SALABERRY-DE-VALLEYFIELD

English Valleyfield city and port, Montrgie region, southern Quebec province, Canada. It lies on the south shore of the St. Lawrence River, at the east end of Lake Saint-Franois (St. Francis), which is a widening of the river. The settlement was built on a group of small islands in the river 25 miles (40 km) southwest of Montreal after a paper mill was established there in 1870. The abundant water and hydroelectric power, as well as the city's location at the head of the Beauharnois Canal section of the St. Lawrence Seaway, led to its development as a centre of the cotton-textile industry in the late 19th century. Other industries include the manufacture of drugs, chemicals, paper, bronze, canned goods, wood products, and tires. Salaberry-de-Valleyfield is the seat of a Roman Catholic bishopric and serves as an administrative, commercial, and cultural centre for the area. Pop. (1991) 27,598.