Shawinigan

This article is about the city in Quebec. For other uses, see Shawinigan (disambiguation).

Shawinigan
City
Ville de Shawinigan
Aerial view of Saint-Maurice River and the city
Aerial view of Saint-Maurice River and the city
Coat of arms of Shawinigan
Coat of arms
Official logo of Shawinigan
Logo
Nickname: 
The City of Electricity
Motto: 
Age Quod Agis (Do what you are doing)
Shawinigan is located in Quebec
Shawinigan
Shawinigan
Location in Quebec
Shawinigan is located in Canada
Shawinigan
Shawinigan
Location in Canada.
Coordinates: 46°34′N 72°45′W / 46.567°N 72.750°W / 46.567; -72.750[1]
CountryCanada
ProvinceQuebec
RegionMauricie
RCMNone
Settled1851
ConstitutedJanuary 1, 2002
Government
[2]
 • MayorMichel Angers
 • Federal ridingSaint-Maurice—Champlain
 • Prov. ridingLaviolette and Saint-Maurice
Area
[2][3]
 • City
798.80 km2 (308.42 sq mi)
 • Land729.98 km2 (281.85 sq mi)
 • Urban
[4]
31.77 km2 (12.27 sq mi)
Population
 (2021)[3]
 • City
49,620
 • Density68/km2 (180/sq mi)
 • Urban density1,225.4/km2 (3,174/sq mi)
 • Pop 2016-2021
Increase 0.5%
 • Dwellings
27,444
Time zoneUTC−5 (EST)
 • Summer (DST)UTC−4 (EDT)
Postal code(s)
G9N to G9R
Area code819
Highways
A-55
R-153
R-155
R-157
R-351
R-359
Websitewww.shawinigan.ca

Shawinigan (/ʃəˈwɪnɪɡən/) is a city located on the Saint-Maurice River in the Mauricie area in Quebec, Canada. It had a population of 49,620 as of the 2021 Canadian census.

Shawinigan is also a territory equivalent to a regional county municipality (TE) and census division (CD) of Quebec, coextensive with the city of Shawinigan. Its geographical code is 36. Shawinigan is the seat of the judicial district of Saint-Maurice.[5]

The name Shawinigan has had numerous spellings over time: Chaouinigane, Oshaouinigane, Assaouinigane, Achawénégan, Chawinigame, Shawenigane, Chaouénigane. It may mean "south portage", "portage of beeches", "angular portage", or "summit" or "crest".[1] Before 1958, the city was known as Shawinigan Falls.

Shawinigan is the birthplace of former Prime Minister of Canada Jean Chrétien.

  1. ^ a b "Shawinigan (Ville)" (in French). Commission de toponymie du Québec. Retrieved 2010-02-11.
  2. ^ a b Cite error: The named reference mamrot was invoked but never defined (see the help page).
  3. ^ a b Cite error: The named reference cp2021 was invoked but never defined (see the help page).
  4. ^ Shawinigan (Population centre), Quebec 2021 Census profile
  5. ^ Territorial Division Act. Revised Statutes of Quebec D-11.