L'Ancienne-Lorette, a city nestled in the heart of Quebec, Canada, is a suburb and enclave within Quebec City. This city, with its rich history dating back to 1674, offers a unique blend of historical and cultural experiences for visitors and residents alike.
The history of L'Ancienne-Lorette, Quebec, began in 1674 when a group of Huron (Wyandot) fleeing war with the Iroquois settled there under the protection of the French. The Jesuits founded it as a mission village. However, the Wyandot left after a few decades, and French settlers took over the land.
Jesuit missionary Pierre Chaumonot founded a settlement here in 1674 when he built a chapel for the Huron (Wyandot). After his third and final trip to the shrine of Loreto in Italy, Chaumonot was cured of a terrible headache. In gratitude, he placed the colony under the patronage of Our Lady of the Annunciation, but it is still commonly called Lorette.
In 1697, the Huron left the village in search of better land for hunting and fishing. The site then became known in French as Vieille-Lorette ("Old Loreto") or Ancienne-Lorette ("Former Loreto"). A new location became known as Nouvelle-Lorette ("New Loreto") or Jeune-Lorette ("Young Loreto"). That site roughly corresponds to the Loretteville of today. A year later in 1698, the Parish of Notre-Dame-de-l'Annonciation was established.
In 1948, the place was incorporated as the village municipality of Notre-Dame-de-Lorette. In 1967, it gained town status and took back its original name, L'Ancienne-Lorette, to distinguish itself from the Notre-Dame-de-Lorette Lac-Saint-Jean region.
Until 1971, L'Ancienne-Lorette was the gateway to Quebec's International Airport, known as L'Ancienne-Lorette Airport. In 1971 the rural section of the town that included the airport was annexed by Sainte-Foy.
On January 1, 2002, L'Ancienne-Lorette was merged with Quebec City as part of a province-wide municipal reorganization and became part of the Laurentien borough of that city. After a 2004 referendum, it regained independent city status on January 1, 2006.
According to the 2021 Census of Population conducted by Statistics Canada, L'Ancienne-Lorette had a population of 16,970 living in 7,314 of its 7,516 total private dwellings, a change of 2.6% from its 2016 population of 16,543. With a land area of 7.72 km2 (2.98 sq mi), it had a population density of 2,198.2/km2 (5,693.3/sq mi) in 2021.
The mother tongue of the residents is predominantly French, with 94.2% of the population speaking it as their first language. English is the first language for 1.1% of the population, while 0.8% speak both English and French as their first language. Other languages make up 3.5% of the first languages spoken.
In terms of ethnicity, L'Ancienne-Lorette was 94.3% White, 1.6% Black, 1.2% Latin American, and 1% Arab in 2021.
The population trend of L'Ancienne-Lorette has been steadily increasing since 1951, with a notable increase from 8,304 in 1971 to 16,970 in 2021.
L'Ancienne-Lorette, Quebec, with its rich history and diverse demographics, offers a unique blend of cultural and historical experiences for visitors and residents alike.
