Les Escoumins

Les Escoumins is a municipality in La Haute-Côte-Nord Regional County Municipality in the Côte-Nord region of Quebec. It is located on the north shore of the maritime estuary of the St. Lawrence River.

Etymology
Its name has traditionally been recognized to come from the Innu-aimun iskomin, meaning "where there are many seeds" or "there are fruits or seeds", in turn from the roots isko or ishko ("as far as this/that") and min (red seeds, or wild berries in general). According to more recent theory, it could also be a variation of the Mi'kmaq term eskumunaak, meaning "lookout place". In addition, other sources say that the place is named Essipit in Innu-aimun, meaning "river of shells".

Several spellings have been used over the centuries such as Uscamin, Les Escoumains, Essuie-Mains, L'Esquemin, Lesquemin, Leschemin (Champlain, 1629), L'Esquemain, and Lesquemain (1611 map of Champlain and other texts of 1626). The oldest reference to this name dates back to the map of Levasseur of 1601, that shows Escanimes; and to a contract of 1604 that included the rare spelling Esguenim.

History
The Innu and Mi'kmaq frequented the area, particularly in the spring, to gather berries that covered the rocks and mossy plains.

In 1863, the Municipality of Les Escoumains was formed, and in 1957, the spelling of the municipality's name was corrected to its current form.

Geography
Essipit, an Innu community, is an enclave within the municipality.

Demographics
In the 2021 Canadian census conducted by Statistics Canada, Les Escoumins had a population of 1,794 living in 856 of its 983 total private dwellings, a change of NaN% from its 2016 population of 1,891. With a land area of 265.89 km2, it had a population density of in 2021.

The median age of the population in 2021 was 54.8 and 92% of the people were over 15. At the same census 14.86% reported being Indigenous, almost evenly divided between Métis and First Nations.

Languages spoken at the 2021 census, as a mother tongue were French (99.71%), English (0.29%), and other languages (0.29%).

Attractions


The Marine Environment Discovery Centre in Les Escoumins offers snorkelling and scuba diving, and observation areas for seals, seabirds, and whales, within the Saguenay–St. Lawrence Marine Park.

Transportation
It is accessible via The Whale Route (Route 138) and by the sea.

Year-round service is available from Laurentian Pilotage Authority. A ferry service runs between Les Escoumins and Trois-Pistoles.

Media
CHME-FM is a radio station in the community.