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This article is about the city in Quebec. For the submarine, see HMCS Chicoutimi (SSK 879).
Downtown Chicoutimi
Downtown Chicoutimi
Nickname(s): Queen of the North, Saguenay Queen, Saguenay metropolis, Saguenay kingdom capital, Conventions city

(Reine du Nord, Reine du Saguenay, Métropole du Saguenay, Capitale du royaume du Saguenay, Ville des congrès)
Arrondissements de Saguenay.png
Country Canada
Province Quebec
Region Saguenay–Lac-Saint-Jean
City Saguenay
 • Borough president Jacques Fortin
Website Borough Council of Chicoutimi

Coordinates: 48°25′40″N 71°03′33″W﻿ / ﻿48.42778°N 71.05917°W﻿ / 48.42778; -71.05917 Chicoutimi /ʃɨˈktɨmi/ is the most populous borough (arrondissement) of the city of Saguenay in Quebec, Canada.

Chicoutimi was founded as a city in 1842 at the confluence of the Saguenay and Chicoutimi rivers. The name Chicoutimi means the end of the deep water in the Montagnais language. During the 20th century, it became the main administrative and commercial centre of the Saguenay–Lac-Saint-Jean region and the heart of the 5th largest urban area of Quebec. It is home to the University of Quebec in Chicoutimi (Université du Québec à Chicoutimi).

At the 2011 census, it had a total population of 66,547.[1] The borough results from the merger of the former cities of Chicoutimi, Laterrière, and part of the former township of Tremblay in 2002.


Chicoutimi, 1893

What was ultimately to become the centre of the borough of Chicoutimi was first settled in 1676 as a French trading post in the fur trade. At that time, the Saguenay and the Chicoutimi rivers had been used as waterways by the Montagnais tribes for centuries. The name Chicoutimi means the end of the deep water in the Montagnais language. Chicoutimi trading post was in operation until 1782.

The city of Chicoutimi was officially incorporated as a municipality in 1845 by the Métis timber contractor Peter McLeod who built a sawmill there in 1842. It became the seat of the Chicoutimi County in 1855 and the seat Roman Catholic Diocese of Chicoutimi in 1878.

With the arrival of the Canadian National Railway in 1893, Chicoutimi saw increased growth of its pulp and paper industries, particularly in mechanical pulp production. The Chicoutimi Pulp Co. was founded in 1896 and backed by French-Canadian investors. The Chicoutimi Pulp Mill became the biggest producer of mechanical pulp in Canada by 1910.

Since the Great Depression, the city became an administrative and commercial centre. The Conservatoire de musique de Saguenay was founded in Chicoutimi in 1967, and the Université du Québec à Chicoutimi was founded in 1969. The city also played host to the Quebec Summer Games in 1972.



Chicoutimi's sister city was Camrose in Alberta, which then became Saguenay's sister city.

Geography and cityscape[edit]

Chicoutimi is located in Saguenay–Lac-Saint-Jean region on the western end of the Saguenay Fjord; most of the borough, including the downtown section, is on the south shore of the Saguenay River. It is the geographical centre of the city of Saguenay, the Jonquière and La Baie borough adjoins west and east sides. Chicoutimi is about 200 kilometres (120 mi) north of Quebec City. The former cities of Chicoutimi borough are: Chicoutimi, Laterrière, Canton-Tremblay, Chicoutimi-Nord and Rivière-du-Moulin. They have maintained their names as wards in the amalgamated city.

The landscape of Chicoutimi consists of hills, valleys and plains, with the terrain becoming steeper near the Saguenay River. Its two major physical features are the Saguenay Graben, a rift valley of the Laurentian Highlands in which the city spreads, and the Saguenay Fjord, the glacier-carved steep shores of the Saguenay River. The Mount Valin (3,215 ft), the tallest mountain of the region, is overlooking Chicoutimi 30 kilometres (19 mi) north-east. The Chicoutimi, Du Moulin and Valin rivers all empty in the Saguenay river in Chicoutimi.

Panoramic view of the Saguenay River from St Anne's Cross (north shore) with downtown Chicoutimi in the background.




Armand Vaillancourt's Cenotaph in Chicoutimi, Quebec



Professional hockey players from Chicoutimi[edit]


Law and government[edit]

Main article: Saguenay, Quebec

Residents of Chicoutimi are represented by three tiers of government. The federal representation consists of a members of parliament serving in the Parliament of Canada for the federal riding of Chicoutimi—Le Fjord. At the provincial tier, there are two elected members who serve in the National Assembly of Quebec for the provincial ridings of Chicoutimi and Dubuc.


International relations[edit]

Twin towns – Sister cities[edit]

Chicoutimi is twinned with:

Notable people[edit]

According to the website of the Phoenix Coyotes, an NHL hockey team in the United States, the team's mascot, Pierre the Fanatic Hockey Snowman, comes from Chicoutimi.[4]


  1. ^ Service des systèmes et technologies de l'information de la Ville de Saguenay et Promotion Saguenay. "Population, statistiques et territoire". 
  2. ^ ISQ - Redirection
  4. ^ Phoenix Coyotes. (2013-04-27). Retrieved on 2013-07-12.

External links[edit]