The area, first called after Cape Tourmente, is one of the first places of New France to be colonized. In 1628, it was destroyed by the Kirke Brothers but it became an agricultural centre again after 1668 when François de Laval bought land around the cape to establish farms to feed his Seminary of Quebec. A few years later, the Saint-Joachim Parish was founded, and the place became known by the parish name.[1]
In 1845, the parish municipality was formed, but abolished in 1847, and reestablished in 1855.[1]
In 1916, Saint-Joachim lost large portions of its territory when the Parish Municipality of Saint-Louis-de-Gonzague-du-Cap-Tourmente was created to separate the lands and buildings belonging to the seminary from Saint-Joachim. However, except for a small enclave, these lands have returned to Saint-Joachim over time.[5]
Demographics
In the 2021 Census of Population conducted by Statistics Canada, Saint-Joachim had a population of 1,427 living in 629 of its 682 total private dwellings, a change of -1% from its 2016 population of 1,441. With a land area of 42.33 km2 (16.34 sq mi), it had a population density of 33.7/km2 (87.3/sq mi) in 2021.[6]
