Originally part of the Seigneurie de Vaudreuil in the 18th century, the territory corresponding to Saint-Lazare was considered difficult to farm due to sandy soil. Saint-Lazare was founded as a parish on December 31, 1875. The first church was built in 1877, destroyed by a fire in 1942 and subsequently rebuilt in 1947. A passenger train from Canadian Pacific Railway previously ran through the town but was discontinued in 1960. The station located on the corner of Sainte-Angélique and Duhamel was demolished. Originally a rural farming town, the city of Saint-Lazare experienced rapid growth in the 1990s, fueled predominantly by the arrival of young, middle-class families. New residents flocked to the area seeking a more relaxed lifestyle than that of the island of Montreal, as well as larger homes and property for less money than on the island of Montreal. In 2015 the Saint-Lazare government began using pictograms instead of text on signs when the Office québécois de la langue française asked it to remove its English-language signs; the Saint-Lazare community believes in accommodating bilingualism and its Anglophone residents.
Communities
Saint-Lazare-de-Vaudreuil
Saint-Lazare-Sud
Saint-Lazare-Nord
Saddlebrook
Cedarbrook
Sunnybrook
Chanterel
Forest Hill
Maple Ridge
Demographics
Population
Language
Soils
Saint-Lazare was built on thick deposits of sand. Poorly drained areas are most common in the eastern part of town and have been mapped as muck, Peat or Vaudreuil series, while the well to rapidly drained classic podzols are assigned to Ste. Sophie or Upland series.
Attractions
Some of the popular attractions are:
Aéroport Cooper
Bar Chez Maurice
Bar Planète St-Lazare
Club équestre Les Forestiers
Sports Complex
Festivals
Festival équestre Gymkhana
Horse shows
La Pinière
Torchlight Parade
Trails and paths
Canins canine sport center
Parks
Saint-Lazare is graced by significant public funding for its ambitious recreational projects. Bedard Park in the centre of the town is a relatively large park equipped with a small water park, a grass field, three baseball diamonds, and tennis courts. In the winter two hockey rinks and an ice skating oval are added. The park hosts several events throughout the year, among the biggest of which is the annual St-Jean-de-Baptiste festival. Another large, multi-use park is called Le Parc nature les Forestiers de Saint-Lazare. It is a 4-season park, with an outdoor pool, trails for hiking, cross-country skiing, and snowshoeing, and picnic areas. Other parks in Saint-Lazare are scattered among the small subdivisions throughout the municipality. A new privately -financed sports centre was opened to the public in 2006 which includes an indoor soccer turf, a hockey rink, and a gym.
Equestrian
Areas surrounding Saint-Lazare are dedicated to equestrian horse riding, including sanctioned trails that flow through wooded forests and nearby lakes in the region. Many trails are sand based, which is due in part to the popularity of this type of activity in the region. The town has one of the largest populations of horses, approximately 3,500 with many residential properties fully dedicated to breeding and horse training.
ATV
All-terrain vehicles are very popular in the region with an officially sanctioned trail, which runs between Saint-Lazare and the nearby town of Rigaud, Quebec. The trail is maintained by regional members of local ATV clubs. The trails are open in all four seasons, and groomed in the winter using heavy machinery.
A new senior elementary school, Forest Hill Senior, was opened in 2006. There are also two English language public secondary schools in the surrounding area. A new English-language elementary school has opened for the 2011–2012 school year, even after many delays in construction. There is a semi-private French-speaking institution in Rigaud.
