Métabetchouan–Lac-à-la-Croix is a charming city nestled in the Saguenay–Lac-Saint-Jean region of Quebec, Canada. This city is a fusion of the population centres of Métabetchouan, located on the shores of Lac Saint-Jean, and Lac-à-la-Croix, situated a few kilometres to the east on Cross Lake.
The land of Métabetchouan–Lac-à-la-Croix was originally inhabited by the indigenous Innu. The first European to visit the area was Jesuit Jean de Quen in 1647, followed by Charles Albanel in 1671. A trading post and mission were established in 1676, marking the beginning of European influence in the region.
However, the real colonization began after the proclamation of Métabetchouan Township in 1857. The first settlers arrived from the South Shore and Bagotville in 1861. The place was initially named Saint-Jérôme, in honour of Jérôme Demers, the vicar general of the Bishop of Quebec. A great fire nearly destroyed the area in 1870, sparing only a few houses. The Parish Municipality of Saint-Jérôme was formed in 1872, and the village separated and was incorporated as the Village Municipality of Saint-Jérôme in 1898.
Lac-à-la-Croix saw its first settlers in 1864. By 1910, it had grown to 800 inhabitants. Its parish was established in 1911, and it was incorporated as the Parish Municipality of Sainte-Croix in the same year. The village separated and formed the Village Municipality of Sainte-Croix in 1953, later renamed to Lac-à-la-Croix.
In 1975, the Parish and Village Municipalities of Saint-Jérôme merged to form the new City of Métabetchouan. The following year, the Parish Municipality of Sainte-Croix and the Village Municipality of Lac-à-la-Croix also merged to form the Municipality of Lac-à-la-Croix. Finally, on January 6, 1999, the City of Métabetchouan and the Municipality of Lac-à-la-Croix amalgamated to form the new city of Métabetchouan–Lac-à-la-Croix.
According to the 2021 Census of Population conducted by Statistics Canada, Métabetchouan–Lac-à-la-Croix had a population of 4,121 living in 1,806 of its 2,075 total private dwellings. This marked a 3.4% increase from its 2016 population of 3,985. With a land area of 187.49 km2, it had a population density of 22.0/km2 in 2021.
The population trend over the years has been as follows:
In terms of language, French is the dominant mother tongue, with 99.7% of the population speaking it as their first language. English is not a first language for any of the population, and 0.3% of the population speaks another language as their first language.
