Saint-Marc-des-Carrières is a charming town nestled in the Capitale-Nationale region of Quebec, Canada. This town, part of the Portneuf Regional County Municipality, has earned the title of the Rock Capital of Portneuf County. This moniker is a nod to the significant role its rock quarries have played in the local economy. The town's name itself references these quarries, as 'carrière' translates to 'quarry' in English.
Since the early 19th century, Saint-Marc-des-Carrières has been renowned for its Trenton Limestone quarries. This limestone was used extensively in construction projects during that era. The village, initially known as Poiré, established its post office in 1863. By 1901, the village was renamed Châteauvert, in honor of Georges Châteauvert. Châteauvert was not only the postmaster but also the owner of the rock quarries and the first mayor from 1901 to 1903.
In the same year, the Parish of Saint-Marc-des-Carrières was formed by separating from Saint-Alban, Grondines, and Saint-Joseph-de-Deschambault. It became a civil parish a year later. After 1911, the village adopted its parish name. In 1918, it was incorporated as the Village Municipality of Saint-Marc-des-Carrières. The town achieved city status on June 12, 2004.
According to the 2021 Census of Population conducted by Statistics Canada, Saint-Marc-des-Carrières had a population of 2,901. This figure represents a slight decrease of -0.3% from its 2016 population of 2,911. The town, with a land area of 17.29 km2 (6.68 sq mi), had a population density of 167.8/km2 (434.6/sq mi) in 2021.
The population trend over the years is as follows:
In terms of language, the majority of the population speaks French as their first language (98.3%), followed by English (0.4%), and other languages (1.3%). No residents reported speaking both English and French as their first language.
