View source for Bellechasse Regional County Municipality

{{Expand Spanish|Bellechasse (municipio regional de condado)|date=June 2015}}
{{Infobox settlement
|name          =   Bellechasse
|official_name =
|settlement_type  = [[Regional county municipality]]
|image_skyline          =
|imagesize              =
|image_caption          =
|image_map              = Quebec MRC Bellechasse location map.svg
|coordinates            = {{coord|46|44|N|70|43|W|region:CA-QC|display=inline,title}}
|coor_pinpoint              =
|coordinates_footnotes  = <ref name="toponymie"/>
|subdivision_type       = Country
|subdivision_name       = {{CAN}}
|subdivision_type1      = [[Provinces and territories of Canada|Province]]
|subdivision_name1      = {{QC}}
|subdivision_type2      = [[Region (Quebec)|Region]]
|subdivision_name2      = [[Chaudière-Appalaches]]
|established_title      = Effective
|established_date       =January 1, 1982
|seat_type              =County seat
|seat                   =[[Saint-Lazare-de-Bellechasse, Quebec|Saint-Lazare-de-Bellechasse]]
|government_footnotes = <ref name="mamrot"/>
|government_type        = [[Regional county municipality#Governance and responsibilities|Prefecture]]
|leader_title           = Prefect
|leader_name            = Hervé Blais
|area_footnotes =<ref name="mamrot"/><ref name="census2016"/>
|area_magnitude         =
|area_total_km2         = 1,781.50
|area_land_km2          = 1,751.06
|area_water_km2         =
|area_water_percent     =
|area_urban_km2         =
|area_metro_km2         =
|area_note              =
|elevation_footnotes    =
|elevation_m            =
|population_footnotes           =<ref name="census2016"/>
|population_total               = 37,233
|population_as_of               = 2016
|population_density_km2         = 21.3
|population_urban               =
|population_density_urban_km2   =
|population_metro               =
|population_density_metro_km2   =
|population_blank1_title        = Change<br><small>2011-2016</small>
|population_blank1              = {{increase}} 5.4%
|population_density_blank1_km2 =
|population_blank2_title        = Dwellings
|population_blank2              = 17,740
|population_note                =
|timezone               = [[Eastern Time Zone|EST]]
|utc_offset             = −5
|timezone_DST           = [[Eastern Daylight Time|EDT]]
|utc_offset_DST         = −4
|postal_code_type       = [[Canadian postal code|Postal code(s)]]
|postal_code            =
|area_codes              = [[Area codes 418 and 581|418 and 581]]
|blank_name             =
|blank_info             =
|blank1_name            =
|blank1_info            =
|website                = {{URL|www.mrcbellechasse.qc.ca}}
|footnotes              =<ref name="cp2011">{{SCref |unit=cd |2419}}</ref>
}}
'''Bellechasse Regional County Municipality''' ({{IPA|fr|bɛlʃas}}) is a [[regional county municipality]] in the [[Chaudière-Appalaches]] region of [[Quebec]]. The county seat is [[Saint-Lazare-de-Bellechasse, Quebec|Saint-Lazare-de-Bellechasse]].<ref name="mamrot">{{mamrot|type=mrc|190}}</ref>
Saint-Lazare was chosen as the county seat because of its central location. Other municipalities, such as Saint-Anselme, Sainte-Claire, and Saint-Damien had wanted to be the county seat because of their larger population.{{Citation needed|date=March 2012}} The region belongs to the [[Lévis—Bellechasse]] [[Electoral district (Canada)|federal electoral district]].
==Subdivisions==
There are 20 subdivisions within the RCM:<ref name="mamrot"/>
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;Municipalities (13)
* [[Armagh, Quebec|Armagh]]
* [[Beaumont, Quebec|Beaumont]]
* [[Honfleur, Quebec|Honfleur]]
* [[Saint-Anselme, Quebec|Saint-Anselme]]
* [[Saint-Charles-de-Bellechasse, Quebec|Saint-Charles-de-Bellechasse]]
* [[Saint-Gervais, Quebec|Saint-Gervais]]
* [[Saint-Henri, Chaudière-Appalaches, Quebec|Saint-Henri]]
* [[Saint-Lazare-de-Bellechasse, Quebec|Saint-Lazare-de-Bellechasse]]
* [[Saint-Michel-de-Bellechasse]]
* [[Saint-Nérée-de-Bellechasse, Quebec|Saint-Nérée-de-Bellechasse]]
* [[Saint-Raphaël, Quebec|Saint-Raphaël]]
* [[Saint-Vallier, Quebec|Saint-Vallier]]
* [[Sainte-Claire, Quebec|Sainte-Claire]]
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;Parishes (7)
* [[La Durantaye, Quebec|La Durantaye]]
* [[Notre-Dame-Auxiliatrice-de-Buckland, Quebec|Notre-Dame-Auxiliatrice-de-Buckland]]
* [[Saint-Damien-de-Buckland, Quebec|Saint-Damien-de-Buckland]]
* [[Saint-Léon-de-Standon, Quebec|Saint-Léon-de-Standon]]
* [[Saint-Malachie, Quebec|Saint-Malachie]]
* [[Saint-Nazaire-de-Dorchester, Quebec|Saint-Nazaire-de-Dorchester]]
* [[Saint-Philémon, Quebec|Saint-Philémon]]
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==Demographics==
''([[Statistics Canada]], 2016)''<ref name="census2016"/>
* Population: 37,233
* Population change (2011-2016): +5.4
* Dwellings: 17,740
* Area (km²): 1,751.06
* Population Density (per km².): 21.3
<!-- * National rank in terms of population: 173
* Provincial rank in terms of population: 61 -->
==Transportation==
===Access Routes===
Highways and numbered routes that run through the municipality, including external routes that start or finish at the county border:<ref>[http://www.quebec511.gouv.qc.ca/fr/carte_routiere/ Official Transport Quebec Road Map]</ref>
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* '''Autoroutes'''
** {{jct|state=QC|TCH|20}}
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* '''Principal Highways'''
** {{jct|state=QC|QC|132}}
** {{jct|state=QC|QC|173}}
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* '''Secondary Highways'''
** {{jct|state=QC|QC|216}}
** {{jct|state=QC|QC|218}}
** {{jct|state=QC|QC|228}}
** {{jct|state=QC|QC|275}}
** {{jct|state=QC|QC|277}}
** {{jct|state=QC|QC|279}}
** {{jct|state=QC|QC|281}}
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* '''External Routes'''
** None
{{col-end}}
==Attractions==
* Beaumont Mill, 1821 (Beaumont)
* Ferme Appalaches Safari Ranch (Saint-Lazare)
* Gold Museum (Saint-Philémon)
* Horse-drawn carriages Museum (Saint-Vallier)
* Le Ricaneux Artisanal Wine (Saint-Charles)
* Massif du Sud Ski Area (Saint-Philémon)
* Notre-Dame-de-Perpetual-Secours Historical Centre (Saint-Damien-de-Buckland)
==Protected Areas==
* Massif du Sud Regional Park
* St-Vallier National Migratory Bird Sanctuary
==See also==
* [[List of regional county municipalities and equivalent territories in Quebec]]
* [[Sisters of Our Lady of Perpetual Help]], Bellechasse
==References==
{{Reflist|refs=
<ref name="census2016">{{cite web |title=Census Profile, 2016 Census Bellechasse, Municipalité régionale de comté [Census division], Quebec |url=https://www12.statcan.gc.ca/census-recensement/2016/dp-pd/prof/details/page.cfm?Lang=E&Geo1=CD&Code1=2419&Geo2=PR&Code2=24&SearchText=bellecha&SearchType=Begins&SearchPR=01&B1=All&TABID=1&type=0 |publisher=Statistics Canada |access-date=November 28, 2019}}</ref>
<ref name="toponymie">{{toponymie |141116}}</ref>
}}
{{Geographic Location (8-way)
| title = '''Adjacent Counties & Equivalent Territories'''
| Centre = Bellechasse RCM
| North = [[L'Île-d'Orléans Regional County Municipality|L'Île-d'Orléans RCM]]<br>''[[Saint Lawrence River]]''
| Northeast =
| East = [[Montmagny Regional County Municipality|Montmagny RCM]]
| Southeast = [[Les Etchemins Regional County Municipality|Les Etchemins RCM]]
| South = [[Beauce-Centre Regional County Municipality|Beauce-Centre RCM]]
| Southwest = [[La Nouvelle-Beauce Regional County Municipality|La Nouvelle-Beauce RCM]]
| West = [[Lévis, Quebec|Lévis TE]]
| Northwest =
| image =
}}
{{Administrative divisions of Quebec region|Chaudière-Appalaches|state=expanded}}
{{Authority control}}
[[Category:Regional county municipalities in Chaudière-Appalaches]]
[[Category:Census divisions of Quebec]]