Trois-Rivières, Qué, City, pop 48 419 (1996c), 49 426 (1991c), 77.81 km2, inc 1857, the regional capital of Québec's Mauricie region, is located on the west shore of the mouth of St-Maurice river, midway between Québec City and Montréal. Its name derives from the 3-armed delta formed by the river's islands at its mouth.

Population
With the establishment of sawmills and the development of commercial and port activities from 1850 to 1860, the population of Trois-Rivières doubled to 9000. The population grew rapidly again in the early 20th century, with the opening of paper and textile mills and an influx of people from neighbouring parishes. It grew from 10 000 to 42 000 between 1901 and 1941. So many people moved to the suburbs and neighbouring communities during the 1960s that in 1976 the city's population began to decline. The population of Trois-Rivières has always been predominantly francophone.

Economy
In the early 1930s, the pulp and textile industries provided nearly three-quarters of the manufacturing jobs. When manufacturing became more diversified, especially into foodstuffs, clothing, metals and electrical appliances, the dominant pulp and paper and textile industries declined, and by 1961 provided slightly less than half the total manufacturing jobs. The tertiary sector grew steadily throughout the following decades, mainly through the establishment of government offices serving the regional population. The founding of UNIVERSITÉ DU QUÉBEC in Trois-Rivières in 1969 has played a major role in strengthening the tertiary sector of the regional economy.