Saint-Joseph-du-Lac, a charming municipality in the Laurentides region of Quebec, Canada, is part of the Deux-Montagnes Regional County Municipality. This article explores the rich history, transportation, and demographics of this unique community.
The territory of Saint-Joseph-du-Lac was part of the Lac des Deux-Montagnes Seigneury for over a century. This seigneury was granted to the Sulpician Order of the Ecclesiastical Seminary of St. Sulpice in Paris on October 17, 1717. The Sulpicians, already lords of the Island of Montreal, signed 25 concessions in 1783. From 1782 to 1793, 81 lands on the Saint-Joseph side were granted to settlers.
In 1803, the Côte Saint-Joseph Road was extended northward to facilitate travel to Saint-Benoît. Around 1850, the inhabitants of the Saint-Joseph Concession initiated the process to establish a parish, which was formally established in 1853. On July 1, 1855, the Parish Municipality of Saint-Joseph was formed, extending over a length of 10 kilometres from Lake of Two Mountains to the limits of Saint-Benoît Parish, with a width of 3.5 kilometres. The population at that time was 1020 people in about 180 families.
In 1856, the post office opened, identified as Saint-Joseph-du-Lac to distinguish it from other locations called Saint-Joseph. This name eventually came to be used for the entire municipality. In 1953, the southern portion of the municipality along Lake of Two Mountains separated from Saint-Joseph-du-Lac and became the Village Municipality of Pointe-Calumet.
The 1970s saw the construction of Autoroute 640 through Saint-Joseph-du-Lac, leading to economic pressure on the municipality. This resulted in new housing developments for Montreal commuters and a noticeable growth in population that had previously been stable for nearly 80 years. Over the next two decades, several more new developments were built, including the Paquin, Brunet, and Parc Sectors.
Saint-Joseph-du-Lac is served on Highway 344 by routes 80 and 81 of the Exo Laurentides sector from Terminus Saint-Eustache via the Deux-Montagnes station. The other end for both routes is in Pointe-Calumet.
The population of Saint-Joseph-du-Lac has seen steady growth over the years. The population in 2021 was 7031, a 5.1% increase from 2016. The population in 2016 was 6687, a 7.9% increase from 2011. The population in 2011 was 6195, a significant 24.9% increase from 2006. The population in 2006 was 4958, a slight 1.6% increase from 2001. The population in 2001 was 4882, slightly less than the 4930 residents in 1996. The population in 1991 was 4312.
The number of private dwellings occupied by usual residents is 2743, out of a total of 2819 dwellings. The mother tongue of the residents is predominantly French, with 93.7% of the population speaking it as their first language. English is the first language for 3.5% of the population, while 1.1% speak both English and French as their first language. Other languages make up 1.6% of the first languages spoken.
