Lacolle, Quebec

Lacolle
Lacolle
Municipality
	Town hall
	Location within Le Haut-Richelieu RCM
	Lacolle Location within southern Quebec
	Coordinates: 45°05′N 73°22′W / 45.083°N 73.367°W
Country	Canada
Province	Quebec
Region	Montérégie
RCM	Le Haut-Richelieu
Constituted	September 13, 2001
Government
• Mayor	Jacques Lemaistre-Caron
• Federal riding	Saint-Jean
• Prov. riding	Huntingdon
Area
• Total	53.50 km2 (20.66 sq mi)
• Land	49.64 km2 (19.17 sq mi)
Population (2011)
• Total	2,680
• Density	54.0/km2 (140/sq mi)
• Pop 2006-2011	6.7%
• Dwellings	1,185
Time zone	UTC−5 (EST)
• Summer (DST)	UTC−4 (EDT)
Postal code(s)	J0J 1J0
Area code(s)	450 and 579
Highways	R-221 ; R-223 ; R-202
Website	www.lacolle.com

Lacolle (French pronunciation: [lakɔl]) is a municipality in southern Quebec, Canada, located in the administrative area of the Montérégie, on the Canada–United States border. The population as of the Canada 2011 Census was 2,680. The Lacolle River runs eastward through the middle of the town and empties in Richelieu River. More people cross the border illegally from the United States there than at any other point. Almost nineteen thousand people were detained in 2017.^[5] The nearest town across the border is Champlain, New York.

History

The written history of Lacolle can be traced back to July 4, 1609, when Samuel de Champlain and his entourage stopped briefly at the mouth of a small stream for a meal before continuing southward up the Richelieu River into the lake which now bears his name. In his journal, Champlain referred to the location of the delta as "Lacole". When translated literally, the term means the neck of a bottle or that which is above the shoulders.

Lacolle was the site of three battles in the early 19th Century. Two of the battles took place during the War of 1812. The Battle of Lacolle Mills (1812) was a short engagement in which a small garrison of Canadien Militia, with the assistance of Kahnawake Mohawk warriors, defended a makeshift log blockhouse from an American invasion force led by Major General Henry Dearborn.^[6] In the Battle of Lacolle Mills (1814) a garrison of 80 men of the 13th Regiment of Foot and a Congreve rocket detachment of the Royal Marine Artillery, later reinforced by a company of the Canadian Voltigeurs and the Grenadier company of the Canadian Fencibles successfully defended a blockhouse and stone mill building from an attacking American force of 4,000 men led by Major General James Wilkinson.^[7]^[8]^[9]

The Battle of Lacolle was fought on November 7, 1838, between Loyal Lower Canada volunteer forces under Major John Scriver and Lower Canada rebels under Colonel Ferdinand-Alphonse Oklowski. The half hour battle ended in a rebel defeat.^[10]^[11]

Demographics

Population

Canada census – Lacolle community profile

	2021	2011
Population	2,708 (+4.3% from 2016)	2,680 (+6.7% from 2006)
Land area	49.41 km² (19.08 sq mi)	49.64 km² (19.17 sq mi)
Population density	54.8/km² (142/sq mi)	54.0/km² (140/sq mi)
Median age	45.6 (M: 46.4, F: 44.8)	43.2 (M: 42.2, F: 44.2)
Private dwellings	1,278 (total) 1,188 (occupied)	1,185 (total)
Median household income	$72,000	$44,227

Notes: Amalgamated with Notre-Dame-du-Mont-Carmel on January 1, 2002.
References: 2021^[12] 2011^[4] earlier^[13]^[14]

Historical Census Data - Lacolle, Quebec^[15]

Year	Pop.	±%
1991	1,392	—
1996	1,554	+11.6%

Year	Pop.	±%
2001	1,503	−3.3%
2002M	2,402	+59.8%

Year	Pop.	±%
2006	2,512	+4.6%
2011	2,680	+6.7%

(M) merger with Notre-Dame-du-Mont-Carmel on January 1, 2002.

Language

Canada Census Mother Tongue - Lacolle, Quebec^[15]
Census	Total	French			English			French & English			Other
Year	Responses	Count	Trend	Pop %	Count	Trend	Pop %	Count	Trend	Pop %	Count	Trend	Pop %
2011	2,680	2,275	5.3%	84.89%	310	21.6%	11.57%	40	166.7%	1.49%	55	26.7%	2.05%
2006	2,505	2,160	60.0%	86.23%	255	240.0%	10.18%	15	40.0%	0.60%	75	66.7%	2.99%
2001	1,495	1,350	12.5%	90.30%	75	63.4%	5.02%	25	54.5%	1.67%	45	10.0%	3.01%
1996	1,510	1,200	n/a	79.47%	205	n/a	13.58%	55	n/a	3.64%	50	n/a	3.31%

Industry

Lacolle as a small industrial park featuring Arneg Inc, Soudure HMC inc, and a Recycling complex operated by Compo Haut-Richelieu inc. (headquartered in St-Jean-sur-Richelieu).