The Laurentides (, ) is a

region In geography, regions, otherwise referred to as areas, zones, lands or territories, are portions of the Earth's surface that are broadly divided by physical characteristics (physical geography), human impact characteristics (human geography), and ...

Quebec Quebec is Canada's List of Canadian provinces and territories by area, largest province by area. Located in Central Canada, the province shares borders with the provinces of Ontario to the west, Newfoundland and Labrador to the northeast, ...

. While it is often called the Laurentians in English, the region includes only part of the

Laurentian Mountains The Laurentian Mountains, also known as the Laurentians or Laurentides, are a mountain range in Canada. The range is long and ranges in height from with peaks over . The Laurentian Mountains extend across Labrador and Quebec within the Laurent ...

. It has a total land area of and its population was 589,400 inhabitants as of the 2016 Census. The area was historically occupied by the Weskarini Algonquin First Nation.https://morinheightshistory.org/the-indigenous-people-of-the-laurentians/ English Canadians began settling in the 1700s in towns like Arundel and Harrington and St. Columban and Clyde, today's La Conception.

French Canadian French Canadians, referred to as Canadiens mainly before the nineteenth century, are an ethnic group descended from French people, French colonists first arriving in Canada (New France), France's colony of Canada in 1608. The vast majority of ...

s began settlement in the first half of the 19th century, establishing an agricultural presence throughout the valleys. During the 20th century, the area also became a popular tourist destination, based on a cottage and lake culture in the summer, and a downhill and cross-country

ski Skis are runners, attached to the user's feet, designed to glide over snow. Typically employed in pairs, skis are attached to ski boots with ski bindings, with either a free, lockable, or partially secured heel. For climbing slopes, ski skins c ...

culture in the winter. Ski resorts include Saint-Sauveur and Mont Tremblant. The Laurentides offer a weekend escape for

Montreal Montreal is the List of towns in Quebec, largest city in the Provinces and territories of Canada, province of Quebec, the List of the largest municipalities in Canada by population, second-largest in Canada, and the List of North American cit ...

ers and tourists from New England to Ontario, and with the building of a major highway through the area in the 1970s ( Autoroute 15), the area has experienced much growth. Its largest city is

Saint-Jérôme Saint-Jérôme () ( 2021 population 80,213) is a suburban city located about northwest of Montreal on the Rivière du Nord. It is part of the North Shore sector of Greater Montreal. It is a gateway to the Laurentian Mountains and its reso ...

, in its extreme southeast, with a 2011 census population of 68,456 inhabitants.

Administrative divisions

Regional county municipalities

Indian Reserve

* Doncaster, Quebec

Major communities

* Blainville *

Boisbriand Boisbriand () is an off-island suburb of Montreal, at the entrance of the Lower-Laurentides in southwestern Quebec, Canada, on the north shore of the Rivière des Mille Îles in the Thérèse-De Blainville Regional County Municipality. Alth ...

* Deux-Montagnes *

Lachute Lachute () is a town in southwest Quebec, Canada, northwest of Montreal, on the Rivière du Nord (Laurentides), Rivière du Nord, a tributary of the Ottawa River, and west of Mirabel International Airport, the Mirabel International Airport. It i ...

* Mirabel *

Mont-Laurier Mont-Laurier () is a town and incorporated municipality in western Quebec, Canada, located on the banks of the Lièvre River (''Rivière du Lièvre''), a tributary of the Ottawa River. Known as the "Capital of the Haute-Laurentides", the motto o ...

* Rosemère

* Saint-Colomban * Saint-Eustache *

* Sainte-Anne-des-Plaines *

Sainte-Marthe-sur-le-Lac Sainte-Marthe-sur-le-Lac (, ) is an off-island suburb of Montreal, in the Canadian province of Quebec, in the Deux-Montagnes Regional County Municipality, from Montreal. It is crossed from east to west by Route 344, commonly known as Oka Road. ...

* Sainte-Sophie * Sainte-Thérèse

References

External links