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Cap-Chat
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<h2 id="history">History</h2> <p>There are two theories about the origin of the town's name. One simply holds that the headland called Cap-Chat bore a likeness to a <a href="/facts/Cat/82d0y6D5">cat</a> ("chat" in <a href="/facts/French_language/qe1DnaQh">French</a>). The other theory is a bit more fanciful. According to a local legend, a cat walking along the shore killed and ate various animals, whereupon the "cat fairy" accused him of having eaten her offspring. For his punishment, the cat was turned into stone for ever.<a class="footnote-ref" id="fnref:2" href="#fn:2"><sup>2</sup></a> </p><p>It seems most likely, however, that the town's name is a corruption of "<a href="/facts/Aymar_de_Chaste/x6xhzC9t">Aymar de Chaste</a>", who was <a href="/facts/New_France/zDK9hedl">New France</a>'s lieutenant-general in 1603. <a href="/facts/Samuel_de_Champlain/jRhnMcAD">Samuel de Champlain</a> named this area C. de Chatte in 1612, then Cap de Chatte in 1626. The name became Cap de Chat in 1685.<a class="footnote-ref" id="fnref:3" href="#fn:3"><sup>3</sup></a> </p><p>The waterfront boardwalk at Cap-Chat has a display of photographs and informative plaques regarding the Second World War Battle of the St. Lawrence between U-Boats and coastal defence ships. </p><p>On October 19, 1968, The Town of Cap-Chat was formed through the merger of Parish Municipality of Saint-Norbert-du-Cap-Chat and the Village Municipality of Cap-Chat.<a class="footnote-ref" id="fnref:4" href="#fn:4"><sup>4</sup></a> </p><p>Cap-Chat was one of the prime viewing areas for the total <a href="/facts/Solar_eclipse_of_July_10,_1972/FbyaujEJ">solar eclipse of July 10, 1972</a>. Unfortunately, cloudy skies prevented most observers from viewing the total phase of the eclipse. </p><p>On March 15, 2000, the Municipality of Capucins was amalgamated into the Town of Cap-Chat.<a class="footnote-ref" id="fnref:5" href="#fn:5"><sup>5</sup></a> </p> <h2 id="demographics">Demographics</h2> <p>In the <a href="/facts/2021_Canadian_census/eswC1hxC">2021 Census of Population</a> conducted by <a href="/facts/Statistics_Canada/CxVJhh6I">Statistics Canada</a>, Cap-Chat had a population of 2,516 living in 1,225 of its 1,405 total private dwellings, a change of 1.6% from its 2016 population of 2,476. With a land area of 181.31 km2 (70.00 sq mi), it had a population density of 13.9/km2 (35.9/sq mi) in 2021.<a class="footnote-ref" id="fnref:6" href="#fn:6"><sup>6</sup></a> </p> Canada census – Cap-Chat community profile <table><tbody><tr><td></td><th scope="col"><a href="/facts/2021_Canadian_census/eswC1hxC">2021</a></th><th scope="col"><a href="/facts/2016_Canadian_census/AjAUMyjQ">2016</a></th><th scope="col"><a href="/facts/2011_Canadian_census/PH2vM6Hb">2011</a></th></tr><tr><th scope="row">Population</th><td>2,516 (+1.6% from 2016)</td><td>2,476 (-5.6%% from 2011)</td><td>2,623 (-5.5%% from 2006)</td></tr><tr><th scope="row">Land area</th><td>181.31 km2 (70.00 sq mi)</td><td>182.05 km2 (70.29 sq mi)</td><td>181.89 km2 (70.23 sq mi)</td></tr><tr><th scope="row">Population density</th><td>13.9/km2 (36/sq mi)</td><td>13.6/km2 (35/sq mi)</td><td>14.4/km2 (37/sq mi)</td></tr><tr><th scope="row">Median age</th><td>58.8 (M: 58.8, F: 59.2)</td><td>57.0 (M: 56.5, F: 57.4)</td><td>53.7 (M: 53.1, F: 54.5)</td></tr><tr><th scope="row">Private dwellings</th><td>1,405 (total) 1,225 (occupied)</td><td>1,333 (total) </td><td>1,368 (total) </td></tr><tr><th scope="row">Median household income</th><td>$50,800</td><td>$44,971</td><td>$37,511</td></tr></tbody></table> References: 2021<a class="footnote-ref" id="fnref:7" href="#fn:7"><sup>7</sup></a> 2016<a class="footnote-ref" id="fnref:8" href="#fn:8"><sup>8</sup></a> 2011<a class="footnote-ref" id="fnref:9" href="#fn:9"><sup>9</sup></a> Historical Census Data - Cap-Chat, Quebec<table><tbody><tr><td><table><tbody><tr><th>Year</th><th>Pop.</th><th>±%</th></tr><tr><th> 1971 </th><td>3,868</td><td>— </td></tr><tr><th> 1976 </th><td>3,617</td><td>−6.5%</td></tr><tr><th> 1981 </th><td>3,464</td><td>−4.2%</td></tr><tr><th> 1986 </th><td>3,202</td><td>−7.6%</td></tr><tr><th> 1991 </th><td>2,926</td><td>−8.6%</td></tr><tr><th> 1996 </th><td>2,847</td><td>−2.7%</td></tr></tbody></table></td><td><table><tbody><tr><th>Year</th><th>Pop.</th><th>±%</th></tr><tr><th> 2001 </th><td>2,913</td><td>+2.3%</td></tr><tr><th> 2006 </th><td>2,777</td><td>−4.7%</td></tr><tr><th> 2011 </th><td>2,623</td><td>−5.5%</td></tr><tr><th> 2016 </th><td>2,476</td><td>−5.6%</td></tr><tr><th> 2021 </th><td>2,516</td><td>+1.6%</td></tr></tbody></table></td></tr><tr><td colspan="2">Source: <a class="footnote-ref" id="fnref:10" href="#fn:10"><sup>10</sup></a></td></tr></tbody></table> <h2 id="economy">Economy</h2> <p>Cap-Chat has become synonymous with <a href="/facts/Wind_energy/vlNN3u16">wind energy</a>. There is a <a href="/facts/Wind_farm/geQfaAFu">wind farm</a> there containing 76 <a href="/facts/Wind_generator/lUfWqfLg">wind generators</a> in revenue service. Each one of these is a <a href="/facts/Horizontal_axis_wind_turbine/lUfWqfLg">horizontal axis wind turbine</a> (HAWT), but there is also to be seen there one called Éole, which is the world's tallest <a href="/facts/Vertical_axis_wind_turbine/Bf51o7A6">vertical axis wind turbine</a> (VAWT) at 110 m. It is capable of producing 4 <a href="/facts/Megawatt/VK8oqRrm">MW</a> of power, but has not been in use for more than ten years following damages sustained during a wind storm. Everything that there is to know about wind power at Cap-Chat may be learnt at the interpretative centre at the wind farm. </p><p>Cap-Chat has other things that are worth seeing, such as the aforesaid cat-shaped headland, and a <a href="/facts/Lighthouse/HAwW4RFW">lighthouse</a>. </p><p>Those interested in wilderness and spectacular scenery can explore the areas inland from Cap-Chat, where there was once a village called Saint-Octave-de-l'Avenir (which ironically means Saint Octavius of the Future, though it's long in the past now). <a href="/facts/Salmon/7kUsoqVN">Salmon</a> fishing and <a href="/facts/Moose/JDlB909Q">moose</a> <a href="/facts/Hunting/z1XhJdB2">hunting</a> are other activities available in the Cap-Chat area, as are <a href="/facts/Hiking/agJbxevo">hiking</a>, <a href="/facts/Horseback_riding/F13lkV3E">horseback riding</a>, and off-road <a href="/facts/Four-wheel_drive/5sFHvumf">four-wheel drive</a> excursions in the back country. </p><p>In winter, Cap-Chat has a <a href="/facts/Downhill_skiing/JpfFIynW">downhill skiing</a> centre, as well as trails for <a href="/facts/Cross-country_skiing/dxBzlgTn">cross-country skiing</a>, <a href="/facts/Snowshoe/JSqlDPbP">snowshoeing</a>, and <a href="/facts/Snowmobile/0Gue0xhN">snowmobiling</a>. </p> <h2 id="local-government">Local government</h2> <p>List of former mayors:<a class="footnote-ref" id="fnref:11" href="#fn:11"><sup>11</sup></a> </p> <ul><li>Claude Jourdain (1968–1973)</li> <li>Jacques Gagné (1973–1976)</li> <li>Joseph Francois Alphonse Gagnon (1976–1977, 1981–1985)</li> <li>Gérard Côté (1977–1979)</li> <li>Julien Lepage (1979–1981)</li> <li>J. Augustin St-Laurent (1985–1993)</li> <li>Jean Yves Bérubé (1993–1996)</li> <li>Georgette Pelletier (1996–2000)</li> <li>Judes Landry (2000–2017)</li> <li>Marie Gratton (2017–2021)</li> <li>Marcel Soucy (2021–present)</li></ul> <h2 id="images">Images</h2> <h2 id="see-also">See also</h2> <ul><li><a href="/facts/List_of_cities_in_Quebec/R1khRkXj">List of cities in Quebec</a></li></ul> <h2 id="external-links">External links</h2> Wikimedia Commons has media related to Cap-Chat. <ul><li><a href="https://ville.cap-chat.ca/">Official website</a> </li> <li><a href="https://web.archive.org/web/20110713030851/http://www.info-gaspesie.com/ville.php?Gaspesie=CapChat&Voyage=">Cap-Chat tourism site</a></li> <li><a href="http://www.eolecapchat.com/">Éole interpretative centre at the wind farm</a></li> <li><a href="https://web.archive.org/web/20070928192457/http://www.gaspesia.com/ville.php">Municipalities and cities of Gaspé region</a></li></ul> <h2 id="references">References</h2> <ol> <li id="fn:1"><p>"Cap-Chat community profile". 2021 Census data. Statistics Canada. 15 November 2023. Retrieved 2024-08-02. <a href="https://www12.statcan.gc.ca/census-recensement/2021/dp-pd/prof/details/page.cfm?LANG=E&GENDERlist=1&STATISTIClist=1,4&DGUIDlist=2021A00052404047&HEADERlist=0&SearchText=Cap-Chat" target="_blank">https://www12.statcan.gc.ca/census-recensement/2021/dp-pd/prof/details/page.cfm?LANG=E&GENDERlist=1&STATISTIClist=1,4&DGUIDlist=2021A00052404047&HEADERlist=0&SearchText=Cap-Chat</a> <a href="#fnref:1" class="footnote-back-ref">↩</a></p></li> <li id="fn:2"><p>Lahoud, Pierre (2014). "Le chat pétrifié" (PDF). Continuité (140): 49. <a href="https://www.erudit.org/en/journals/continuite/1900-v1-n1-continuite01310/71480ac.pdf" target="_blank">https://www.erudit.org/en/journals/continuite/1900-v1-n1-continuite01310/71480ac.pdf</a> <a href="#fnref:2" class="footnote-back-ref">↩</a></p></li> <li id="fn:3"><p>Lahoud, Pierre (2014). "Le chat pétrifié" (PDF). Continuité (140): 49. <a href="https://www.erudit.org/en/journals/continuite/1900-v1-n1-continuite01310/71480ac.pdf" target="_blank">https://www.erudit.org/en/journals/continuite/1900-v1-n1-continuite01310/71480ac.pdf</a> <a href="#fnref:3" class="footnote-back-ref">↩</a></p></li> <li id="fn:4"><p>"Répertoire des entités géopolitiques: Cap-Chat (ville) 19.10.1968 - ..." www.mairesduquebec.com. Institut généalogique Drouin. Retrieved 12 August 2024. <a href="https://www.mairesduquebec.com/mairesduquebec/munic.php?id=2473" target="_blank">https://www.mairesduquebec.com/mairesduquebec/munic.php?id=2473</a> <a href="#fnref:4" class="footnote-back-ref">↩</a></p></li> <li id="fn:5"><p>"Cap-Chat (Ville)" (in French). Commission de toponymie du Québec. Retrieved 2011-12-19. <a href="http://www.toponymie.gouv.qc.ca/ct/ToposWeb/fiche.aspx?no_seq=10407" target="_blank">http://www.toponymie.gouv.qc.ca/ct/ToposWeb/fiche.aspx?no_seq=10407</a> <a href="#fnref:5" class="footnote-back-ref">↩</a></p></li> <li id="fn:6"><p>"Cap-Chat census profile". 2021 Census data. Statistics Canada. Retrieved 2024-08-02. <a href="https://www12.statcan.gc.ca/census-recensement/2021/dp-pd/prof/details/page.cfm?LANG=E&GENDERlist=1,2,3&STATISTIClist=1,4&DGUIDlist=2021A00052404047&HEADERlist=0&SearchText=Cap-Chat" target="_blank">https://www12.statcan.gc.ca/census-recensement/2021/dp-pd/prof/details/page.cfm?LANG=E&GENDERlist=1,2,3&STATISTIClist=1,4&DGUIDlist=2021A00052404047&HEADERlist=0&SearchText=Cap-Chat</a> <a href="#fnref:6" class="footnote-back-ref">↩</a></p></li> <li id="fn:7"><p>"2021 Community Profiles". 2021 Canadian census. Statistics Canada. February 4, 2022. Retrieved 2023-10-19. <a href="https://www12.statcan.gc.ca/census-recensement/2021/dp-pd/prof/details/page.cfm?Lang=E&DGUIDlist=2021A00052404047" target="_blank">https://www12.statcan.gc.ca/census-recensement/2021/dp-pd/prof/details/page.cfm?Lang=E&DGUIDlist=2021A00052404047</a> <a href="#fnref:7" class="footnote-back-ref">↩</a></p></li> <li id="fn:8"><p>"2016 Community Profiles". 2016 Canadian census. Statistics Canada. August 12, 2021. Retrieved 2024-08-02. <a href="http://www12.statcan.gc.ca/census-recensement/2016/dp-pd/prof/index.cfm?Lang=E" target="_blank">http://www12.statcan.gc.ca/census-recensement/2016/dp-pd/prof/index.cfm?Lang=E</a> <a href="#fnref:8" class="footnote-back-ref">↩</a></p></li> <li id="fn:9"><p>"2011 Community Profiles". 2011 Canadian census. Statistics Canada. March 21, 2019. Retrieved 2014-01-28. <a href="http://www12.statcan.gc.ca/census-recensement/2011/dp-pd/prof/index.cfm?Lang=E" target="_blank">http://www12.statcan.gc.ca/census-recensement/2011/dp-pd/prof/index.cfm?Lang=E</a> <a href="#fnref:9" class="footnote-back-ref">↩</a></p></li> <li id="fn:10"><p>1996, 2001, 2006, 2011, 2016, 2021 census <a href="/wiki/Canada_1996_Census" target="_blank">/wiki/Canada_1996_Census</a> <a href="#fnref:10" class="footnote-back-ref">↩</a></p></li> <li id="fn:11"><p>"Répertoire des entités géopolitiques: Cap-Chat (ville) 19.10.1968 - ..." www.mairesduquebec.com. Institut généalogique Drouin. Retrieved 12 August 2024. <a href="https://www.mairesduquebec.com/mairesduquebec/munic.php?id=2473" target="_blank">https://www.mairesduquebec.com/mairesduquebec/munic.php?id=2473</a> <a href="#fnref:11" class="footnote-back-ref">↩</a></p></li> </ol>