Baie-D'Urfé, Quebec, is a charming on-island suburb of Montreal, Canada. Nestled in the West Island area of the Island of Montreal, this community has a rich history and a vibrant present.
Baie-D'Urfé, previously known as Baie d'Urfé or Baie d'Urfee, has undergone several transformations. As part of the 2002–2006 municipal reorganization of Montreal, Baie-D'Urfé merged into the city of Montreal on January 1, 2002. It joined with neighbouring Beaconsfield to create the borough of Beaconsfield–Baie-D'Urfé. However, following a change of provincial government in 2003 and a provincial referendum in 2004, Beaconsfield and Baie-D'Urfé both voted to demerge. They were reconstituted as independent municipalities on January 1, 2006, but they remain part of the urban agglomeration of Montreal.
Baie-D'Urfé is named after François-Saturnin Lascaris d'Urfé, a French Sulpician priest known as l'Abbé d'Urfé. He was the community's first pastor, sent by the Gentlemen of Saint-Sulpice to serve as a missionary for the parish of Saint-Louis-du-Bout-de-l'Île. This parish, a small community of settlers, soldiers, traders, and Indians, was later renamed in his honour. The town's name has seen several typographical changes over the years, reflecting the evolution of place names in Quebec.
Baie-D'Urfé is a "bedroom community" that extends from Autoroute 40 to Lac Saint-Louis. It is a blend of residential and industrial sectors. The residential sector is characterized by a wide range of house types and sizes, all based on spacious lots. The community has retained a rural charm, accentuated by its lack of sidewalks and limited commercial activity. It is a favourite spot for boaters, who use either the local yacht or boat clubs.
North of Autoroute 20 and the CN and CP railway lines lies a modest-sized industrial park. Covering approximately a third of the town's land area, the industrial park is somewhat isolated from the rest of the town and features its own off-hours security patrol. It is home to a number of large industrial firms' operations.
The town's active community members participate in many of the town's associated or private clubs, including the Baie-D'Urfé Curling Club. The community competes with a few other suburbs for the top spot in the rankings of highest average household incomes in Canada.
Baie-D'Urfé has been officially recognized as a bilingual municipality since November 2, 2005, according to the Office québécois de la langue française. In the 2021 Census of Population conducted by Statistics Canada, Baie-D'Urfé had a population of 3,764 living in 1,325 of its 1,375 total private dwellings. This represented a change of -1.5% from its 2016 population of 3,823. With a land area of 6.03 km2 (2.33 sq mi), it had a population density of 624.2/km2 (1,616.7/sq mi) in 2021.
