Gaspé claims the title of "Cradle of French America", because on June 24, 1534, explorer Jacques Cartier halted in the bay after losing an anchor during a storm and claimed possession of the area by planting a wooden cross with the king's coat of arms and the sentence Vive le Roi de France (meaning "Long live the King of France").
Cartier met there an indigenous tribe that referred to the territory as Honguedo, probably a Mi'kmaq word meaning "meeting place".

Following the Treaty of Paris in 1763, British officers and soldiers acquired free land in Gaspé.
And in 1784, they were joined by many Loyalist settlers.
From then on, Gaspé became an important commercial fishing centre, especially of cod.
In 1804, its post office opened.

In 1833 in Gaspé County there were only ten farmers, all in the Gaspé Bay area (of whom seven were also involved in the fishery), four whalers in Gaspé Bay, five shipbuilders (one a Jersey firm), one blacksmith, two lumber merchants, five shipowners (all of which were Jerseymen), eighteen fish merchants (of whom all but five were Jerseymen) and thirty-two major fishing establishments (of which sixteen were Jersey owned).

Gaspé was incorporated as a village municipality in 1855.
From 1861 to 1866, the port of Gaspé was a duty-free port, making shipping the primary economic activity.
With some 40 to 50 European ships docking annually, many countries opened consulates in Gaspé, including Italy, United States, Brazil, Portugal, and Norway.
By 1911, the railway reached Gaspé.
But the town's ambition to become an international shipping and transportation hub ended with the growing importance of the Montreal and Halifax harbours.

During World War II, some 3000 soldiers were stationed at a naval base built at Sandy Beach to patrol the Gulf of Saint Lawrence against German submarines.

In 1959, Gaspé gained city status.
In 1971, the city was greatly expanded when it amalgamated these 11 surrounding municipalities (with year of original incorporation):


 
Baie-de-Gaspé-Nord (1855)
Baie-de-Gaspé-Sud (1855)
Douglas (1855)
Grande-Grève (1944)
Haldimand (1953)
L'Anse-aux-Griffons (1870)
 
Rivière-au-Renard (1933)
Saint-Alban-du-Cap-des-Rosiers (1896)
Saint-Majorique (1966)
Saint-Maurice (1923)
York (1866)
 
In subsequent years, the city's area was further expanded by absorbing large tracts of adjacent unorganized territory.

A representation of a small village, with a dozen houses serving as a historical site, was opened in 2015 in front of the Place Jacques-Cartier mall and above the boardwalk along the York River.
The village is a monument to Jacques Cartier and serves as a museum for tourists and locals.
Gaspé claims the title of "Cradle of French America", because on June 24, 1534, explorer Jacques Cartier halted in the bay after losing an anchor during a storm and claimed possession of the area by planting a wooden cross with the king's coat of arms and the sentence Vive le Roi de France (meaning "Long live the King of France"). Cartier met there an indigenous tribe that referred to the territory as Honguedo, probably a Mi'kmaq word meaning "meeting place".
Following the Treaty of Paris in 1763, British officers and soldiers acquired free land in Gaspé. And in 1784, they were joined by many Loyalist settlers. From then on, Gaspé became an important commercial fishing centre, especially of cod. In 1804, its post office opened.
In 1833 in Gaspé County there were only ten farmers, all in the Gaspé Bay area (of whom seven were also involved in the fishery), four whalers in Gaspé Bay, five shipbuilders (one a Jersey firm), one blacksmith, two lumber merchants, five shipowners (all of which were Jerseymen), eighteen fish merchants (of whom all but five were Jerseymen) and thirty-two major fishing establishments (of which sixteen were Jersey owned).
Gaspé was incorporated as a village municipality in 1855. From 1861 to 1866, the port of Gaspé was a duty-free port, making shipping the primary economic activity. With some 40 to 50 European ships docking annually, many countries opened consulates in Gaspé, including Italy, United States, Brazil, Portugal, and Norway. By 1911, the railway reached Gaspé. But the town's ambition to become an international shipping and transportation hub ended with the growing importance of the Montreal and Halifax harbours.
During World War II, some 3000 soldiers were stationed at a naval base built at Sandy Beach to patrol the Gulf of Saint Lawrence against German submarines.
In 1959, Gaspé gained city status. In 1971, the city was greatly expanded when it amalgamated these 11 surrounding municipalities (with year of original incorporation):


 
Baie-de-Gaspé-Nord (1855)
Baie-de-Gaspé-Sud (1855)
Douglas (1855)
Grande-Grève (1944)
Haldimand (1953)
L'Anse-aux-Griffons (1870)
 
Rivière-au-Renard (1933)
Saint-Alban-du-Cap-des-Rosiers (1896)
Saint-Majorique (1966)
Saint-Maurice (1923)
York (1866)
 
In subsequent years, the city's area was further expanded by absorbing large tracts of adjacent unorganized territory.
A representation of a small village, with a dozen houses serving as a historical site, was opened in 2015 in front of the Place Jacques-Cartier mall and above the boardwalk along the York River. The village is a monument to Jacques Cartier and serves as a museum for tourists and locals.
Gaspé, Quebec