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Revision as of 02:12, 4 January 2007
Shawinigan is a city located on the Saint-Maurice River in Quebec, Canada. It has a population of approximately 53,042 people (2003).
There is a large hydroelectric station at Shawinigan Falls nearby. In 1901, the first aluminum ingot in Canada was produced here. Other industries include pulp and paper, chemical production and textiles.
While Shawinigan grew as an industrial boomtown in the 1920s, 1940s and 1950s, it had a vibrant English-speaking community, which at times comprised more than 30% of the population. Shawinigan High School is the only remaining English-language school in the city following the closure of St. Patrick's (closed circa 1983).
"Shawinigan" means "portage at the crest" in Algonquian, referring to the nearby waterfall. Before 1958 the city was known as "Shawinigan Falls".
Famous people born in Shawinigan include:
- Former Prime Minister of Canada, The Right Honourable Jean Chrétien
- Hockey player Martin Gelinas
- Hockey goaltender Jacques Plante
A tourist attraction is the theme park La Cité de l'Énergie with a 115 metre high observation tower.
The city is also home to the Shawinigan Cataractes of the QMJHL. They are the only QMJHL franchise to have stayed in the same city from the league's inception in 1969. They play in the Arena Jacques Plante.
Until 2001 at Shawinigan, there was one of the tallest guyed masts in Canada, the CBC Tower. (Was it rebuilt?)
In 2002 Shawinigan amalgamated with much of the MRC Le Centre-de-la-Mauricie.
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46°33′N 72°44′W / 46.550°N 72.733°W / 46.550; -72.733
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