Pointe-Claire

Pointe-Claire (pwɛ̃t klɛʁ, pwãẽ̯t klaɛ̯ʁ) is a Quebec local municipality within the Urban agglomeration of Montreal on the Island of Montreal in Canada. It is entirely developed, and land use includes residential, light manufacturing, and retail. As of the 2021 census the population was 33,488. The toponym refers to the peninsula, or point, where the windmill, convent, and the Saint-Joachim de Pointe-Claire Church are sited. The point extends into Lac Saint-Louis and has a clear view of its surroundings. Pointe-Claire was first described by Nicolas Perrot in his account of 1669, and the name Pointe-Claire appeared on a map as early as 1686. Although Samuel de Champlain canoed through the area in 1613, he reported no village or dwelling visible. The urbanization of the territory of Pointe-Claire began in the 1600s, when the Sulpicians were lords of the island of Montreal. Land on the island of Montreal was granted to the Sulpicians for development as early as 1663. They began to grant concessions along major waterways. In 1678, the first concession on the land under the seigneurial system was to Jean Guenet who named his property Beau Repaire. This was near the future village of Beaurepaire, located in what is now Beaconsfield. on June 4, 1910, the village of Beaconsfield separates from the parish of Saint-Joachim-de-la-Pointe-Claire The first concession of land that is still in the current city limits of Pointe-Claire, was in 1684 to Pierre Cabassier, for a lot just east of Pointe Charlebois. Under the seigneurial system, the Sulpicians had to build a mill for the colonists, who in turn had to grind their grain there at a set fee. The arrival of French settlers in Pointe-Claire began in 1698-1699. In 1707, after the Great Peace of Montreal was signed in 1701, the Chemin du Roy (now Lakeshore Road) from Dorval to the western tip of Montreal Island was opened having been ordered by intendant Jacques Raudot, and the parish was subdivided in three côtes: St. Rémy (present-day Boulevard Des Sources), St. Jean, and St.