View source for Quebec City

{{Short description|Provincial capital of Quebec, Canada}}
{{Use Canadian English|date=March 2014}}
{{Use dmy dates|date=December 2019}}
{{Infobox settlement
| name               = Quebec City<!-- DO NOT change without discussion-->
| official_name      = {{native name|fr|Ville de Québec}}
| settlement_type    = [[List of towns in Quebec|City]] and [[List of cities in Canada#Capital cities|provincial capital]]
| image_skyline      = {{Multiple image
 | border                 = infobox
 | total_width            = 300
 | image_style            = 
 | perrow                 = 2/2/2/1
 | image1                 = Quebec City Rue St-Louis 2010.jpg
 | caption1               = [[Old Quebec]]
 | image2                 = Old quebec city.jpg
 | caption2               = [[Terrasse Dufferin]]
 | image3                 = Québec - Hôtel du Parlement 3.jpg
 | caption3               = [[Parliament Building (Quebec)|Quebec Parliament Building]]
 | image4                 = Place Royale at night, Vieux-Québec, Quebec ville, Canada.jpg
 | caption4               = [[Place Royale, Quebec City|Place Royale]]
 | image5                 = Le pont de Québec et le pont Pierre-Laporte vus du boulevard Champlain.jpg
 | caption5               = [[Pierre Laporte Bridge]]
 | image6                 = Grand-Séminaire-Québec.jpg
 | caption6               = [[Laval University|Séminaire Québec]]
 | image7                 = Château Frontenac 02.jpg
 | caption7               = [[Château Frontenac]]
 }}
| image_caption      = 
| image_flag         = Flag of Quebec City.svg
| flag_size          = 120x100px
| image_seal         = 
| seal_size          = 1
| image_shield       = Armoiries de la ville de Québec.svg
| shield_size        = 74x100px
| image_blank_emblem = Quebec City.svg
| blank_emblem_type  = Logo
| nickname           = {{lang|fr|[[List of city nicknames in Canada#Quebec|La Vieille Capitale]]}}<ref>{{Cite book |last1=Marceau |first1=Stéphane G. |title=Ville de Québec |last2=Rémillard |first2=François |publisher=Guides de voyage Ulysse |year=2002 |isbn=2-89464-510-4 |edition=4th |location=Montreal |page=14 |language=fr}}</ref>
| motto = {{force singular}} {{lang|fr|Don de Dieu feray valoir}}<br />("I shall put God's gift to good use"; the ''Don de Dieu'' was Champlain's ship)
| pushpin_map        = Quebec#Canada#North America
| pushpin_map_caption = Location in Quebec##Location in Canada
| pushpin_relief     = yes
| coordinates        = {{Coord|46|48|50|N|71|12|29|W|region:CA-QC|notes=<ref name=cgndb>{{Cite cgndb|EHTWR|Quebec City}}</ref>|display=inline,title}}
| coor_pinpoint      = 
| coordinates_footnotes = <ref name="toponymie" />
| subdivision_type   = [[List of sovereign states|Country]]
| subdivision_name   = Canada
| subdivision_type1  = [[Provinces and territories of Canada|Province]]
| subdivision_name1  = [[Quebec]]
| subdivision_type2  = [[List of regions of Quebec|Region]]
| subdivision_name2  = [[Capitale-Nationale]]
| subdivision_type3  = Metropolitan community
| subdivision_name3  = [[Communauté métropolitaine de Québec]]
| subdivision_type4  = [[Urban area|Agglomeration]]
| subdivision_name4  = [[Urban agglomeration of Quebec City|Agglomeration of Quebec City]]
| subdivision_type5  = [[History of Quebec|Historic countries]]
| subdivision_name5  = [[Kingdom of France]]<br />[[Kingdom of Great Britain]]
| established_title  = First settled
| established_date   = 11 October 1535, <br />by [[Jacques Cartier]]
| established_title1 = Founded
| established_date1  = 3 July 1608, <br />by [[Samuel de Champlain]]
| established_title2 = Constituted
| established_date2  = 1 January 2002
| established_title3 = Incorporated
| established_date3  = 1832<ref name="incor">{{Cite web |title=Incorporation de Québec |date=23 October 2007 |url=http://grandquebec.com/capitale-quebec/incorporation-ville/ |url-status=live |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20211028235911/https://grandquebec.com/capitale-quebec/incorporation-ville/ |archive-date=28 October 2021 |access-date=11 March 2018}}</ref>
| established_title4 = 
| established_date4  = 
| parts_type         = Boroughs
| parts_style        = <!-- =list (for list), coll (for collapsed list), para (for paragraph format)
Default is list if up to 5 items, coll if more than 5-->
| parts              = <!-- parts text, or header for parts list -->
| p1                 = [[Beauport, Quebec City|Beauport]]
| government_footnotes = <ref name="mamrot" />
| government_type    = [[Quebec City Council]]
| leader_title       = [[Mayor]]
| leader_name        = [[Bruno Marchand]]
| leader_title1      = [[List of House members of the 44th Parliament of Canada|MPs]]
| leader_name1       = {{Collapsible list
|title       = List of MPs
|frame_style = border:none; padding: 0;
|list_style  = text-align:left;display:none;
|1           = [[Gérard Deltell]] ([[Conservative Party of Canada|C]])
|2           = [[Jean-Yves Duclos]] ([[Liberal Party of Canada|L]])
|3           = [[Joël Godin]] ([[Conservative Party of Canada|C]])
|4           = [[Gabriel Hardy]] ([[Conservative Party of Canada|C]])
|5           = [[Steeve Lavoie]] ([[Liberal Party of Canada|L]])
|6           = [[Joël Lightbound]] ([[Liberal Party of Canada|L]])
|7           = [[Pierre Paul-Hus]] ([[Conservative Party of Canada|C]])
 }}
| area_footnotes     = <ref name="mamrot" /><ref name="auto2">{{Cite web |publisher=[[Government of Canada]], [[Statistics Canada]]|date=8 February 2017 |title=Population and Dwelling Count Highlight Tables, 2016 Census |url=https://www12.statcan.gc.ca/census-recensement/2016/dp-pd/hlt-fst/pd-pl/Table.cfm?Lang=Eng&T=301&SR=3426&RPP=25&S=86&O=A&CMA=0&PR=0#2016A00052423027 |url-status=live |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20211028235847/https://www12.statcan.gc.ca/census-recensement/2016/dp-pd/hlt-fst/pd-pl/Table.cfm?Lang=Eng&T=301&SR=3426&RPP=25&S=86&O=A&CMA=0&PR=0#2016A00052423027 |archive-date=28 October 2021 |access-date=15 February 2017}}</ref><ref name="auto">{{Cite web |publisher=Government of Canada, Statistics Canada |title=Population and Dwelling Count Highlight Tables, 2021 Census |date=9 February 2022 |url=https://www12.statcan.gc.ca/census-recensement/2021/dp-pd/prof/details/page.cfm?Lang=E&SearchText=Quebec&DGUIDlist=2021S0503421&GENDERlist=1,2,3&STATISTIClist=1,4&HEADERlist=0 |access-date=24 April 2024 |archive-date=9 October 2023 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20231009010632/https://www12.statcan.gc.ca/census-recensement/2021/dp-pd/prof/details/page.cfm?Lang=E&SearchText=Quebec&DGUIDlist=2021S0503421&GENDERlist=1,2,3&STATISTIClist=1,4&HEADERlist=0 |url-status=live }}</ref>
| area_magnitude     = 
| area_total_km2     = 452.30
| area_land_km2      = 453.38
| area_urban_km2     = 442.85
| area_water_km2     = 
| area_water_percent = 
| area_metro_km2     = 3,499.46
| elevation_footnotes = <ref>{{Cite web |last=Vallières |first=Marc |title=Québec City |url=http://www.thecanadianencyclopedia.com/articles/quebec-city |url-status=dead |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20120522050125/http://www.thecanadianencyclopedia.com/articles/quebec-city |archive-date=22 May 2012 |access-date=17 June 2012}}</ref><!--for references: use tags-->
| elevation_m        = 98
| elevation_ft       = 
| population_total   = 549,459 ([[List of the largest municipalities in Canada by population|12th]])
| population_urban   = 733,156 ([[List of the largest population centres in Canada|8th]])
| population_as_of   = 2021
| population_footnotes = <ref name="auto2" />
| population_density_km2 = 1,214.8
| population_density_urban_km2 = 1,655.5
| population_metro   = 839,311 ([[List of census metropolitan areas and agglomerations in Canada|7th]])
| population_metro_footnotes = <ref name="auto" />
| population_density_metro_km2 = 239.8
| population_demonym = Québécois or Québécois de Québec (to distinguish residents of the city from those of the province)
| population_blank1_title = Pop <small>2016–2021</small>
| population_blank1  = {{increase}} 4.1%
| population_density_blank1_km2 = 
| postal_code_type   = [[Postal codes in Canada|Postal codes]]
| postal_code        = [[List of postal codes of Canada: G|G1A to G3K]]
| area_codes         = [[Area codes 418, 581, and 367|{{hlist|418|581|367}}]]
| blank_name_sec2    = [[Gross domestic product|GDP]] (Québec {{Abbr|CMA|Census metropolitan area}})
| blank_info_sec2    = [[Canadian dollar|CA$]]47.94 billion (2020)<ref>{{cite web | url=https://www150.statcan.gc.ca/t1/tbl1/en/tv.action?pid=3610046801 | title=Gross domestic product (GDP) at basic prices, by census metropolitan area (CMA) | date=December 6, 2023 | access-date=27 April 2021 | archive-date=22 January 2021 | archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20210122184338/https://www150.statcan.gc.ca/t1/tbl1/en/tv.action?pid=3610046801 | url-status=live }}</ref>
| blank1_name_sec2   = GDP per capita (Québec {{Abbr|CMA|Census metropolitan area}})
| blank1_info_sec2   = CA$52,555 (2021)
| website            = {{Official URL}}
| footnotes          = {{designation list |embed=yes
   | designation1 = World Heritage Site
   | designation1_offname = Historic District of Old Quebec
   | designation1_date = 1985 <small>(9th [[World Heritage Committee|session]])</small>
   | designation1_type = Cultural
   | designation1_criteria = iv, vi
   | designation1_number = [https://whc.unesco.org/en/list/300 300]
   | designation1_free1name = Region
   | designation1_free1value = [[List of World Heritage Sites in North America|Europe and North America]]
   }}
| p2                 = [[Charlesbourg, Quebec City|Charlesbourg]]
| p3                 = [[La Cité-Limoilou]]
| p4                 = [[La Haute-Saint-Charles, Quebec City|La Haute-Saint-Charles]]
| p5                 = [[Les Rivières, Quebec City|Les Rivières]]
| p6                 = [[Sainte-Foy–Sillery–Cap-Rouge]]
| leader_title2      = [[List of Quebec provincial electoral districts|MNAs]]
| leader_name2       = {{Collapsible list
|title         = List
|frame_style   = border:none; padding: 0;
|list_style    = text-align:left;display:none;
|1             = [[Jonatan Julien]] ([[Coalition Avenir Québec|C]])
|2             = [[Kariane Bourassa]] ([[Coalition Avenir Québec|C]])
|3             = [[Éric Caire]] ([[Coalition Avenir Québec|C]])
|4             = [[Sol Zanetti]] ([[Québec Solidaire|QS]])
|5             = [[Geneviève Guilbault]] ([[Coalition Avenir Québec|C]])
|6             = [[Mario Asselin]] ([[Coalition Avenir Québec|C]])
|7             = [[Étienne Grandmont]] ([[Québec Solidaire|QS]])
|8             = [[Pascal Paradis]] ([[Parti québécois|Q]])
|9             = [[Sylvain Lévesque]] ([[Coalition Avenir Québec|C]])
 }}
| area_metro_footnotes = <ref name="cp2011-CA" />
| timezone           = [[Eastern Time Zone|EST]]
| utc_offset         = −05:00
| timezone_DST       = EDT
| utc_offset_DST     = −04:00
| blank_emblem_size  = 100px
}}

'''Québec''',{{Efn|{{IPAc-en|audio=En-Quebec.ogv|k|w|ᵻ|ˈ|b|ɛ|k}} or {{IPAc-en|k|ə|ˈ|b|ɛ|k}};<ref name="oedpron">{{cite OED|Quebec}}</ref> ({{IPA|fr|kebɛk|FR-Québec.ogg}})<ref>{{Cite web |last=Government of Canada |first=Natural Resources Canada |title=Place names – Québec |url=http://www4.rncan.gc.ca/search-place-names/unique/EHTWR |url-status=live |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20211028235550/http://www4.rncan.gc.ca/search-place-names/unique/EHTWR |archive-date=28 October 2021 |access-date=31 March 2019 |website=www4.rncan.gc.ca}}</ref>}} called '''Quebec City''' in English{{Efn|To distinguish it from its eponymous province.}} ({{Langx|fr|Ville de Québec}}), is the capital city of the [[provinces and territories of Canada|Canadian province]] of [[Quebec]]. As of July 2021, the city had a population of 549,459,<ref name="Statistics Canada Census 2021">{{Cite web |title=Québec, Ville [Census subdivision], Quebec and Québec, Territoire équivalent [Census division], Quebec |url=https://www12.statcan.gc.ca/census-recensement/2021/dp-pd/prof/details/page.cfm?Lang=E&SearchText=Quebec&DGUIDlist=2021A00052423027&GENDERlist=1,2,3&STATISTIClist=1,4&HEADERlist=0 |url-status=live |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20250206180431/https://www12.statcan.gc.ca/census-recensement/2021/dp-pd/prof/details/page.cfm?Lang=E&SearchText=Quebec&DGUIDlist=2021A00052423027&GENDERlist=1,2,3&STATISTIClist=1,4&HEADERlist=0 |archive-date=6 February 2025 |access-date=6 February 2025 |website=Census 2021 | date=9 February 2022 |publisher=Statistics Canada}}</ref> and the Census Metropolitan Area (including surrounding communities)<ref>{{cite web |url=https://www12.statcan.gc.ca/census-recensement/2011/dp-pd/prof/details/page.cfm?Lang=E&Geo1=CMA&Code1=421&Geo2=PR&Code2=24&Data=Count&SearchText=Quebec&SearchType=Begins&SearchPR=24&B1=All&Custom=&TABID=1 |title=Census Profile |date=8 February 2012 |publisher=Statistics Canada |access-date=10 February 2025 |archive-date=25 February 2025 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20250225045619/https://www12.statcan.gc.ca/census-recensement/2011/dp-pd/prof/details/page.cfm?Lang=E&Geo1=CMA&Code1=421&Geo2=PR&Code2=24&Data=Count&SearchText=Quebec&SearchType=Begins&SearchPR=24&B1=All&Custom=&TABID=1 |url-status=live }}</ref> had a population of 839,311.<ref>{{Cite web |publisher=Government of Canada, Statistics Canada |date=15 November 2023 |title=Population and Dwelling Count Highlight Tables, 2021 Census |url=https://www12.statcan.gc.ca/census-recensement/2021/dp-pd/prof/details/page.cfm?LANG=E&GENDERlist=1,2,3&STATISTIClist=1,4&DGUIDlist=2021S0503421&HEADERlist=1&SearchText=Quebec |url-status=live |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20180923090409/https://www12.statcan.gc.ca/census-recensement/2016/dp-pd/hlt-fst/pd-pl/Table.cfm?Lang=Eng&T=205&S=3&RPP=100 |archive-date=23 September 2018 |access-date=15 February 2017 |website=www12.statcan.gc.ca}}</ref> It is the twelfth[[list of the largest municipalities in Canada by population|-largest city]] and the seventh-[[list of census metropolitan areas and agglomerations in Canada|largest metropolitan area]] in Canada. It is also the [[list of towns in Quebec|second-largest city]] in the province, after [[Montreal]]. It has a [[humid continental climate]] with warm summers coupled with cold and snowy winters.

Explorer [[Samuel de Champlain]] founded a French settlement here in 1608, and adopted the Algonquin name. Quebec City is one of the [[list of North American settlements by year of foundation|oldest European settlements in North America]]. The [[Ramparts of Quebec City|ramparts]] surrounding [[Old Quebec]] ({{Lang|fr|Vieux-Québec}}) are the only fortified [[city walls]] remaining in the Americas north of [[Mexico]]. This area was declared a [[World Heritage Site]] by [[UNESCO]] in 1985 as the "Historic District of Old Québec".<ref>"[https://whc.unesco.org/en/list/300 Historic District of Old Québec] {{Webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20110628191918/https://whc.unesco.org/en/list/300 |date=28 June 2011 }}". [[World Heritage Site|World Heritage]]; [[UNESCO]]. Retrieved 12 January 2009.</ref><ref>{{Cite news |title=Old Quebec City, Seven Wonders of Canada |work=cbc.ca |url=http://www.cbc.ca/sevenwonders/wonder_quebec_city.html |url-status=live |access-date=12 February 2008 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20080207024051/http://www.cbc.ca/sevenwonders/wonder_quebec_city.html |archive-date=7 February 2008}}</ref>

==Name and usage==
{{Further|Name of Quebec City|Quebec#Etymology}}

Common [[English language|English-language]] usage distinguishes the city from the province by referring to the former as Quebec City.<ref>{{cite web |last1=Government of Canada |first1=Public Services and Procurement Canada |title=Québec, City of Québec, Quebec City – Writing Tips Plus – Writing Tools – Resources of the Language Portal of Canada – Canada.ca |url=https://www.noslangues-ourlanguages.gc.ca/en/writing-tips-plus/quebec-city-of |website=Writing Tips Plus |access-date=20 May 2022 |date=28 February 2020 |archive-date=25 September 2022 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20220925204401/https://www.noslangues-ourlanguages.gc.ca/en/writing-tips-plus/quebec-city-of |url-status=live }}</ref>

According to the Government of Canada, the Government of Quebec, and the Geographical Names Board of Canada, the names of Canadian cities and towns have only one official form. Thus, Québec is officially spelled with an accented é in both [[French language|French]] and [[Canadian English]].<ref>{{Cite web |date=2016 |title=Québec, City of Québec, Quebec City |url=http://www.btb.termiumplus.gc.ca/tpv2guides/guides/wrtps/index-eng.html?lang=eng&lettr=indx_catlog_q&page=9M186EWC4Ldg.html#zz9M186EWC4Ldg |url-status=live |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20160914012658/http://www.btb.termiumplus.gc.ca/tpv2guides/guides/wrtps/index-eng.html?lang=eng&lettr=indx_catlog_q&page=9M186EWC4Ldg.html#zz9M186EWC4Ldg |archive-date=14 September 2016 |access-date=29 October 2016 |publisher=Public Works and Government Services Canada}}</ref><ref>{{Cite web |title=Names (geographical) |url=http://www.psc-cfp.gc.ca/abt-aps/stgd-gdst/index-eng.htm#toc2.15 |url-status=live |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20161121144149/http://www.psc-cfp.gc.ca/abt-aps/stgd-gdst/index-eng.htm#toc2.15 |archive-date=21 November 2016 |access-date=29 October 2016 |publisher=Public Service Commission of Canada}}</ref><ref>{{Cite web |last=Government of Canada |date=8 October 2009 |title=Geographical Names |url=http://www.btb.termiumplus.gc.ca/tcdnstyl-chap?lang=eng&lettr=chapsect15&info0=15#zz15 |url-status=live |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20161030002236/http://www.btb.termiumplus.gc.ca/tcdnstyl-chap?lang=eng&lettr=chapsect15&info0=15#zz15 |archive-date=30 October 2016 |access-date=29 October 2016 |publisher=The Canadian Style}}</ref> However, province names can have different forms in English and French. As a result, in English, the federal government style distinguishes the city and province by spelling the city with an acute accent (Québec) and the province without one (Quebec). The government of Quebec spells both names "Québec", including when writing in English.<ref>{{cite web |title=Faut-il traduire les toponymes? |url=https://toponymie.gouv.qc.ca/ct/normes-procedures/regles-ecriture/traduire-toponymes.html |website=Commission de toponymie |access-date=20 May 2022 |date=26 November 2020 |archive-date=20 May 2022 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20220520184816/https://toponymie.gouv.qc.ca/ct/normes-procedures/regles-ecriture/traduire-toponymes.html |url-status=live }}</ref>

In French, the two are distinguished in that province names including Quebec generally take [[definite article]]s, while city names do not. As a result, the city is {{lang|fr|Québec}} and the province is {{lang|fr|le Québec}}; "in Quebec City" is {{lang|fr|à Québec}} and "in the province of Quebec" is {{lang|fr|au{{efn|{{lang|fr|[[wikt:à#Preposition_3|à]] [[wikt:le#French|le]]}} → {{lang|fr|[[wikt:au#French|au]]}}}} Québec}}; and so forth.<ref>{{cite web |title=Québec en quelques mots |url=https://immigrantquebec.com/fr/reussir-votre-installation/vivre-a-quebec/connaitre-quebec/quebec-en-quelques-mots/ |website=Immigrant Québec |access-date=20 May 2022 |language=fr-CA |date=22 October 2021 |archive-date=17 November 2022 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20221117000344/https://immigrantquebec.com/fr/reussir-votre-installation/vivre-a-quebec/connaitre-quebec/quebec-en-quelques-mots/ |url-status=live }}</ref>

The [[Algonquian people]] had originally named the area {{lang|alq|Kébec}}, an [[Algonquin language]]{{efn|The [[Algonquin language]] is a distinct language of the [[Algonquian languages|Algonquian language family]], and is not a misspelling.}} word meaning "where the river narrows", because the [[Saint Lawrence River]] narrows by the [[promontory of Quebec]] and its [[Cap Diamant|Cape Diamant]].

==History==
{{See also|History of Quebec City|Timeline of Quebec City history}}

=== French regime (1500s–1763) ===
Quebec City is one of the oldest European settlements in [[North America]] and the only fortified city north of [[Mexico]] whose walls still exist.<ref>{{Cite web |title=CBC.CA – Seven Wonders of Canada – Your Nominations – Old Quebec City, Quebec |url=https://www.cbc.ca/sevenwonders/wonder_quebec_city.html |url-status=live |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20190401022236/https://www.cbc.ca/sevenwonders/wonder_quebec_city.html |archive-date=1 April 2019 |access-date=31 March 2019 |website=www.cbc.ca}}</ref> While many of the major cities in [[Latin America]] date from the 16th century, among cities in Canada and the United States, few were created earlier than Quebec City ([[St. John's, Newfoundland and Labrador|St. John's]], [[Harbour Grace]], [[Port-Royal (Acadia)|Port Royal]], [[St. Augustine, Florida|St. Augustine]], [[Santa Fe, New Mexico|Santa Fe]], [[Jamestown, Virginia|Jamestown]], and [[Tadoussac]]).
[[File:Jacques Cartier rencontre les indiens de Stadacone, 1535.jpg|left|thumb|Depiction of [[Jacques Cartier]]'s meeting with the indigenous people of [[Stadacona]] in 1535]]

It is home to the earliest known French settlement in North America, [[Charlesbourg-Royal|Fort Charlesbourg-Royal]], established in 1541 by explorer [[Jacques Cartier]] with some 400 persons but abandoned less than a year later due to the harsh winter and resistance of indigenous inhabitants to colonial incursion on their land.<ref>{{Cite web |title=Fort Charlesbourg Royal National Historic Site of Canada |url=https://www.historicplaces.ca/en/rep-reg/place-lieu.aspx?id=16661 |url-status=live |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20211028235615/https://www.historicplaces.ca/en/rep-reg/place-lieu.aspx?id=16661 |archive-date=28 October 2021 |access-date=6 October 2018 |website=www.historicplaces.ca |publisher=Parks Canada |language=en}}</ref> The fort was at the mouth of the [[Rivière du Cap Rouge]], in the suburban former [[Cap-Rouge, Quebec City|town of Cap-Rouge]] (which merged into Quebec City in 2002).

Quebec was founded by [[Samuel de Champlain]], a French explorer and diplomat, on 3 July 1608,<ref name="WDL1">{{Cite web |title=View of Quebec, Capital of Canada |url=http://www.wdl.org/en/item/224 |url-status=live |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20211028235552/https://www.wdl.org/en/item/224/nearest-items.json?limit=25 |archive-date=28 October 2021 |access-date=11 February 2013 |publisher=[[World Digital Library]]}}</ref><ref>{{Cite book |last=Moss |first=William |url=https://books.google.com/books?id=_CJBDwAAQBAJ&pg=PT334 |title=The Recent Archaeology of the Early Modern Period in Quebec City: 2009 |date=2 December 2017 |publisher=Routledge |isbn=9781351193337 |pages=334 |language=en |access-date=30 June 2019 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20211028235557/https://books.google.com/books?id=_CJBDwAAQBAJ&pg=PT334 |archive-date=28 October 2021 |url-status=live}}</ref> and at the site of a long abandoned [[Laurentian language|St. Lawrence Iroquoian]] settlement called [[Stadacona]]. Champlain, who came to be called "The Father of [[New France]]", served as its administrator for the rest of his life.

The [[name of Canada|name "Canada"]] was given to the colony that developed around the settlement at Quebec. Although the [[Acadia]]n settlement at [[Port-Royal (Acadia)|Port-Royal]] was established three years earlier, Quebec came to be known as the cradle of North America's [[French language|Francophone]] population. The location seemed favourable to the establishment of a permanent colony.

[[File:Plaque des premiers colons de Quebec.jpg|thumb|left|Plaque honouring the first settlers of Québec City. (affixed to back of monument to {{ill|Guillaume Couillard (settler)|fr|Guillaume Couillard|lt=Guillaume Couillard}}, which accompanies those to [[Louis Hébert]] and [[Marie Rollet]]). [[Parc Montmorency]], [[Québec City]].]]

The population of the settlement remained small for decades. In 1629 it was [[surrender of Quebec|captured by English privateers]], led by [[David Kirke]], during the [[Anglo-French War (1627–1629)|Anglo-French War]].<ref name="kirkbio">[http://www.biographi.ca/009004-119.01-e.php?id_nbr=368&PHPSESSID=5741tch9j1hgc3ki456h1e5uv7 "KIRKE, SIR DAVID, adventurer, trader, colonizer, leader of the expedition that captured Quebec in 1629, and later governor of Newfoundland"] {{Webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20200917104640/http://www.biographi.ca/en/bio.php?id_nbr=368%2F |date=17 September 2020 }}, ''Dictionary of Canadian Biography Online''</ref> Samuel de Champlain argued that the English seizing of French lands was illegal as the war had already ended, and worked to have them returned to France. As part of the ongoing negotiations following the end of the Anglo-French War, in 1632 the English king [[Charles I of England|Charles I]] agreed to return captured lands in exchange for [[Louis XIII]] paying his wife's [[dowry]].<ref name=kirkbio /> These terms were signed into law with the [[Treaty of Saint-Germain-en-Laye (1632)|Treaty of Saint-Germain-en-Laye]]. The colonies of [[Canada (New France)|Canada]] and [[Acadia]] were returned to the French [[Company of One Hundred Associates]].<ref name=kirkbio />

In 1665, there were 550 people in 70 houses living in the city. One-quarter of the people were members of religious orders: secular priests, Jesuits, Ursulines nuns and the order running the local hospital, Hôtel-Dieu.<ref>{{Cite book |last=Morison |first=Samuel Eliot |title=The Oxford history of the American people. |publisher=Mentor |year=1972 |isbn=0-451-62600-1 |location=New York |pages=150 |oclc=7384608}}</ref>

Quebec was the headquarters of many raids against [[New England]] during the [[French and Indian Wars]]. In 1690 the city [[battle of Quebec (1690)|was attacked by the English]], but was successfully defended. In the last of the conflicts, the [[French and Indian War]] ([[Seven Years' War]]), Quebec was captured by the British in 1759, and held until the end of the war in 1763. In that time many battles and sieges took place: the [[Battle of Beauport]], a French victory (31 July 1759); the [[Battle of the Plains of Abraham]], in which British troops under General [[James Wolfe]] defeated the French General [[Louis-Joseph de Montcalm]] on 13 September 1759, and shortly thereafter took the city after a short siege. A French counterattack saw a French victory at the [[Battle of Sainte-Foy]] (28 April 1760) but the subsequent second [[Siege of Quebec (1760)|Siege of Quebec]] the following month however saw a final British victory.[[File:PlainsOfAbraham2007.jpg|thumb|left|After a campaign of three months British forces captured Quebec City after the Battle of the Plains of Abraham.]]

France ceded [[New France]], including the city, to Britain in 1763,<ref>{{Cite web |date=7 October 1763 |title=George R, Proclamation, 7 October 1763 (Royal Proclamation) |url=https://primarydocuments.ca/royal-proclamation-1763/ |url-status=live |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20190401032305/https://primarydocuments.ca/royal-proclamation-1763/ |archive-date=1 April 2019 |access-date=31 March 2019 |website=PrimaryDocuments.ca |language=en-CA}}</ref> when the [[French and Indian War]] officially ended.

At the end of French rule, Quebec was a town of 8,000 inhabitants, surrounded by forests, villages, fields and pastures. The town was distinguished by its monumental architecture, fortifications, and affluent homes of masonry and shacks in the suburbs of Saint-Jean and Saint-Roch. Despite its urbanity and its status as capital, Quebec remained a small city with close ties to its rural surroundings. Nearby inhabitants traded their farm surpluses and firewood for imported goods from France at the two city markets.

=== British and Canadian rule (1763–present)===
{{more citations needed section|date=April 2016}}
[[File:Canadian militiamen and British soldiers repulse the American assault at Sault-au-Matelot.jpg|thumb|British regulars and [[Canadian militia]] engage the [[Continental Army]] in the streets of the city. The Americans' failure to take Quebec in 1775 led to the end of their [[Invasion of Quebec (1775)|campaign in Canada.]]]]

During the [[American Revolution]], revolutionary troops from the southern colonies [[Battle of Quebec (1775)|assaulted the British garrison in the city]] in the hope that the peoples of Quebec would rise and join the [[American Revolution]] so that Canada would join the [[Continental Congress]], along with the other British colonies of continental North America. The American invasion failed, however, and the war resulted in a permanent split of British North America into two entitles: the newly independent [[United States of America]], and those colonies (including Quebec) that remained under British control, which would later become the country of [[Canada]].

The city itself was not attacked during the [[War of 1812]], when the United States again attempted to annex Canadian lands. Amid fears of another American attack on Quebec City, construction of the [[Citadelle of Quebec]] began in 1820. The Americans did not attack Canada after the War of 1812, but the Citadelle continued to house a large British garrison until 1871. It is still in use by the military and is also a tourist attraction.

Until the late 18th century Québec was the most populous city in present-day Canada. As of the census of 1790, Montreal surpassed it with 18,000 inhabitants, but Quebec, which had about 14,000 of population at that time, remained the administrative capital of the former New France.<ref name="Cartier">{{Cite journal |last=Cartier |first=Gwenaël |date=2009 |title=Québec 1608–2008 : 400 ans de statistiques démographiques tirées des recensements |url=https://www.erudit.org/en/journals/cqd/2008-v37-n1-cqd2900/029642ar/ |url-status=live |journal=Cahiers québécois de démographie |language=fr |volume=37 |page=143 |doi=10.7202/029642ar |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20180729111705/https://www.erudit.org/en/journals/cqd/2008-v37-n1-cqd2900/029642ar/ |archive-date=29 July 2018 |access-date=29 July 2018 |doi-access=|url-access=subscription }}</ref> It was then made the capital of [[Lower Canada]] by the [[Constitutional Act of 1791]].<ref>{{Cite web |title=Ville de Québec – Québec City, Fortress and Port (1756–1867) |url=https://www.ville.quebec.qc.ca/en/apropos/portrait/histoire/1756-1867.aspx |url-status=live |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20211028235646/https://www.ville.quebec.qc.ca/en/apropos/portrait/histoire/1756-1867.aspx |archive-date=28 October 2021 |access-date=31 March 2019 |website=Ville de Québec}}</ref> From 1841 to 1867, the capital of the [[Province of Canada]] rotated between [[Kingston, Ontario|Kingston]], [[Montreal]], [[Toronto]], [[Ottawa]] and Quebec City (from 1851 to 1855 and from 1859 to 1865).<ref>{{cite web |last1=Clapperton |first1=Nina |title=13 Canada Capital Cities |url=https://ninaoutandabout.ca/canada-capital-cities/ |website=Nina Out and About |date=18 November 2021 |access-date=10 April 2022}}</ref>

[[File:Loading ship with square timber through the bow port Quebec City QC 1872.jpg|thumb|Square timber being loaded on a sail ship at the port of Québec in 1872]]
The city experienced an economic golden age in the 1800s, due to its favorable location on the Saint Lawrence River which gave rise to industries of wooden [[Sailing ship|sailing]] ships manufacture, export of squared [[Lumber|timber logs]]. to Europe, as well as associated enterprises such as [[sawmill]]s. However, by the 1870s, Québec City entered a period of economic decline. Contributing factors included the rise of steel-hulled [[steamship]]s, the expansion of railroads at the expense of waterways for continental commerce; the depletion of forest resources near major rivers upstream of Québec City and in the west of the province, which were transported to [[Port of Quebec|Québec's port]] by [[log driving]]; the construction of [[St. Lawrence Seaway|locks on the Saint Lawrence Seaway]], opening up trade routes to the U.S. from Montreal; and the city's inability to retain immigrant populations.<ref>{{Cite journal |last=Langlois |first=Simon |date=2007 |title=Sociologie de la ville de Québec |url=https://www.erudit.org/fr/revues/cdd/2007-n61-cdd3633/039157ar/ |journal=Les Cahiers des dix |language=fr |issue=61 |page=196 |doi=10.7202/039157ar |issn=0575-089X |archive-date=7 October 2024 |access-date=5 October 2024 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20241007103205/https://www.erudit.org/fr/revues/cdd/2007-n61-cdd3633/039157ar/ |url-status=live }}</ref> This unfavourable context, coupled with the departure of the British army from the city's Citadel in 1871, contributed to the exodus of English speaking populations, such as local bourgeoisie of Scottish origin or workers of Irish background, to Montreal in the second half of the 19th century. Anglophones made up approximately 40% of the city's population in 1861, but 16% in 1901.<ref>{{Cite journal |last=Langlois |first=Simon |date=2007 |title=Sociologie de la ville de Québec |url=https://www.erudit.org/fr/revues/cdd/2007-n61-cdd3633/039157ar/ |journal=Les Cahiers des dix |language=fr |issue=61 |page=197 |doi=10.7202/039157ar |issn=0575-089X |archive-date=7 October 2024 |access-date=5 October 2024 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20241007103205/https://www.erudit.org/fr/revues/cdd/2007-n61-cdd3633/039157ar/ |url-status=live }}</ref>

Before the [[Royal Military College of Canada]] was established in 1876, the only French-speaking officer training school was the Quebec City School of Military Instruction, founded in 1864.<ref>{{Cite web |date=June 2017 |title=Canadian Military Heritage Volume 2 (1755–1871). Canadian Militia Unpopular with Francophones |url=http://cmhg-phmc.forces.gc.ca/cmh-pmc/page-501-eng.aspx |url-status=live |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20181012181855/http://cmhg-phmc.forces.gc.ca/cmh-pmc/page-501-eng.aspx |archive-date=12 October 2018 |access-date=6 October 2018 |website=Canadian Military History Gateway |publisher=Department of National Defence |language=en}}</ref> The school was retained at Confederation, in 1867. In 1868, The School of Artillery was formed in Montreal.<ref>Richard Preston 'Canada's RMC: A History of the Royal Military College of Canada' published by the RMC Club by U of Toronto Press.</ref>

[[File:The Quebec Conference, Canada, August 1943 TR1347.jpg|thumb|left|[[William Lyon Mackenzie King|Mackenzie King]], [[Franklin Delano Roosevelt|Franklin D. Roosevelt]], [[Winston Churchill]], and the [[Alexander Cambridge, 1st Earl of Athlone|Earl of Athlone]] (left to right) at the [[First Quebec Conference]], a secret military conference held in [[World War II]]]]

The [[Quebec Conference, 1864|Quebec Conference]] on [[Canadian Confederation]] was held in the city in 1864. In 1867, [[Queen Victoria]] chose Ottawa as the definite capital of the Dominion of Canada, while Quebec City was confirmed as the capital of the newly created province of Quebec.

During World War II, two conferences were held in Quebec City. The [[Quebec Conference, 1943|First Quebec Conference]] was held in 1943 with [[Franklin D. Roosevelt]] (President of the United States), [[Winston Churchill]] (Prime Minister of the United Kingdom), [[William Lyon Mackenzie King]] (Prime Minister of Canada) and [[T. V. Soong]] (minister of foreign affairs of [[Republic of China (1912–1949)|China]]). The [[Second Quebec Conference]] was held in 1944 and was attended by Churchill and Roosevelt. They took place in the buildings of the Citadelle and at the nearby [[Château Frontenac]]. A large part of the [[D-Day]] landing plans were made during those meetings.

Until 2002, Quebec was a mostly urbanized city and its territory coterminous with today's borough of [[La Cité-Limoilou]]. The Government of Quebec then mandated a [[2000–06 municipal reorganization in Quebec|municipal reorganization in the province]], and many [[suburbs]] of the north shore of the Saint-Lawrence were merged into Quebec City, taking the form of [[Borough#Canada|boroughs]], thus constituting the boundary of present-day Québec City. In 2008 the city celebrated its [[400th anniversary of Quebec City|400th anniversary]] and was gifted funds for festivities and construction projects by provincial and federal governments, as well as [[public artwork]] by various entities, including foreign countries.

==Geography==
[[File:Québec City – Boulevard Champlain - Le Fleuve Saint-Lorent - panoramio (1).jpg|thumb|The Promontory of Quebec at the narrowing of the Saint Lawrence River and surrounded by the [[Laurentian Mountains]]]]

Quebec City was built on the north bank of the [[Saint Lawrence River]], where it narrows and meets the mouth of the [[Saint-Charles River (Quebec City)|Saint-Charles River]]. [[Old Quebec]] is located on top and at the foot of [[Cap Diamant|Cap-Diamant]], which is on the eastern edge of a [[plateau]] called the [[promontory of Quebec]] (Quebec hill). Because of this topographic feature, the oldest and most urbanized borough of [[La Cité-Limoilou]] can be divided into upper and lower town.<ref>{{Cite book |last=Geological Survey of Canada |url=https://books.google.com/books?id=T0N_uGojlOoC&pg=PA63 |title=The 1988 Saguenay Earthquake – a Site Visit Report |date=1999 |page=63}}</ref> North of the hill, the [[Saint Lawrence Lowlands]] is flat and has rich, arable soil. Past this valley, the [[Laurentian Mountains]] lie to the north of the city but its [[foothills]] are within the municipal limits.

The [[Plains of Abraham]] are located on the southeastern extremity of the plateau, where [[Fortifications of Quebec|high stone walls]] were integrated during colonial days. On the northern foot of the promontory, the lower town neighbourhoods of [[Saint-Roch, Quebec City|Saint-Roch]] and [[Saint-Sauveur, Quebec City|Saint-Sauveur]], traditionally working class,<ref>{{Cite book |last=Stelter |first=Gilbert |url=https://books.google.com/books?id=bZRE9gaBnvAC&pg=PA163 |title=Shaping the Urban Landscape: Aspects of the Canadian City-Building Process |date=1982 |publisher=McGill Queen University Press |isbn=9780773584860 |access-date=6 October 2018 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20211028235552/https://books.google.com/books?id=bZRE9gaBnvAC&pg=PA163 |archive-date=28 October 2021 |url-status=live}}</ref> are separated from uptown's Saint-Jean-Baptiste and {{ill|Saint-Sacrement|fr|Saint-Sacrement (quartier)}} by a woody area attested as {{ill|Coteau Sainte-Geneviève|fr|Coteau Sainte-Geneviève}}.

The area was affected by the [[1925 Charlevoix–Kamouraska earthquake]].

The [[List of regions of Quebec#Administrative Regions|administrative region]] in which it is situated is officially referred to as [[Capitale-Nationale]],<ref>Décret concernant la révision des limites des régions administratives du Québec, R.Q. c. D-11, r.2, made pursuant to the Territorial Division Act, R.S.Q. c. D-11</ref><ref>{{Cite web |title=Québec Portal > Portrait of Québec > Administrative Regions > Regions |url=http://www.gouv.qc.ca/portail/quebec/pgs/commun/portrait/regions/description/?lang=en#03 |url-status=live |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20090201034242/http://gouv.qc.ca/portail/quebec/pgs/commun/portrait/regions/description/?lang=en#03 |archive-date=1 February 2009 |access-date=13 May 2009}}</ref> and the term "national capital" is used to refer to Quebec City itself at the provincial level.<ref name="CanLII">{{Cite web |date=4 May 2009 |title=An Act respecting the National capital commission, R.S.Q. c. C-33.1 |url=http://www.canlii.org/en/qc/laws/stat/rsq-c-c-33.1/latest/rsq-c-c-33.1.html |url-status=live |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20100506073634/http://www.canlii.org/en/qc/laws/stat/rsq-c-c-33.1/latest/rsq-c-c-33.1.html |archive-date=6 May 2010 |access-date=13 May 2009 |publisher=CanLII}}</ref>

===Climate===
{{Main|Climate of Quebec City}}

[[File:Château Frontenac after a freezing rain day in Quebec city.jpg|thumb|left|Winter scene at the [[Château Frontenac]]]]

Quebec City is classified as a [[hemiboreal]] [[humid continental climate]] ([[Köppen climate classification]] ''Dfb'', [[Trewartha climate classification|Trewartha]] ''Dcbc'').<ref name="Peel">{{Cite journal |last1=Peel, M. C. |last2=Finlayson, B. L. |last3=McMahon, T. A. |year=2007 |title=Updated world map of the Köppen–Geiger climate classification |url=http://www.hydrol-earth-syst-sci.net/11/1633/2007/hess-11-1633-2007.pdf |url-status=live |journal=Hydrol. Earth Syst. Sci. |volume=11 |issue=5 |pages=1633–1644 |bibcode=2007HESS...11.1633P |doi=10.5194/hess-11-1633-2007 |issn=1027-5606 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20120203170339/http://www.hydrol-earth-syst-sci.net/11/1633/2007/hess-11-1633-2007.pdf |archive-date=3 February 2012 |access-date=10 February 2013 |doi-access=free}}</ref>

Quebec City experiences four distinct seasons. Summers are warm and occasionally hot, with periods of hotter temperatures which compounded with the high humidity, create a high heat index that belies the average high of {{convert|22|-|25|C}} and lows of {{Convert|11|-|13|C}}. Winters are cold, windy and snowy with average high temperatures {{Convert|-5|to|-8|C}} and lows {{convert|-13|to|-18|C}}. Spring and fall, although short, bring chilly to warm temperatures. Late heat waves as well as "[[Indian summer]]s" are a common occurrence.<ref>{{cite magazine |url=https://time.com/archive/6775810/canada-indian-summer/ |title=Canada: Indian Summer |magazine=Time |date=3 November 1947 |access-date=4 May 2025 |archive-date=30 May 2025 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20250530005648/https://time.com/archive/6775810/canada-indian-summer/ |url-status=live }}</ref>

On average, Quebec City receives {{convert|1190|mm|2}} of precipitation, of which {{convert|899|mm|2}} is rain and {{convert|303|mm|2}} is the melt from {{convert|316|cm|1}} of snowfall per annum.{{efn|Although snow is measured in cm the melted snow (water equivalent) is measured in mm and added to the rainfall to obtain the total precipitation. An approximation of the water equivalent can be made by dividing the snow depth by ten. Thus {{convert|1|cm|1|abbr=on}} of snow is equivalent to approximately {{convert|1|mm|2|abbr=on}} of water. See [[snow gauge]],<ref>[http://www.climate.weatheroffice.gc.ca/prods_servs/normals_documentation_e.html#ND2 Rainfall, Snowfall, and Precipitation] {{webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20121228044057/http://www.climate.weatheroffice.gc.ca/prods_servs/normals_documentation_e.html |date=28 December 2012 }}</ref> and<ref>[http://www.ec.gc.ca/Publications/A192EDCE-8394-4662-BE0F-AAD3E32F23E9%5CMANOBS7A17_e.pdf MANOBS 7th Edition Amendment 17]{{dead link|date=September 2018|bot=medic}}{{cbignore|bot=medic}}</ref>}} The city experiences around 1,916 hours of bright sunshine annually or 41.5% of possible sunshine, with summer being the sunniest, but also slightly the wettest season. During winter, snow generally stays on the ground from the end of November till mid-April.

The highest temperature ever recorded in Quebec City was {{convert|36.1|C}} on 17 July 1953.<ref name="July 1953">{{Cite web |date=31 October 2011 |title=Daily Data Report for July 1953 |url=http://climate.weather.gc.ca/climate_data/daily_data_e.html?hlyRange=%7C&dlyRange=1872-06-01%7C1959-02-28&mlyRange=1872-01-01%7C1959-12-01&StationID=5249&Prov=QC&urlExtension=_e.html&searchType=stnName&optLimit=yearRange&StartYear=1840&EndYear=1930&selRowPerPage=25&Line=0&searchMethod=contains&Month=7&Day=8&txtStationName=quebec&timeframe=2&Year=1953 |url-status=live |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20160816185758/http://climate.weather.gc.ca/climate_data/daily_data_e.html?hlyRange=%7C&dlyRange=1872-06-01%7C1959-02-28&mlyRange=1872-01-01%7C1959-12-01&StationID=5249&Prov=QC&urlExtension=_e.html&searchType=stnName&optLimit=yearRange&StartYear=1840&EndYear=1930&selRowPerPage=25&Line=0&searchMethod=contains&Month=7&Day=8&txtStationName=quebec&timeframe=2&Year=1953 |archive-date=16 August 2016 |access-date=8 July 2016 |website=Canadian Climate Data |publisher=[[Environment Canada]]}}</ref> The coldest temperature ever recorded was {{convert|-36.7|C}} on 10 January 1890 and 14 January 2015.<ref name="January 1890">{{Cite web |date=31 October 2011 |title=Daily Data Report for January 1890 |url=http://climate.weather.gc.ca/climate_data/daily_data_e.html?hlyRange=%7C&dlyRange=1872-06-01%7C1959-02-28&mlyRange=1872-01-01%7C1959-12-01&StationID=5249&Prov=QC&urlExtension=_e.html&searchType=stnName&optLimit=yearRange&StartYear=1840&EndYear=1930&selRowPerPage=25&Line=0&searchMethod=contains&Month=1&Day=8&txtStationName=quebec&timeframe=2&Year=1890 |url-status=live |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20160816163141/http://climate.weather.gc.ca/climate_data/daily_data_e.html?hlyRange=%7C&dlyRange=1872-06-01%7C1959-02-28&mlyRange=1872-01-01%7C1959-12-01&StationID=5249&Prov=QC&urlExtension=_e.html&searchType=stnName&optLimit=yearRange&StartYear=1840&EndYear=1930&selRowPerPage=25&Line=0&searchMethod=contains&Month=1&Day=8&txtStationName=quebec&timeframe=2&Year=1890 |archive-date=16 August 2016 |access-date=8 July 2016 |website=Canadian Climate Data |publisher=[[Environment Canada]]}}</ref><ref name="January 2015">{{Cite web |date=31 October 2011 |title=Daily Data Report for January 2015 |url=http://climate.weather.gc.ca/climate_data/daily_data_e.html?hlyRange=2005-03-24%7C2016-07-07&dlyRange=1992-12-04%7C2016-07-06&mlyRange=1998-01-01%7C2016-03-01&StationID=26892&Prov=QC&urlExtension=_e.html&searchType=stnName&optLimit=yearRange&StartYear=1840&EndYear=2016&selRowPerPage=25&Line=4&searchMethod=contains&Month=1&Day=1&txtStationName=quebec&timeframe=2&Year=2015 |url-status=live |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20160816171831/http://climate.weather.gc.ca/climate_data/daily_data_e.html?hlyRange=2005-03-24%7C2016-07-07&dlyRange=1992-12-04%7C2016-07-06&mlyRange=1998-01-01%7C2016-03-01&StationID=26892&Prov=QC&urlExtension=_e.html&searchType=stnName&optLimit=yearRange&StartYear=1840&EndYear=2016&selRowPerPage=25&Line=4&searchMethod=contains&Month=1&Day=1&txtStationName=quebec&timeframe=2&Year=2015 |archive-date=16 August 2016 |access-date=8 July 2016 |website=Canadian Climate Data |publisher=[[Environment Canada]]}}</ref>

{{Quebec City weatherbox}}

===Boroughs and neighbourhoods===
{{more citations needed section|date=April 2016}}
[[File:Quebec Arrondissements.svg|thumb|Map of the six boroughs that make up Quebec City]]

On 1 January 2002, the 12 former towns of [[Sainte-Foy, Quebec City|Sainte-Foy]], [[Beauport, Quebec City|Beauport]], [[Charlesbourg, Quebec City|Charlesbourg]], [[Sillery, Quebec City|Sillery]], [[Loretteville, Quebec City|Loretteville]], [[Val-Bélair, Quebec City|Val-Bélair]], [[Cap-Rouge, Quebec City|Cap-Rouge]], [[Saint-Émile, Quebec City|Saint-Émile]], [[Vanier, Quebec City|Vanier]], [[L'Ancienne-Lorette]], [[Saint-Augustin-de-Desmaures]] and [[Lac-Saint-Charles, Quebec City|Lac-Saint-Charles]] were annexed by Quebec City. This was one of several [[municipal reorganization in Quebec|municipal mergers]] which took place across Quebec on that date. Following a demerger referendum, L'Ancienne-Lorette and Saint-Augustin-de-Desmaures were reconstituted as separate municipalities on 1 January 2006, but the other former municipalities remain part of Quebec City. On 1 November 2009, Quebec City re-organized its boroughs, reducing the number from 8 to 6.<ref name="nouveauDécoupage">{{Cite web |title=Nouveau découpage des arrondissements - Modifications territoriales |url=http://www.ville.quebec.qc.ca/temp/modifications_arrondissements/index.aspx |url-status=dead |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20090925182848/http://www.ville.quebec.qc.ca/temp/modifications_arrondissements/index.aspx |archive-date=25 September 2009 |website=www.ville.quebec.qc.ca |publisher=Ville de Québec |language=fr}}</ref><!-- Definitely correct, but I unfortunately couldn't find a better reference for this. The announcement seems to be gone from the city's website. Chealer 20121208 -->

Quebec City's six [[borough]]s ({{langx|fr|arrondissements}}) are further divided into 35 neighbourhoods ({{langx|fr|quartiers}}).<ref name="carte10jan2011">{{Cite map |url=http://clubdimension.org/docs/KINOMADA/Ville_quartiers_arrondissements.pdf |title=Les arrondissements et leurs quartiers |trans-title=The boroughs and their quarters |last1=Rainville |first1=Candide |author2=Service de l'ingénierie. Division de l'arpentage et de la cartographie. Ville de Québec |date=10 January 2011 |website=clubdimension.org |language=fr |format=PDF |url-status=live |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20191105091049/http://clubdimension.org/docs/KINOMADA/Ville_quartiers_arrondissements.pdf |archive-date=5 November 2019 |access-date=5 November 2019}}</ref> In most cases, the name of the latter remained the same as the historical [[List of towns in Quebec|town]] ({{langx|fr|ville}}) or [[Types of municipalities in Quebec#Local municipalities|parish municipality]] it replaced. Neighbourhoods each elect their own council, whose powers rest in [[public consultation]]s.

Compared to many other cities in North America, there is less variation between average household incomes between the neighbourhoods. However, some disparities exist. The southwest former cities of [[Sillery, Quebec City|Sillery]], [[Cap-Rouge, Quebec City|Cap-Rouge]] and [[Sainte-Foy, Quebec City|Sainte-Foy]] are considered to be the wealthiest, along with some parts of Montcalm and Old Quebec.<ref>{{cite web |url=https://www.areavibes.com/qu%C3%A9bec-qc/most-expensive-neighborhoods/ |title=Most Expensive Neighborhoods In Québec, QC |website=Areavibes}}</ref>

The city's traditional working-class areas are found in the lower town below Old Quebec (Saint-Sauveur and Saint-Roch) and directly across the [[Saint-Charles River (Quebec City)|Saint-Charles River]] to the north (Vanier and Limoilou). However, parts of Limoilou, Saint-Sauveur and particularly Saint-Roch have seen [[gentrification]] in the last 20 years, attracting young professionals and the construction of new offices and condos.<ref name="cbd" />
[[File:Québec City - Saint Louis - panoramio (cropped).jpg|North-east aerial view from the Quebec Bridge area. The foreground shows the Sainte-Foy neighbourhood of Saint-Louis and the modern buildings of boulevard Laurier.|thumb]]
Northern sections (Loretteville, Val-Bélair) and eastern sections (Beauport, Charlesbourg) are mostly a mix of middle-class residential suburbs with industrial pockets.

{| class="wikitable" style="margin:auto;"
|- style="background:#ccc;"
|''Boroughs'' || style="text-align:center;"| ''Neighbourhoods''
|-
| 1 [[La Cité-Limoilou]]
|''La Cité'': 1-1 [[Vieux-Québec–Cap-Blanc–colline Parlementaire]] · 1-2 [[Saint-Roch, Quebec City|Saint-Roch]] · 1-3 Saint-Jean-Baptiste · 1-4 [[Montcalm, Quebec City|Montcalm]] · 1-5 [[Saint-Sauveur, Quebec City|Saint-Sauveur]] · 1-6 [[Saint-Sacrement, Quebec City|Saint-Sacrement]] · ''Limoilou'': 6-1 [[Vieux-Limoilou]] · 6-2 [[Lairet]] · 6-3 [[Maizerets]]
|-
| 2 [[Les Rivières (Quebec City)|Les Rivières]]
|2-1 [[Neufchâtel-Est–Lebourgneuf]] · 2-2 [[Duberger-Les Saules]] · 2-3 [[Vanier, Quebec City|Vanier]]
|-
| 3 [[Sainte-Foy–Sillery–Cap-Rouge]]
|3-1 [[Sillery, Quebec City|Sillery]] · 3-2 [[Cité universitaire, Quebec City|Cité universitaire]] · 3-3 [[Saint-Louis, Quebec City|Saint-Louis]] · 3-4 [[Plateau, Quebec City|Plateau]] · 3-5 [[Pointe-de-Ste-Foy, Quebec|Pointe-de-Ste-Foy]] 8-2 · [[L'Aéroport, Quebec City|L'Aéroport]] · 8-3 [[Cap-Rouge, Quebec City|Cap-Rouge]]
|-
| 4 [[Charlesbourg, Quebec City|Charlesbourg]]
|4-1 [[Notre-Dame-des-Laurentides]] · 4-2 Quartier 4-2 · 4-3 Quartier 4-3 · 4-4 [[Jésuites, Quebec City]] · 4-5 Quartier 4-5 · 4-6 Quartier 4–6
|-
| 5 [[Beauport, Quebec City|Beauport]]
| 5-1 Quartier 5-1 · 5-2 Quartier 5-2 · 5-3 [[Chutes-Montmorency, Quebec City|Chutes-Montmorency]] · 5-4 Quartier 5-4 · 5-5 [[Vieux-Moulin, Quebec City|Vieux-Moulin]]
|-
| 7 [[La Haute-Saint-Charles]]
|7-1 [[Lac-Saint-Charles, Quebec City|Lac-Saint-Charles]] · 7-2 [[Saint-Émile, Quebec City|Saint-Émile]] · 7-3 [[Loretteville, Quebec City|Loretteville]] · 7-4 [[Des Châtels, Quebec City|Des Châtels]] · 8-1 [[Val-Bélair, Quebec City|Val-Bélair]]
|}

== Demographics ==
{{more citations needed section|date=April 2016}}
{{Historical populations
|title       = Quebec City<ref name="scpast">Statistics Canada: [[Canada 1871 Census|1871]], 1881, 1891, 1901, [[Canada 1911 Census|1911]], [[Canada 1921 Census|1921]], [[Canada 1931 Census|1931]], [[Canada 1941 Census|1941]], [[Canada 1951 Census|1951]], 1956, 1961, 1966, 1971, 1976, 1981, 1986, [[Canada 1991 Census|1991]], [[Canada 1996 Census|1996]], [[Canada 2001 Census|2001]], [[Canada 2006 Census|2006]], [[Canada 2011 Census|2011]], [[Canada 2016 Census|2016]], [[Canada 2021 Census|2021]] census</ref>
|type        = Canada
|align       = right
|width       =
|state       =
|shading     =
|percentages =
|1665|547
|1667|444
|1681|1345
|1685|1205
|1688|1407
|1692|1570
|1695|1549
|1698|1988
|1706|1771
|1739|4603
|1754|8001
|1765|8967
|1790|14000
|1825|22101
|1851|42052 
|1861|51109 
|1871|59699
|1881|62446
|1891<sup>a</sup>|63090
|1901|68940
|[[Canada 1911 Census|1911]]<sup>b</sup>|78118
|1921<sup>c</sup>|95193
|1931|130594
|1941|150757
|1951|164016
|1956|170703
|1961|171979
|1966|166984
|1971<sup>d</sup>|186088
|1976<sup>e</sup>|177082
|1981|165968
|1986|164580
|1991|167517
|1996|167264
|2001|169076
|2006<sup>f</sup>|491142
|2011|516622
|2016|531902
|2021|549459
| footnote = {{center|'''<sup>a</sup> Quebec City annexed the Village of Saint-Sauveur-de-Québec<br /><sup>b</sup>Quebec City annexed the Town of Limoilou and the Village of Saint-Malo<br /><sup>c</sup>Quebec City annexed the Town of Montcalm<br /><sup>d</sup>Quebec City annexed the Town of Duberger and the Town of Les Saules<br /><sup>e</sup>Quebec City annexed the Town of Neufchâtel and the Municipality of Charlesbourg-Ouest<br /><sup>f</sup>Quebec City annexed the cities of Beauport, Cap-Rouge, Charlesbourg, Lac-Saint-Charles, Loretteville, Saint-Émile, Sainte-Foy, Sillery, Val-Bélair and Vanier'''}}
}}

{{Historical populations
|title       = Quebec City (in its present city boundaries)<ref>{{cite web |url=http://www.stat.gouv.qc.ca/donstat/societe/demographie/dons_regnl/regional/Tableau_top_10.htm |title=Évolution démographique des 10 principales villes du Québec (Sur la base de 2006) selon leur limites territoriales actuelles1, Recensements du Canada de 1871 à 2006 |website=www.stat.gouv.qc.ca |access-date=19 October 2022 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20131006173408/http://www.stat.gouv.qc.ca/donstat/societe/demographie/dons_regnl/regional/Tableau_top_10.htm |archive-date=6 October 2013 |url-status=dead}}</ref>
|type        = Canada
|align       = right
|width       =
|state       =
|shading     =
|percentages =
|1871|76593
|1881|80249
|1891|80546
|1901|88615
|[[Canada 1911 Census|1911]]|102214
|1921|122698
|1931|168249
|1941|199588
|1951|245742
|1956|279521
|1961|321917
|1966|372373
|1971|408440
|1976|429757
|1981|434980
|1986|440598
|1991|461894
|1996|473569
|2001|476330
|2006|491142
|2011|516622
|2016|531902
|2021|549459
}}

In the [[2021 Canadian census|2021 Census of Population]] conducted by [[Statistics Canada]], Québec had a population of {{val|549459|fmt=commas}} living in {{val|265711|fmt=commas}} of its {{val|283219|fmt=commas}} total private dwellings, a change of {{percentage|{{#expr:549459-531902}}|531902|1}} from its 2016 population of {{val|531902|fmt=commas}}. With a land area of {{convert|452.3|km2|sqmi|abbr=on}}, it had a population density of {{Pop density|549459|452.3|km2|sqmi|prec=1}} in 2021.<ref name=2021census>{{cite web |url=https://www150.statcan.gc.ca/t1/tbl1/en/tv.action?pid=9810000202&geocode=A000224 |title=Population and dwelling counts: Canada, provinces and territories, and census subdivisions (municipalities), Quebec |publisher=[[Statistics Canada]] |date=February 9, 2022 |accessdate=August 29, 2022 |archive-date=13 February 2023 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20230213130057/https://www150.statcan.gc.ca/t1/tbl1/en/tv.action?pid=9810000202&geocode=A000224 |url-status=live }}</ref>

According to Statistics Canada, there were 839,311 people residing in the Quebec City census metropolitan area.<ref>{{Cite web |publisher=Government of Canada, Statistics Canada|date=8 February 2017 |title=Population and Dwelling Count Highlight Tables, 2016 Census |url=http://www12.statcan.gc.ca/census-recensement/2016/dp-pd/hlt-fst/pd-pl/Table.cfm? |url-status=live |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20170210214952/http://www12.statcan.gc.ca/census-recensement/2016/dp-pd/hlt-fst/pd-pl/Table.cfm |archive-date=10 February 2017 |access-date=9 February 2017 |website=www12.statcan.gc.ca}}</ref>

In 2016, 20.6% of the resident population in Quebec City was of retirement age (65 and over for males and females) compared with 16.9% in Canada. The median age is 43.3 years of age compared to 41.2 years of age for Canada as a whole. In the five years between 2011 and 2016, the population of Quebec City grew by 3%.<ref>{{Cite web |last=Government of Canada |first=Statistics Canada |date=8 February 2017 |title=Census Profile, 2016 Census – Québec, Ville [Census subdivision], Quebec and Canada [Country] |url=https://www12.statcan.gc.ca/census-recensement/2016/dp-pd/prof/details/page.cfm?Lang=E&Geo1=CSD&Code1=2423027&Geo2=PR&Code2=01&SearchText=Canada&SearchType=Begins&SearchPR=01&B1=All&TABID=1&type=1 |url-status=live |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20211028235556/https://www12.statcan.gc.ca/census-recensement/2016/dp-pd/prof/details/page.cfm?Lang=E&Geo1=CSD&Code1=2423027&Geo2=PR&Code2=01&SearchText=Canada&SearchType=Begins&SearchPR=01&B1=All&TABID=1&type=1 |archive-date=28 October 2021 |access-date=16 July 2019 |website=www12.statcan.gc.ca}}</ref>

=== Ethnicity ===
In 2021,<ref name=":0">{{Cite web |title=Census Profile, 2021 - Québec, Ville |url=https://www12.statcan.gc.ca/census-recensement/2021/dp-pd/prof/details/page.cfm?Lang=E&GENDERlist=1,2,3&STATISTIClist=1&HEADERlist=0&DGUIDlist=2021A00052423027&SearchText=quebec |website=Statistics Canada |date=9 February 2022 |access-date=11 November 2022 |archive-date=11 November 2022 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20221111075038/https://www12.statcan.gc.ca/census-recensement/2021/dp-pd/prof/details/page.cfm?Lang=E&GENDERlist=1,2,3&STATISTIClist=1&HEADERlist=0&DGUIDlist=2021A00052423027&SearchText=quebec |url-status=live }}</ref> 9.4% of Quebec City residents reported [[visible minority]] status, a relatively low figure for a large Canadian city; the national average was 26.5%.<ref>{{Cite web |title=Census Profile, 2021 - Canada [Country] |url=https://www12.statcan.gc.ca/census-recensement/2021/dp-pd/prof/details/page.cfm?Lang=E&DGUIDList=2021A000011124&GENDERList=1,2,3&STATISTICList=1&HEADERList=0&SearchText=Canada |website=Statistics Canada |date=9 February 2022 |access-date=12 January 2023 |archive-date=27 October 2017 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20171027195802/http://www12.statcan.gc.ca/census-recensement/2016/dp-pd/hlt-fst/imm/Table.cfm?Lang=E&T=31&Geo=01&SO=4D |url-status=live }}</ref> The largest visible minority group were [[Black Canadians]], who formed 4.1% of the population. Quebec City also had a lower percentage of Indigenous Canadians (1.8%) than the national average of 5.0%.<ref name="2021censusB"/>

{| class="wikitable collapsible sortable"
|+ [[Panethnicity|Panethnic]] groups in Quebec City (2001−2021)
! rowspan="2" |[[Panethnicity|Panethnic]]<br>group
! colspan="2" |2021<ref name="2021censusB"/>
! colspan="2" |2016<ref name="2016census">{{Cite web |last=Government of Canada |first=Statistics Canada |date=2021-10-27 |title=Census Profile, 2016 Census |url=https://www12.statcan.gc.ca/census-recensement/2016/dp-pd/prof/details/page.cfm?Lang=E&Geo1=CSD&Code1=2423027&Geo2=CD&Code2=2423&SearchText=Quebec&SearchType=Begins&SearchPR=01&B1=All&TABID=1&type=0 |access-date=2023-01-12 |website=www12.statcan.gc.ca |archive-date=7 August 2020 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20200807023047/https://www12.statcan.gc.ca/census-recensement/2016/dp-pd/prof/details/page.cfm?Lang=E&Geo1=CSD&Code1=2423027&Geo2=CD&Code2=2423&SearchText=quebec&SearchType=Begins&SearchPR=01&B1=All&TABID=1&type=0 |url-status=live }}</ref>
! colspan="2" |2011<ref name="2011census">{{Cite web |last=Government of Canada |first=Statistics Canada |date=2015-11-27 |title=NHS Profile |url=https://www12.statcan.gc.ca/nhs-enm/2011/dp-pd/prof/details/page.cfm?Lang=E&Geo1=CSD&Code1=2423027&Data=Count&SearchText=Quebec&SearchType=Begins&SearchPR=01&A1=All&B1=All&Custom=&TABID=1 |access-date=2023-01-12 |website=www12.statcan.gc.ca |archive-date=5 February 2023 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20230205180607/https://www12.statcan.gc.ca/nhs-enm/2011/dp-pd/prof/details/page.cfm?Lang=E&Geo1=CSD&Code1=2423027&Data=Count&SearchText=Quebec&SearchType=Begins&SearchPR=01&A1=All&B1=All&Custom=&TABID=1 |url-status=live }}</ref>
! colspan="2" |2006<ref name="2006census">{{Cite web |last=Government of Canada |first=Statistics Canada |date=2019-08-20 |title=2006 Community Profiles |url=https://www12.statcan.gc.ca/census-recensement/2006/dp-pd/prof/92-591/details/page.cfm?Lang=E&Geo1=CSD&Code1=2423027&Geo2=PR&Code2=24&Data=Count&SearchText=Quebec&SearchType=Begins&SearchPR=01&B1=All&Custom= |access-date=2023-01-12 |website=www12.statcan.gc.ca |archive-date=5 February 2023 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20230205180615/https://www12.statcan.gc.ca/census-recensement/2006/dp-pd/prof/92-591/details/page.cfm?Lang=E&Geo1=CSD&Code1=2423027&Geo2=PR&Code2=24&Data=Count&SearchText=Quebec&SearchType=Begins&SearchPR=01&B1=All&Custom= |url-status=live }}</ref>
! colspan="2" |2001<ref name="2001census">{{Cite web |last=Government of Canada |first=Statistics Canada |date=2019-07-02 |title=2001 Community Profiles |url=https://www12.statcan.gc.ca/english/Profil01/CP01/Details/Page.cfm?Lang=E&Geo1=CSD&Code1=2423025&Geo2=PR&Code2=24&Data=Count&SearchText=Qu%C3%A9bec&SearchType=Begins&SearchPR=01&B1=All&Custom= |access-date=2023-01-12 |website=www12.statcan.gc.ca |archive-date=20 September 2024 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20240920133430/https://www12.statcan.gc.ca/english/Profil01/CP01/Details/Page.cfm?B1=All&Code1=2423025&Code2=24&Custom=&Data=Count&Geo1=CSD&Geo2=PR&Lang=E&SearchPR=01&SearchText=Qu%C3%A9bec&SearchType=Begins |url-status=live }}</ref>
|-
![[Population|{{abbr|Pop.|Population}}]]
!{{Abbr|%|percentage}}
!{{abbr|Pop.|Population}}
!{{Abbr|%|percentage}}
!{{abbr|Pop.|Population}}
!{{Abbr|%|percentage}}
!{{abbr|Pop.|Population}}
!{{Abbr|%|percentage}}
!{{abbr|Pop.|Population}}
!{{Abbr|%|percentage}}
|-
| [[European Canadians|European]]<ref group="note">Statistic includes all persons that did not make up part of a visible minority or an indigenous identity.</ref>
| 473,770
| {{Percentage | 473770 | 533540 | 2 }}
| 475,720
| {{Percentage | 475720 | 516250 | 2 }}
| 477,715
| {{Percentage | 477715 | 502595 | 2 }}
| 465,115
| {{Percentage | 465115 | 482545 | 2 }}
| 160,940
| {{Percentage | 160940 | 166255 | 2 }}
|-
| [[African-Canadian|Black]]
| 21,955
| {{Percentage | 21955 | 533540 | 2 }}
| 12,430
| {{Percentage | 12430 | 516250 | 2 }}
| 5,760
| {{Percentage | 5760 | 502595 | 2 }}
| 4,550
| {{Percentage | 4550 | 482545 | 2 }}
| 1,335
| {{Percentage | 1335 | 166255 | 2 }}
|-
| [[Middle Eastern Canadians|Middle Eastern]]<ref group="note">Statistic includes total responses of "West Asian" and "Arab" under visible minority section on census.</ref>
| 10,510
| {{Percentage | 10510 | 533540 | 2 }}
| 6,850
| {{Percentage | 6850 | 516250 | 2 }}
| 4,045
| {{Percentage | 4045 | 502595 | 2 }}
| 2,980
| {{Percentage | 2980 | 482545 | 2 }}
| 370
| {{Percentage | 370 | 166255 | 2 }}
|-
| [[Indigenous peoples in Canada|Indigenous]]
| 9,395
| {{Percentage | 9395 | 533540 | 2 }}
| 7,290
| {{Percentage | 7290 | 516250 | 2 }}
| 4,635
| {{Percentage | 4635 | 502595 | 2 }}
| 3,140
| {{Percentage | 3140 | 482545 | 2 }}
| 1,055
| {{Percentage | 1055 | 166255 | 2 }}
|-
| [[Latin American Canadians|Latin American]]
| 8,585
| {{Percentage | 8585 | 533540 | 2 }}
| 6,675
| {{Percentage | 6675 | 516250 | 2 }}
| 5,085
| {{Percentage | 5085 | 502595 | 2 }}
| 2,725
| {{Percentage | 2725 | 482545 | 2 }}
| 1,095
| {{Percentage | 1095 | 166255 | 2 }}
|-
| [[Southeast Asia]]n<ref group="note">Statistic includes total responses of "Filipino" and "Southeast Asian" under visible minority section on census.</ref>
| 3,275
| {{Percentage | 3275 | 533540 | 2 }}
| 2,590
| {{Percentage | 2590 | 516250 | 2 }}
| 1,855
| {{Percentage | 1855 | 502595 | 2 }}
| 1,470
| {{Percentage | 1470 | 482545 | 2 }}
| 820
| {{Percentage | 820 | 166255 | 2 }}
|-
| [[East Asian Canadians|East Asian]]<ref group="note">Statistic includes total responses of "Chinese", "Korean", and "Japanese" under visible minority section on census.</ref>
| 2,970
| {{Percentage | 2970 | 533540 | 2 }}
| 2,565
| {{Percentage | 2565 | 516250 | 2 }}
| 2,080
| {{Percentage | 2080 | 502595 | 2 }}
| 1,730
| {{Percentage | 1730 | 482545 | 2 }}
| 420
| {{Percentage | 420 | 166255 | 2 }}
|-
| [[South Asian Canadians|South Asian]]
| 1,610
| {{Percentage | 1610 | 533540 | 2 }}
| 1,390
| {{Percentage | 1390 | 516250 | 2 }}
| 855
| {{Percentage | 855 | 502595 | 2 }}
| 425
| {{Percentage | 425 | 482545 | 2 }}
| 120
| {{Percentage | 120 | 166255 | 2 }}
|-
| Other/[[Multiracial people|Multiracial]]<ref group="note">Statistic includes total responses of "Visible minority, {{abbr|n.i.e.|not included elsewhere}}" and "Multiple visible minorities" under visible minority section on census.</ref>
| 1,465
| {{Percentage | 1465 | 533540 | 2 }}
| 730
| {{Percentage | 730 | 516250 | 2 }}
| 570
| {{Percentage | 570 | 502595 | 2 }}
| 405
| {{Percentage | 405 | 482545 | 2 }}
| 110
| {{Percentage | 110 | 166255 | 2 }}
|-
! Total responses
! 533,540
! {{Percentage | 533540 | 549459 | 2 }}
! 516,250
! {{Percentage | 516250 | 531902 | 2 }}
! 502,595
! {{Percentage | 502595 | 516622 | 2 }}
! 482,545
! {{Percentage | 482545 | 491142 | 2 }}
! 166,255
! {{Percentage | 166255 | 169076 | 2 }}
|-
! Total population
! 549,459
! {{Percentage | 549459 | 549459 | 2 }}
! 531,902
! {{Percentage | 531902 | 531902 | 2 }}
! 516,622
! {{Percentage | 516622 | 516622 | 2 }}
! 491,142
! {{Percentage | 491142 | 491142 | 2 }}
! 169,076
! {{Percentage | 169076 | 169076 | 2 }}
|- class="sortbottom"
| colspan="15" | {{small|Note: Totals greater than 100% due to multiple origin responses}}

{{noteFoot}}
|}

=== Immigration ===
The [[2021 Canadian census|2021 census]] reported that [[Immigration to Canada|immigrants]] (individuals born outside Canada) comprise 45,230 persons or 8.5% of the total population of Quebec City. Of the total immigrant population, the top countries of origin were France (7,360 persons or 16.3%), Colombia (2,865 persons or 6.3%), Morocco (2,715 persons or 6.0%), Ivory Coast (2,500 persons or 5.5%), Cameroon (2,225 persons or 4.9%), Algeria (1,920 persons or 4.2%), Tunisia (1,795 persons or 4.0%), Democratic Republic of the Congo (1,315 persons or 1,315%), Haiti (1,120 persons or 2.5%), and Brazil (1,115 persons or 2.5%).<ref name="2021censusB"/>

=== Language ===
The great majority of city residents are native French speakers. The English-speaking community peaked in relative terms during the 1860s, when 40% of Quebec City's residents were [[English language|Anglophone]].<ref>{{Cite web |last=Morrin Centre |title=Anglos in Québec |url=http://www.morrin.org/pages/anglos.php |url-status=dead |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20120306032111/http://www.morrin.org/pages/anglos.php |archive-date=6 March 2012 |access-date=15 March 2007 |publisher=Literary and Historical Society of Quebec}}</ref><ref>Blair, Louisa. The Anglos: The Hidden Face of Quebec City. Volume 1: 1608–1850; Volume 2: Since 1850. Québec: Commission de la capitale nationale du Québec & Éditions Sylvain Harvey, 2005.</ref> Today, native Anglophones make up only about 1.5% of the population of both the city and its metropolitan area.<ref>{{Cite web |year=2007 |title=Voice of English-speaking Québec: A Portrait of the English-speaking Community in Quebec |url=http://www.veq.qc.ca/enter/pages/portrait.htm |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20070929131149/http://www.veq.qc.ca/enter/pages/portrait.htm |archive-date=29 September 2007 |access-date=15 March 2007 |publisher=Voice of English-speaking Québec}}</ref> However, the summer tourist season and the [[Quebec Winter Carnival]] attract significant numbers of Anglophone (as well as [[Francophone]]) visitors, and English can often be heard in areas frequented by tourists.

In 2021, according to Statistics Canada, 90.6% of Quebec City's population spoke French as their sole mother tongue. More than a third of city residents reported being capable of speaking both French and English.

{| class="wikitable"
|+Canada Census Mother Tongue – Quebec City, Quebec<ref name="scpast"/>
|-
! rowspan="2"|Census<br />Year
|
! rowspan="2"|Total<br />Responses
|colspan="1"|
!colspan="3"|{{center|French}}
|colspan="1"|
!colspan="3"|{{center|English}}
|colspan="1"|
!colspan="3"|{{center|French & English}}
|colspan="1"|
!colspan="3"|{{center|Other}}
|-
|
|
! Count
! Trend
! Pop. %
|
! Count
! Trend
! Pop. %
|
! Count
! Trend
! Pop. %
|
! Count
! Trend
! Pop. %
|-
| {{center|2021}}
|
| {{center|542,435}}
|
| 491,515
| {{increase}} 1.6%
| 90.6%
|
| 7,685
| {{increase}} 3.9%
| 1.4%
|
| 4,530
| {{increase}} 73.2%
| 0.8%
|
| 33,255
| {{increase}} 26.1%
| 6.1%
|-
| {{center|2016}}
|
| {{center|523,560}}
|
| 483,790
| {{increase}} 1.1%
| 92.4%
|
| 7,395
| {{increase}} 0.0%
| 1.4%
|
| 2,615
| {{increase}} 13.0%
| 0.5%
|
| 26,370
| {{increase}} 33.3%
| 5.0%
|-
| {{center|2011}}
|
| {{center|516,622}}
|
| 478,395
| {{increase}} 4.6%
| 92.6%
|
| 7,370
| {{increase}} 4.6%
| 1.4%
|
| 2,315
| {{increase}} 36.9%
| 0.5%
|
| 19,790
| {{increase}} 9.9%
| 3.8%
|-
| {{center|2006}}
|
| {{center|491,142}}
|
| 456,225
| {{increase}} 1.8%
| 92.9%
|
| 7,030
| {{increase}} 2.8%
| 1.4%
|
| 1,460
| {{decrease}} 38.4%
| 0.3%
|
| 17,825
| {{increase}} 35.3%
| 3.6%
|-
| {{center|2001}}
|
| {{center|471,962}}
|
| 447,840
| {{increase}} 0.4%
| 94.9%
|
| 6,830
| {{decrease}} 21.6%
| 1.5%
|
| 2,020
| {{increase}} 3.2%
| 0.4%
|
| 11,535
| {{increase}} 14.8%
| 2.4%
|-
| {{center|1996}}
|
| {{center|467,455}}
|
| 446,194
| n/a
| 95.5%
|
| 8,309
| n/a
| 1.8%
|
| 1,955
| n/a
| 0.4%
|
| 9,830
| n/a
| 2.1%
|}

=== Religion ===
According to the [[2021 Canadian census|2021 census]], religious groups in Quebec City included:<ref name="2021censusB">{{Cite web |last=Government of Canada |first=Statistics Canada |date=2022-10-26 |title=Census Profile, 2021 Census of Population |url=https://www12.statcan.gc.ca/census-recensement/2021/dp-pd/prof/details/page.cfm?Lang=E&GENDERlist=1,2,3&STATISTIClist=1&HEADERlist=0&DGUIDlist=2021A00052423027&SearchText=quebec |access-date=2022-11-09 |website=www12.statcan.gc.ca |archive-date=11 November 2022 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20221111075038/https://www12.statcan.gc.ca/census-recensement/2021/dp-pd/prof/details/page.cfm?Lang=E&GENDERlist=1,2,3&STATISTIClist=1&HEADERlist=0&DGUIDlist=2021A00052423027&SearchText=quebec |url-status=live }}</ref>
*[[Christianity in Canada|Christianity]] (349,320 residents, or 65.5%)
*[[Irreligion in Canada|Irreligion]] (162,900; 30.5%)
*[[Islam in Canada|Islam]] (17,490; 3.3%)
*[[Buddhism in Canada|Buddhism]] (1,565; 0.3%)
*[[Hinduism in Canada|Hinduism]] (515; 0.1%)
*[[Judaism in Canada|Judaism]] (305; 0.1%)
*[[Mythologies of the indigenous peoples of the Americas|Indigenous Spirituality]] (75; <0.1%)
*[[Sikhism in Canada|Sikhism]] (20; <0.1%)
*Other (1,355; 0.3%)

==Economy==
{{Update section|date=August 2025}}
[[File:Hôtel-Dieu de Québec.jpg|thumb|[[Hôtel-Dieu de Québec]] is one of three hospitals operated by [[Centre hospitalier universitaire de Québec|CHUQ]], one of the largest employer in Quebec City.]]

Most jobs in Quebec City are concentrated in public administration, defence, services, commerce, transport and tourism. As the provincial capital, the city benefits from being a regional administrative and services centre: apropos, the provincial government is the largest employer in the city, employing 27,900 people as of 2007.<ref>{{Cite web |title=Canada's largest employers by city, 2007: Quebec City |url=http://www.lib.uwo.ca/programs/companyinformationcanada/canadaslargestemployersbycity2007.html#quebec |url-status=dead |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20100418062010/http://www.lib.uwo.ca/programs/companyinformationcanada/canadaslargestemployersbycity2007.html |archive-date=18 April 2010 |publisher=[[University of Western Ontario]]}}</ref> [[Centre hospitalier universitaire de Québec|CHUQ (the local hospital network)]] is the city's largest institutional employer, with more than 10,000 employees in 2007. The unemployment rate in June 2018 was 3.8%, below the national average (6.0%) and the second-lowest of Canada's 34 largest cities, behind [[Peterborough, Ontario|Peterborough]] (2.7%).<ref>{{Cite news |date=6 July 2018 |title=Here's a quick glance at unemployment rates for June, by Canadian city |url=https://business.financialpost.com/pmn/business-pmn/heres-a-quick-glance-at-unemployment-rates-for-june-by-canadian-city-2 |url-status=live |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20181009211313/https://business.financialpost.com/pmn/business-pmn/heres-a-quick-glance-at-unemployment-rates-for-june-by-canadian-city-2 |archive-date=9 October 2018 |access-date=9 October 2018 |website=Financial Post}}</ref>

Around 10% of jobs are in manufacturing.<ref>{{cite encyclopedia |url=https://www.thecanadianencyclopedia.ca/en/article/quebec-city |title=Québec City: Economy, transportation, and labour force |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20170925083644/http://www.thecanadianencyclopedia.com/en/article/quebec-city/#h3_jump_4 |archive-date=25 September 2017 |encyclopedia=The Canadian Encyclopedia |publisher=Historical Foundation of Canada |date=2008 |access-date=12 January 2009}}</ref> Principal products include pulp and paper,<ref>{{cite web |url=https://whitebirchpaper.com/about-us/our-mills/stadacona-mill/ |title=Stadacona Mill, Quebec City, Canada |publisher=White Birch Paper |access-date=31 July 2025 |archive-date=30 July 2025 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20250730111822/https://whitebirchpaper.com/about-us/our-mills/stadacona-mill/ |url-status=live }}</ref> processed food, metal/wood items, chemicals, electronics and electrical equipment, and printed materials. The city hosts the headquarters of a variety of prominent companies, including: fashion retailer [[La Maison Simons]], engineering firms [[BPR (Quebec firm)|BPR]] and [[Norda Stelo]]; [[Cominar]] real estate investment trust; [[Beneva]], [[Industrial Alliance]], Promutuel, and Union Canadienne in the insurance sector; [[Beenox]], [[Gearbox Software]], [[Frima Studio]], [[Sarbakan]] and [[Ubisoft]] in the computer games industry; AeternaZentaris and DiagnoCure in pharmaceuticals; Amalgame, Cossette and Vision 7 in marketing and advertising; [[Institut National d'Optique (INO)]], EXFO, OptoSecurity in technology. It is also the domicile of the sole manufactory of the cigarette maker [[Rothmans, Benson & Hedges]].

=== Business districts ===
[[File:Coin St-Valier et Dorchester vu de l'escalier du Faubourg.jpg|thumb|right|[[Saint-Roch, Quebec City|Saint-Roch]]'s garden, lower town]]

While the traditional [[central business district]]s and their large office buildings are found on [[Parliament Hill (Quebec City)|Parliament Hill]] (especially for provincial administration) and just below in [[Saint-Roch, Quebec City|Saint-Roch]] (nowadays notable for [[Information technology|IT]] and the video game industry), a newer one has emerged in the {{ill|Boulevard Laurier|fr|boulevard Laurier}} area of [[Sainte-Foy, Quebec City|Sainte-Foy]], where a number of accounting and [[law firm]]s have moved since the 2000s. Other suburban places identified by the city for their potential are the Lebourgneuf area for private offices, as well as Estimauville Street where the [[Government of Canada]] already has many civil servants and where several city officials are expected to move in the 2020s.<ref name="cbd">{{Cite web |date=7 October 2018 |title=Où sera le centre-ville de Québec dans le futur? |url=https://ici.radio-canada.ca/nouvelle/1128103/centre-ville-futur-quebec-urbanisme |url-status=live |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20181009212737/https://ici.radio-canada.ca/nouvelle/1128103/centre-ville-futur-quebec-urbanisme |archive-date=9 October 2018 |access-date=9 October 2018 |website=Radio-Canada |trans-title=Where will downtown Quebec City be in the future? |language=fr-ca}}</ref>

==Arts and culture==
[[File:Defile du Pere Noel Montreal 2011 - 040.jpg|thumb|Quebec City's [[Quebec Winter Carnival|Winter Carnival]] is the world's largest winter festival.]]

{{See also|List of events in Quebec City|Media in Quebec City}}

Quebec City is known for its [[Quebec Winter Carnival|Winter Carnival]], its [[Festival d'été de Québec|summer music festival]] and its [[Fete nationale du Québec|Saint-Jean-Baptiste Day]] celebrations.
The [[Jardin zoologique du Québec]], now closed, reopened in 2002 after extensive repairs before ultimately shutting permanently in 2006. It featured 750 specimens of 300 different species of animals. The zoo specialized in winged fauna and garden themes but also featured several species of mammals. While it emphasized Quebec's indigenous fauna, one of its main attractions was the Indo-Australian greenhouse, which initially cost $14 million to build.<ref>{{cite news |title=Abandoned zoo greenhouse faces demolition |url=https://qcna.qc.ca/news/abandoned-zoo-greenhouse-faces-demolition |access-date=28 September 2022 |work=QCNA EN |date=23 November 2021 |language=en |archive-date=9 January 2023 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20230109004911/https://qcna.qc.ca/news/abandoned-zoo-greenhouse-faces-demolition |url-status=dead }}</ref> It featured fauna and flora from regions surrounding the [[Indian Ocean]].<ref>{{cite web |title=2022 - The greenhouse of the former Quebec zoo will indeed be demolished, confirms the City - Actual News Magazine |url=https://actualnewsmagazine.com/english/the-greenhouse-of-the-former-quebec-zoo-will-indeed-be-demolished-confirms-the-city/ |access-date=28 September 2022 |language=tr |date=9 December 2021 |archive-date=28 September 2022 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20220928192346/https://actualnewsmagazine.com/english/the-greenhouse-of-the-former-quebec-zoo-will-indeed-be-demolished-confirms-the-city/ |url-status=live }}</ref>

Québec City has a number of historic sites, art galleries and museums, including [[Citadelle of Quebec]], [[Musée national des beaux-arts du Québec]], [[Ursulines of Quebec]], and [[Musée de la civilisation]].

''[https://www.aci-iac.ca/art-books/quebec-city-art-artists/ Quebec City Art & Artists: An Illustrated History] {{Webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20250620231023/https://www.aci-iac.ca/art-books/quebec-city-art-artists/ |date=20 June 2025 }}'', a book written by Michèle Grandbois and published by [https://www.aci-iac.ca The Art Canada Institute] {{Webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20250515100750/https://www.aci-iac.ca/ |date=15 May 2025 }}, provides an unprecedented look at the complex colonial history, diverse creativity, and key artists that have come to define the provincial capital.<ref name=":1">{{Cite book |last=Grandbois |first=Michèle |url=https://www.aci-iac.ca/ |title=Quebec City Art & Artists: An Illustrated History |publisher=Art Canada Institute |year=2025 |location=Toronto |archive-date=15 May 2025 |access-date=15 May 2025 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20250515100750/https://www.aci-iac.ca/ |url-status=live }}</ref> The book traces Quebec City's artistic production through pre-contact Indigenous traditions into four centuries of colonial history. Key artists featured in the book include Claude François, Zacharie Vincent Telari-o-lin, [[Jules-Isaïe Benoît Livernois|Jules-Ernest Livernois]], [[Jean Paul Lemieux]], [[Diane Landry]], and [[BGL (artists)|BGL]].<ref name=":1" />

[[Parc Aquarium du Québec]], which reopened in 2002 on a site overlooking the [[Saint Lawrence River]], features more than 10,000 specimens of mammals, reptiles, fish and other aquatic [[Wildlife of Canada|fauna of North America]] and the [[Arctic]]. [[Polar bear]]s and various species of [[Pinniped|seal]]s of the Arctic sector and the "Large Ocean", a large basin offering visitors a view from underneath, make up part of the aquarium's main attractions.

[[File:Parc de la Chute-Montmorency en juin.JPG|thumb|left|[[Montmorency Falls]] is a major waterfall in the city's east end.]]

Other tourist attractions include [[Montmorency Falls]], and, just outside the city limits, the [[Basilica of Sainte-Anne-de-Beaupré]], the [[Mont-Sainte-Anne]] ski resort, and the [[Ice Hotel (Québec)|Ice Hotel]].

==Attractions==
Given the mass of [[Cap Diamant]] and the presence of [[Citadelle of Quebec|la Citadelle]] atop it, overlooking the waters of the St. Lawrence River, [[Charles Dickens]] described Quebec City as the "[[Gibraltar]] of [[North America]]".<ref>{{citation| url=https://www.thecanadianencyclopedia.ca/en/article/quebec-city-in-the-war-of-1812| last=Marsh| first=James A.| title=Quebec City in the War of 1812| date=30 October 2014| encyclopedia=The Canadian Encyclopedia| publisher=Historica Canada| accessdate=26 March 2023}}</ref>

===Architecture===
{{Main|Architecture of Quebec City}}

[[File:Rue St Jean.jpg|alt=|left|thumb|The [[Ramparts of Quebec City|St. Jean (St. John) Gate]]]]

Much of the city's notable traditional architecture is located in [[Vieux-Québec]] (Old Quebec), within and below the [[Ramparts of Quebec City|fortifications]]. This area has a distinct European feel with its stone buildings and winding streets lined with shops and restaurants. Porte Saint-Louis and Porte Saint-Jean are the main gates through the walls from the modern section of downtown; the Kent Gate was a gift to the province from [[Queen Victoria]] and the foundation stone was laid by the Queen's daughter, [[Princess Louise, Duchess of Argyll|Princess Louise, Marchioness of Lorne]], on 11 June 1879.<ref>{{Cite book |last=Hubbard |first=R.H. |url=https://archive.org/details/rideauhallillust00hubb/page/49 |title=Rideau Hall |publisher=McGill-Queen's University Press |year=1977 |isbn=978-0-7735-0310-6 |page=[https://archive.org/details/rideauhallillust00hubb/page/49 49] |url-access=registration}}</ref> West of the walls are the [[Parliament Hill (Quebec City)|Parliament Hill]] area, and to the south the [[Plains of Abraham]].

The upper and lower town are linked by numerous stairs such as the ''Escalier « casse-cou »'' ("breakneck stairway") or the [[Old Quebec Funicular]] on the historic [[Rue du Petit-Champlain]], where many small boutiques are found. A small town square nearby, the Place Royale, now surrounded by picturesque stone buildings, is the site of [[Champlain]]'s founding of the city in 1608. On it is the [[Notre-Dame-des-Victoires, Quebec City|Notre-Dame-des-Victoires]] church. The [[Musée de la Civilisation]] is located nearby by the river.

[[File:Chateau Frontenac in Quebec City (3875826553).jpg|alt=|thumb|Chateau Frontenac in Quebec City]]
[[File:Quartier Petit Champlain 001.jpg|thumb|The [[Petit Champlain]], containing the pictured [[Rue du Petit-Champlain]], is claimed to be the oldest commercial district in North America.<ref>{{Cite book |last1=Simard |first1=Luc |title=Du cap au rivage : promenades dans les rues de Québec |last2=Émond |first2=Chantale |date=1994 |publisher=Ville de Québec |others=Québec (Québec) |isbn=978-2-92-086077-3 |location=Québec |language=fr |oclc=31779784}}</ref>]]
[[File:Le Diamant Theatre.jpg|thumb|[[Le Diamant Theatre]] in Quebec City's Saint-Roch neighbourhood]]
[[File:Vieew of Québec from Lévis city, Québec 11.jpg|thumb|Québec, photographed from Lévis]]

Along with concrete high-rises such as [[Édifice Marie-Guyart]] and [[Hôtel Le Concorde|Le Concorde]] on parliament hill (see [[List of tallest buildings in Quebec City]]), the city's skyline is dominated by the massive [[Château Frontenac]] hotel, perched on top of Cap-Diamant. It was designed by architect [[Bruce Price]], as one of a series of [[Canada's railway hotels|"château" style hotels]] built for the [[Canadian Pacific Railway]] company. The railway company sought to encourage luxury tourism and bring wealthy travellers to its trains.
Alongside the Château Frontenac is the [[Terrasse Dufferin]], a walkway along the edge of the cliff, offering views of the Saint Lawrence River. The terrace leads toward the nearby [[Plains of Abraham]], site of the battle in which the British took Quebec from France, and the [[Citadelle of Quebec]], a [[Canadian Forces]] installation and the [[Governor General of Canada|federal vice-regal secondary residence]]. The [[Parliament Building (Quebec)|Parliament Building]], the meeting place of the [[Parliament of Quebec]], is also near the [[Citadelle of Quebec|Citadelle]].

Near the Château Frontenac is [[Notre-Dame de Québec Cathedral]], mother church of the [[Roman Catholic Archdiocese of Quebec]]. It is the first church in the [[New World]] to be raised to a [[basilica]] and is the [[primate (bishop)|primatial]] church of Canada. There are 37 [[List of National Historic Sites of Canada in Quebec City|National Historic Sites of Canada]] in Quebec City and its enclaves.<ref>The 37 sites in Quebec City are listed in the [https://archive.today/20120906071404/http://www.pc.gc.ca/apps/dfhd/search-recherche_eng.aspx Directory of Federal Heritage Designations] as being located in Québec and the following boroughs/enclaves: Beauport, Cap-Rouge, Notre-Dame-des-Anges, Sainte-Foy and Wendake.</ref>

===Parks===
One of the most notable is [[The Battlefields Park]], which is home to 50 historical artillery pieces and the [[Plains of Abraham]]. The park offers views of the St. Lawrence River and has multiple historical structures and statues like the ''[[Joan of Arc]] on Horseback'' and a couple of [[Martello Towers]].<ref name="ville.quebec.qc.ca">{{Cite web |title=Ville de Québec – Parks and Gardens |url=http://www.ville.quebec.qc.ca/EN/touristes/voir/attraits/parcs_jardins.aspx#tabs |url-status=dead |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20161114083801/http://www.ville.quebec.qc.ca/EN/touristes/voir/attraits/parcs_jardins.aspx#tabs |archive-date=14 November 2016 |access-date=14 November 2016 |website=www.ville.quebec.qc.ca}}</ref> Historically this was the site of the [[Battle of the Plains of Abraham]] (1759), a decisive British victory in the [[Seven Years' War]] which ended French rule in what would become Canada, and the later [[Battle of Quebec (1775)]] during the [[American Revolutionary War]], where the British were able to hold onto its last stronghold in the Northern extent of its North American territory.

Other large and centrally located parks are [[Parc Victoria]], Parc [[Maizerets]] and [[Cartier-Brébeuf National Historic Site]].
Quebec City's largest park is the {{ill|Parc Chauveau|fr|Parc Chauveau}}, which is crossed by the suburban section of the city-wide [[Saint-Charles River (Quebec City)|Saint-Charles River]] and is thus also part of the {{convert|31|km|abbr=on}} long Saint-Charles River's [[linear park]]. At Chauveau, activities such as [[canoeing]], fishing and [[cross-country skiing]] are offered depending on the season, in addition to an interior soccer stadium.<ref>{{Cite web |title=Le Parc Chauveau: la nature à ma portée! |url=https://www.ville.quebec.qc.ca/docs/publications/277_publication_2_530.pdf |url-status=live |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20160304115853/http://www.ville.quebec.qc.ca/docs/publications/277_publication_2_530.pdf |archive-date=4 March 2016 |access-date=6 October 2018 |publisher=Ville de Québec |language=fr}}</ref> Among others, there is also the beach of Beauport Bay, as well as the Marais du Nord (north-end [[marsh]] land).

Quebec is the only large city in Canada along with [[Halifax, Nova Scotia|Halifax]] lacking a public [[greenhouse]]. Nonetheless, outside areas known for their public [[gardens]] or [[landscaping]] include:<ref>{{Cite web |last=Hogdson |first=Larry |date=8 September 2018 |title=Québec, toujours un désert botanique? |url=https://www.lesoleil.com/maison/horticulture/quebec-toujours-un-desert-botanique-902ac285ddcced46037a826d41aa4b23 |url-status=live |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20181006234927/https://www.lesoleil.com/maison/horticulture/quebec-toujours-un-desert-botanique-902ac285ddcced46037a826d41aa4b23 |archive-date=6 October 2018 |access-date=6 October 2018 |website=Le Soleil |language=fr-CA}}</ref>
* The linear park named {{ill|Promenade Samuel-De Champlain|fr|Promenade Samuel-De Champlain}} that stretches {{convert|4.6|km|abbr=on}} alongside the Saint Lawrence River, from [[Pierre Laporte Bridge]] to Sillery's east-end. Its bicycle and pedestrian paths then continues to Old Quebec and then along the Saint-Charles River.<ref>{{Cite web |last=Québec |first=Office du tourisme de |title=Promenade Samuel-De Champlain |url=https://www.quebecregion.com/en/businesses/sports-outdoor-activities-wellbeing/hiking/promenade-samuel-de-champlain/ |url-status=live |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20181006235526/https://www.quebecregion.com/en/businesses/sports-outdoor-activities-wellbeing/hiking/promenade-samuel-de-champlain/ |archive-date=6 October 2018 |access-date=6 October 2018 |website=Official Web Site – Québec City Tourism |language=en}}</ref> Just like the beach at Beauport Bay, the construction of the ''Promenade'' was funded by provincial and federal governments to celebrate the [[400th anniversary of Quebec City]] in 2008.
* [[Government House (Quebec)]], slightly west of the Plains of Abraham in [[Sillery, Quebec City|Sillery]], and known for its [[natural landscaping]] as well as traditional gardens, such as those surrounding the historical {{ill|Villa Bagatelle|fr|Villa Bagatelle}}. The historical significance of the park also lies in the former presence of the viceregal [[Government House (Quebec)|Government House of Quebec]] (1845–1966).
* The [[Maizerets#Domaine de Maizerets|Domaine de Maizerets]], where are found an [[arboretum]] and an [[observation tower]], not far from the Saint Lawrence River and Beauport Bay.
* {{ill|Domaine Cataraqui|fr|Domaine Cataraqui}} in Sillery.
* The {{ill|Roger-Van den Hende Botanical Garden|fr|Jardin universitaire Roger-Van den Hende}} of {{Lang|fr|[[Université Laval]]|italic=no}}.

==Sports==
Quebec City has hosted a number of recent sporting events, as well as being shortlisted for the [[Bids for the 2002 Winter Olympics|2002 Winter Olympics city selection]]. The [[Special Olympics Canada|Special Olympics Canada National Winter Games]] was held in the city from 26 February to 1 March 2008.<ref>{{Cite web |date=29 January 2007 |title=History of Major Special Olympics Canada (SOC) Events |url=http://www.specialolympics.ca/en/images/pdfs/sports_gameshistory.pdf |url-status=dead |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20110706203531/http://www.specialolympics.ca/en/images/pdfs/sports_gameshistory.pdf |archive-date=6 July 2011 |access-date=14 July 2011 |publisher=Special Olympics Canada}}</ref> Quebec City co-hosted with [[Halifax Regional Municipality|Halifax]], Nova Scotia, the [[2008 IIHF World Championship]]. Regular sporting events held in the city include the [[Tournoi de Québec|Coupe Banque Nationale]], a [[Women's Tennis Association]] tournament; [[Crashed Ice]], an extreme downhill skating race; [[Quebec International Pee-Wee Hockey Tournament]], a [[minor hockey]] tournament; and the Tour de Québec International cycling stage race.<ref>{{Cite web |title=Here comes the 4th Tour de Québec! |url=http://www.tourdequebec.com/ |url-status=live |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20120309024254/http://www.tourdequebec.com/ |archive-date=9 March 2012 |access-date=14 July 2011 |publisher=tourdequebec.com}}</ref> In December 2011, Quebec City hosted the [[ISU Grand Prix of Figure Skating Final]] at the Pavillon de la Jeunesse at ExpoCité.

[[File:Stade Municipal.JPG|thumb|upright=1.5|The [[Québec Capitales]] play their home games at [[Stade Canac]], a stadium primarily used for baseball.]]

The city currently has one professional team, the baseball team [[Quebec Capitales|Capitales de Québec]], which plays in the [[Frontier League]] in downtown's [[Stade Canac]]. The team was established in 1999 and originally played in the [[Northern League (baseball, 1993–2010)|Northern League]]. It has nine league titles, won in 2006, 2009, 2010, 2011, 2012, 2013, 2017, 2022 and 2023. A professional basketball team, the [[Quebec Kebs]], played in [[National Basketball League of Canada]] in 2011 but folded before the 2012 season, and a semi-professional [[association football|soccer]] team, the [[Dynamo de Québec]], played in the [[Première ligue de soccer du Québec]], until 2019.

The city had a professional ice hockey team, the [[Quebec Nordiques]], which played in the [[World Hockey Association]] (WHA) from 1972 to 1979 and the [[National Hockey League]] (NHL) from 1979 to 1995, maintaining a strong rivalry with the [[Montreal Canadiens]]. Due to a disadvantageous exchange rate with respect to the US dollar, the team moved to [[Denver, Colorado]], in 1995, becoming the [[Colorado Avalanche]]. A lower-tier team, the [[Atlanta Knights#Quebec Rafales|Quebec Rafales]], played in the professional [[International Hockey League (1945–2001)|International Hockey League]] from 1996 to 1998.

[[File:CentreVideotron-StephaneGroleau-0800.jpg|thumb|left|[[Videotron Centre]] is an indoor [[arena]] and is presently used as the home arena for the [[QMJHL|major junior hockey]] [[Quebec Remparts]].]]

The [[Videotron Centre]] was built with the hope of getting an [[National Hockey League|NHL]] franchise (relocation or expansion) in Quebec City.<ref>{{Cite news |last=Karine Gagnon, Qmi Agency |date=1 March 2011 |title=Quebecor joins arena plan, eyes NHL team &#124; Hockey &#124; Sports |newspaper=Toronto Sun |url=http://www.torontosun.com/sports/hockey/2011/03/01/17451741.html |url-status=live |access-date=2 January 2012 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20121001195519/http://www.torontosun.com/sports/hockey/2011/03/01/17451741.html |archive-date=1 October 2012}}</ref> The project was funded regardless of whether an NHL team arrives.<ref>{{Cite news |last=McParland |first=Kelly |date=2 March 2011 |title=The Quebec gravy train chugs off without Ottawa on board for once |url=https://nationalpost.com/full-comment/the-quebec-gravy-chain-chugs-off-without-ottawa-on-board-for-once |url-status=live |archive-url=http://webarchive.loc.gov/all/20110311212859/http%3A//fullcomment.nationalpost.com/2011/03/02/the%2Dquebec%2Dgravy%2Dchain%2Dchugs%2Doff%2Dwithout%2Dottawa%2Don%2Dboard%2Dfor%2Donce/ |archive-date=11 March 2011 |newspaper=National Post}}</ref> It is also hoped that the arena can help Quebec City win a future [[Winter Olympics]] games bid.<ref>{{Cite web |date=16 October 2009 |title=Quebec City plans $400 million arena to attract NHL team, Winter Olympics&nbsp;— ESPN |url=https://www.espn.com/nhl/news/story?id=4564924 |url-status=live |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20110629035635/http://sports.espn.go.com/nhl/news/story?id=4564924 |archive-date=29 June 2011 |access-date=2 January 2012 |website=[[ESPN]]}}</ref> It has now replaced the [[Colisée de Québec]] as the main multifunctional arena in Quebec City.

Other teams include the [[Quebec Remparts]] in major junior hockey ([[QMJHL]]), Université Laval varsity team [[Laval Rouge-et-Or|Rouge & Or]], the [[Quebec City Monarks]], and [[Quebec City Rebelles]] of La Ligue de Football de Québec; the Alouettes de Charlesbourg of the [[Ligue de Baseball Junior Élite du Québec]]; the women's hockey team Quebec Phoenix of the [[Canadian Women's Hockey League]]; and soccer club [[Quebec City Amiral|Quebec Arsenal]] of the [[USL W-League (1995–2015)|W-League]].

Quebec City holds the Coop [[FIS Cross-Country World Cup]]. This is a [[ski]] event that welcomes the best of that sport.<ref>{{Cite web |title=Quebec city FIS Cross-Country World Cup 2019 |url=https://worldcupccquebec.com/ |url-status=live |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20200806191917/https://worldcupccquebec.com/ |archive-date=6 August 2020 |access-date=30 March 2020 |website=Quebec City FIS Cross-Country World Cup |language=en-US}}</ref>

==Government==
[[File:Monument Honore-Mercier 07.jpg|thumb|The provincial [[Parliament Building (Quebec)|Parliament Building]] is located in the city.]]

Since the 1960s, [[Centre-right politics|centre-right]] parties such as [[Union Nationale (Quebec)|Union Nationale]], [[Ralliement créditiste|Crédit social]], [[Conservative Party of Canada]] (CPC), [[Action démocratique du Québec]] and [[Coalition Avenir Québec]] (CAQ) have been more popular in the Quebec City region than elsewhere in the province.<ref name="duval">{{Cite web |last=Duval |first=Alexandre |title=Politique : un chercheur perce une partie du " mystère Québec " |url=https://ici.radio-canada.ca/nouvelle/1049716/mystere-region-quebec-politique-vote-droite-etude |url-status=live |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20181009211158/https://ici.radio-canada.ca/nouvelle/1049716/mystere-region-quebec-politique-vote-droite-etude |archive-date=9 October 2018 |access-date=8 October 2018 |website=Radio-Canada.ca |date=11 August 2017 |language=fr-ca}}</ref> After the [[2006 Canadian federal election|federal election of 2006]], six of the ten conservative ridings of the province were found in its metropolitan area (where the CPC garnered 39% of the vote, against 25% at the provincial scale)<ref>{{Cite web |last=Daoust |first=Jean-François |date=15 August 2017 |title=Le mystère de Québec: les moins bien nantis rejettent la gauche |url=https://www.ledevoir.com/opinion/idees/505698/le-mystere-de-quebec-les-citoyens-moins-bien-nantis-rejettent-la-gauche |url-status=live |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20181009211813/https://www.ledevoir.com/opinion/idees/505698/le-mystere-de-quebec-les-citoyens-moins-bien-nantis-rejettent-la-gauche |archive-date=9 October 2018 |access-date=8 October 2018 |website=Le Devoir |language=fr}}</ref> and in the city proper, the CPC won three of the four seats that existed at that time (the [[Québec (electoral district)|riding of Quebec]] went to the [[Bloc Québécois|Bloc]]).<ref>{{Cite web |last=Himelfarb |first=Jordan |date=10 October 2018 |title=The Bloc's Quebec City fortress |url=https://www.theglobeandmail.com/news/politics/the-blocs-quebec-city-fortress/article20388363/ |url-status=live |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20211028235556/https://mb.moatads.com/yi/v2?ol=0&qn=%604%7BZEYwoqI%24%5BK%2BdLLU)%2CMm~tB%23a.%5BMhS%3A15.sn_003etW6~P6Jn)s)wC%24GL3jX%7BQqDOJ%3Eoy)G3p%2FhFjrR8whh%2B%7D%407%25w_2C%3FP%3ElK%3DbH%2FH%40%26%2Bc%5B5IUOG(%2CWV%7BGrV~1HmDkP8D4rUDtmxT%3Bwv%40V374BKm55%3D%261fp%5BoU5tWhX%3C%3Ce%24%26~1%3Axkr%5BUe31k5X%5BG%5E%5B)%2C2iVSX%3C_Y%7B!7IQ3HbmUZzCFm%5Du!x2l.uBlTVU%2F.%3Dh%3FtDJq%409BG&tf=1_nMzjG---CSa7H-nHVQZC-bW7qhB-LRwqH-nMzjG-&vi=111111&rc=1%2C1%2C0%2C3%2C3326192205%2C1%2C4%2C0%2Cprobably%2Cprobably&rb=1-8BRYrdgGjXhDLOlS9taa18sl5UMbMAFrHQZRAnlp9pAdeA91T5s1LwZtUqv15LnesVBD&rs=1-%2BvQzXjcST%2BDrDg%3D%3D&sc=1&os=1-gQ%3D%3D&qp=10000&is=BBBBB2BBEYBvGl2BBCBBtUTBBRmsqbKW8BsrBu0rCFE48CRBeeBS2hWTMBBQeQBBn2soYggyUig0CBlWZ0uBBCCCCCCOgRBBiOfnE6Bkg7OxBb8MxOtJYHCBdm5kBhBBC9Y8oBXckXBR76iUUsJBCBBBBBBBBBWBSqj3BBBZeGV2BBBCMciUBBBjgEBBBBBB94UMgTdJMtEcpMBBBQBBBniOccBBBBBB47kNwxBbBBBBBBBBBhcjG6BBJM2L4Bk8BwCBQmIoRBBCzBz1BBCTClBBrbGBC4ehueB57NG9aJeRzBqEKiuwBBBB&iv=8&qt=0&gz=0&hh=0&hn=0&tw=%7D%3Bra%40QlRww1%3Co%40~RfrE%3D%25.%7CRwJO!BQwi!GM%3D%3Dkue8!Jw%5B%40Km_wAbe%2CHT%7BQ5%3DgE&qc=10&qd=10&qf=1100&qe=784&qh=1100&qg=900&qm=0&qa=1600&qb=1000&qi=1600&qj=1000&to=000&po=1-0020002000002120&vy=ot%24b%5Bh%40%22oD%7BMx5%3C1%3B(8.%7CLK2_v%5Eq%2BGs1%7B%2CyB%3AU!%2FoD%7BMx5%3C1%3B(Oy%2CUy%3CD&qr=0&url=https%3A%2F%2Fwww.theglobeandmail.com%2Fnews%2Fpolitics%2Fthe-blocs-quebec-city-fortress%2Farticle20388363%2F&pcode=globeandmailheader638913312107&callback=MoatNadoAllJsonpRequest_91959890 |archive-date=28 October 2021 |access-date=8 October 2018 |website=The Globe and Mail}}</ref> Along with the city's lesser support for [[Quebec sovereignty]], this led political pundits to speculate about a "Quebec City mystery".<ref>{{Cite web |last=Peritz |first=Ingrid |date=31 August 2012 |title=Seeking clues to Quebec City's ballot box mystery |url=https://www.theglobeandmail.com/news/politics/seeking-clues-to-quebec-citys-ballot-box-mystery/article4511569/ |url-status=live |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20120901005509/http://www.theglobeandmail.com/news/politics/seeking-clues-to-quebec-citys-ballot-box-mystery/article4511569/ |archive-date=1 September 2012 |access-date=8 October 2018 |website=The Globe and Mail}}</ref>

Various lines of thought were offered, including the popularity of the [[talk radio]] stations [[CHOI-FM|CHOI]] and [[CJMF-FM|FM93]] expressing [[Fiscal conservatism|fiscally conservative]] and non-[[Political correctness|politically correct]] opinions.<ref>{{Cite web |last=Castonguay |first=Alec |title=Le faux mystère de Québec |url=https://lactualite.com/politique/2012/08/31/le-faux-mystere-de-quebec/ |url-status=live |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20181010011113/https://lactualite.com/politique/2012/08/31/le-faux-mystere-de-quebec/ |archive-date=10 October 2018 |access-date=8 October 2018 |website=L’actualité |date=31 August 2012 |language=fr-CA}}</ref> Over the years, this genre has been qualified by its detractors as {{lang|fr|radio poubelle}} ({{langx|en|[[trash radio]]}}) and hosts like [[Jeff Fillion]] and [[André Arthur]] likened to [[shock jock]]s.<ref>{{Cite web |last=Bilefsky |first=Dan |date=18 August 2018 |title=Quebec's 'Trash Radio' Host Fires Up Outrage, and Big Ratings |url=https://www.nytimes.com/2018/08/18/world/canada/quebec-trash-radio-jeff-fillion.html |url-status=live |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20181009211552/https://www.nytimes.com/2018/08/18/world/canada/quebec-trash-radio-jeff-fillion.html |archive-date=9 October 2018 |access-date=8 October 2018 |website=The New York Times}}</ref> Also, compared to the rest of the province, people of the area may favour harsher criminal sentences, and lower-class households may share political views more in line with those earning more. The reasons for this remain unclear.<ref name="duval" /> Another researcher put forward the historical factors that led to Montreal surpassing Quebec as the metropolis of [[British North America]] in the early 19th century. According to this theory, its permanent status of "second city" (albeit the capital) engendered feelings of "repressed jealousy".<ref>{{Cite web |last=Lachance |first=Nicolas |date=20 December 2015 |title=Il perce (enfin) le mystère Québec |url=https://www.journaldequebec.com/2015/12/20/il-perce-enfin-le-mystere-quebec |url-status=live |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20181010011006/https://www.journaldequebec.com/2015/12/20/il-perce-enfin-le-mystere-quebec |archive-date=10 October 2018 |access-date=8 October 2018 |website=Le Journal de Québec |language=fr-CA}}</ref>

The "mystery" was relativized following the [[2011 Canadian federal election|2011 federal election]]. All five ridings within the city were won by the leftist [[New Democratic Party]], in the so-called "orange wave" that temporarily swept the province. Nonetheless, five of the six seats won by the Conservatives in the province were found in the greater Quebec City area.<ref>{{Cite web |last=Séguin |first=Rheal |date=2 May 2011 |title=Quebec City gives NDP control over the region |url=https://www.theglobeandmail.com/news/politics/quebec-city-gives-ndp-control-over-the-region/article578479/ |url-status=live |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20211028235554/https://www.theglobeandmail.com/pf/dist/components/output-types/default.css?d=95 |archive-date=28 October 2021 |access-date=8 October 2018 |website=The Globe and Mail}}</ref> At the [[2018 Quebec general election|2018 provincial election]], the leftist party [[Québec solidaire]] managed to win two districts, [[Taschereau (electoral district)|Taschereau]] and [[Jean-Lesage]], the most densely populated in town, but the centre-right CAQ, as it swept the province, won six of the nine districts encompassing the city, and 15 of the 18 in the administrative regions of [[Capitale-Nationale]] and [[Chaudière-Appalaches]] (south shore of the city).
{{stack begin}}
{|class="wikitable" style="float:right; width:400; font-size:90%; margin-left:1em;"
|+'''Quebec City federal election results'''<ref>{{cite web |url=https://www.elections.ca/content.aspx?section=res&dir=rep/off/44gedata&document=bypro&lang=e |title=Official Voting Results Raw Data (poll by poll results in Quebec City) |date=7 April 2022 |publisher=Elections Canada |access-date=February 28, 2023 |archive-date=5 March 2023 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20230305223518/https://www.elections.ca/content.aspx?section=res&dir=rep/off/44gedata&document=bypro&lang=e |url-status=live }}</ref>
! colspan="2" scope="col" | Year
! colspan="2" scope="col" | [[Liberal Party of Canada|Liberal]]
! colspan="2" scope="col" | [[Conservative Party of Canada|Conservative]]
! colspan="2" scope="col" | [[Bloc Québécois]]
! colspan="2" scope="col" | [[New Democratic Party|New Democratic]]
! colspan="2" scope="col" | [[Green Party of Canada|Green]]
|-
| rowspan="2" style="width: 0.25em; background-color: {{Canadian party colour|CA|Conservative}}|
! [[2021 Canadian federal election|2021]]
| {{Canadian party colour|CA|Liberal|background}} | 27%
| style="text-align:right; background:#EA6D6A;"| ''76,734''
| {{Canadian party colour|CA|Conservative|background}} | '''34%'''
| style="text-align:right; background:#6495ED;"| ''96,875''
| {{Canadian party colour|CA|BQ|background}} | 27%
| style="text-align:right; background:#87CEFA;"| ''75,949''
| {{Canadian party colour|CA|NDP|background}} | 8%
| style="text-align:right; background:#F4A460;"| ''23,129''
| {{Canadian party colour|CA|Green|background}} | 2%
| style="text-align:right; background:#99C955;"| ''5,715''
|-
! [[2019 Canadian federal election|2019]]
| {{Canadian party colour|CA|Liberal|background}} | 28%
| style="text-align:right; background:#EA6D6A;"| ''82,742''
| {{Canadian party colour|CA|Conservative|background}} | '''29%'''
| style="text-align:right; background:#6495ED;"| ''84,656''
| {{Canadian party colour|CA|BQ|background}} | 28%
| style="text-align:right; background:#87CEFA;"| ''82,950''
| {{Canadian party colour|CA|NDP|background}} | 9%
| style="text-align:right; background:#F4A460;"| ''25,969''
| {{Canadian party colour|CA|Green|background}} | 4%
| style="text-align:right; background:#99C955;"| ''11,789''
|-
|}

{|class="wikitable" style="float:right; width:400; font-size:90%; margin-left:1em;"
|+'''Quebec City provincial election results'''<ref>{{cite web |url=https://www.electionsquebec.qc.ca/en/results-and-statistics/general-election-results/2018-10-01/ |title=Official Voting Results by polling station (poll by poll results in Quebec City) |date=3 December 2021 |publisher=Elections Québec |access-date=February 28, 2023 |archive-date=28 August 2023 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20230828223201/https://www.electionsquebec.qc.ca/en/results-and-statistics/general-election-results/2018-10-01/ |url-status=live }}</ref>
! colspan="2" scope="col" | Year
! colspan="2" scope="col" | [[Coalition Avenir Québec|CAQ]]
! colspan="2" scope="col" | [[Quebec Liberal Party|Liberal]]
! colspan="2" scope="col" | [[Québec solidaire|QC solidaire]]
! colspan="2" scope="col" | [[Parti Québécois]]
|-
| style="width: 0.25em; background-color: {{Canadian party colour|QC|CAQ}}|
! [[2018 Quebec general election|2018]]
| {{Canadian party colour|QC|CAQ|background}} | '''41%'''
| style="text-align:right; background:#1E90FF;"| ''118,468''
| {{Canadian party colour|QC|Liberal|background}} | 22%
| style="text-align:right; background:#EA6D6A;"| ''65,462''
| {{Canadian party colour|QC|QS|background}} | 19%
| style="text-align:right; background:#FF8040;"| ''55,126''
| {{Canadian party colour|QC|PQ|background}} | 12%
| style="text-align:right; background:#87CEFA;"| ''34,079''
|-
| style="width: 0.25em; background-color: {{Canadian party colour|QC|Liberal}}|
! [[Quebec general election, 2014|2014]]
| {{Canadian party colour|QC|CAQ|background}} | 32%
| style="text-align:right; background:#1E90FF;"| ''95,770''
| {{Canadian party colour|QC|Liberal|background}} | '''39%'''
| style="text-align:right; background:#EA6D6A;"| ''118,564''
| {{Canadian party colour|QC|QS|background}} | 7%
| style="text-align:right; background:#FF8040;"| ''21,123''
| {{Canadian party colour|QC|PQ|background}} | 19%
| style="text-align:right; background:#87CEFA;"| ''57,481''
|-
|}

{{stack end}}
{{Clear}}
{{Further|List of presidents of districts of Quebec City}}

===Municipal government===
[[File:City Hall in Quebec City.jpg|thumb|[[City Hall of Quebec City|Quebec City Hall]] serves as the seat for the [[Quebec City Council]].]]

Quebec City is governed by a [[mayor–council government]], which includes the 21 [[single-member district]]s of the legislative [[Quebec City Council]] and the separately elected [[List of mayors of Quebec City|mayor]]. The [[councilors]] are elected by [[first-past-the-post voting]] while the mayor is elected by the city [[at-large]]. Both usually belong to [[political parties]] and are elected at the same time every 4 years. The mayor is an [[ex officio member]] of the council but is not its president and has no vote. The current one is [[Bruno Marchand]], elected in [[2021 Quebec City municipal election|2021]].

Each of the city's six boroughs has a council composed of 3 to 5 of the aforementioned councillors, depending on the size of its population. It has jurisdiction with matters such as local road maintenance, leisure, [[waste collection]], and small grants for community projects and others, but cannot tax or borrow money.<ref>{{Cite web |title=Conseils d'arrondissement |url=https://www.ville.quebec.qc.ca/apropos/gouvernance/conseils-arrondissement/index.aspx |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20141006105250/http://www.ville.quebec.qc.ca/apropos/vie_democratique/elus/conseils_arrondissement/index.aspx |archive-date=6 October 2014 |website=Ville de Québec}}</ref> The boroughs are further divided into [[#Boroughs and neighbourhoods|35 neighbourhoods]], which also have councils devoted to [[public consultation]]s, each led by 11 citizens. Their geographical limits may be distinct from those of the city's 21 electoral districts, and councillors also sit at their neighbourhood councils as non-voting ex officio members.<ref>{{Cite web |title=Conseils de quartier |url=https://www.ville.quebec.qc.ca/citoyens/participation-citoyenne/conseils_quartier/role-et-composition.aspx |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20170308044912/http://www.ville.quebec.qc.ca/apropos/vie_democratique/participation_citoyenne/conseils_quartier/index.aspx |archive-date=8 March 2017 |website=Ville de Québec}}</ref>

====Public safety====
The city is protected by [[Service de police de la Ville de Québec]] and [[Service de protection contre les incendies de Québec]] (fire dept.) The [[Census geographic units of Canada#Census metropolitan areas|census metropolitan area]] (CMA) of Quebec City has one of the lowest crime rates in Canada, with 3,193 per 100,000 persons in 2017, only behind [[Greater Toronto Area#Census metropolitan area|Toronto's CMA]] (3,115).<ref>{{Cite web |title=2017 Police-reported Crime Severity Index and crime rate, by census metropolitan area |url=https://www150.statcan.gc.ca/n1/daily-quotidien/180723/t003b-eng.htm |url-status=live |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20181021164003/https://www150.statcan.gc.ca/n1/daily-quotidien/180723/t003b-eng.htm |archive-date=21 October 2018 |access-date=9 October 2018 |website=Statistics Canada |date=23 July 2018 |language=en}}</ref> Exceptionally, no [[Culpable homicide#Canada|homicide]] (defined as a criminal death, deliberate or not) was reported in 2007.<ref>{{Cite news |last=White |first=Marianne |date=28 December 2007 |title=Quebec City closing in on a year without murder |work=Nationalpost.com |url=https://nationalpost.com/news/canada/story.html?id=203698 |access-date=14 July 2011 }}{{dead link|date=October 2025|bot=medic}}{{cbignore|bot=medic}}</ref> Still, eight homicides occurred the following year.<ref>{{Cite web |last=Neron |first=Jean-François |date=2010 |title=Bas taux d'homicide: fiche impressionnante pour Québec |url=https://www.lesoleil.com/archives/bas-taux-dhomicide-fiche-impressionnante-pour-quebec-0e29dab9039864f5d92c0a8bb6fe6dd6 |url-status=live |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20180729081454/https://www.lesoleil.com/archives/bas-taux-dhomicide-fiche-impressionnante-pour-quebec-0e29dab9039864f5d92c0a8bb6fe6dd6 |archive-date=29 July 2018 |access-date=29 July 2018 |publisher=Le Soleil |language=fr}}</ref>

On 29 January 2017, a university student [[Quebec City mosque shooting|shot and killed six people]] with another 17 injured in a mass shooting at the [[Islamic Cultural Centre of Quebec City|Quebec Islamic Cultural Centre]].<ref>{{Cite news |date=30 January 2017 |title=Suspect in Quebec mosque terror attack was of Moroccan origin, reports show |language=en-US |work=Fox News |url=https://www.foxnews.com/world/suspect-charged-with-murder-in-quebec-mosque-terror-attack |url-status=live |access-date=30 January 2017 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20170130164553/http://www.foxnews.com/world/2017/01/30/at-least-five-killed-in-shooting-at-quebec-city-mosque.html |archive-date=30 January 2017}}</ref> Even after accounting for this event, the CMA of Quebec had the second lowest Crime Severity Index in the country in 2017, at 48.5, after that of [[Barrie]] (45.3).<ref>{{Cite web |title=Police-reported crime statistics in Canada, 2017 |url=https://www150.statcan.gc.ca/n1/pub/85-002-x/2018001/article/54974-eng.htm#a2 |url-status=live |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20181021102135/https://www150.statcan.gc.ca/n1/pub/85-002-x/2018001/article/54974-eng.htm#a2 |archive-date=21 October 2018 |access-date=9 October 2018 |website=Statistics Canada|date=23 July 2018 }}</ref> For the year 2017, the number of reported incidents investigated as [[hate crimes]] by the city police increased from 57 to 71, and for those specifically targeting Muslims from 21 to 42.<ref>{{Cite news |title=Hate crimes targeting Muslims doubled in 2017, says Quebec City police chief |language=en |work=CBC News |url=https://www.cbc.ca/news/canada/montreal/quebec-city-hate-crimes-1.4434028 |url-status=live |access-date=3 September 2018 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20181021040349/https://www.cbc.ca/news/canada/montreal/quebec-city-hate-crimes-1.4434028 |archive-date=21 October 2018}}</ref> The overall rate of reported hate crimes was thus 7.1 per 100,000 population — higher than the national average (3.9) and in Montreal (4.7) but lower than rates in [[Hamilton, Ontario|Hamilton]], [[Ottawa]] and [[Thunder Bay]].<ref>{{Cite news |date=29 November 2018 |title=Reported hate crimes jumped in Quebec City in year prior to mosque shooting |language=en |work=CBC News |url=https://www.cbc.ca/news/canada/montreal/quebec-city-hate-crimes-1.4423245 |url-status=live |access-date=3 September 2018 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20181216124655/https://www.cbc.ca/news/canada/montreal/quebec-city-hate-crimes-1.4423245 |archive-date=16 December 2018}}</ref>

There were two [[Murder (Canadian law)#Murder|first-degree murders]] in 2018, seven in 2017 (six of which were due to the mosque shooting), one in 2016, two in 2015 and three in 2014.<ref>{{Cite web |title=Rapport annuel 2018 |url=https://www.ville.quebec.qc.ca/publications/docs_ville/rapport_annuel_police_2018.pdf#page=16 |url-status=live |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20211028235554/https://www.ville.quebec.qc.ca/publications/docs_ville/rapport_annuel_police_2018.pdf#page=16 |archive-date=28 October 2021 |access-date=22 June 2019 |website=Service de Police de la Ville de Québec |page=14 |language=fr}}</ref><ref>{{Cite web |title=Rapport annuel 2017 |url=https://www.ville.quebec.qc.ca/publications/docs_ville/rapport_annuel_police_2017.pdf#page=14 |url-status=live |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20181221230422/https://www.ville.quebec.qc.ca/publications/docs_ville/rapport_annuel_police_2017.pdf#page=14 |archive-date=21 December 2018 |access-date=8 December 2018 |website=Service de Police de la Ville de Québec |page=12 |language=fr}}</ref><ref>{{Cite web |title=Rapport annuel 2016 |url=https://www.ville.quebec.qc.ca/citoyens/police/nouvelles/FichierNouvelle.ashx?fichier=183-Rapport%20annuel%202016.pdf#page=20 |url-status=live |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20180213022229/https://www.ville.quebec.qc.ca/citoyens/police/nouvelles/FichierNouvelle.ashx?fichier=183-Rapport%20annuel%202016.pdf#page=20 |archive-date=13 February 2018 |access-date=8 December 2018 |website=Service de Police de la Ville de Québec |page=20 |language=fr}}</ref>

On 1 November 2020, the Quebec City police [[2020 Quebec City stabbing|arrested a man]] dressed in medieval costume and armed with a Japanese sword. Carl Girouard, the arrestee, reportedly killed 2 people and hospitalized 5 others.<ref>{{Cite news |title=Halloween Stabbing Attack in Quebec City Leaves 2 Dead |url=https://www.nytimes.com/2020/11/01/world/canada/quebec-city-stabbing-deaths-halloween-medieval-costume.html |url-status=live |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20210104225853/https://www.nytimes.com/2020/11/01/world/canada/quebec-city-stabbing-deaths-halloween-medieval-costume.html |archive-date=4 January 2021 |access-date=1 November 2020 |website=The New York Times |date=November 2020 |last1=Bilefsky |first1=Dan}}</ref>

==Transport==
===Roads===
Two bridges (the [[Quebec Bridge]] and [[Pierre Laporte Bridge]]) and a ferry service connect the city with [[Lévis]] and its suburbs along the south shore of the [[Saint Lawrence River]]. The [[Île d'Orléans Bridge|Orleans Island Bridge]] links Quebec City with pastoral [[Île d'Orléans|Orleans Island]].

[[File:Le pont de Québec et le pont Pierre-Laporte vus du boulevard Champlain.jpg|left|thumb|The [[Pierre Laporte Bridge|Pierre-Laporte]] [[Quebec Bridge]]s connect the city with neighbouring [[Lévis]].]]

Quebec City is an important hub in the province's [[Autoroutes of Quebec|autoroute]] system, as well as boasting one of the highest "expressway lane kilometres per 1000 persons" in the country (1.10&nbsp;km), behind [[Calgary]] (1.74), [[Hamilton, Ontario|Hamilton]] (1.61) and [[Edmonton]] (1.24).<ref>{{Cite web |date=2004 |title=Projet de prolongement de l'axe du Vallon |url=http://www.bape.gouv.qc.ca/sections/mandats/du_vallon/documents/DQ5-1.pdf |url-status=dead |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20180329002416/http://www.bape.gouv.qc.ca/sections/mandats/du_vallon/documents/DQ5-1.pdf |archive-date=29 March 2018 |access-date=21 March 2017 |website=BAPE |page=2 |language=fr}}</ref> [[Quebec Autoroute 40|Autoroute 40]] connects the region with [[Montreal]] and [[Ottawa]] to the west and [[Sainte-Anne-de-Beaupré]] and the [[Charlevoix]] region to the east. [[Quebec Autoroute 20|Autoroute 20]] parallels the south shore of the St. Lawrence River, linking Quebec City with Montreal and [[Toronto]] to the west and [[Rivière-du-Loup]], [[Rimouski]], and the [[The Maritimes|Maritime Provinces]] to the east. [[Quebec Autoroute 73|Autoroute 73]] provides a north–south link through the metropolitan area, linking it with [[Saint-Georges, Quebec|Saint-Georges]], the [[Beauce, Quebec|Beauce]] region, and Maine to the south and [[Saguenay, Quebec|Saguenay]] and the [[Saguenay–Lac-Saint-Jean|Lac-Saint-Jean]] region to the north.

Within the metropolitan region, Autoroutes 40, 73, and several spur routes link the city centre with its suburbs.

[[Quebec Autoroute 573|Autoroute 573 (Autoroute Henri-IV)]] connects the city with [[CFB Valcartier]]. [[Quebec Autoroute 740|Autoroute 740 (Autoroute Robert-Bourassa)]] serves as a north–south inner belt. [[Quebec Autoroute 440 (Quebec City)|Autoroute 440]] comprises two separate autoroutes to the west and east of the urban core. Originally meant to be connected by a tunnel under the city centre, the two sections are separated by a {{Convert|6|km|abbr=on}} gap. There are no current plans to connect them. The western section (Autoroute Charest) connects Autoroutes 40 and 73 with Boulevard Charest (a main east–west avenue) while the eastern section (Autoroute Dufferin-Montmorency) links the city centre with [[Beauport, Quebec City|Beauport]] and [[Montmorency Falls]].
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===Public transport===
[[File:RTC Métrobus Québec City 14786209214.jpg|thumb|RTC's ''Métrobus'' is a six lines, higher frequency and capacity bus service.]]
[[File:Tram on Maple Avenue, Quebec City, QC, 1898.jpg|thumb|A tram in Quebec City in 1898]]

The [[Réseau de transport de la Capitale]] (RTC) is responsible for public transport in the region. The RTC operates a fleet of buses and has recently implemented articulated buses. The RTC is studying the return of a [[Quebec City Tramway|tramway]] system to help ease overcrowding on its busiest lines as well as attract new users to public transit. The two billion dollar revitalization project needs approval from higher levels of government since the city does not have the financial resources to fund such an ambitious project on its own. As of 2022, the project named Quebec City Tramway is under development.<ref>{{cite news |url=https://www.cbc.ca/news/canada/montreal/tramway-quebec-city-approved-1.6410943 |title=Quebec City tramway finally gets green light as province gives unconditional approval |publisher=CBC |date=6 April 2022}}</ref><ref>{{Cite web|url=https://www.transportaction.ca/topics/urban-transit/quebec-city-tramway-wins-provincial-backing/|title=We represent the interests of rail and bus passengers and advocate for public transport services in Canada.|date=April 28, 2021}}</ref><ref>{{Cite web|url=https://www.railforthevalley.com/latest-news/zweisystem/quebec-city-tram-will-be-a-reality/|title=Quebec city Tram Will Be A Reality : Rail for the Valley|date=6 April 2022|access-date=9 April 2023|archive-date=14 February 2023|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20230214132536/https://www.railforthevalley.com/latest-news/zweisystem/quebec-city-tram-will-be-a-reality/|url-status=live}}</ref>

Rail transport is operated by [[Via Rail]] at the [[Gare du Palais]] ('Palace Station'). The station is the eastern terminus of the railway's main [[Quebec City-Windsor Corridor]]. An inter-city bus station, with connections to the provincial long-distance bus network, is adjacent to the train station, and is used by operators such as [[Orleans Express]] and [[Intercar]].

===Air and sea===
Quebec City is served by [[Québec City Jean Lesage International Airport|Jean Lesage International Airport]], located {{convert|13|km|abbr=on}} west of the city centre.

The [[Port of Quebec]] is a seaport on the St. Lawrence with facilities in the first, fifth and sixth boroughs.<ref>{{Cite web |title=Port of Quebec |url=http://www.portquebec.ca/index.php?lang=en_GR |url-status=dead |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20120203072407/http://www.portquebec.ca/index.php?lang=en_GR |archive-date=3 February 2012 |access-date=24 June 2009}}</ref>

==Education==
[[File:Promenade Les Cent-Associes UL 08.jpg|thumb|An alley of {{Lang|fr|[[Université Laval]]|italic=no}} campus]]

The {{Lang|fr|[[Université Laval]]|italic=no}} (Laval University) is in the southwestern part of the city, in the borough of [[Sainte-Foy, Quebec|Sainte-Foy]], except for its school of architecture, which is at the "[[Séminaire de Québec|Vieux-Séminaire]]" building in Old Quebec.

The [[Université du Québec|Université du Québec system]] administrative headquarters and some of its specialized schools ({{Lang|fr|[[École nationale d'administration publique]]|italic=no}}, [[Institut national de la recherche scientifique]] and [[Télé-université]]) are in the [[Saint-Roch, Quebec City|Saint-Roch neighbourhood]].

[[CEGEP]]s of Quebec city are [[Collège François-Xavier-Garneau]], [[Cégep Limoilou]], [[Cégep de Sainte-Foy]] and [[Champlain College St. Lawrence]], as well as private and specialized post-secondary institutions such as Campus Notre-Dame-de-Foy, [[Collège Mérici]], [[Collège Bart]], [[CDI College|Collège CDI]], Collège O'Sullivan and Collège Multihexa.

Three [[school boards]], including [[Commission scolaire de la Capitale]], operate secular francophone schools, and [[Central Quebec School Board]] operates the few existing anglophone ones. Until 1998 [[Commission des écoles catholiques de Québec]] operated public Catholic schools of all languages.

Quebec City has the oldest educational institution for women in North America, led by the [[Ursulines of Quebec]], which is now a private elementary school.

==Sister cities==
Quebec City is [[Twin towns and sister cities|twinned]] with:
* [[Bordeaux]], France
* [[Calgary]], [[Alberta]].

It has formal agreements with other cities although they are not active as of 2012. These include [[Saint Petersburg]] in [[Russia]], [[Guanajuato City]] in [[Mexico]], [[Huế]] in [[Vietnam]], [[Paris]] in [[France]], [[Xi'an]] in [[China]], and [[Liège]] and [[Namur]] in [[Wallonia|francophone Belgium]].<ref>{{Cite web |date=7 September 2012 |title=Québec fait le ménage dans ses jumelages |url=http://www.lapresse.ca/le-soleil/actualites/la-capitale/201209/06/01-4571850-quebec-fait-le-menage-dans-ses-jumelages.php |url-status=dead |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20160921034654/http://www.lapresse.ca/le-soleil/actualites/la-capitale/201209/06/01-4571850-quebec-fait-le-menage-dans-ses-jumelages.php |archive-date=21 September 2016 |website=Le Soleil |language=fr}}</ref>

== Notable people ==
{{Main category|People from Quebec City}}
{{Main list|List of people from Quebec City
}}

==See also==
{{Portal|Canada}}
* [[List of regional county municipalities and equivalent territories in Quebec]]

== References ==
'''Informational notes'''
{{notelist}}

'''Citations'''
{{Reflist
|refs =
<ref name="cp2011-CA">{{SCref |unit=cma |code=421 }}</ref>
<ref name="mamrot">{{mamrot |type=municipalite |23027 }}</ref>
<ref name="toponymie">{{toponymie|51718}}</ref>
}}

== External links ==
{{Sister project links|Quebec City|voy=Quebec City}}
<!-- NOTE: External links sections on Wikipedia are not meant to serve as detailed or exhaustive web directories of every website remotely related to the topic; only primary and official pages about Quebec City itself should be listed here. -->
* {{Official website}}
* [https://www.quebec-cite.com/en/ Official website of Québec City Tourism] {{Webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20191127103722/https://www.quebec-cite.com/en/ |date=27 November 2019 }}
* [https://www12.statcan.gc.ca/census-recensement/2016/as-sa/fogs-spg/Facts-csd-eng.cfm?LANG=eng&GK=CSD&GC=2423027&TOPIC=1 ''Focus on Geography Series, 2016 Census''] {{Webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20191002123117/https://www12.statcan.gc.ca/census-recensement/2016/as-sa/fogs-spg/Facts-csd-eng.cfm?LANG=Eng&GK=CSD&GC=2423027&TOPIC=1 |date=2 October 2019 }} — Census subdivision of Québec City from [[Statistics Canada]]
* [https://www.cbc.ca/archives/entry/preserving-old-quebec-city CBC Digital Archives] {{Webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20191112094911/https://www.cbc.ca/archives/entry/preserving-old-quebec-city |date=12 November 2019 }} — CBC Television Special: Preserving Quebec City (1976)
* [https://www.cbc.ca/archives/topic/quebec-city-400-years-of-history CBC Digital Archives] {{Webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20200818062844/https://www.cbc.ca/archives/topic/quebec-city-400-years-of-history |date=18 August 2020 }} — Quebec City: 400 Years of History
* ''[https://www.aci-iac.ca/art-books/quebec-city-art-artists/ Quebec City Art & Artists: An Illustrated History] {{Webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20250620231023/https://www.aci-iac.ca/art-books/quebec-city-art-artists/ |date=20 June 2025 }}'' ''–'' Michèle Grandbois, Art Canada Institute (2025)

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