Article

Delson

Published Online September 14, 2009

Last Edited March 4, 2015

Delson was built up around a junction of the Delaware and Hudson and GRAND TRUNK railway lines. Originally known as Delson Junction, its name is the joining of the first syllable of Delaware to the last syllable of Hudson.

Delson

 Delson, Qué, Town, pop 7322 (2006c), 7024 (2001c), inc 1957. Delson is located on the South Shore of the ST LAWRENCE RIVER, between Sainte-Catherine and CANDIAC, about 20 km south from downtown MONTRÉAL.

Delson was built up around a junction of the Delaware and Hudson and GRAND TRUNK railway lines. Originally known as Delson Junction, its name is the joining of the first syllable of Delaware to the last syllable of Hudson. At the outset, the industrial development of the community was closely linked to its strategic location on the rail network leading into Montréal and to the presence of deposits of good potters' clay and brick-making establishments there. A Laprairie Brick Company plant operated in Delson from 1911 to 1969.

Although today Delson is a largely French-speaking community (95%), English and Scottish minorities played an important role in its early history. An Anglican Church, St David's, was built in 1922 and a United Church Congregation, St Andrew's, was set up in 1925.

Delson is served by a hospital, French- and English-language schools and bus transport to and from Montréal. Its industrial base is more diversified than in the past. This sector, coupled with the rapid rise in population during the latter part of the 20th century, has contributed to the growth of Delson's business community.