La Prairie, Quebec, is a charming off-island suburb of Montreal, nestled at the confluence of the Saint-Jacques River and the Saint Lawrence River in the Regional County Municipality of Roussillon. As of the 2011 Canada Census, this southwestern Quebec town was home to 23,357 residents.
The first Europeans to settle in La Prairie were French Jesuits, who named the area La Prairie de la Magdelaine, also known as François-Xavier-des-Prés. The land was gifted to the Jesuits by Jacques de La Ferté and the Company of One Hundred Associates in 1647. The story of Kateri Tekakwitha, a significant figure in the region's history, unfolded in La Prairie.
In 1668, the area was renamed Kentaké, the Iroquois term for "at the prairie". Throughout the early history of Quebec, La Prairie was frequently visited by Iroquois and English settlers from New York. The end of the Seven Years' War in 1763 saw La Prairie becoming part of the British Empire's Province of Quebec.
La Prairie evolved from a village in 1845 to a city in 1909. Historically, it served as a crucial transportation hub, connecting Montreal ferries with the land route to Saint-Jean-sur-Richelieu. The first railway line in British North America, the Champlain and St. Lawrence Railroad, was established here in 1836.
La Prairie, like the rest of southwestern Quebec, experiences a temperate climate with hot summers and cold winters. Winters can be long and harsh, with temperatures occasionally dropping below -30 °C. Summers, on the other hand, can see temperatures soaring above 30 °C.
According to the 2021 Census of Population conducted by Statistics Canada, La Prairie had a population of 26,406 living in 11,049 of its 11,309 total private dwellings. This represented a 9.5% increase from its 2016 population of 24,110. With a land area of 43.47 km2, it had a population density of 607.5/km2 in 2021.
La Prairie's transportation services are provided by CIT Le Richelain, offering both commuter and local bus services.
In 2013, plans were made to create the Grand Boisé conservation park, orchestrated by Nature-Action. The park would include Smithers' swamp and a servitude area of Hydro-Quebec, home to the western chorus frog, a vulnerable species in Quebec. However, the proposed housing development in this area has sparked controversy, with local environmental organizations opposing the plan. The debate continues, reflecting the community's commitment to preserving its natural heritage.
