La Vallée-du-Richelieu Regional County Municipality
La Vallée-du-Richelieu (The Valley of the Richelieu) is a regional county municipality in the Montérégie region in southwestern Quebec, Canada. Its seat is McMasterville.
La Vallée-du-Richelieu | |
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Regional county municipality | |
Location in province of Quebec. | |
Coordinates: 45°34′N 73°12′W | |
Country | Canada |
Province | Quebec |
Region | Montérégie |
Effective | January 1, 1982 |
County seat | McMasterville |
Government | |
• Type | Prefecture |
• Prefect | Gilles Plante |
Area | |
• Total | 605.50 km2 (233.78 sq mi) |
• Land | 588.60 km2 (227.26 sq mi) |
Population (2016) | |
• Total | 124,420 |
• Density | 211.4/km2 (548/sq mi) |
• Change 2011-2016 | 6.5% |
• Dwellings | 49,971 |
Time zone | UTC−5 (EST) |
• Summer (DST) | UTC−4 (EDT) |
Area code(s) | 450 and 579 |
Website | www |
It surrounds the Richelieu River as the river flows north from Lake Champlain in the United States to the Saint Lawrence River northeast of Montreal at Sorel-Tracy, Quebec. Dramatically different from the mountainous terrain to the south, the river valley is a vast plain that has been developed with extensive farmlands.
In the 21st century, the Richelieu River is very popular for both U.S. and Canadian recreational boaters, providing a connection that can bring boaters all the way from the outlet of the Saint Lawrence River to New York Harbor. A number of old fortifications exist dating back to the 17th century; they were built by the French in an effort to try to prevent the Iroquois from using the river as a way to attack the French settlers in the area. Fort Richelieu is at the mouth of the Richelieu River. Fort St. Louis (now Fort Chambly) at Chambly, Fort Sainte-Thérèse, and Fort Saint-Jean at Saint-Jean-sur-Richelieu, are on the way. Fort St. Anne Isle La Motte, Vermont in Lake Champlain is near the river's source. The region is informally known as la Vallée-des-Forts.