Quebec City is the capital city of the Canadian province of Quebec. The city is located at a commanding position on the Saint Lawrence River, making it the only city in North America to have its metropolitan area surrounded by water. The population is over 800,000, and the metro area has nearly 2 million people. The economy includes the public sector, manufacturing, and tourism as significant components of its economic base.
1. It was selected as the capital of Quebec in 1608 by Samuel de Champlain. It was initially called the City of New France and was almost abandoned in 1629. However, the city had to be reestablished in 1634, after which it became New France’s capital.
2. Quebec City is the only North American city with a metropolitan area surrounded by water.
3. The city was the capital of the former New France colony. The city is home to many monuments and historical buildings, such as the Chateau Frontenac.
4. In 1854, over 320 men were killed in one of the worst railway accidents in Canadian history at Quebec City’s train station. Railroad Accidents in Canada: A Chronology of Significant Railway Disasters in Canada from 1836 to 1946.
5. Quebec City has a relatively low crime rate compared to Canada’s other major cities. For example, the city’s murder rate is less than half of that in Toronto and Vancouver.
6. Quebec City has a large student population as the city is home to both in-province and out-of-province campuses of several universities, such as Laval University, Universite du Quebec a Trois-Rivieres, Universite de Sherbrooke, and Universite de Montreal.
7. the public sector has primarily driven Quebec City’s economy for years; however, the economy is diversifying as manufacturing and tourism play a more prominent role in the city’s economic output.
8. Quebec City is one of the oldest cities in North America, with the first settlement established in 1608.
9. Quebec City is famous for its Winter Carnival, one of the world’s biggest winter festivals.
10. Quebec City is home to the annual FrancoFolies de Montreal, a world music festival held over 30 days in June that attracts over 800,000 visitors annually.
11. Quebec City’s Saint-Roch neighbourhood is considered the city’s oldest district and was named after a small church located there that was built in 1647. The church became famous as early as 1765 when it served as a refuge for local people during the British bombardment of the city during Lord Jeffrey Amherst’s campaign against Montreal (during the Seven Years’ War), and its unofficial name has been a reference to this event ever since.
12. The name Quebec comes from an Algonquian word meaning “where the river narrows.”
13. The name of the city’s historic district, Vieux-Quebec (Old Quebec), is a French term used in various ways for over 300 years. It is used to describe not only part of the city but also its surrounding rural areas and even parts of present-day Ontario.
14. The famous Château Frontenac Hotel is located in Quebec City. It was built between 1886 and 1892. It is the most photographed hotel in the world.
15. Québec, formerly spelt ‘Quebeck’ in English, was originally used by Augustin Le Gardeur de Courtemanche in his 1682 map of New France to refer to a village he founded near the mouth of the Chaudière River; hence the name “Quebec” (literally “where the river narrows”).
