Longueuil

Longueuil (lahng-GUUY) is a city of 240,000 people (2016) in the Longueuil agglomeration in the suburbs of Montreal on the south shore of the St. Lawrence River. There are three nature parks in Longueuil: Parc Marie-Victorin and Parc Michel-Chartrand in Le Vieux-Longueuil and Parc de la Cité in Saint-Hubert. It is also home to a wildlife reserve, the Boisé du Tremblay.

Understand
Longueuil is an important centre for Canada's aerospace industry. It is home to the headquarters of Pratt & Whitney Canada and of Héroux-Devtek. Pratt & Whitney Canada is Longueuil's top employer with 5,000 employees, while Héroux-Devtek has 550 employees. Also located in Longueuil is the headquarters of the Canadian Space Agency (John H. Chapman Space Centre), adjacent to Montréal/Saint-Hubert Airport.

A large part of Longueuil's work force commutes to Montreal.

History


Charles Le Moyne, lord of the area under the French colonial system starting in 1657, named Longueuil after a village which is today the seat of a canton in the district of Dieppe in his homeland of Normandy.

His son, Charles Le Moyne de Longueuil, built Fort Longueuil as his fortified residence. It was constructed of stone between 1685 and 1690 and had four towers.

Fort Longueuil was believed to be occupied by American troops during the American Revolutionary War. It was subsequently occupied by the British. It was demolished in 1810 due to its poor condition. The archaeological remains of Fort Longueuil are a National Historic Site of Canada. The site extends beneath the present-day Saint-Antoine-de-Padoue Cathedral. Until the middle of the 19th century, Longueuil and its boroughs formed a single Catholic entity with the Saint-Antoine-de-Padoue church as the only place of worship.

Climate
Longueuil has long winters, lasting from November to March, short springs during April and May, average summers, lasting from June to August, and short autumns during September and October.

Tourist information

 * Discover Longueuil website

By car
Longueuil is particularly accessible by Autoroutes 20, 25, Route 132, Route 116, Jacques-Cartier Bridge, Taschereau Boulevard.

The Trans-Canada Highway passes through Longueil and includes the following highways that intersect in Longueil:


 * Autoroute 25 between Autoroute 40 in Montreal and Autoroute 20 between in Longueil
 * Autoroute 20 between Autoroute 25 in Longueil and Rivière-du-Loup

By plane
The (Montreal) Pierre-Eliott-Trudeau International Airport offers flights from numerous popular destinations including New York City, Paris and London. You can get into Longueuil from YUL with the 747 bus (to Downtown Montreal) then take the metro to the Longueuil-Université-de-Sherbrooke station on the yellow line. Single fare of $10 on the 747 with the rest of the day free on all of the STM's public transit network, including the metro. A three-day STM pass is also valid; these cost $18.



By metro
Line 4 of Montreal Metro serves the Longueuil terminus STM passing under the St. Lawrence River, with a stop at Île Sainte- Helen. Longueuil is served by the Longueuil-Université-de-Sherbrooke station of the Montreal Metro (Yellow line, also known as 4), housed at the Terminus Longueuil building. Fares can be found here.



By boat
Facing Longueuil, the width of the river is at the height of the southern tip of Île Charron, and  facing Cap sur Mer (which is located  downstream of the Jacques-Cartier Bridge, and which is the extension of Taschereau Boulevard beyond Route 132). The western boundary of Longueuil stretches over in the middle of the St. Lawrence River (between Saint-Lambert and Boucherville). In addition to maritime activities related to the Port of Montreal and the St. Lawrence Seaway, pleasure boating is very active in front of Longueuil in the summer season, in particular:
 * around Sainte-Hélène islands (including Port Sainte-Hélène) and Notre-Dame island, particularly during the Montreal International Fireworks Festival, which takes place at Lac des Dauphins on Sainte-Hélène Island;
 * around the Boucherville islands.

The marinas in the Longueuil sector are:

By train
The Via Rail train connects the central station in downtown Montreal to Mont-Saint-Hilaire, with a stop at Longueuil-Saint-Hubert railway station. Longueuil is served by the St-Lambert and St-Hubert stations of the AMT Commuter Trains (Mont-St-Hilaire line, a.k.a. purple). Fares can be found here. Tram 3 fares serve all public transit of Laval, Montreal and Longueuil (except St-Bruno-de-Montarville, Tram 5 has to be purchased for this area) (unless noted), while Train 3 will only serve the commuter train network in these areas.

Get around
There is a wide network of public transit buses managed by the Réseau de Transport de Longueuil (Longueuil-RTL). The fares can be found here. Most of the buses depart from/arrive at Terminus Longueuil.

Do
Yoga, meditation and other seminars also take place nearby all year round.

Buy
Saint-Charles West Street has a nice ambiance with all its bars, restaurants and centres of interest.

Arenas

 * [[File:Centre sportif Gaétan Boucher, à Saint-Hubert (Montérégie, Québec)-2022-05-08.jpg|right|thumb|Gaétan Boucher Sport Center, in Laflèche sector of Saint-Hubert]]
 * [[File:Centre sportif Gaétan Boucher, à Saint-Hubert (Montérégie, Québec)-2022-05-08.jpg|right|thumb|Gaétan Boucher Sport Center, in Laflèche sector of Saint-Hubert]]

Go next

 * — This Quebec park managed is open all year round. Its territory covers the islands: Grosbois, Sainte-Marguerite, de la Commune, Grande-Rivière, aux-Raisins, La Petite Rivière and the Grand Duc. Users can rent equipment for recreational activities in all seasons, go camping and organize group activities. In this park, the deer population is part of the scenery.
 * — The park includes many trails, playground, picnic tables, the Jean-Guy Gaudette relay, an orchard, a Le Vieux-Moulin tea room, and a boat rental service.
 * — The economic, commercial and financial heart of Quebec is a large, diverse city, with many festivals, museums, and lively neighbourhoods that attract visitors.
 * — Pré-Vert Park is a place of celebration and outdoor activities in the heart of the city. The Parc de la Commune provides good access to the river. Varennes offers a variety of recreational and tourist activities (hiking, golf, cycling, nautical activities on the river, etc.) Sugar shack enthusiasts are well served on the Chemin des Sucreries.
 * — Boucherville also has 41 municipal parks, two public sports and recreation complexes, a golf club, two yacht clubs, a rowing club, the Maison des Jeunes and a Centre D'Art café. In addition, Boucherville offers a variety of recreational activities (bike paths, nautical activities, golf, etc.)
 * — Sainte-Julie offers a pedestrian heritage circuit to discover the Old Village under the historical aspect with 26 information panels; a mobile, self-guided version is available on the city's website. This city provides access to several recreational activities (hiking, cycling, library, eight municipal parks with various leisure facilities, activities for young people, etc.)
 * — A city surrounded by nature with the Mont Saint-Bruno national park, its urban forest, its parks and its recreational tourism infrastructure. In all seasons, Saint-Bruno offers a variety of recreational tourism activities, including: hiking, biking, cross-country skiing, snowshoeing, and downhill skiing.
 * — Recreational and tourist activities include hiking (via the green trail that joins Saint-Hubert), cycling, nautical activities (on the Acadie or Richelieu rivers), its municipal parks, etc.
 * — Brossard is a cosmopolitan city offering leisure facilities, recreational tourism activities, in particular: hiking, biking, nautical activities on the river area between the St. Lawrence Seaway and the shore of the river (as well as a segment of the Saint-Jacques River), activities in municipal parks, etc.
 * — Saint-Lambert is a hotbed of culture (shows, artist exhibitions) and recreational tourism activities. In addition to the linear park on the east bank of the Canal de la Rive-Sud, this city has magnificent urban parks.