Terrebonne, an off-island suburb of Montreal, is nestled in the southwestern region of Quebec, Canada. It is strategically located in the North Shore region of the Montreal area, north of Laval across the Rivière des Mille-Îles. Terrebonne is divided into three sectors: Lachenaie, La Plaine, and Terrebonne. These sectors were once distinct cities, but they merged on 22 August 2001 to form the city of Terrebonne. As of the 2021 Canadian Census, Terrebonne boasts a population of 119,944, making it Montreal's third-largest suburb and the largest city on the North Shore.
The town of Lachenaie, founded in 1683 by Lord Charles Aubert de Lachenaye, is the oldest of the three towns that were merged. The colonization of this area began in earnest in 1647 when Lachenaie was merged with the Repentigny Seigniory. The Seigniory of Terrebonne was acquired by Louis Lepage de Ste-Claire, a priest and canon, on 2 September 1720. He built the first church in 1734 and the first manor in 1735. A few years later, he equipped the town with both a saw mill and a flour mill.
La Plaine was founded in 1830 on fragments of other towns, namely Mascouche, Sainte-Anne-des-Plaines, Saint-Lin, and Terrebonne. The lords of Terrebonne and Lachenaie built the road named "chemin de la Grande Ligne" to join the two towns, now known as boulevard Laurier. The rail system was developed in 1877, stimulating economic growth and leading to the founding of the village of Saint-Joachim, which was later renamed La Plaine in 1920.
The first lord of Terrebonne was André Daulier-Deslandes, who was granted his title in 1673. Following the construction of the first wooden bridge in 1834, two main areas emerged: the commercial area of Terrebonne and the agricultural area of Saint-Louis de Terrebonne. These two cities merged in 1985.
At the time of the municipal merger in late August 2001, Lachenaie had over 20,000 residents, La Plaine had 17,000 residents, and Terrebonne had almost 46,000 residents. This merger made Terrebonne the 10th largest city in Quebec. Ten years later, the city had around 106,322 citizens on 154.6 km2 (59.7 sq mi) of land, according to the 2011 Canadian Census.
Terrebonne experiences a warm summer humid continental climate (Köppen climate classification Dfb) with warm and hot humid summers and cold winters. The average high and lows vary on location, so the record highs and average highs will be in southern Terrebonne while the record lows and average lows will be in northern Terrebonne. The record high is 36.4°C (97.5°F) in July 2018 in southern Terrebonne, and the record low is -38.0°C (-39.5°F) in February 1994 in Northern Terrebonne.
In the 2021 Census of Population conducted by Statistics Canada, Terrebonne had a population of 119,944 living in 45,247 of its 46,056 total private dwellings, a change of 7.5% from its 2016 population of 111,575. With a land area of 153.76 km2 (59.37 sq mi), it had a population density of 780.1/km2 (2,020.4/sq mi) in 2021.
The pre-industrial complex of the Île-des-moulins was amongst the most important ones in the province of Quebec during the 19th century. Although several infrastructures have degraded, a total of five buildings remain. The fourth lord of Terrebonne, Abbot Louis Lepage, had ordered the construction of the first flour mill in 1721 as well as the first saw mill around 1725.
The Moulin-Neuf dam allows for the flow regulation of the Rivière des Mille Îles, as well as ice accumulation control in the spring. The first dam at the Île-des-moulins was built in 1721, following the establishment of the very first flour mill. This dam linked the Île-des-moulins to the Ile Saint-Jean, passing through the small Île aux moutons, located midway between the two islands in the Rivière des Mille Îles.
The actual Saint-Louis-de-France Church in Old Terrebonne (Vieux Terrebonne), near the historical site of the Île-des-moulins, was established in 1878, while the parish was founded in 1723 by Louis Lepage de Sainte-Claire, priest of the diocese of Quebec, parish priest of the Île Jésus, and lord of the Seigniory of Terrebonne. The parish was part of the diocese of Saint-Jérôme.
Terrebonne is connected to Montreal's Central Station by commuter rail via the Terrebonne station of the Réseau de transport métropolitain (RTM) Mascouche line. The city of Terrebonne is also equipped with a bus network, also operated by the RTM, which enables residents to reach several metro stations both in Laval and Montreal, amongst many other locations.
Terrebonne has been twinned with Vitré, France since 1983.
