Papineauville is a charming town nestled in the Outaouais region of Quebec, Canada. As the seat of the Papineau Regional County Municipality, it boasts a rich history and a vibrant community. With a population of 2,247 as of 2001, Papineauville is a quaint municipality bordered by the Petite-Nation River to the north and the Pentecost Bay of the Ottawa River to the south.
The history of Papineauville dates back to 1851 with the formation of the Parish of Sainte-Angélique. The parish municipality, bearing the same name, was established in 1855. It was named in honor of Angélique-Louise Cornud, wife of Denis-Benjamin Papineau, who generously donated land for the construction of the church and the rectory.
In the same year, a post office was established under the name Papineauville. The town's name is believed to honor either Joseph Papineau, who purchased the lordship of the Petite-Nation where the town was formed in 1801, or Denis-Benjamin Papineau, the founder of the town and brother of Louis-Joseph Papineau.
In 1896, the Village Municipality of Papineauville separated from Sainte-Angélique, with Henri Bourassa serving as its first mayor. On November 29, 2000, the Village Municipality of Papineauville and the Parish Municipality of Sainte-Angélique reunited, merging into the new Municipality of Papineauville. The name Sainte-Angélique now identifies the sector of Papineauville corresponding to the territory of the former parish municipality. On January 1, 2002, about 13 square kilometers of the Presqu'île Peninsula in the Ottawa River was transferred to the municipality of Plaisance.
The linguistic diversity of Papineauville reflects its rich cultural heritage. French is the first language for 95.2% of the population, while English is the first language for 2.1%. Bilingual residents, speaking both English and French as their first language, make up 1.4% of the population. Other languages account for 1.2% of the first languages spoken in Papineauville.
