Salaberry-de-Valleyfield

Salaberry-de-Valleyfield, commonly referred to as Valleyfield and nicknamed the "capital of the Suroît" or the "Venice of Quebec," is a Quebec city located in the Beauharnois-Salaberry Regional County Municipality in the Montérégie region. In 2020, it had a population of over 42,964, making it the 29th most populous city in Quebec and the 118th most populous city in Canada.

The area was variously called Knight's Point, Pointe-du-Lac, Pointe-aux-Voleurs, Sarenack, Saint-Cyriac, and then the Parish of Sainte-Cécile in the mid-19th century, following its separation from the territories of Saint-Timothée and Saint-Stanislas. The town's current place name, Salaberry-de-Valleyfield, appeared in 1874. The French-speaking community wanted to honor Lieutenant-Colonel Charles-Michel d'Irumberry de Salaberry, a Canadian of Basque lineage, who defeated the American army troops at the Battle of the Châteauguay in 1813. The term Valleyfield has no connection with this historical figure: it was chosen as a compromise to satisfy the many English-speaking residents of the area, including the owner of the paper mill, Alexander Buntin, who wanted to evoke similar mills located in Scotland, the Valleyfield Mills (in Penicuik, Midlothian). The term Valleyfield also emphasizes the rural character of the landscape. In 1875, the paper mill became the Montreal Cotton Mill, and today, the Hotel Plaza Valleyfield.

Salaberry-de-Valleyfield is the center of the Suroît region. It is the central city of the Beauharnois-Salaberry Regional County Municipality (MRC) in the southwest of the administrative region of Montérégie. It is located 25 km southwest of the island of Montreal, 20 km from the border with Ontario and 37 km from the border with the United States. The center of Salaberry-de-Valleyfield is 60 km from downtown Montreal and 105 km west of Saint-Jean-sur-Richelieu.