Estérel is a charming city nestled in the Laurentides region of Quebec, Canada. The city's municipal territory almost entirely extends around Lake Masson, with the village itself situated on the eastern shore of this picturesque lake.
The area of Estérel was initially part of the Parish Municipality of Sainte-Marguerite-du-Lac-Masson, which was formed in the early 1860s. Around 1920, Baron Louis Empain, son of Belgian industrialist Baron Édouard Empain, acquired substantially all the land around Lake Masson. His intention was to build a resort called Estérel, named after the Esterel massif in Provence, south-east France.
In 1939, the Estérel Post Office opened, marking a significant milestone in the area's development. In 1958, Fridolin Simard, an industrialist from Abitibi, bought over 2000 hectares of the baron's estate and completed the holiday resort. A year later, in 1959, the Town of Estérel was formed when it separated from Sainte-Marguerite-du-Lac-Masson.
On October 10, 2001, the Town of Estérel and the Parish Municipality of Sainte-Marguerite-du-Lac-Masson were merged to become the Town of Sainte-Marguerite–Estérel. However, after a municipal referendum on January 1, 2006, the Town of Estérel was re-established, and the Town of Sainte-Marguerite–Estérel was renamed to its former name of Sainte-Marguerite-du-Lac-Masson.
According to the 2021 Census of Population conducted by Statistics Canada, Estérel had a population of 262 living in 153 of its 377 total private dwellings. This figure represents a change of 33.7% from its 2016 population of 196. With a land area of 12.62 km2 (4.87 sq mi), it had a population density of 20.8/km2 (53.8/sq mi) in 2021.
The population trend in Estérel has been as follows:
In terms of language, the mother tongue of Estérel's residents is as follows:
Estérel, Quebec, with its rich history and vibrant community, is a must-visit destination for those seeking to explore the beauty and charm of Canada's Laurentides region.
