Ferme-Neuve, Quebec, a municipality in the Antoine-Labelle Regional County Municipality, is a gem in the Laurentides region of Quebec, Canada. As the largest incorporated municipality in the Laurentides region, Ferme-Neuve is nestled on the shores of the Du Lièvre River and Journalists Lake. It is conveniently located along Quebec Route 309, approximately 20 kilometres north of Mont-Laurier.
In the 19th century, Ferme-Neuve, Quebec, began to attract loggers due to its abundant red and white pine stands. The James MacLaren logging company established a large tree farm, "La Ferme de la Montagne," in 1850, which served as a supply camp for loggers. Cyrille Lafontaine purchased the farm in 1888, and his son Léonard became the first settler and farmer of Ferme-Neuve.
The Ferme-Neuve Post Office opened in 1898, marking a significant milestone in the area's development. In 1902, under the guidance of Lomer Gouin, Minister of Colonization, a group of eight Montreal journalists built a model farm to attract more settlers. They also initiated a public subscription to construct a school. In their honor, the lake adjacent to the settlement was named Lac des Journalistes ("Lake of Journalists").
The United Township Municipality of Würtele-Moreau-et-Gravel was formed in 1902, with Toussaint Cloutier as its first mayor. Ferme-Neuve separated from the united township and became an incorporated village in 1917, with Henri Berthiaume as its first mayor. The United Township Municipality of Würtele-Moreau-et-Gravel was renamed the Parish Municipality of Ferme-Neuve in 1930. On December 24, 1997, both entities merged to form the new Municipality of Ferme-Neuve.
The population of Ferme-Neuve, Quebec, has seen some changes over the years. Prior to the amalgamation, the population in 1996 was 913 for the Parish of Ferme-Neuve and 2,178 for the Village of Ferme-Neuve. In 1991, the Parish of Ferme-Neuve had 907 residents, while the Village of Ferme-Neuve had 2,267.
The community is home to 1,276 private dwellings occupied by usual residents, out of a total of 1,453 dwellings. The mother tongue of the residents is predominantly French, with 98.8% of the population speaking it as their first language. English is the first language for 0.8% of the population, while 0.4% speak another language as their first language. No residents reported speaking both English and French as their first language.
