Oka, Quebec
Oka is a small village on the northern bank of the Ottawa River (Rivière des Outaouais in French), northwest of Montreal, Quebec, Canada. Located in the Laurentians valley on Lake of Two Mountains, where the Ottawa has its confluence with the St. Lawrence River, the town is connected via Quebec Route 344. It is located 50 km (30 miles) west of Montreal.
Oka | |
|---|---|
Oka village and Lake of Two Mountains as seen from Mount Oka | |
Location within Deux-Montagnes RCM | |
Oka Location in central Quebec | |
| Coordinates: 45°28′N 74°05′W | |
| Country | Canada |
| Province | Quebec |
| Region | Laurentides |
| RCM | Deux-Montagnes |
| Settled | 1721 |
| Constituted | September 8, 1999 |
| Government | |
| • Mayor | Pascal Quevillon |
| • Federal riding | Mirabel |
| • Prov. riding | Mirabel |
| Area | |
| • Total | 85.90 km2 (33.17 sq mi) |
| • Land | 57.30 km2 (22.12 sq mi) |
| Population (2011) | |
| • Total | 3,969 |
| • Density | 69.3/km2 (179/sq mi) |
| • Pop 2006-2011 | 20.3% |
| • Dwellings | 1,633 |
| Time zone | UTC−5 (EST) |
| • Summer (DST) | UTC−4 (EDT) |
| Postal code(s) | |
| Area code(s) | 450 and 579 |
| Highways | R-344 |
| Website | www |
The area was first established in 1721 by Roman Catholic Sulpician Fathers as a mission to serve the needs of Mohawk, Algonquin and Nipissing converts as well as of French settlers. In 1730, the mission site was moved about 1.5 km west along the shore to Pointe d'Oka (Oka's Point) close to where the first stone church was built in 1733, and around which church evolved the village that eventually became known as Oka. The Mohawks had been assigned to a west-side village that eventually became known as Kanesatake whereas the Algonquins and Nipissings had been assigned to an adjacent east-side village. Kanesatake's status is as interim land base within the meaning of the Constitution Act, 1867, and not as indian reserve within the meaning of the Indian Act.