Saint-Louis-du-Ha! Ha!

Coordinates: 47°40′N 68°59′W / 47.67°N 68.98°W / 47.67; -68.98
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Saint-Louis-du-Ha! Ha!
Church tower in Saint-Louis-du-Ha! Ha!
Church tower in Saint-Louis-du-Ha! Ha!
Coat of arms of Saint-Louis-du-Ha! Ha!
Motto(s): 
Solidaire dans le labeur (French)
"Solidarity in work"
Location within Témiscouata RCM
Location within Témiscouata RCM
Saint-Louis-du-Ha! Ha! is located in Eastern Quebec
Saint-Louis-du-Ha! Ha!
Saint-Louis-du-Ha! Ha!
Location in eastern Quebec
Coordinates: 47°40′N 68°59′W / 47.67°N 68.98°W / 47.67; -68.98[1]
CountryCanada
ProvinceQuebec
RegionBas-Saint-Laurent
RCMTémiscouata
Named1874
Constituted14 July 1874
Government
 • MayorSonia Larrivée
 • Federal ridingRimouski-Neigette—
Témiscouata—Les Basques
 • Prov. ridingRivière-du-Loup–Témiscouata
Area
 • Total110.50 km2 (42.66 sq mi)
 • Land112.31 km2 (43.36 sq mi)
 There is an apparent contradiction between two authoritative sources
Population
 • Total1,311
 • Density11.7/km2 (30/sq mi)
 • Pop 2016–21
Increase 1.5%
 • Dwellings
594
Time zoneUTC−5 (EST)
 • Summer (DST)UTC−4 (EDT)
Postal code(s)
Area code(s)418 and 581
HighwaysTrans-Canada Highway
Websitewww.saintlouisduhaha.com

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.

A Canada Post sign in Saint-Louis-du-Ha! Ha!

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[edit]

The 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[edit]

In 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]

The church of Saint-Louis-du-Ha!-Ha!

References[edit]

  1. ^ a b "Banque de noms de lieux du Québec: Reference number 57133". toponymie.gouv.qc.ca (in French). Commission de toponymie du Québec.
  2. ^ a b "Répertoire des municipalités: Geographic code 13080". www.mamh.gouv.qc.ca (in French). Ministère des Affaires municipales et de l'Habitation.
  3. ^ a b c "Saint-Louis-du-Ha! Ha! (Code 2413080) Census Profile". 2011 census. Government of Canada - Statistics Canada.
  4. ^ 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.
  5. ^ "TransCanadaHighway.com St Louis du Ha Ha, Quebec". FoundLocally.com. Archived from the original on 2010-11-30. Retrieved 2009-12-05.
  6. ^ "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.
  7. ^ "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.
  8. ^ "Baie des Ha! Ha!". Commission de toponymie du Québec. Archived from the original on 2019-08-14. Retrieved 2012-02-29.
  9. ^ "Baie des Ha! Ha!". Commission de toponymie du Québec. Archived from the original on 2020-09-20. Retrieved 2012-02-29.
  10. ^ "Rivière Ha! Ha!". Commission de toponymie du Québec. Archived from the original on 2018-06-13. Retrieved 2012-02-29.

External links[edit]

Media related to Saint-Louis-du-Ha! Ha! at Wikimedia Commons