Québec City is the only fortified city in North America and the oldest city on the continent north of the Mexican border.
Founded in 1608, the city is famous for its European character and magnificent landscapes, which make it a highly valued and internationally recognized tourist destination. Québec City also proudly appears on UNESCO’s World Heritage List.
For those who choose to make their home here, Québec City offers the advantage of an urban setting just minutes away from a countryside dotted with ancestral villages and large natural parks, all part of a landscape that is at once spectacular and pastoral.
The region is large enough to boast all the services of big cities and yet small enough to have the feel of a community with a pleasant and relaxed lifestyle of the sort so often sought by families facing the pressures and tensions of modern life.
The Québec region is at the centre of one of the most sought-after economic area. This enviable position is due in part to its geographic location, which gives the city privileged access to a market of more than 360 million consumers, 80 million of whom are located within a radius of 1,000 kilometres. The Québec region itself offers a diversified economic base as well as a dynamic entrepreneurial culture that drives the continual creation of new businesses in the region.
Québec City offers, among other things:
A sophisticated educational network
Université Laval (the second oldest university in North America) and Université du Québec
Access to French-language and bilingual schools
Exceptional commercial and tourism infrastructure
A world-class convention centre and an ultra-modern trade fair centre
Accommodation capacity of over 17,000 rooms
Adapted industrial infrastructure
50 easily accessible and well-organized industrial zones and parks
Access to state-of-the-art telecommunications
Access to a diverse range of top quality services
The expertise of leading research and development companies
6,000 researchers and associates
About one hundred private and public research centres
A strong and dynamic manufacturing industry
Close to 1,100 manufacturing businesses employing nearly 33,000 people