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Contrecoeur

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Overview

Contrecoeur is a municipality with a riverside, forest and rural landscape, in the regional county municipality (RCM) of Marguerite-D'Youville, in Montérégie, in Quebec.

Contrecoeur is a recreational tourism destination

Facts

Rank

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Coordinates

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Source

WBP almanac

External sources

Wikivoyage Wikipedia

Media

From Wikipedia569 words

WBP editorial3

River‑side rhythms

Contrecœur’s position on the St. Lawrence gives it a subtle maritime pulse that slips past the usual highway‑centric narratives. Early morning, the river’s tide draws fishermen’s boats into the small dock, and the scent of briny air mixes with fresh‑baked croissants from a local bakery. Weekend cyclists often detour from the busy A‑30 onto the quieter chemin du Vieux‑Port, where historic stone warehouses have been repurposed into artisan workshops. Timing a visit for the low‑tide hour reveals a fleeting view of the riverbed’s exposed stones, a quiet spot where locals pause for a moment’s reflection before the water surges back.

Beyond the suburbia of Montreal

While the metropolis to the west dominates headlines, Contrecœur offers a contrasting pace rooted in agrarian heritage. The surrounding Montérégie countryside is peppered with family‑run dairy farms that open their fields for seasonal pick‑your‑own berry outings. These experiences are seldom listed in mainstream travel guides but provide a tangible link to the region’s legacy of self‑sufficiency. Pairing a farm visit with a short drive to the nearby wine route, where boutique vineyards experiment with cold‑climate varietals, creates a day‑long itinerary that showcases the diversity of terroir just a stone's throw from the city’s modest centre.

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Most visitors arrive via Autoroute 30, yet the most efficient exit onto Route 132 can be missed by those unfamiliar with Quebec’s signage conventions. A useful tip: look for the bilingual ‘Sortie 163 – Contrecœur/Contrecœur’ marker, which leads directly onto the historic Main Street. From there, a short left onto Rue du Pont provides access to the waterfront promenade without encountering the heavier traffic of the commercial district. Parking is limited near the river, so planning to use the municipal lot on Rue du Moulin—accessible on foot from the centre—helps avoid the evening rush that builds around the popular local eateries.

Introduction

For other uses, see Contrecœur (disambiguation). City in Quebec, CanadaContrecœurCityMoulin à vent de Contrecoeur appelé "Moulin Chaput", construit en 1742 SealMotto: À cœur vaillant tout est possibleLocation within Marguerite-D'Youville RCM.ContrecœurLocation in southern Quebec.Coordinates: 45°51′N 73°14′W / 45.850°N 73.233°W / 45.850; -73.233Country CanadaProvince QuebecRegionMontérégieRCMMarguerite-D'YouvilleSettled1681ConstitutedJanuary 1, 1976Government • MayorMaud Allaire • Federal ridingPierre-Boucher—Les Patriotes—Verchères • Prov. ridingVerchèresArea • Total87.60 km2 (33.82 sq mi) • Land62.20 km2 (24.02 sq mi)Population (2021) • Total9,480 • Density152.4/km2 (395/sq mi) • Pop 2016-2021 20.2% • Dwellings4,252Time zoneUTC−5 (EST) • Summer (DST)UTC−4 (EDT)Postal code(s)J0LArea codes450 and 579Highways A-30 R-132 R-137Websitewww.ville.contrecoeur.qc.ca Contrecœur (French pronunciation: [kɔ̃tʁəkœʁ]) is a city in southwestern Quebec, Canada on the south shore of the St. Lawrence River. The population as of the Canada 2021 Census was 9,480. Contrecœur is approximately 45 kilometres (28 mi) northeast of Montreal and is accessible via Autoroute 30, the main road from the southwest, which continues on to Sorel-Tracy.

History

[edit] Plaque honouring pioneers of the town of Contrecœur In 1672, Antoine Pécaudy de Contrecœur, a soldier of the Carignan-Salières Regiment, originally from Saint-Chef, Isère, France, was granted a seigneury by King Louis XIV. He and 68 other pioneers founded the town in 1681, and it is named in his honour. A migratory bird sanctuary is located near the town on Contrecœur Island. Contrecœur is currently twinned with Saint-Chef, in southeast France, and has been since 1993. Contrecœur in the early 20th century The steel mill in Contrecoeur-West was in 1994 privatised by the Quebec government. The initial owner of Norambar was Stelco, until Mittal purchased it in 2004. The steel mill in Contrecoeur-Est, Sidbec-Dosco, was privatised in 1994 into Ispat International. Mittal purchased that too, and merged with Arcelor to form ArcelorMittal in 2006. The Contrecoeur-West and Contrecoeur-East were administratively merged into ArcelorMittal Long Products Canada.

Demographics

[edit] In the 2021 Census of Population conducted by Statistics Canada, Contrecoeur had a population of 9,480 living in 4,116 of its 4,252 total private dwellings, a change of 20.2% from its 2016 population of 7,887. With a land area of 62.2 km2 (24.0 sq mi), it had a population density of 152.4/km2 (394.7/sq mi) in 2021. Population trend: Population in 2021: 9,480 (2016 to 2021 population change: 20.2%) Population in 2016: 7,887 Population in 2011: 6,252 Population in 2006: 5,678 Population in 2001: 5,222 Population in 1996: 5,331 Population in 1991: 5,501 Population in 1986: 5,553 Population in 1981: 5,449 Canada census – Contrecoeur community profile 202120162011 Population9,480 (+20.2% from 2016)7,887 (+26.2% from 2011)6,252 (+10.1% from 2006) Land area62.20 km2 (24.02 sq mi)61.51 km2 (23.75 sq mi)61.19 km2 (23.63 sq mi) Population density152.4/km2 (395/sq mi)128.2/km2 (332/sq mi)102.2/km2 (265/sq mi) Median age38.8 (M: 38.8, F: 38.8)40.5 (M: 40.1, F: 41.2)44.6 (M: 43.7, F: 45.5) Private dwellings4,252 (total)  4,116 (occupied)3,688 (total)  2,979 (total)  Median household income$82,000$64,347$54,894 References: 2021 2016 2011 Canada Census Mother Tongue - Contrecœur, Quebec Census Total French English French & English Other Year Responses Count Trend Pop % Count Trend Pop % Count Trend Pop % Count Trend Pop % 2021 9,440 8,900 18.0% 94.3% 120 20.0% 1.3% 80 128.6% 0.8% 265 82.8% 2.8% 2016 7,840 7,540 25.1% 96.2% 100 25.0% 1.3% 35 133.3% 0.4% 145 123.1% 1.8% 2011 6,185 6,025 11.3% 96.41% 80 128.6% 1.29% 15 62.5% 0.24% 65 27.8% 1.05% 2006 5,580 5,415 7.2% 97.04% 35 12.5% 0.63% 40 n/a% 0.72% 90 100.0% 1.61% 2001 5,135 5,050 1.7% 98.34% 40 42.9% 0.78% 0 0.0% 0.00% 45 80.0% 0.88% 1996 5,235 5,140 n/a 98.18% 70 n/a 1.34% 0 n/a 0.00% 25 n/a 0.48%

Contrecoeur

River‑side rhythms

Beyond the suburbia of Montreal

Practical navigation for the car‑bound traveller