Amos, a quaint town nestled in northwestern Quebec, Canada, is a hidden gem waiting to be discovered. Situated on the Harricana River, Amos serves as the seat of the Abitibi Regional County Municipality. Despite being the smallest of the three primary towns in the Abitibi-Témiscamingue region, Amos, along with its smaller communities of Lac-Gauvin and Saint-Maurice-de-Dalquier, boasts a rich history and vibrant culture.
The history of Amos, Quebec, is deeply intertwined with the broader history of the Abitibi region. Originally part of Rupert's Land, which was owned by the Hudson's Bay Company, Abitibi was purchased by Canada in 1869. It was subsequently annexed to the province of Quebec on June 13, 1898, by an act of the federal Parliament.
Amos played a pivotal role in the colonization of the Abitibi region, which began in 1910. The municipality was established in 1914, and the city itself was chartered in 1925. The city's name is derived from the maiden name of the wife of Sir Lomer Gouin, the then premier of Quebec.
Over the years, related municipalities were created and eventually integrated into the city of Amos. These include the 'Municipalité de la partie ouest des cantons unis de Figuery et Dalquier' (1917), which changed its name to Amos-Ouest in 1949 and fused with Amos in 1974, and the 'Municipalité de la partie est des cantons Figuery et Dalquier' (1918), which became Amos-Est in 1950 and was integrated into Amos in 1987.
According to the 2021 Census of Population conducted by Statistics Canada, Amos had a population of 12,675 living in 5,760 of its 6,051 total private dwellings. This represented a slight decrease of -1.2% from its 2016 population of 12,823. With a land area of 429.04 km2 (165.65 sq mi), Amos had a population density of 29.5/km2 (76.5/sq mi) in 2021.
Amos, Quebec, experiences a humid continental climate (Köppen Dfb), bordering on a subarctic climate (Dfc). This results in warm summers, frigid winters, and substantial precipitation throughout most of the year.
Although passenger trains no longer serve Amos, the town once had a Canadian National Railway station. Today, Amos is accessible via Quebec highways 109, 111, and 395. For those traveling by air, the Amos/Magny Airport provides convenient access to the town.
