Saint-Louis-du-Ha! Ha! (French pronunciation: [sɛ̃ lwi dy a a]) is a parish municipality in the Témiscouata Regional County Municipality of the Bas-Saint-Laurent region of Quebec. The population is 1,311.[3] Its economy is mainly agricultural. It is located southeast of Rivière-du-Loup and west of Cabano along the Trans-Canada Highway (Route 185), about halfway to Edmundston in New Brunswick.
Saint-Louis-du-Ha! Ha! | |
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Motto(s): | |
Coordinates: 47°40′N 68°59′W / 47.67°N 68.98°W[1] | |
Country | Canada |
Province | Quebec |
Region | Bas-Saint-Laurent |
RCM | Témiscouata |
Named | 1874 |
Constituted | 14 July 1874 |
Government | |
• Mayor | Mélissa Lord |
• Federal riding | Rimouski-Neigette— Témiscouata—Les Basques |
• Prov. riding | Rivière-du-Loup–Témiscouata |
Area | |
• Total | 110.50 km2 (42.66 sq mi) |
• Land | 112.23 km2 (43.33 sq mi) |
There is an apparent contradiction between two authoritative sources | |
Population | |
• Total | 1,311 |
• Density | 11.7/km2 (30/sq mi) |
• Pop 2016-2021 | 1.5% |
• Dwellings | 594 |
Time zone | UTC−5 (EST) |
• Summer (DST) | UTC−4 (EDT) |
Postal code(s) | |
Area code(s) | 418 and 581 |
Highways | Trans-Canada Highway |
Website | www |
The Commission de toponymie du Québec asserts that the parish's name refers to nearby Lake Témiscouata, the sense of haha here being an archaic French word for an impasse;[4] see Ha-ha. The Louis may refer to Louis Marquis, one of the first colonists of the region, or Louis-Antoine Proulx, vicar of Rivière-du-Loup, or perhaps the abbot Louis-Nicolas Bernier.[1] Saint-Louis-du-Ha! Ha! is the only town in the world with two exclamation points in its name, and shares the distinction of having an exclamation point in its name with Westward Ho!, a village in Devon, in south-west England.[4]
History
editThe parish began in 1860 as the site of a Catholic mission; it was named in 1874.[5]
In September 2017, the municipality established a Guinness World Record for the "Most exclamation marks in a town name".[6]
Demographics
editIn the 2021 Census of Population conducted by Statistics Canada, Saint-Louis-du-Ha! Ha! had a population of 1,311 living in 552 of its 594 total private dwellings, a change of 1.5% from its 2016 population of 1,292. With a land area of 112.23 km2 (43.33 sq mi), it had a population density of 11.7/km2 (30.3/sq mi) in 2021.[7]
See also
edit- Baie des Ha! Ha!: A bay on the Saint Lawrence River in the Côte-Nord region.[8]
- Baie des Ha! Ha!: A bay on the Saguenay River in the Saguenay–Lac-Saint-Jean region.[9]
- Est! Est!! Est!!! di Montefiascone
- Hamilton!, Ohio, United States, city that briefly added an exclamation point to its name
- List of parish municipalities in Quebec
- Rivière Ha! Ha!: A river in Saguenay–Lac-Saint-Jean.[10]
- Truth or Consequences, New Mexico, United States; a town that renamed itself after a radio show
- Westward Ho!, a village in Devon, England
References
edit- ^ a b "Banque de noms de lieux du Québec: Reference number 57133". toponymie.gouv.qc.ca (in French). Commission de toponymie du Québec.
- ^ a b "Répertoire des municipalités: Geographic code 13080". www.mamh.gouv.qc.ca (in French). Ministère des Affaires municipales et de l'Habitation.
- ^ a b c "Census Profile, 2021 Census, Statistics Canada - Validation Error".
- ^ a b Jeffries, Stuart (29 April 2009). "The joy of exclamation marks!". The Guardian. Archived from the original on 2013-12-14. Retrieved 2009-09-08.
- ^ "TransCanadaHighway.com St Louis du Ha Ha, Quebec". TransCanada FoundLocally Inc. Retrieved 2024-10-26.
- ^ "Saint Louis du Ha!Ha! gets Guinness World Record nod for its exclamation marks". CBC.ca. Archived from the original on 2018-09-17. Retrieved 2018-12-18.
- ^ "Population and dwelling counts: Canada, provinces and territories, and census subdivisions (municipalities), Quebec". Statistics Canada. February 9, 2022. Archived from the original on August 29, 2022. Retrieved August 29, 2022.
- ^ "Baie des Ha! Ha!". Commission de toponymie du Québec. Archived from the original on 2019-08-14. Retrieved 2012-02-29.
- ^ "Baie des Ha! Ha!". Commission de toponymie du Québec. Archived from the original on 2020-09-20. Retrieved 2012-02-29.
- ^ "Rivière Ha! Ha!". Commission de toponymie du Québec. Archived from the original on 2018-06-13. Retrieved 2012-02-29.
External links
editMedia related to Saint-Louis-du-Ha! Ha! at Wikimedia Commons
- Saint-Louis-du-Ha! Ha! travel guide from Wikivoyage
- Official website (in French)
- fr:Ha! Ha! (in French), a disambiguation page in the French Wikipedia for "Ha! Ha!" place names in Quebec