Shawinigan Real Estate Brokers

Shawinigan, in the land of waterfalls

Shawinigan, in the land of nature and the great outdoors

The Saint-Jean-des-Piles area reveals a part of Shawinigan's nature side, with the first mountains of La Mauricie National Park in the background (Source: Ville de Shawinigan).

On its 800 km2 territory, the municipality is surrounded by forests, mountains and numerous lakes. Shawinigan is a paradise for outdoor enthusiasts. Hike, bike, canoe, kayak, fish or swim in the natural surroundings.

In winter, winter sports take over, with skiing, snowboarding and snowmobiling. There are also several parks and green spaces in the urban part of the city. As for the Saint-Gérard-des-Laurentides and Saint-Jean-des-Piles sectors, they provide direct access to the land of nature and the great outdoors: La Mauricie National Park.

Shawinigan, in the land of biotechnologies and sustainable development

Shawinigan, a former industrial city, has transformed itself into a leader in sustainable development. Thanks to a technology park and an ambitious strategy, the city is creating green jobs in biotechnology and the circular economy. Business support, collaboration and an international workforce make it a model sustainable city. This strategy has enabled Shawinigan to create quality jobs and diversify its economy. It has also contributed to improving the quality of life of its citizens and making Shawinigan a model city in terms of sustainable development.

Cégep de Shawinigan supports the socio-economic transition to biotechnologies and sustainable development with appropriate training. (Source: CEGEP de Shawinigan)

Shawinigan, a natural suburb with big-city amenities

This is the Maison de la Culture Francis-Brisson. Urban legend has it that Frank Sinatra once performed here in a private concert! Find out more surprising facts about Shawinigan's concert halls with Marie-France Bolduc of Tourisme Mauricie.

Shawinigan offers all the advantages of a big city. Bordered by the majestic Saint-Maurice River, it offers the tranquility of a suburb and the wide-open spaces of the countryside and forests. Shawinigan is a preferred destination for sports and cultural enthusiasts, thanks to the Cité de l'Énergie, the Centre des arts, the Maison de la Culture Francis-Brisson, the Complexe sportif René-Perron, the Centre municipal de curling and the Centre Gervais Auto, home of the Shawinigan Cataractes, the oldest franchise in the Quebec Maritime Junior Hockey League. What's more, Shawinigan's many waterways, bike paths, sporting challenges, cultural events, festivals and family activities all take place throughout the city, making it a great place to visit in all seasons.

A few facts and figures about Shawinigan

• Surface area : 800 km² of rural and urban territory.
• Population 51,149 (2023 - ISQ). Gentilé Shawiniganais-Shawiniganaise.
• Population density is 64 per square kilometer.
• Average age: 48.
• Family: 54% are couples without children at home, 28% are couples with children at home and 18% are single-parent families.
• Owners/renters: 57% of the population own their home, 43% rent.
• Spoken language: 99% of residents claim to speak French.
• Parks: Trois-Rivières boasts some 100 parks and green spaces scattered across its territory, including ecological areas, adapted playgrounds, training modules, play modules, parks and dog parks.
• Sports:4 outdoor pools, 24 tennis courts, 1 BMX track, 3 water games, 20 municipal parks, 90 km network of bike paths, 2 renowned golf courses : Saint-Flore and Grand-Mère, 3 arenas, 20 outdoor rinks, 1 curling rink, 3 indoor pools, 115 km of snowmobile trails

Schools and colleges

• A French CEGEP, Shawinigan Cegep.
• At the primary and secondary levels, it is served by two school boards, Énergie school board (French) and Central Quebec School Board(English).
• The Commission scolaire de l'Énergie operates fifteen elementary schools, three high schools, a vocational training center and an adult education center.
• The Central Québec School Board has a school offering both primary and secondary education.
• A private high school, Séminaire Sainte-Marie.

Two major concert halls

• Shawinigan Arts Centre
• Francis-Brisson Cultural Centre

Industrial parks

• Technoparc de l'Énergie
• Parc J.-Armand-Foucher (Est et Ouest)
• Parc Albert-Landry
• Parc Albert-Thibeault
• Parc Alice-Asselin

Major employers

• Shawinigan tax processing center (2,000 employees)
• City of Shawinigan
• Kongsberg (500 employés)
• Vallée du Parc de Shawinigan
• CLSC Centre-de-la-Mauricie - CIUSSS MCQ

Major projects

• Réseau Allégé Québec - Alice-Asselin Park - 530,000 sq. ft. battery plant - 550 direct jobs to be created in this first phase.

Sources: Ville de Shawinigan, Centris and L'Hebdo du St-Maurice.

What are the sectors of the city of Shawinigan?

This map from Carrefour Jeunesse de Shawinigan shows the different sectors of the municipality. Its territory is bordered by other popular municipalities, including Saint-Matthieu-du-Parc, host to the medieval site of the Duchy of Bicolline, and Saint-Élie-de-Caxton, home to storyteller Fred Pellerin's well-known traverse des lutins. (Source : http://www.cjeshawinigan.org/)

Towards the end of the 19th century, the territory of today's City of Shawinigan was home to several municipalities. Some of these were merged or renamed. The city's website presents seven districts (or sectors), corresponding to the seven main towns in the region prior to the 2002 merger. These are

1. Shawinigan (1902)
2. Grand-Mère (1898)
3. Shawinigan-Sud (1902)
4. Lac-à-la-Tortue (1895)
5. Saint-Jean-des-Piles (1898)
6. Saint-Georges (1915)
7. Saint-Gérard-des-Laurentides (1922)

What are Shawinigan's commercial streets?

Depending on its size, each town/sector has a street where you can find local businesses (grocery/convenience store, butcher, pharmacy, gas station, auto mechanic, etc.) and professionals (doctors, lawyers, etc.). If you couldn't find them, you had to travel to one of the two larger urban centers: Grand-Mère or Shawinigan. Today, the main convenience stores and specialty boutiques can be found in downtown Shawinigan, around 5e rue de la Pointe. The major shopping center is Carrefour Trudel.

Living in Shawinigan

As you've probably noticed, Shawinigan has plenty of services and activities to make the most of life. But is it enough to make you decide to live here or even buy a property?

Well, for those who come to work for one of the local companies, the question doesn't arise. At the same time, there's a growing community of remote workers who support each other and share their experiences. Yes, telecommuting. To this very end, the new Shawinigan Tax Processing Centre was built with the understanding that employees will only be required to be in the office 40% of the time. Last but not least, there are those who want a second home to enjoy the great outdoors.

On the housing front, it's worth mentioning that the demographic surge of the past 5 years has exerted upward pressure on prices. In fact, the housing vacancy rate, set at around 10% in 2015, has fallen to 0.7% in 2022, one of the lowest in Quebec, reports Jean-Louis Bordeleau in the November 15, 2023 issue of Le Devoir. So, while there has been some catching up in prices, there are still apartments to rent for $1,000 and less. One thing's for sure: there's room for social housing to help low-income earners.

Despite rising home prices, according to Centris, real estate in the Shawinigan region offers great buying opportunities. Here's Centris' median price chart for single-family homes and condos:

Source Centris: 1st quarter 2024

** Insufficient number of transactions to produce reliable statistics

The statistical data presented on this page provides an overall picture of the real estate market in a given sector, but is not a reflection of each individual property. To obtain an estimate of your property's market value, contact your Sutton Alliance real estate broker. Thanks to his training and state-of-the-art tools, he will be able to perform a comparative market analysis to establish the right price.

The median sale price is the one that separates all transactions into two equal parts: half of the transactions were carried out at a lower price and the other half at a higher price.