Chomedey, Quebec: History, Things to Do and Travel Guide
Chomedey is a district of Laval in Quebec’s Laval travel region, west of Autoroute 15 and close to the city’s civic and commercial centre. It is a dense urban district shaped by older parish land, a short-lived modern city, Laval’s 1965 municipal merger, immigrant communities, major roads, shopping areas, parks, and cultural-science attractions such as the Cosmodôme.
The best way to approach Chomedey is as a Laval district with layers. Start with the municipal history of Saint-Martin, L’Abord-à-Plouffe and Renaud, then look at the former Chomedey civic centre, downtown Laval planning, Parc du Sablon, the Cosmodôme, and the commercial streets that link the district to the rest of the island.
How Chomedey Started
Ville de Laval traces Chomedey’s deeper municipal history to the parish of Saint-Martin, created in 1774 and incorporated as a municipality in 1855. At first, Saint-Martin covered much of the southwest of Île Jésus, with rural land, roads, church-centred settlement, and later smaller municipal divisions.
Urbanization accelerated in the twentieth century. Laval’s history page describes residential construction in Saint-Martin during the 1950s, commercial growth along boulevard Curé-Labelle, and development in Renaud around projects such as McNamara, Sun Valley, and Renaud Estate. The area was no longer only agricultural; roads, housing, services, and industry were pushing it toward a new civic form.
Chomedey was created on April 1, 1961, by the merger of the city of Saint-Martin with the towns of L’Abord-à-Plouffe and Renaud. The proposed merger originally included Laval-des-Rapides, but that municipality withdrew. The new city grew quickly, welcoming steady residential and industrial development and planning a civic centre with city hall, library, theatre, and arts spaces.
The City of Laval was created in 1965, ending Chomedey’s brief life as a separate municipality. Chomedey’s city hall became Laval’s city hall, and the district remained one of the central pieces of the new island-wide city.
What Chomedey Is Like Today
Chomedey is one of Laval’s major urban districts. A local community profile, citing 2021 CISSS de Laval census material, says Chomedey has more than 94,000 people and represents 21.5 percent of Laval’s population. It is residential, commercial, institutional, and heavily connected by roads, transit routes, and shopping corridors.
The district has a more urban feel than many outer Laval neighbourhoods. Apartment buildings, older suburban streets, shopping centres, community organizations, civic services, schools, religious institutions, and restaurants sit close together. It is also one of Laval’s most multicultural districts, with community life shaped by several waves of immigration.
Chomedey is tied closely to Laval’s official downtown. The city defines downtown Laval as a central island area that extends between boulevard Chomedey, the Canadian Pacific railway, boulevard Saint-Martin Ouest, Le Corbusier, boulevard de la Concorde, Notre-Dame, Autoroute 15, and Autoroute 440. That zone includes major cultural, commercial, hotel, science, education, and civic facilities.
Things to Do and Places Nearby
The Cosmodôme is the best-known visitor attraction in Chomedey. Ville de Laval lists it at 2150 Desserte ouest des Laurentides in Chomedey, and the Cosmodôme describes itself as Canada’s only institution fully devoted to broad public education in space sciences. Visitors can plan around virtual missions, exhibitions, space-themed activities, and family programming.
Downtown Laval adds the main urban visitor layer. The city’s downtown plan identifies a cultural and institutional sector around Montmorency, a commercial and tourism area in the north, and a science-and-museum pole that includes the Cosmodôme and Musée de la santé Armand-Frappier. For travellers staying in Chomedey, this makes the district practical for hotels, restaurants, shopping, transit, and short indoor-outdoor itineraries.
Parc du Sablon gives the district a concrete local park stop. The City of Laval lists walking paths with exercise modules, play equipment, a pump track, skateboarding, inline skating, BMX, tennis, basketball, soccer, and winter rink use. The city also lists loaner sports equipment for several Chomedey parks, including Parc du Sablon.
For wider Laval context, Vimont and Fabreville show other parts of the island, while Montreal remains the main metropolitan gateway south of Laval.
Quick Facts
- Province: Quebec
- Region: Laval
- Community type: District of Laval
- 2021 population context: more than 94,000 people in Chomedey according to a local profile citing CISSS de Laval census material
- Official website: Ville de Laval
- Main travel areas: Cosmodôme, downtown Laval, former Chomedey civic area, boulevard Chomedey, boulevard Curé-Labelle, Parc du Sablon, commercial corridors, community centres, and nearby science and culture venues
- Key routes: Autoroute 15, Autoroute 13, Autoroute 440, boulevard Chomedey, boulevard Saint-Martin, boulevard Curé-Labelle, local bus routes, and Montmorency-area transit connections
- Wider route context: Laval, Montreal, Vimont, and Fabreville
Travel Notes
Chomedey is easier with a car for errands, parks, hotels, shopping, and family attractions, but transit can work for downtown Laval, Montmorency-area stops, and some routes toward Montreal. Check walking distances carefully because major roads and highway edges can make short map distances feel longer.
The Cosmodôme and downtown Laval attractions are useful in any season. Parc du Sablon and outdoor activities are strongest in mild weather, with winter rink and equipment options depending on conditions. A focused first visit is the Cosmodôme, downtown Laval, a meal or shopping stop in Chomedey, and a short park stop at Parc du Sablon.