Rawdon, Quebec, a municipality nestled on the Ouareau River in southwestern Quebec, Canada, is a charming destination approximately 60 kilometres north of Montreal. As the seat for the Regional County Municipality of Matawinie, in the Lanaudière region, Rawdon is a significant part of the Joliette federal electoral district. This predominantly French-speaking tourist resort is also home to one English public school, four French public schools, and a medium-sized ski resort.
Rawdon, Quebec, is situated at the beginning of the Canadian Shield mountains, making it a picturesque destination for summer tourism. The town's lakes and mountains are dotted with camps and cottages, offering a serene escape from the hustle and bustle of city life. Rawdon is also home to the Dorwin and Manchester falls, which are less than a kilometre from downtown and feature a public beach on the artificial Rawdon Lake. The town experiences a wide range of temperatures, with summer highs reaching 35 °C (95 °F) and winter lows dropping to −30 °C (−22 °F).
Established in 1799, Rawdon, Quebec, was named after Sir Francis Rawdon-Hastings, the 1st Marquess of Hastings. Initially, the town was primarily home to people of Irish background until 1844, when an influx of French-Canadians settled in the region, leading to the emergence of small shops and industries. Following the First World War and the October Revolution, Rawdon welcomed a considerable number of Russian, Ukrainian, and Belarusian noble families from the Polish–Lithuanian Commonwealth. Originally part of Montcalm County, Rawdon was divided into two separate municipalities, the Township of Rawdon and the Village of Rawdon, from 1920 to 1998. They were united into a single municipality in 1998. On November 8, 2021, former pro wrestler Raymond Rougeau was elected mayor.
Rawdon, Quebec, is a vibrant community that sees its population double and sometimes even triple during the summer due to tourism and the presence of many cottages in the vicinity. The town has 4532 private dwellings occupied by usual residents out of a total of 5422 dwellings.
The linguistic landscape of Rawdon, Quebec, is predominantly French, with 85.7% of the population speaking French as their first language. English is the first language for 8.8% of the population, while 2.2% are bilingual, speaking both English and French as their first language. Other languages make up 3.2% of the first languages spoken in Rawdon.
