Gatineau, Quebec, is a city that beautifully blends history and modernity. Located on the northern bank of the Ottawa River, it is the largest city in the Outaouais administrative region and part of Canada's National Capital Region. As of 2021, Gatineau is the fourth-largest city in Quebec, with a population of 291,041, and a census metropolitan area population of 1,488,307, making it the fourth largest in Canada. Gatineau is also the most bilingual (French-English) city in Canada.
The name Gatineau was not used in New France until 1783 when the river was mentioned as Lettinoe in a report by Lieutenant David Jones to the Governor of Quebec, Sir Frederic Haldimand. The name Gatineau first appeared on a map of Nepean Township, Ontario, in 1821. There are two hypotheses to explain the origin of the city's name. It could be of Indigenous origin, coming from the Anishinaabemowin (language of the Algonquin Anishinaabeg) Tenagatino Zibi, or of French origin, coming from the Gastineau family.
Before European settlement, the Gatineau area was inhabited by Anishinaabe peoples, including the Algonquins. The current city of Gatineau is centred on an area formerly called Hull, the oldest European colonial settlement in the National Capital Region. Hull was founded on the north shore of the Ottawa River in 1800 by Philemon Wright. The original settlement was called Wright's Town, Lower Canada, and was later renamed as Hull. In 2002, after amalgamation, Hull became part of a larger jurisdiction named the City of Gatineau.
Gatineau is located in southwestern Quebec, on the northern bank of the Gatineau River. It is situated at an elevation of around 50 m (164.042 ft). The Gatineau Hills are the foothills of the Laurentian Mountains and located in the region. Gatineau is situated close to where the Canadian shield and the Saint Lawrence Lowlands intersect. The area has several major fault lines and small earthquakes do occur somewhat regularly.
Gatineau's entire territory is drained by the Ottawa River, the main tributary of the St. Lawrence. The city is also crossed by several rivers: the Gatineau, the Lièvre and the Blanche. The territory is also criss-crossed by a dozen streams, including the ruisseau de la Brasserie, which forms an island in the downtown area.
Gatineau has a humid continental climate (Köppen Dfb) with four distinct seasons and is between Zones 5a and 5b on the Canadian Plant Hardiness Scale. The climate in Gatineau is cold and temperate. Gatineau receives significant precipitation, even during the driest month. The average temperature in this city is 6.5 °C (43.7 °F).
Gatineau is one of two major parts of the National Capital Region (French: Région de la capitale nationale), also referred to as Canada's Capital Region and Ottawa–Gatineau (formerly Ottawa–Hull). It is an official federal designation for Ottawa, Ontario, as well as the neighboring city of Gatineau, and the surrounding suburban and exurban communities.
Gatineau is divided into 5 sectors. Hull, Aylmer, Gatineau, Masson-Angers and Buckingham.
In the 2021 Census of Population conducted by Statistics Canada, Gatineau had a population of 291,041 living in 126,476 of its 133,225 total private dwellings, a change of 5.4% from its 2016 population of 276,245. With a land area of 341.84 km2 (131.99 sq mi), it had a population density of 851.4/km2 (2,205.1/sq mi) in 2021.
The 2001 census found that 4.3% of the population self-identified as having a visible minority status, including, among others, about 1.3% who self-identified as Black, about 1.0% self-identifying as Arab, 0.5% as Latin American, 0.4% as Chinese, 0.3% as Southeast Asian, 0.2% as South Asian, and about 0.1% as Filipino. First Nations comprise 2.7% of the population. The area is home to more than five thousand recent immigrants (i.e. those arriving between 2001 and 2006), who now comprise about two percent of the total population.
Gatineau is home to many attractions and cultural events. It is home to national museums such as the Canadian Museum of History and the Canadian Children's Museum. Nightlife within the city of Gatineau is mostly centered in the "Vieux-Hull" sector behind the Federal office complexes of downtown.
Gatineau is home to Les Promenades, a major shopping centre located in Canada's National Capital Region in the city of Gatineau, Quebec. The mall is the intersection of Gréber and Maloney Boulevards, one of the city's busiest intersections, and is just off Autoroute 50.
La maison de la culture is a multidisciplinary complex housing the Salle Odyssée. This 830-seat auditorium is the city's main performance venue. The complex also houses the Art-Image exhibition center, the municipal library and many other cultural activities, such as dance and the Gatineau archives.
The Casino du Lac-Leamy is also one of the largest tourist attraction in the city. In August, the Casino hosts an international fireworks competition which opposes four different countries with the winner being awarded a Prix Zeus prize for the best overall show (based on several criteria) and can return in the following year.
As Gatineau is the smaller of the two cities in its CMA, most major artist perform in Ottawa. However, since the construction of the Centre Slush Puppy, there has been a demand for more events. The first of which was Flo Rida, who was able to sell out the arena with a 3,500 capacity.
There are many parks in Gatineau. Some of them are well gardened playgrounds or resting spaces while others, like Lac Beauchamp Park, are relatively wild green areas which often merge with the woods and fields of the surrounding municipalities.
The Gatineau-Ottawa Executive Airport is Gatineau's municipal airport, capable of handling small jets. There are Canada customs facilities for aircraft coming from outside Canada, a car rental counter and a restaurant.
Ottawa and Gatineau have two distinct bus-based public transit systems with different fare structures, OC Transpo and the Société de transport de l'Outaouais. Tickets are not interchangeable between the two, however passes and transfers from one system to the other do not require payment of a surcharge on any routes.
Many Gatineau highways and major arteries feed directly into the bridges crossing over to Ottawa, but once there the roads lead into the dense downtown grid or into residential areas, with no direct connection to The Queensway. This difficulty is further magnified by the lack of a major highway on the Quebec side of the Ottawa River connecting Gatineau to Montreal, the metropolis of the province; most travellers from Gatineau to Montreal first cross over to Ottawa, and use Ontario highways to access Montreal.
