Geographical Information on Terrebonne.Terrebonne is an off-island suburb of Montreal, in southwestern Quebec, Canada. It is located in the North Shore region of the Montreal area, north of Laval across the Rivière des Mille-Îles. This city is divided into three sectors, namely Lachenaie, La Plaine, and Terrebonne. In the past, these sectors were distinct cities, but on August 22, 2001, they merged under the name of Terrebonne. According to the 2021 Canadian Census, Terrebonne has a population of 119,944, making it Montreal’s third largest suburb and the largest city on the North Shore. The town of Lachenaie, founded in 1683 by Lord Charles Aubert de Lachenaye, is the oldest of the three towns that were merged. Colonization really started in 1647 when Lachenaie was merged with the Repentigny Seigniory. Louis Lepage de Ste-Claire, priest, canon, and son of René Lepage de Sainte-Claire, acquired the Seigniory of Terrebonne on September 2, 1720. Abbot Louis Lepage de Ste-Claire built the first church in 1734 and the first manor in 1735. A few years later, he equipped the town with both a sawmill and a flour mill. The philanthropist Sophie Masson was seigneuress of Terrebonne from 1847 to 1883. The town of La Plaine was founded in 1830 on fragments of other towns, namely Mascouche, Sainte-Anne-des-Plaines, Saint-Lin, and Terrebonne. At that time, the lords of Terrebonne and Lachenaie built the road named “chemin de la Grande Ligne” to join the two towns, now called boulevard Laurier. In 1877, the rail system was developed and stimulated economic growth. The village of Saint-Joachim was founded during that time, which was later, in 1920, renamed La Plaine. The first lord of Terrebonne was André Daulier-Deslandes, who was granted his title in 1673. Following the construction of the first wooden bridge in 1834, two main areas emerged: the commercial area was Terrebonne, while the agricultural one was Saint-Louis de Terrebonne. Terrebonne became incorporated as a city in 1860 and again in 1985 after the merger with the parish of Saint-Louis de Terrebonne. At the time of the municipal merger in late August 2001, Lachenaie had over 20,000 residents, La Plaine had 17,000 residents, and Terrebonne had almost 46,000 residents. This merger made Terrebonne the 10th largest city in Quebec. Ten years later, the city had around 106,322 citizens on 154.6 km² (59.7 sq mi) of land, according to the 2011 Canadian Census. The name Terrebonne, meaning “good soil,” dates back to the original seigneury of Terrebonne granted to André Daulier des Landes in 1673. The parish name of Saint-Louis recalls Louis Lepage de Sainte-Claire, the priest-seigneur who built the first manor house in 1735 as well as the first sawmill and gristmill in Terrebonne.