Founded as a fur trading Post in 1634, Trois Rivieres is the second oldest settlement within the province of Québec. Moving into Trois Rivieres we find that the historic center of the city was built on a granite terrace high above the rivers which run through the city, and the site of the original fort which overlooks the St. Lawrence River is now known as Le Platon. Located between Québec City and Montréal, the city's main industry revolves today, as it has for so many years, around pulp and paper. So much so in fact, that it is often referred to as the pulp and paper capital of the world.
Architecturally, the city lost many of its splendid 17th and 18th century buildings in a major fire in 1908. Fortunately, enough remains to give any visitor moving to Trois Riviere an excellent idea of the long history which this city of 150,000 people possesses.
One of the major examples of its early architecture is the domed Monastere des Urselines, founded in 1700. Today it contains both beautiful gardens and a museum which exhibits a wonderful assortment of religious objects and furniture from the 17th century forward.
There are also a variety of excellent examples of 18th and early 19th-century homes in the downtown including the Manoir de Tonnancour, which was constructed in the early 1700s and then rebuilt after a fire in 1795.
Another superb manor house, the Manoir Boucher-de-Niverville, lies on Rue Bonaventure and now serves as the home for the city's Chamber of Commerce.
Culturally speaking, moving to Trois Rivieres will also allow you to view the recently opened Museum of Popular Arts and Traditions of Québec, on Rue Laviolette. Connected with the old city jail, it attempts to convey the story of everyday life in Québec from its earliest times to the days of the Explorers and habitants.
All in all, you'll find that moving to Trois Rivieres will place you squarely between Québec's two major points of attraction and still allow you all the benefits of living in a small city. For more information about the city, visit our links below. http://www.v3r.net/portail/index.aspx
