Montebello, a charming municipality nestled in the Papineau Regional County Municipality of Western Quebec, Canada, is a destination that offers a unique blend of history and natural beauty. With a population of 1,039 permanent residents as per the 2001 census, this quaint village spans an area of 7.95 square kilometres. Located at the eastern edge of Quebec's Outaouais region, Montebello is conveniently situated on the border with Ontario.
The village of Montebello is renowned for the Château Montebello resort, the largest log structure ever built. This resort has been the host of significant global events such as the 1983 NATO Nuclear Planning Group and the 1981 G7 Economic Summit.
Just to the north of Montebello, in Notre-Dame-de-Bonsecours, is Parc Omega, a large drive-through wildlife park. Since 2005, Montebello has also been hosting the Amnesia Rockfest, which has grown to become Canada's largest rock festival. Past performers at this event include renowned bands and artists such as System of a Down, Blink-182, Alice Cooper, The Offspring, Korn, Marilyn Manson, Linkin Park, Rise Against, and Dream Theater.
The non-native settlement of Montebello began when Joseph Papineau purchased the land of the Petite Nation Seigneury in 1801. In 1817, Louis-Joseph Papineau inherited the property and built the Manor of Montebello starting in 1846. This manor is now a National Historic Site in the national park system, operated by Parks Canada.
Adjacent to Manoir Papineau is the Family Museum, which is listed on the national Register of Historic Places. Louis-Joseph is credited with naming the location "Monte-Bello" in 1854 as a tribute to Louis Napoleon Lannes, Duke of Montebello, a French diplomat he had met during his exile in France from 1839 to 1845.
In 1855, the village established its post office, and in 1878, it separated from the Parish Municipality of Notre-Dame-de-Bon-Secours-de-la-Petite-Nation to form the Village Municipality of Montebello. On August 2, 2003, its status was changed, and it became the Municipality of Montebello.
In 2007, Montebello was the site of a major trilateral summit meeting involving the President of the United States (George W. Bush), the Prime Minister of Canada (Stephen Harper), and the President of Mexico (Felipe Calderón). This meeting, held at the Château Montebello, was in relation to the Security and Prosperity Partnership of North America.
The linguistic diversity of Montebello is reflected in the mother tongue of its residents. While 89.8% of the population speaks French as their first language, 5.6% have English as their first language. Additionally, 2.0% of the population is bilingual, with both English and French as their first language, and another 2.0% speaks other languages as their first language.
