Originally part of the Seigneurie de Vaudreuil in the 18th century, the territory corresponding to Saint-Lazare was considered difficult to farm owing to sandy soil, and remained mostly uninhabited. In 1812, the first settlers were Americans from New England, then circa 1820 English from Cumberland, followed soon after by French Canadians.[1]
Saint-Lazare was founded as a parish municipality on December 29, 1875.[1] The first church was built in 1877, destroyed by a fire in 1942 and subsequently rebuilt in 1947.
A passenger train from Canadian Pacific Railway previously ran through the town but was discontinued in 1960. The station located on the corner of Sainte-Angélique and Duhamel was demolished.
Originally a rural farming town, the city of Saint-Lazare experienced rapid growth in the 1990s, fueled predominantly by the arrival of young, middle-class families. New residents flocked to the area seeking a more relaxed lifestyle than that of the island of Montreal, as well as larger homes and property for less money than on the island of Montreal.
In December 2001, Saint-Lazare changed its statutes and became a city.[1]
In 2015, the Saint-Lazare government began using pictograms instead of text on signs when the Office québécois de la langue française (OQLF) asked it to remove its English-language signs; the Saint-Lazare community believes in accommodating bilingualism and its Anglophone residents.[6]
In April 2023, there was a massive power outage that cause approximately 8000 households to lose electricity, according to Hydro-Quebec at that time. Only 8 households had electricity at the height of the ice-storm crisis. [7]
In the 2021 Census of Population conducted by Statistics Canada, Saint-Lazare had a population of 22,354 living in 7,749 of its 7,848 total private dwellings, a change of 12.2% from its 2016 population of 19,917. With a land area of 66.86 km2 (25.81 sq mi), it had a population density of 334.3/km2 (865.9/sq mi) in 2021.[9]
Canada Census Mother Tongue - Saint-Lazare, Quebec[8]
Census
Total
French
English
French & English
Other
Year
Responses
Count
Trend
Pop %
Count
Trend
Pop %
Count
Trend
Pop %
Count
Trend
Pop %
2021
22,355
10,485
0.3%
46.9%
8,195
14.2%
36.7%
815
68.0%
3.6%
2,490
54.2%
11.1%
2016
19,890
10,450
1.6%
52.6%
7,175
1.8%
36.1%
485
10.3%
2.4%
1,615
14.5%
8.1%
2011
19,185
10,290
11.5%
53.6%
7,045
3.12%
36.7%
440
76.0%
2.3%
1,410
2.9%
7.4%
2006
17,015
9,230
30.8%
54.3%
6,165
29.8%
36.2%
250
5.7%
1.5%
1,370
65.1%
8.1%
2001
12,900
7,055
14.5%
54.7%
4,750
18.9%
36.8%
265
15.2%
2.1%
830
12.9%
6.4%
1996
11,120
6,160
n/a
55.4%
3,995
n/a
35.9%
230
n/a
2.1%
735
n/a
6.6%
Soils
Saint-Lazare was built on thick deposits of sand. Poorly drained areas are most common in the eastern part of town and have been mapped as muck, Peat or Vaudreuil series (a "half-bog" or gleysol), while the well to rapidly drained classic podzols are assigned to Ste. Sophie or Upland series.[15]
Attractions
Some of the popular attractions are:
Aéroport Cooper
Bar Chez Maurice
Bar Planète St-Lazare
Club équestre Les Forestiers
Sports Complex
Festivals
Festival équestre Gymkhana
Horse shows
La Pinière
Torchlight Parade (ATV)
Trails and paths
Canins canine sport center
Parks
ATV trail passing, criss-crossing with equestrian horse trails through the western portion of Saint-Lazare, Quebec.
Saint-Lazare is graced by significant public funding for its ambitious recreational projects. Bedard Park in the centre of the town is a relatively large park equipped with a small water park, a grass field, three baseball diamonds, and tennis courts. In the winter two hockey rinks and an ice skating oval are added.
Another large, multi-use park is called Le Parc nature les Forestiers de Saint-Lazare (2800 Chemin Lotbinière, Saint-Lazare, QC J7T 3H9). It is a 4-season park, with an outdoor pool, trails for hiking, cross-country skiing, horse riding, and snowshoeing, and picnic areas.
Other parks in Saint-Lazare are scattered among the small subdivisions throughout the municipality.
A new privately -financed sports centre was opened to the public in 2006 which includes an indoor soccer turf, a hockey rink, and a gym.
Equestrian
Areas surrounding Saint-Lazare are dedicated to equestrian horse riding, including sanctioned trails that flow through wooded forests and nearby lakes in the region. Many trails are sand based, which is due in part to the popularity of this type of activity in the region. The town has one of the largest populations of horses, approximately 3,500 with many residential properties fully dedicated to breeding and horse training.
ATV
All-terrain vehicles are very popular in the region with an officially sanctioned trail, which runs between Saint-Lazare and the nearby town of Rigaud, Quebec. The trail is maintained by regional members of local ATV clubs. The trails are open in all four seasons, and groomed in the winter using heavy machinery.
A new senior elementary school, Forest Hill Senior, was opened in 2006. There are also two English language public secondary schools in the surrounding area (Westwood Senior - formerly Hudson High School - and Westwood Junior-formerly known as Vaudreuil Catholic High School). A new English-language elementary school (Birchwood Elementary) has opened for the 2011–2012 school year, even after many delays in construction.
There is a semi-private[citation needed] French-speaking institution in Rigaud (Collège-Bourget).
12.2%
A-40 (TCH)
R-340 
R-342
