Chibougamau

Chibougamau
City

Chibougamau main street

Coat of arms
Chibougamau

Location in Quebec, Canada

Coordinates (650, 3e Rue[1]): 49°55′N 74°22′W / 49.917°N 74.367°W / 49.917; -74.367Coordinates: 49°55′N 74°22′W / 49.917°N 74.367°W / 49.917; -74.367[2]
Country  Canada
Province  Quebec
Region Nord-du-Québec
RCM None
Settled 1952
Constituted November 8, 1952
Government[1]
 • Mayor Manon Cyr
 • Federal riding Abitibi—Baie-James—Nunavik—Eeyou
 • Prov. riding Ungava
Area[1][3]
 • Total 1,027.80 km2 (396.84 sq mi)
 • Land 699.31 km2 (270.01 sq mi)
Population (2011)[3]
 • Total 7,541
 • Density 10.8/km2 (28/sq mi)
 • Change (2006–11) Decrease0.3%
 • Dwellings 3,474
Time zone EST (UTC−5)
 • Summer (DST) EDT (UTC−4)
Postal code(s) G8P
Area code(s) 418 and 581
Climate Dfc
Website www.ville.chibougamau.qc.ca

Chibougamau is a town in central Quebec, Canada, located on Lake Gilman. It has a population of 7,541 people (Canada 2011 Census). Chibougamau is completely surrounded by, but not part of, the Municipality of Baie-James.

Due to its remoteness from Lac Saint-Jean (over 200 km (124 mi) south-east) and Abitibi-Témiscamingue (over 250 km (155 mi) south-west) areas, Chibougamau provides services for the few small communities surrounding it (Mistissini, Oujé-Bougoumou and Chapais) and for the regional resource-based industries. Despite Chibougamau's remoteness, it is only about as far north as Winnipeg.

Nearby are Lake Aux Dorés and the vast Lake Chibougamau, after which the town was named. Chibougamau means "Gathering place" in the Cree language. The neighbouring Cree village of Oujé-Bougoumou is a more traditional Cree spelling of the same name.

The area surrounding Lake Gilman is Obalski Park. Its amenities include a beach, pier, picnic tables, cabins, among others. The many trails allow for hiking, cycling, cross-country skiing, or even snowmobiling through the park's boreal forest.

Access to the town is by Route 167 from Lac Saint-Jean and by Route 113 from Lebel-sur-Quevillon. Chibougamau's airport is along Route 113, about halfway to Chapais.

History

The area has long been part of the Cree territory. It was in the early 17th century that French explorers and traders, including Charles Albanel in 1671, came to the Lake Chibougamau area. But no permanent European settlements were established at that time.

Not until the late 19th Century did the area attract the interest of mining prospectors. When gold was discovered in 1903, there were periods of intense exploration. Due to the difficulty of access,[4] no lasting development took place at that time. Not until 1949 was copper first exploited,[5] with the opening of a multi-metallic mine in the area, and a permanent community was established in 1952.[5] Chibougamau started out as a company town but soon after, in 1954, it was incorporated as a municipality. Many mines have exploited the area since. While still thought of as a mining town, Chibougamau is now also the centre of a large logging and sawmill[5] industry.

During the 1950s and 1960s, the Royal Canadian Air Force operated a radar station in Chibougamau as part of the Pinetree Line.

Since December 2001, the mayor of Chibougamau is also part of the municipal council of Municipality of Baie-James.

The city is home to an annual "Folies frettes" festival ("Cold Follies") and a snowmobile rally.[5]

Demographics

Historical populations
YearPop.±%
19918,855—    
19968,664−2.2%
20017,922−8.6%
20067,563−4.5%
20117,541−0.3%
[6]
Canada 2006 Census Population % of Total Population
Visible minority group
Source:[7]		 Chinese 35 0.5
Black 15 0.2
Latin American 15 0.2
Other visible minority 5 0
Total visible minority population 70 0.9
Aboriginal group
Source:[7] 		First Nations 50 0.7
Métis 85 1.1
Inuit 0 0
Total Aboriginal population 140 1.9
White 7,320 97.2
Total population 7,530 100

Private dwellings occupied by usual residents: 3222 (total dwellings: 3474)

First language:

Education

French-language schools in Chibougamau, past and present, are:

The English-language school is MacLean Memorial School , formerly Chibougamau Protestant School. There also used to be a Catholic English-language school called Holy Family School.

Climate

Chibougamau has a subarctic climate (Köppen climate classification Dfc), despite being located just south of 50 degrees latitude. Winters are long, cold, and snowy with a January high of −13.5 °C (7.7 °F) and a low of −24.2 °C (−11.6 °F). Summers are warm though short with a July high of 22.2 °C (72.0 °F) and a low of 10.5 °C (50.9 °F). Overall precipitation is high for a subarctic climate with an average annual precipitation of 996 millimetres (39 in) and 313 centimetres (123 in) of snow per season. Precipitation is significant year round though February through April are drier.[8]

Climate data for Chapais (1981−2010) (49°47′N 074°51′W / 49.783°N 74.850°W / 49.783; -74.850 (Chapais)) approximately 37 km (23 mi) southwest
Month Jan Feb Mar Apr May Jun Jul Aug Sep Oct Nov Dec Year
Record high °C (°F) 8.5
(47.3)		 9.0
(48.2)		 16.0
(60.8)		 28.0
(82.4)		 31.5
(88.7)		 34.5
(94.1)		 35.0
(95)		 33.3
(91.9)		 29.0
(84.2)		 24.4
(75.9)		 17.8
(64)		 11.0
(51.8)		 35.0
(95)
Average high °C (°F) −13.5
(7.7)		 −10.3
(13.5)		 −3.3
(26.1)		 5.2
(41.4)		 13.9
(57)		 20.0
(68)		 22.2
(72)		 20.5
(68.9)		 14.2
(57.6)		 6.7
(44.1)		 −1.9
(28.6)		 −9.3
(15.3)		 5.4
(41.7)
Daily mean °C (°F) −18.8
(−1.8)		 −16.2
(2.8)		 −9.5
(14.9)		 −0.3
(31.5)		 8.1
(46.6)		 14.1
(57.4)		 16.4
(61.5)		 15.0
(59)		 9.7
(49.5)		 3.1
(37.6)		 −5.2
(22.6)		 −13.6
(7.5)		 0.2
(32.4)
Average low °C (°F) −24.2
(−11.6)		 −22.2
(−8)		 −15.5
(4.1)		 −5.7
(21.7)		 2.2
(36)		 8.2
(46.8)		 10.5
(50.9)		 9.5
(49.1)		 5.2
(41.4)		 −0.5
(31.1)		 −8.5
(16.7)		 −18
(0)		 −4.9
(23.2)
Record low °C (°F) −43.3
(−45.9)		 −42.8
(−45)		 −38
(−36)		 −27.2
(−17)		 −16.1
(3)		 −5.6
(21.9)		 −0.6
(30.9)		 −2.2
(28)		 −6
(21)		 −13.3
(8.1)		 −30
(−22)		 −42
(−44)		 −43.3
(−45.9)
Average precipitation mm (inches) 61.9
(2.437)		 39.4
(1.551)		 50.3
(1.98)		 56.6
(2.228)		 82.4
(3.244)		 100.1
(3.941)		 124.3
(4.894)		 100.2
(3.945)		 129.7
(5.106)		 93.9
(3.697)		 93.2
(3.669)		 63.5
(2.5)		 995.5
(39.192)
Average rainfall mm (inches) 3.2
(0.126)		 2.4
(0.094)		 8.8
(0.346)		 28.7
(1.13)		 75.5
(2.972)		 100.1
(3.941)		 124.3
(4.894)		 100.2
(3.945)		 128.6
(5.063)		 70.9
(2.791)		 36.7
(1.445)		 5.0
(0.197)		 684.4
(26.944)
Average snowfall cm (inches) 58.8
(23.15)		 37.0
(14.57)		 41.6
(16.38)		 29.5
(11.61)		 6.9
(2.72)		 0.0
(0)		 0.0
(0)		 0.0
(0)		 1.2
(0.47)		 23.0
(9.06)		 56.5
(22.24)		 58.5
(23.03)		 313
(123.23)
Average precipitation days (≥ 0.2 mm) 18.1 13.6 12.1 12.3 14.8 16.3 17.4 17.1 20.2 19.8 19.9 19.3 200.9
Average rainy days (≥ 0.2 mm) 0.55 1.1 2.4 6.7 13.6 16.3 17.4 17.1 20.1 14.5 6.1 1.3 117.15
Average snowy days (≥ 0.2 cm) 18.0 12.9 10.4 7.9 2.5 0.0 0.0 0.0 0.47 7.4 16.1 18.5 94.17
Mean monthly sunshine hours 90 122 170 164 202 234 233 208 113 84 46 66 1,732
Source #1: Environment Canada[8]
Source #2: The Weather Network(sunshine data only).[9]

See also

References

Notes

  1. 1 2 3 Geographic code 99025 in the official Répertoire des municipalités (French)
  2. ↑ Reference number 13148 of the Commission de toponymie du Québec (French)
  3. 1 2 "(Code 2499025) Census Profile". 2011 census. Statistics Canada. 2012.
  4. ↑ St.-Hilaire, Marc. "Chibougamuau", in The Canadian Encyclopedia (Edmonton: Hurtig Publishing, 1988), Volume 1, p.407.
  5. 1 2 3 4 St.-Hilaire, p.407.
  6. ↑ Statistics Canada: 1996, 2001, 2006, 2011 census
  7. 1 2 "Pickering, Ontario (City) Census Subdivision". Community Profiles, Canada 2006 Census. Statistics Canada.
  8. 1 2 "Chapais 2". Canadian Climate Normals 1981–2010. Environment Canada. Retrieved October 6, 2013.
  9. ↑ Statistics, Accessed 10 March 2012.

Sources

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