Ragueneau, a parish municipality in Quebec, Canada, is a charming destination nestled on Outardes Bay on the north shore of the Saint Lawrence River. This article explores the rich history and demographics of this unique community.
The history of Ragueneau dates back to 1920 when the first settlers arrived, primarily from Saint-Paul-du-Nord, Les Escoumins, and Sainte-Anne-de-Portneuf. In the same year, Ragueneau Township was proclaimed and named in honor of Jesuit Paul Ragueneau (1608-1680). The community saw further development in 1926 with the opening of its post office.
Three communities, Rivière-à-la-Truite in the north-east, Ruisseau-Vert in the centre, and Ragueneau in the south-west, developed concurrently along the shores of the Saint Lawrence. Over time, Ruisseau-Vert, the hub of administrative, commercial, cultural, and religious activities, became known as Ragueneau itself. The Parish Municipality of Ragueneau was officially incorporated in 1951.
According to the 2021 Census of Population conducted by Statistics Canada, Ragueneau had a population of 1,314 living in 613 of its 713 total private dwellings. This represented a slight decrease of -2.2% from its 2016 population of 1,343. With a land area of 179.83 km2 (69.43 sq mi), the population density in 2021 was 7.3/km2 (18.9/sq mi).
The population trend over the years has been as follows:
In terms of language, the community is predominantly French-speaking, with 97.7% of the population reporting French as their first language. English as a first language was reported by 0% of the population, while 2.3% reported other languages as their first language. No residents reported both English and French as their first language.
