Saint-Lambert, Quebec, is a charming city nestled on the south shore of the St. Lawrence River, opposite Montreal. This city, part of the Urban agglomeration of Longueuil in the Montérégie administrative region, is home to 22,745 people. It is divided into two main sections: the original city of Saint-Lambert and the Préville neighbourhood.
In 1636, Louis XIII of France divided seigneuries in the new colony of New France, one of which was known as La Prairie, comprising La Prairie de la Magdeleine and La Prairie de Saint-Lambert. The lower part of the latter, known as Mouillepied, was swampy. Saint-Lambert's first two permanent residents were André Marsil and André Achim in the 18th century.
The establishment of the railway in 1852 and the completion of the Victoria Bridge in 1859 provided a permanent link to the island of Montreal. This led to a significant growth in Saint-Lambert's population and the construction of new housing. Saint-Lambert achieved municipality status in 1857, village status in 1892, town status in 1898, and city status in 1921.
In the 1950s, the development of Saint-Lambert was enhanced with the building of the St. Lambert Locks in the St. Lawrence Seaway. The city's limits have barely changed since its establishment. In 2007, the city of Saint-Lambert celebrated its 150th anniversary.
Saint-Lambert is underlain by Ordovician period black shale, covered by deep clay drift over most of the town. The most common trees in Saint-Lambert are those species which tolerate poor drainage, including poplars, willows, red maple, silver maple, and green ash.
The climate of Saint-Lambert is characterized by abundant precipitation and one of the longest, warmest growing seasons in Quebec. Heavy snow is usual in winter, and several damaging ice storms have occurred over the town's history.
In the 2021 Census of Population conducted by Statistics Canada, Saint-Lambert had a population of 22,761 living in 10,552 of its 11,058 total private dwellings. Linguistically, as of the census of 2016, 73.34% of the population were native speakers of French, 12.64% English, and the rest spoke various other languages.
Saint-Lambert is home to several cultural institutions such as Le Balcon d'Art and La Foire d'Art Contemporain de Saint-Lambert. The city also hosts various large events annually, including Saint-Lambert Days, which attracts more than 80,000 people each year.
Saint-Lambert is served by Autoroute 20, Route 132, and Route 112. The city is also served by Via Rail, Amtrak, and the Réseau de transport métropolitain's Mont-Saint-Hilaire line. Bus service in Saint-Lambert is provided by the Réseau de transport de Longueuil.
Saint-Lambert, Quebec, has established partnerships with Vernon, British Columbia, Canada; Marblehead, Massachusetts, United States; and La Flèche, Pays de la Loire, France.
