Forestville, a charming town nestled in the Côte-Nord region of Quebec, Canada, is a hidden gem waiting to be discovered. Situated on the north shore of the Saint Lawrence River along Route 138, Forestville is approximately 103 kilometres southwest of Baie-Comeau. The town offers a vehicle and passenger ferry service to Rimouski, located on the south shore of the St. Lawrence River, which is over 50 kilometres wide at this point. Forestville also operates its own airport, making it easily accessible for visitors.
Forestville is a paradise for outdoor enthusiasts. The town is renowned for its hunting and fishing opportunities, with moose hunting season being a popular event. The area is dotted with numerous lakes and rivers, making it a prime spot for fishing. In addition, Forestville offers beautiful beaches and camping spots for summer visitors, and cross-country skiing in the winter. The town is also host to the Boréal Loppet, a cross-country skiing race with varying distances, including a challenging 60 km route. From 2005 to 2011, Forestville proudly hosted the longest cross-country ski race in the world, at 103 km.
Forestville's history dates back to the First Nations, with the first European settlers arriving in 1844 following the construction of a sawmill by Edward Selvin, of Les Éboulements. In 1849, the mill was sold to William Price. The settlement was named after one of the superintendents of the Price Company, Grant William Forrest. Originally spelled Forrest-Ville, the English version of the name eventually became Forestville. The town was also known as Sault-au-Cochon, due to its location at the mouth of the Sault aux Cochons River.
The Price Company, which owned large tracts of land in the area, prospered between 1870 and 1885. However, it went into decline around 1885, leading to the mill's closure in 1890. The Forestville Post Office opened in 1937, the same year the forest industry was revitalized when the Anglo-Canadian Pulp & Paper Mills Company built a new mill. In 1942, the company built the Arboriduc log flume that carried logs for several kilometers to the port at the mouth of the Sault aux Cochons River. The Town of Forestville and the Municipality of Saint-Luc-de-Laval were established in 1944 and 1950 respectively. In 1980, Forestville and Saint-Luc-de-Laval were merged to form the new Town of Forestville.
According to the 2021 Census of Population conducted by Statistics Canada, Forestville had a population of 2,892 living in 1,476 of its 1,577 total private dwellings, a change of -6.1% from its 2016 population of 3,081. With a land area of 192.61 km2, it had a population density of 15.0/km2 in 2021. The majority of the population speaks French as their first language (99.1%), with English as the first language for 0.3% of the population.
Forestville experiences a humid continental climate (Dfb under the Köppen climate classification). Summers are mild to warm and rainy with cool nights. Winters are long, very cold, and extremely snowy, making it a perfect destination for winter sports enthusiasts.
