Kipawa, Quebec
Kipawa is a variant of the Algonquin word Kebaowek which means "closed water", referring to the many closed-off bays and passages of Lake Kipawa. Another theory claims that it means "getting off" or "disembarkation", or the location where one can pick up supplies or trade.
Its main employer is the Commonwealth Plywood Company.
History
The land including and surrounding Lake Kipawa and Kipawa Village has been inhabited for centuries by the Algonquin people. The first Europeans to come into the Kipawa basin were fur traders and missionaries.
The area was logged in the second half of the 19th century, and the railroad was built in the 1880s, with its stations known as Kipawa Station et Kipawa Junction.
On January 1, 1985, the Municipality of Kipawa was created out of previously unincorporated area.
Demographics
In the 2021 Census of Population conducted by Statistics Canada, Kipawa had a population of 446 living in 214 of its 325 total private dwellings, a change of -10.6% from its 2016 population of 499. With a land area of 35.58 km (13.74 sq mi), it had a population density of 12.5/km (32.5/sq mi) in 2021.
| 2021 | 2016 | 2011 | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Population | 446 (-10.6% from 2016) | 516 (8.9% from 2011) | 474 (-16.1% from 2006) |
| Land area | 35.58 km (13.74 sq mi) | 36.59 km (14.13 sq mi) | 36.76 km (14.19 sq mi) |
| Population density | 12.5/km (32/sq mi) | 14.1/km (37/sq mi) | 12.9/km (33/sq mi) |
| Median age | 54.4 (M: 55.6, F: 53.2) | 49.5 (M: 50.2, F: 48.5) | 45.9 (M: 45.8, F: 46) |
| Private dwellings | 325 (total) 214 (occupied) | 339 (total) 229 (occupied) | 276 (total) 208 (occupied) |
| Median household income | $80,000 | $74,624 | $68,984 |
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| Population figures based on revised counts. Source: Statistics Canada | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
Mother tongue (2021):
- English as first language: 42.7%
- French as first language: 52.8%
- English and French as first language: 3.4%
- Other as first language: 1.1%