Bonaventure

The majority of the inhabitants are of Acadian descent, who found refuge there after the expulsion of the Acadians in 1755. They arrived there in 1760. The Quebec Acadian Museum (Musée Acadien du Québec) is located in the town. Bonaventure celebrated its 250th anniversary in 2010. The toponym Bonaventure has been associated with several locations in the Gaspé since the beginnings of New France, such as Bonaventure Island and Bonaventure River. No definite origin of this name has been identified.

• Name — Bonaventure • Type — City • Subdivision Type — Country • Subdivision Name — Canada • Subdivision Type1 — Province • Subdivision Name1 — Quebec • Subdivision Type2 — Region • Subdivision Name2 — Gaspésie– Îles-de-la-Madeleine • Subdivision Type3 — RCM • Subdivision Name3 — Bonaventure • Established Title — Settled • Established Date — 1760 • Established Title1 — Constituted • Established Date1 — January 1, 1884 • Leader Title — Mayor • Leader Name — Pierre Gagnon • Leader Title1 — Federal riding • Leader Name1 — Gaspésie—Les Îles-de-la-Madeleine—Listuguj • Leader Title2 — Prov. riding • Leader Name2 — Bonaventure • Area Total Km2 — 108.17 • Area Land Km2 — 104.50 • Population Total — 2733 • Population As Of — 2021 • Population Density Km2 — 26.2 • Population Blank1 Title — Pop (2016-21) • Population Blank1 — 1.0% • Population Blank2 Title — Dwellings • Population Blank2 — 1404 • Time Zone — EST • Utc Offset — −5 • Time Zone Dst — EDT • Utc Offset Dst — −4 • Postal Code Type — Postal code(s) • Postal Code — G0C 1E0 • Area Codes — 418 and 581 • Custom Label Sec1 — Highways • Custom Label1 Sec1 — GNBC Code • Custom Data1 Sec1 — EQKCG • Custom Label2 Sec1 — NTS Map • Custom Data2 Sec1 — 022A03

In 1697, a concession on both sides of the Bonaventure River was granted in 1697 to Charles-Henry de La Croix. Prior to permanent settlement, the Bonaventure harbour was often visited by Europeans and was the location of temporary camps and posts for many years. • Illustration — Grand-Pré Avenue in Bonaventure early 20th-century The first permanent European settlement of Bonaventure was in 1760 by Acadian refugees who had successfully avoided the expulsion of Acadians that had begun in 1755. Some of these early settlers were present at the Battle of Restigouche in July 1760, where a mixed force of French navy aided by Acadians were defeated by the Royal Navy. Many of today's Bonaventure residents are of Acadian descent. At the time of settlement, Bonaventure was located in lands possessed by France, but in 1763, after the Treaty of Paris, all of New France was ceded to Britain, and Bonaventure became part of British colony of the Province of Quebec. Later, some of the lands already settled by the Acadians were granted to anglophones, although after decades of petitioning the Quebec government, some of the Acadian settlers were able to gain title to the lands they occupied. However, even as late as 1891, more than half of the homesteaders in this region had no legal title to the lands they lived on. Bonaventure was raided by Americans during the War of Independence. In 1845, it was first incorporated as the Township Municipality of Hamilton, coinciding with the geographic township that was proclaimed in 1842 and named after Henry Hamilton. In 1847, the township municipality was abolished, but reestablished on July 1, 1855. In 1884, it changed its name and statutes from Township Municipality of Hamilton to Parish Municipality of Saint-Bonaventure de Hamilton. On December 31, 1955, it changed its name and statutes again to become the Municipality of Bonaventure. On May 3, 1997, its statutes were changed to city (ville).

In the 2021 Census of Population conducted by Statistics Canada, Bonaventure had a population of living in of its total private dwellings, a change of from its 2016 population of. With a land area of 104.5 km2, it had a population density of sqmi in 2021. Mother tongue language (2021): • Language — Population — Pct (%) • French only — 2,525 — 93% • English only — 145 — 5.3% • Both English and French — 25 — 0.9% • Other languages — 20 — 0.7%