The region know as l'Est du Québec (Eastern Québec) is located on the south shore of the Saint Lawrence, stretching from Kamouraska county on the west to the Magdalene Islands on the east. It includes approximately 44 000 square kilometres of which at least eighty-five percent is forest covered. In 1971 this vast area encompassed some 325 000 people distributed among 214 localities. Settlement exhibiting little hierarchical development stretches over 9 000 kilometres of routeway. Since 1961 a major restructuration of space has occurred. Only forty-nine localities have remained stable or enjoyed population gains. Given the rural nature of the region, one could wonder if the abandonment of land and agriculture has not been the source of the region's strong out-migration currents. Through the use of factor analysis and multiple regression analysis we are able to identify the respective roles of agriculture, restructuration of space, industrial production and commercial infrastructure upon the settlement structure of the region.