Lévis () is a city in eastern Quebec, Canada, located on the south shore of the St. Lawrence River, opposite Quebec City. A ferry links Old Quebec with Old Lévis, and two bridges, the Quebec Bridge and the Pierre-Laporte Bridge, connect western Lévis with Quebec City.

The population in 2021 was 149,683.

Geography

Lévis covers an area of : 10% urban, 48% farmlands, 36% forests and 6% wetlands. In addition to the Saint Lawrence River, the Etchemin and Chaudière rivers also run through the city before ending their journey into the Saint Lawrence. The Chaudière River also boasts a waterfall with a suspended bridge, which can be accessed from Autoroute 73.

Lévis County existed until January 1982 when it was divided into Desjardins Regional County Municipality and Les Chutes-de-la-Chaudière Regional County Municipality.

On January 1, 2002, ten cities were merged by the Quebec provincial government to form the new city of Lévis. Previously, the former cities of Lauzon and Saint-David-de-l'Auberivière had been merged to Lévis in 1989. The regional county municipalities of which these cities were a part ceased to exist.

Boroughs

The new city was divided into three arrondissements or boroughs. Desjardins, Les Chutes-de-la-Chaudière-Ouest and Les Chutes-de-la-Chaudière-Est, which correspond to most of the territory of the former RCMs (however, Saint-Henri and Saint-Lambert-de-Lauzon remained independent and did not amalgamate into Lévis).

The ten former municipalities are today districts (secteurs) within the city; each of the three boroughs is composed of either three or four districts.

Former municipalities (10)

  • Lévis (pre-2002 borders of the city)
  • Charny
  • Pintendre
  • Sainte-Hélène-de-Breakeyville
  • Saint-Étienne-de-Lauzon
  • Saint-Jean-Chrysostome
  • Saint-Joseph-de-la-Pointe-de-Lévy
  • Saint-Nicolas
  • Saint-Romuald
  • Saint-Rédempteur

The pre-2002 Lévis had already merged with Lauzon and Saint-David-de-l'Auberivière in 1989.

Demographics

thumbnail|right|Lévis in winter

In the 2021 Census of Population conducted by Statistics Canada, Lévis had a population of living in of its total private dwellings, a change of from its 2016 population of . With a land area of , it had a population density of in 2021.

Ethnicity

The city is one of the most homogeneous in Canada: around 95% of the population is of European ancestry.

{| class="wikitable collapsible sortable"

|+ Panethnic groups in the City of Lévis (2001−2021)

! rowspan="2" |Panethnic<br>group

! colspan="2" |2021

! colspan="2" |2016

! colspan="2" |2011

! colspan="2" |2006

! colspan="2" |2001

|-

!Population (human biology)|

!

!

!

!

!

!

!

!

!

|-

| European

| 138,465

|

| 135,870

|

| 133,155

|

| 126,700

|

| 39,905

|

|-

| African

| 2,515

|

| 1,035

|

| 500

|

| 310

|

| 75

|

|-

| Indigenous

| 1,945

|

| 1,255

|

| 745

|

| 390

|

| 90

|

|-

| Middle Eastern

| 1,105

|

| 610

|

| 240

|

| 145

|

| 15

|

|-

| Latin American

| 875

|

| 615

|

| 340

|

| 265

|

| 25

|

|-

| East Asian

| 520

|

| 445

|

| 420

|

| 235

|

| 45

|

|-

| Southeast Asian

| 485

|

| 250

|

| 290

|

| 195

|

| 45

|

|-

| South Asian

| 160

|

| 80

|

| 30

|

| 80

|

| 10

|

|-

| Other

| 175

|

| 95

|

| 105

|

| 30

|

| 0

|

|-

! Total responses

! 146,235

!

! 140,245

!

! 135,835

!

! 128,370

!

! 40,205

!

|-

! Total population

! 149,683

!

! 143,414

!

! 138,769

!

! 130,006

!

! 40,926

!

|}

  • Note: Totals greater than 100% due to multiple origin responses.

Language

Over 95% of residents speak French as their mother tongue.

Economy

upright|thumb|First Caisse Populaire in Lévis

Although a relatively small city, Lévis is not a typical suburb. The presence of several large employers has allowed many citizens to both live and work in Lévis. It is home to Valero's Jean-Gaulin refinery, one of the largest in eastern Canada, Frito-Lay and Davie Shipbuilding are located in the borough of Lauzon (former city). The Desjardins Group, as well as its subsidiary Desjardins Financial Security, are headquartered in the city. The founder, Alphonse Desjardins, lived in Lévis and, with his wife, Dorimène Roy Desjardins, ran the first Caisse Populaire (similar to a credit union) from their home. The city is also a major agricultural business research and development centre. More high technology companies, such as Creaform (3D), have been established in Lévis.

Lévis is home to the enclosed regional shopping mall Les Galeries Chagnon which has 106 stores.

Many small business and entertainment developed in the city during the last decade and finalized the transformation from a Quebec City suburb into a small city.

Education

Commission scolaire des Navigateurs operates Francophone public schools.

There are many schools of different levels, including the Cégep de Lévis and a UQAR campus (Université du Québec à Rimouski).

Notable people

  • Alphonse Desjardins – co-operator, founder of the Desjardins Group
  • Jean Carignan – fiddler
  • Céline Bonnier – actress
  • Charles Milliard – politician
  • Ariane Moffatt – singer
  • Pierre-Luc Létourneau-Leblond – hockey player for the New Jersey Devils
  • Kalyna Roberge – speed skater
  • Charles Hamelin – short-track speed skater
  • Claude Auger – 34th Canadian Surgeon General
  • Louise Carrier – Artist
  • Marie-Andrée Leclerc - Serial killer

See also

  • Levis De-Icer
  • List of regional county municipalities and equivalent territories in Quebec
  • Municipal reorganization in Quebec

Notes

References

  • Ville de Lévis