01- Gatineau

Country Canada

Province Quebec

Population:

100,702 (1996)

242,124 (2006)

Gatineau, located just north of the city of Ottawa, Ontario, is the site of one of Canada’s largest pulp and paper mills, established in 1927. Building materials and alcohol are also produced here. Gatineau Provincial Park is adjacent to the city. [Encarta encyclopedia]

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 Official statistics about Gatineau.

City of Gatineau official website.

 Gatineau at a glance

 

Gatineau is the fourth largest agglomeration in Canada after Toronto, Montreal and Vancouver with the following distinguishing features:

The best place to live in Canada, based on its air quality, prosperity, purchasing power, cost of housing and crime rate.

Lowest cost of living of all major North American cities according to Wikitravel web site.

63% of its inhabitants speak both official languages, making it the most bilingual city in Canada.

Gatineau has 7000 businesses within its territory, 1800 of which are in the high tech sector.

There are 15 industrial parks within Gatineau, covering a total surface area of 1740 hectares.

The Gatineau Hot Air Balloon Festival is the Canada's largest, and the world's fifth largest.

The Canadian Museum of Civilization, which is located in Gatineau, is the most visited museum in Canada.

Gatineau is the first Canadian city to adopt the urban village approach for planning and managing its residents' living environments.

The proximity of nature throughout the Gatineau territory is a unique feature that Gatineau's residents value highly.

Gatineau has close to 200 km of safe recreational pathways for safe rolling and walking.

 Immigration and cultural diversity

What is an Urban Village? (from Wikipedia)

Urban villages are seen to provide an alternative to recent patterns of urban development in many cities, especially decentralization and urban sprawl. They are generally purported to:

• Reduce car reliance and promote cycling, walking and transit use.
• Provide a high level of self containment (people working, recreating and living in the same area)
• Help facilitate strong community institutions and interaction.

The Alexandra Bridge to Quebec from Parliament Hill in Ottawa

 

The Gatineau Provincial Park

The Canadian Museum of Civilization