Living

Lower Laurentians

I decided to settle in the Lower Laurentians 12 years ago because I was looking for a nice place for my young children to grow up. During my first visit to Saint-Eustache, I fell in love with the library, the sports arena and the aquatic centre. Moreover, I was fascinated when I saw water parks for young kids everywhere in the city. We didn’t hesitate and we bought a house in Saint-Eustache. Today, 12 years later, my son plays hockey for Les Patriotes de Saint-Eustache, my daughter practice synchronized swimming for the Club Aquatique de Saint-Eustache, my husband works 5 minutes away from home for an international company, and for me, I like to be close to all the stores, banks, and pharmacies I need. I often take advantage of my annual pass to visit Oka National Park, which is only few minutes away from our home. There, we do hiking all year-round, enjoy the beach in the summer and snowshoe in the winter. I am happy to live here. When my family from Peru visits, I take them to the lavender fields, vineyards and orchards that are only 15 minutes from my house and they tell me I live in a magical place…

- Giovanna, happy resident of Saint-Eustache since 2009

My five favourites in Saint-Eustache:

  • Oka National Park
  • Les Jardins de la Pinède
  • Le Domaine Lafrance
  • La Cidrerie Lacroix
  • La Maison Lavande
Central Laurentians

After touring Quebec, we decided to settle in the Laurentians, in Sainte-Agathe-des-Monts, a small town in the mountains on Lac des Sables located between Montreal and Mont-Tremblant. We wanted to live in the country, but not too far from the cities for work, among other things. We liked Sainte-Agathe. It has all the services. You can be on the lake in the summer and in winter. There are beaches, a sailing school, a marina, ski resorts, and more. There was even a stable nearby for one of our daughters who used to ride horses. We bike, walk and cross-country skiing on the P’Tit Train du Nord trail. We have a great choice of activities during the four seasons. We enjoy the calm, nature and the fresh air. Sainte-Agathe is famous for having been a place where people with tuberculosis came to be cured because of the air quality. We have been living there for 25 years. The city has evolved and continues its transformation.

My five favourites in the Ste-Agathe area:

  • The many parks, including national parks
  • The P’Tit Train du Nord trail
  • The small villages, such as Val-David, Saint-Sauveur and Saint-Jovite
  • The Lac des Sables
  • The Mont-Tremblant resort

Crédit photo : Nicolas Aubry, Zoom multimédia

Upper Laurentians

We are from Tunisia and work brought us here. We lived in the Montreal area for a while and we have been living in Mont-Laurier for almost 2 years now. We particularly appreciate the nature and the tranquility in the area that make it perfect for raising a family. We love the fact that there is no traffic here. A little anecdote: during our first summer in Mont-Laurier, we were afraid one evening, because we saw several beams of light in our yard, we were afraid that it was wolves or coyotes, but we were told that they were fireflies, which made us laugh out loud. We are still getting used to our new environment. We discovered poutine, a typical dish in Mont Laurier, and it has become part of our menu. We were also very happy with the welcome we have received. We constantly learn the habits and customs of this new culture that we have adopted, but we also share ours with our friends and neighbors; It is an enriching exchange. It is important to keep the exchange cordial and open on both sides, because that is how we can build a great community.