page_title: Gaspé, Quebec
section_title: Economy
hierarchical_section_title: Gaspé, Quebec / Economy
caption_attribution_description: Cap Bon-Ami at sunset. Photo taken in July 2005 by Danielle Langlois at the Forillon National Park in Quebec, Canada.
context_page_description: Gaspé is a city at the tip of the Gaspé Peninsula in the Gaspésie–Îles-de-la-Madeleine region of eastern Quebec in Canada. Gaspé is located about 650 km northeast of Quebec City, and 350 km east of Rimouski. As of the 2011 Canadian Census, the city had a total population of 15,163.
  In addition to the city, Gaspé's territory includes the communities of Cap-aux-Os, Cap-des-Rosiers, Douglastown, Haldimand, Jersey Cove, L'Anse-à-Fugère, L'Anse-à-Valleau, L'Anse-au-Griffon, Penouille, Petit-Cap, Petite-Rivière-au-Renard, Pointe-Jaune, Rivière-au-Renard, Rivière-Morris, Sandy Beach, Saint-Majorique, Saint-Maurice-de-l'Échouerie, Wakeham, and York Centre. The city's territory occupies 1,440 km² and borders the sea and the St. Lawrence River for some 130 km. French is the first language learnt by most of Gaspé's population where nearly 90% of the population is French Canadian.
  Gaspé is where Jacques Cartier took possession of New France in the name of François I of France on July 24, 1534.
context_section_description: The regional hospital is the main employer in the city. Tourism is a very important part of the city and the region's economy. Many visitors come to the city to enjoy the environment and the surrounding attractions, such as Forillon National Park that is fully within the city's boundaries. One of the main summer attractions for tourists is salmon fishing. The York River, Saint John's River, and the Dartmouth River are where tourists and locals come to fish. It is not required to have a guide while fishing these rivers but a private guide can be hired upon request. Other tourist attractions include Haldimand Beach, Jacques Cartier's Cross (stone monument), and a local museum which shelters the World War I and World War II cenotaph commemorating Gaspesian veterans.
  Another big employer is the LM Wind Power Canada Inc. factory that makes the windmill blades to then have them transported elsewhere. The windmill factory is a tourist attraction where tourist can see the big size of the blades and have the opportunity to take a picture next to one. The factory was expanded in 2015 by a joint venture with Senvion to produce long-blade turbine components for the Mesgi'g Ugju's'n wind farm, developed by Longueuil, Quebec-based  Innergex in Avignon Township. The $365-million project, one of over two dozen financed by Hydro-Quebec and the provincial government, was completed on time in December 2016.
caption: Cap Bon-Ami in Forillon National Park
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