Coteau-du-Lac is a charming city nestled in southwestern Quebec, Canada. Located on the north shore of the St. Lawrence River, it is part of the Vaudreuil-Soulanges Regional County Municipality. The city's name, derived from the French word 'Coteau' meaning 'slope', reflects its geographical location on the north shore of Lake Saint Francis. The city is home to the National Historic Site of Canada of the Coteau-du-Lac canal, the first canal lock system in North America, and an industrial park. As of the 2016 Canadian Census, the city had a population of 7,044.
The history of Coteau-du-Lac dates back to 1687 when it was first mentioned by Marquis de Denonville. He described it as a stopover on the way to the 'Rapides d'en Haut', referring to a small hillside on the north side of the St. Lawrence River near the mouth of Lake Saint Francis.
In 1779, the Coteau-du-Lac canal was constructed to bypass the numerous rapids between Lake Saint-Louis and Lake Saint-Francis. By 1781, a military detachment was stationed there, and in 1789, its post office opened under the name Coteau-du-Lac.
During the War of 1812, a fort was built to protect the canal. In 1832, the Parish of Saint-Ignace was created, and the following year, it was civilly established as "Saint Ignace du Côteau du Lac". In 1845, it was formed into a municipality, but was abolished in 1847. It was reestablished in 1855 as the Parish Municipality of Saint-Ignace-du-Côteau-du-Lac.
In 1907, the Village Municipality of Côteau-du-Lac was formed out of Saint-Ignace-du-Côteau-du-Lac. These two entities merged again on 6 February 1982, to form the Municipality of Coteau-du-Lac, which changed statutes in 2007 to become a city.
The city has also faced its share of challenges. In mid-2013, around 120 people were temporarily evacuated, and two people died after an explosion in the local fireworks factory. In early April 2023, 3,672 people lost electric power for up to several days due to a massive power outage caused by an extended period of freezing rain in the region.
According to the 2021 Census of Population conducted by Statistics Canada, Coteau-du-Lac had a population of 7,473 living in 2,928 of its 3,025 total private dwellings. This represented a change of 6.1% from its 2016 population of 7,044. With a land area of 46.87 km2 (18.10 sq mi), the city had a population density of 159.4/km2 (413.0/sq mi) in 2021.
