Varennes is a neighbourhood in the city of Winnipeg, Manitoba, Canada

Canada

Canada is a North American country consisting of ten provinces and three territories. Located in the northern part of the continent, it extends from the Atlantic Ocean in the east to the Pacific Ocean in the west, and northward into the Arctic Ocean...

. It is a small triangular neighbourhood located in the northern section of the district of St. Vital, and is bounded by St. Mary's Road

Winnipeg Route 52

Route 52 is a major north-south arterial route in Winnipeg, Manitoba. It comprises all of Main Street from the northern city limits to the Main Street Bridge over the Assiniboine River; Queen Elizabeth Way from the Main Street Bridge to the Norwood Bridge over the Red River; and St. Mary's Road...

 on the west, Fermor Avenue on the south, and St. Anne's Road (the Trans-Canada Highway) on the east. As of the 2001 census, Varennes had a population of 1,080.

The neighbourhood was named for Pierre Gaultier de Varennes, sieur de La Vérendrye

Pierre Gaultier de Varennes, sieur de La Vérendrye

Pierre Gaultier de Varennes, sieur de La Vérendrye was a French Canadian military officer, fur trader and explorer. In the 1730s he and his four sons opened up the area west of Lake Superior and thus began the process that added Western Canada to the original New France in the Saint Lawrence basin...

, an early French explorer in the district.

History

The area now known as Varennes was the northern terminus of the original Crow Wing Trail, a Red River Trail that ran down the east side of the Red River

Red River of the North

The Red River is a North American river. Originating at the confluence of the Bois de Sioux and Otter Tail rivers in the United States, it flows northward through the Red River Valley and forms the border between the U.S. states of Minnesota and North Dakota before continuing into Manitoba, Canada...

 to Emerson, Manitoba. St. Vital's first livery stable was founded in the area of the intersection of St. Anne's Road and St. Mary's Road (St. Anne's Junction) by Abraham Guay, a local landowner.

Amenities

Varennes is the home of Ecole Varennes, a French immersion primary school administered by the Louis Riel School Division

Louis Riel School Division

The Louis Riel School Division is a school division in Winnipeg, Manitoba, Canada offering English-language, French immersion, and Français Partiel educations to its students. It was formed through the amalgamation of the St. Vital School Division and the St...

; St. Mary's Road United Church; and St. Andrew's Presbyterian Church. Until the spring of 2009, Global Television's Winnipeg studios were also located in Varennes. There is also significant light commercial development along both St. Mary's Road and St. Anne's Road. It is in the federal riding of Saint Boniface

Saint Boniface (electoral district)

Saint Boniface is a federal electoral district that has been represented in the Canadian House of Commons since 1925. It is located in Winnipeg, Manitoba, Canada.In 1996, its English name was changed from "St. Boniface" to "Saint Boniface"....

 and the provincial riding of St. Vital

St. Vital

St. Vital is a provincial electoral division in the Canadian province of Manitoba.-Historical riding:The original St. Vital riding was established at the time of the province's creation in 1870, as one of twelve "francophone" constituencies...

.