Rives ^ Only English language school in Baie-Comeau

Baie-Comeau

Industry and the river as a travel lens

Seasonal rhythms beyond the city limits

Local flavour: culinary stops that tell a story