Mirabel, Qué, City, pop 27 330 (2001c), 22 626 A (1996c), 17 971 (1991c), area 485.41 km2, inc 1971, located some 57 km northwest of MONTRÉAL, is one of Québec's youngest cities and also one of its most extended. It was created through the arbitrary merger of 12 existing municipalities plus parts of 2 others, whose lands had been expropriated in March 1969 for the construction of the new international airport for Montréal, since named "Mirabel" in honour of a little hamlet that has now disappeared.
The dismemberment of this ancient land and its new orientation have completely changed the regional structures and habits of its population. The airport, linked to Montréal by the Laurentian Autoroute, is in the centre of town, and is the world's largest airport in area. The region's economy still depends on agriculture, but its commercial and industrial sectors have been growing.