Saint-Eustache is an off-island suburb of Montreal, in western Quebec, Canada, west of Montreal on the north shore of the Rivière des Mille Îles. It is located 35 km northwest of Montreal.

History

The city was founded in 1770 and was incorporated in 1835. It has a famous church, Saint-Eustache church, which was built between 1780 and 1783. A significant battle of the Lower Canada Rebellion was fought here on December 14, 1837. In the Battle of Saint-Eustache, the rebels were defeated, and the town was burnt. The church was fully rebuilt after the burning except for the front facade, where canon bullet holes can still be found. In 1979, General Motors opened a transit bus manufacturing facility in Saint-Eustache. The factory has produced vehicles under the brands of GM, MCI and, since 1993, has been owned by Nova Bus. Saint-Eustache was also home to the Autodrome Saint-Eustache from 1965 to 2019, which hosted various stock-car racing, local drag racing, and other race competitions.

Demographics

In the 2021 Census of Population conducted by Statistics Canada, Saint-Eustache had a population of 45,276 living in 18,958 of its 19,396 total private dwellings, a change of NaN% from its 2016 population of 44,008. With a land area of 70.51 km2, it had a population density of in 2021. Population trend: Mother tongue (as of 2021) :

Attractions

Major parks in the area: Attractions include:

Infrastructure

Quebec Autoroute 640, Quebec Route 344 and Quebec Route 148 are the major highways servicing Saint-Eustache. Autoroute 640 makes two complete junctions in Saint-Eustache. The first being a diamond interchange with 25ème Avenue, infamous for not providing safe pedestrian access through the junction, despite having bike paths on both sides of the interchange since 2023. The second being a non-standard diamond interchange with Boulevard Arthur-Sauvé (Quebec Route 148). There is also an incomplete-access junction between Autoroute 640 and Rue St-Eustache. There is only an on-ramp going eastwards. Exo operates several bus routes, which connect at Terminus Saint-Eustache: There are no train stations near Saint-Eustache, the closest being Deux-Montagnes station, a commuter rail station along the Deux-Montagnes line in neighbouring Deux-Montagnes, Quebec. The station has been closed since December 31 2020, due to being upgraded for the REM. Many commuters are now taking the new temporary shuttle buses between the Terminus Saint-Eustache and downtown Montreal. There used to be a train station in Saint-Eustache from 1882 to 1940. It operated service to and from Sainte-Thérèse. The closest airports are Montréal–Pierre Elliott Trudeau International Airport to the south and Montréal–Mirabel International Airport to the north.

Education

The Commission scolaire de la Seigneurie-des-Mille-Îles (CSSMI) operates French-language public schools: Some residents are zoned to École primaire Girouard in Mirabel and École secondaire d'Oka in Oka The Sir Wilfrid Laurier School Board operates English-language schools. Lake of Two Mountains High School in Deux-Montagnes serves the community. Mountainview Elementary School and Saint Jude Elementary School, both in Deux-Montagnes, also serve the community.