Champlain, a municipality in the province of Quebec, Canada, is a place of historical significance and natural beauty. Nestled on the north shore of the St. Lawrence River, Champlain is part of the Les Chenaux Regional County Municipality and the administrative region of Mauricie. It is also a member of the metropolitan area of Trois-Rivières and proudly holds a place in the Association of the Most Beautiful Villages of Quebec.
The name 'Champlain' has a rich history dating back to 1632 when Samuel de Champlain, the founder of New France, named the Champlain River after himself. The Commission de toponymie du Québec has noted a popular version of the origin of the name, suggesting that Champlain was so amazed by the beauty of the place that he exclaimed, "What a beautiful flat plain", from the Latin 'campus planus', meaning 'flat field'.
However, it is certain that Champlain named the area after himself, as his contemporary record indicates that he named the river the "Rivière de Champlain". The name 'Champlain' was later given to the seigniory, the parish, and eventually the municipality in 1845. It was also used for the electoral district for the area in the Legislative Assembly of Lower Canada in 1829, and in the Legislative Assembly of the Province of Canada in 1841.
The Champlain municipality lies on the territory of the former seigniories of Marsolet and l'Arbre-à-la-Croix, both granted on April 5, 1644, and the seigniory of Champlain, granted on August 8, 1664. The first French occupants of Champlain settled in 1664 or 1665. There had been a first attempt to settle on land granted August 16, 1643, but the distance from other settlements and the Iroquois threat discouraged settlement.
In 1664 or 1665, the first settlers established settlements in the land of the seigniory of Champlain. The following year, concessions were granted in the seigniory of Hertel, and in 1667 in the seigniory of Marsolet. Some of the first families came from Trois-Rivières, such as the families of Antoine Desrosiers, François Chorel, and Pierre Dandonneau.
The population of Champlain has seen a steady increase over the years. In 2011, the population was 1664, marking a 6.3% increase from 2006. The number of private dwellings occupied by usual residents was 766 out of a total of 861 dwellings.
The linguistic composition of Champlain is predominantly French, with 97.9% of the population reporting French as their first language. English as a first language is reported by 0.7% of the population, with an equal percentage reporting both English and French as their first language. Another 0.7% report other languages as their first language.
