Alma
Town
Coordinates48°33′N 71°39′W
CountryCanada
ProvinceQuebec
RegionSaguenay–Lac-Saint-Jean
RCMLac-Saint-Jean-Est
Amalgamation1962 (of Isle-Maligne, Naudville, Riverbend and St-Joseph d'Alma.)
ConstitutedFebruary 21, 2001 (amalgamation with Delisle)
MayorSylvie Beaumont
Federal ridingLac-Saint-Jean
Prov. ridingLac-Saint-Jean
Area total230.30 km²
Area land194.92 km²
Area urban15.94 km²
Population total30331
Population as of2021
Population density155.6 km²
Population urban20274
Population density urban1272.2 km²
Pop 2016-20211.4%
Dwellings14493
Time zoneEST (UTC−5)
Time zone (DST)EDT (UTC−4)
Postal code(s)G8B, G8C & G8E
Area codes418 and 581
Telephone Exchanges212, 321, 480-2, 487, 662, 668-9, 719, 720, 769
GNBC CodeEFHQD[1]

Alma (alma; 2021 Town population: 30,331; UA Population 20,274) is a town in Saguenay–Lac-Saint-Jean, in the Canadian province of Quebec.

History

The present town of Alma was formed in 1962 from the merging of four villages: Isle-Maligne, Naudville, Riverbend and St-Joseph d'Alma. In 2002, Alma merged with the Municipality of Delisle. The oldest of the villages, St-Joseph-d'Alma, was founded in 1867 by Damase Boulanger. Both modern day Alma and St-Joseph d'Alma are named after the Battle of the Alma.

The area became an important industrial centre during the 1920s and 1930s with the construction of a hydro-electrical power station on the Grande-Décharge River, a paper mill (Price) and an aluminum smelting plant (Alcan), all of which are still in activity today.

Geography

Alma is located on the southeast coast of Lac Saint-Jean where it flows into the Saguenay River, in the Saguenay–Lac-Saint-Jean region of Quebec, Canada, approximately 175 km north of Quebec City. Alma is the seat of Lac-Saint-Jean-Est Regional County Municipality. Alma is the second largest city in population in the Saguenay-Lac-Saint-Jean region after the city of Saguenay.

Alma is the seat of the judicial district of Alma.[2]

Demographics

In the 2021 Census of Population conducted by Statistics Canada, Alma had a population of 30,331 living in 13,815 of its 14,493 total private dwellings, a change of -1.43% from its 2016 population of 30,771. With a land area of 194.92 km2 (75.26 sq mi), it had a population density of in 2021.[3]

Population trend:[4]

  • Population in 2021: 30,331
  • Population in 2016: 30,771
  • Population in 2011: 30,904
  • Population in 2006: 29,998
  • Population in 2001: 25,918
  • Population in 1996: 26,127
  • Population in 1991: 25,910
  • Population in 1986: 25,923
  • Population in 1981: 26,322
  • Population in 1976: 25,638
  • Population in 1971: 24,956
  • Population in 1966: 22,195
  • Population in 1961: 13,309
  • Population in 1956: 10,822
  • Population in 1951: 7,975
  • Population in 1941: 6,449
  • Population in 1931: 3,970
  • Population in 1921: 850

Mother tongue:[5]

  • English as first language: 0.4%
  • French as first language: 98.5%
  • English and French as first language: 0.3%
  • Other as first language: 0.7%
Visible minority and Aboriginal population (Canada 2021 Census)
Population groupPopulation% of total population
White28,01595.53%
Visible minority group
Source:[6]		South Asian00%
Chinese550.19%
Black1850.63%
Filipino150.05%
Arab350.12%
Latin American300.1%
Southeast Asian350.12%
West Asian00%
Korean00%
Japanese00%
Visible minority, n.i.e.00%
Multiple visible minority100.03%
Total visible minority population3751.28%
Aboriginal group
Source:[7]		First Nations3501.19%
Métis5001.71%
Inuk100.03%
Aboriginal, n.i.e.650.22%
Multiple Aboriginal identity100.03%
Total Aboriginal population9353.19%
Total population29,325100%

Infrastructure

Transportation

Alma is serviced by the Alma Airport, located 4.1 km to the south of the town.

Sister cities

See also: List of twin towns and sister cities in Canada

Alma has been twinned with Falaise, Calvados, France, since 1969.[8]

Notable people

See also

References

  1. ^ EFHQD.
  2. ^ Territorial Division Act. Revised Statutes of Quebec D-11.
  3. ^ "Population and dwelling counts: Canada, provinces and territories, and census subdivisions (municipalities), Quebec". Statistics Canada. February 9, 2022. Retrieved August 29, 2022.
  4. ^ Statistics Canada: 1996, 2001, 2006, 2011, 2016, 2021 census
  5. ^ "Alma community profile". 2021 Census data. Statistics Canada. 15 November 2023. Retrieved 2024-11-07.
  6. ^ [1], Community Profiles from the 2021 Census, Statistics Canada - Census Subdivision
  7. ^ [2], Aboriginal Population Profile from the 2021 Census, Statistics Canada - Census Subdivision
  8. ^ FLURY, Jérôme (September 5, 2019). "Falaise. Les anecdotes étonnantes des villes jumelles européennes". Ouest-France.fr