Saint-Gabriel, Quebec

Saint-Gabriel is a town in the Lanaudière region of Quebec, Canada, part of the D'Autray Regional County Municipality. It is located on the shores of Lake Maskinongé, in the shadows of the Laurentian Mountains.HistoryThe first settlers were Loyalists, Irish, and Scottish, arriving around 1825 to the shores of Lake Maskinongé, where they formed a community that was known as Lake Maskinongé Settlement by 1827, and later as the Mission of Lac-Maskinongé. In 1837, the name Saint-Gabriel-du-Lac-Maskinongé came in use but was changed to Saint-Gabriel-de-Brandon in 1840. This name refers to the angel Gabriel and the geographic township of Brandon that was proclaimed in 1827 and in which it is located.In 1851, the Parish of Saint-Gabriel-de-Brandon was founded and the post office opened that same year. In 1855, the Saint-Gabriel-de-Brandon Parish Municipality was established and the town of Saint-Gabriel remained part of this parish municipality until 1892, when it separated and became the Village Municipality of Saint-Gabriel-de-Brandon. In 1967, it changed its status and name to Ville de Saint-Gabriel by then Mayor Yvan Comeau.DemographicsPopulation trend: Population in 2011: 2844 Population in 2006: 2828 Population in 2001: 2775 Population in 1996: 2862 Population in 1991: 2710 Private dwellings occupied by usual residents: 1340 Mother tongue: English as first language: 3.5% French as first language: 96.1% English and French as first language: 0% Other as first language: 0.4%