You Can Vote For Quebec's Best Place Names & Some Of Them Are Truly Bizarre
Anyone keen to visit the Lake of the Crackling Stars?
Lake Magog, a beautiful destination unfortunately not in the running for best place name.
For the fourth year running, Quebec's toponymy commission is holding a public vote for the best place names across the province. The "coup de foudre" toponym is chosen from twelve names that are selected by the commission for their "originality, their ability to evoke strong images and their contribution to the promotion of cultural heritage," per a press release.
These twelve finalists, also called the coups de cœur toponyms, are frankly stunning in their own way. To vote for your favourite among these options, visit the commission's website.
Lac aux Étoiles-Qui-Craquent
Where: Baie-Comeau (Côte-Nord)
Meaning: "In winter, if you lie on the frozen lake to watch the stars, you can hear crackling noises. One might think that these noises come from the stars, but in fact it is the ice of the lake that cracks under the effect of the cold."
Lac des Frémilles
Where: Rivière-Mistassini (Saguenay–Lac-Saint-Jean)
Name: Ant Lake
Meaning: "Frémille is an old or playful Quebec word used to designate an ant."
La Trompeuse
Where: Rouyn-Noranda (Abitibi-Témiscamingue)
Name: The Deceiver
Meaning: "The name of the hill is explained by the fact that, from a distance, it appears to be higher than nearby Mount Dominant, although the latter is 71 m higher."
Le Clos-des-Feux-Follets
Where: Terrebonne (Lanaudière)
Name: Place of the Will-o'-the-wisps
Meaning: "The term 'will-o'-the-wisp' evokes the distant past of the place, which can be imagined to be populated by anonymous ancestors whose spirits are likely to appear at night in the form of luminous manifestations."
Les Razades
Where: Notre-Dame-des-Neiges (Bas-Saint-Laurent)
Name: The Drink (or, the glassful, or the water level)
Meaning: "The toponym Rasade is very old. A document dating from 1758 and preserved in the National Archives of France notes that 'there are two small islets very close to each other, which are called the islets of Rasade, which are nothing but Rocks.'"
Parc du Temps-Qui-Passe
Where: Eastman (Estrie)
Name: Pass-Time Park
Meaning: "It is a place for residents to relax and pass the time."
Parc naturel des Frondaisons
Where: Saint-Jérôme (Laurentides)
Name: Foliage Natural Park
Meaning: "The word foliage refers to the time of year when the leaves of trees appear or, in the supported language, the foliage of a plant, especially when it is abundant."
Place de la Rivière-Sans-Bruit
Where: Québec (Capitale-Nationale)
Name: Place of the Silent River
Meaning: "In this area, the river is quiet and unobtrusive due to its low flow, which earned it the nickname Little Silent River in the 19th century."
Point de vue de l'Écrivain
Where: Mont-Élie (Capitale-Nationale)
Name: The Writer's Viewpoint
Meaning: "The name of this viewpoint refers to William Hume Blake (Toronto, 1861 - Victoria, 1924), a writer and translator who explored the Charlevoix region."
Promenade des Porteurs-d'Espoir
Where: McMasterville (Montérégie)
Name: Walk of the Hope-Builders
Meaning: "Its name is taken from the documentary Hope Builders (Les porteurs d'espoir), directed in 2010 by Fernand Dansereau (born in 1928)."
Rue à Fleur-de-Roc
Where: Saint-Jean-de-Matha (Lanaudière);
Name: Rock-Flower Road
Meaning: "It is located in the heart of an environment where rocky walls and flowers are mixed. Because of these characteristics, the residents gave this place the nickname of rock flower, hence the choice of this name."
Rue du Bec-Sucré
Where: Sainte-Adèle (Laurentides)
Name: Sweet Tooth Street
Meaning: "The expression 'bec sucré' (sweet tooth) is a québécois expression that means 'to have a marked penchant for sweets.'"
This article's cover image was used for illustrative purposes only.
