Saint-Hyacinthe, Quebec, is a charming city nestled in the southwestern part of the province, east of Montreal, on the banks of the Yamaska River. As of the 2021 Canadian census, the city boasts a population of 57,239. Saint-Hyacinthe is part of the Les Maskoutains Regional County Municipality in the Montérégie region and is intersected by the Quebec Autoroute 20. The city also serves as the seat of the judicial district bearing its name.
The history of Saint-Hyacinthe dates back to 1757 when Jacques-Hyacinthe Simon dit Delorme, the owner of the seigneurie, initiated its settlement. He named the seigneurie after his patron saint, Saint Hyacinth the Confessor of Poland. The seigneurie was officially recognized as a city in 1850. The St. Hyacinth's Cathedral, erected in 1852, is the seat of the Roman Catholic Diocese of Saint-Hyacinthe.
In the 2000–06 municipal reorganization in Quebec, Saint-Hyacinthe underwent a significant expansion. On December 27, 2001, the city amalgamated with five neighboring towns, including Sainte-Rosalie (4,170), Saint-Thomas-d'Aquin (4,000), Sainte-Rosalie Parish (1,476), Saint-Hyacinthe-le-Confesseur, Quebec (1,151), and Notre-Dame-de-Saint-Hyacinthe, Quebec (858). The population figures are as of 2001.
According to the 2021 Canadian census conducted by Statistics Canada, Saint-Hyacinthe had a population of 57,239 living in 26,870 of its 28,096 total private dwellings. This figure represents a 2.9% increase from its 2016 population of 55,648. With a land area of 188.85 km2 (72.92 sq mi), the city had a population density of 303.1/km2 (785.0/sq mi) in 2021.
The city is home to a diverse population. In 2021, 9.8% of Saint-Hyacinthe residents were visible minorities, 1.3% were Indigenous, and the remaining 88.9% were white/European. The largest visible minority groups were Black (4.4%), Latin American (3.1%), and Arab (1.4%). The city is predominantly Christian, with 71.8% of residents identifying as such, down from 88.8% in 2011. Non-religious or secular people accounted for 25.0% of the population, up from 9.9% in 2011.
In terms of language, French was the mother tongue of 90.9% of residents. Other common first languages included Spanish (3.1%), Arabic (0.9%), and English (0.9%).
