In addition to La Martre itself, the municipality also includes the communities of Cap-au-Renard, Christie, and Sainte-Marthe-de-Gaspé.[4]
History
The area saw permanent settlement in the late 19th century and was originally called Rivière-à-la-Marthe, after the Marten River (French: Rivière à la Marthe) that flows into the Gulf of Saint Lawrence there. The marten is found along this river's banks and is abundant in the Gaspé region.[1]
In 1923, the place separated from the municipality of Sainte-Anne-des-Monts to form the Township Municipality of Christie, named in honour of Robert Christie. In 1950, the township municipality was split in two when Marsoui was incorporated as a village municipality.[5]
In 1970, the municipality was renamed to La Martre.[1]
Demographics
In the 2021 Census of Population conducted by Statistics Canada, La Martre had a population of 194 living in 84 of its 119 total private dwellings, a change of -20.2% from its 2016 population of 243. With a land area of 175.23 km2 (67.66 sq mi), it had a population density of 1.1/km2 (2.9/sq mi) in 2021.[6]
^"1971 Census of Canada - Population Census Subdivisions (Historical)". Catalogue 92-702 Vol I, part 1 (Bulletin 1.1-2). Statistics Canada: 76, 139. July 1973.