Levis

Lévis (officially Ville de Lévis) is a city in eastern Quebec, Canada. It is located on the south shore of the St. Lawrence River, opposite Quebec City. A ferry links Old Quebec with Old Levis, and two bridges connect western Levis with the former suburb of Sainte-Foy, now part of Quebec City. The population in 2005 was estimated at 126, 396. Its current incarnation was founded on January 1, 2002, as the result of a merger between ten cities, including the older city of Lévis.

Lévis is home to the Ultramar refinery, one of the largest in Eastern Canada, Frito-Lay, and the Mouvement Desjardins headquarters. Its founder, Alphonse Desjardins, lived in Lévis. He and his wife ran the first caisse from their home. The city is also a major center of agricultural businesses and of institutions and corporations involved in research and development in agricultural science.

On January 1, 2002, ten cities were merged by the provincial government to form the new city of Lévis: Charny, Lévis, Pintendre, Sainte-Hélène-de-Breakeyville Saint-Étienne-de-Lauzon, Saint-Jean-Chrysostome, Saint-Joseph-de-la-Pointe-de-Lévy, Saint-Nicolas, Saint-Rédempteur, Saint-Romuald. It is currently divided in three districts: Desjardins, Chutes-de-la-Chaudière-Ouest and Chutes-de-la-Chaudière-Est.

Lévis covers an area of 444 square kilometers: 10% urban, 48% farmlands, 36% forests and 6% wetlands. On top of the Saint Lawrence River, the Etchemin and Chaudiere rivers also go through the city before ending their journey in the Saint Lawrence. The Chaudiere river also boasts a fall with a suspended bridge, which can be accessed from autoroute 73.