Granby, Quebec

Granby
town

Rue Principale (Main Street).

Coat of arms

Logo
Motto: Pour y parvenir

Location within La Haute-Yamaska RCM.
Granby

Location in southern Quebec.

Coordinates: 45°24′N 72°44′W / 45.400°N 72.733°W / 45.400; -72.733Coordinates: 45°24′N 72°44′W / 45.400°N 72.733°W / 45.400; -72.733[1]
Country  Canada
Province  Quebec
Region Montérégie
RCM La Haute-Yamaska
Constituted January 1, 2007
Government[2][3]
  Mayor Pascal Bonin
  Federal riding Shefford
  Prov. riding Granby
Area[2][4]
  town 156.10 km2 (60.27 sq mi)
  Land 152.72 km2 (58.97 sq mi)
  Urban[5] 90.53 km2 (34.95 sq mi)
  Metro[6] 396.52 km2 (153.10 sq mi)
Population (2011)[4]
  town 63,433
  Density 415.3/km2 (1,076/sq mi)
  Urban[5] 60,281
  Urban density 665.8/km2 (1,724/sq mi)
  Metro[6] 77,077
  Metro density 194.4/km2 (503/sq mi)
  Pop 2006-2011 Increase 6.8%
  Dwellings 29,131
Time zone EST (UTC−5)
  Summer (DST) EDT (UTC−4)
Postal code(s) J2G-J2J
Area code(s) 450 and 579
Highways Route 112
Route 137
Route 139
Website www.ville.granby.qc.ca

Granby is a town in southwestern Quebec, located east of Montreal. The population as of the Canada 2011 Census was 63,433. Granby is the seat of La Haute-Yamaska Regional County Municipality. It is the fourth most populated town in Montérégie after Longueuil, Saint-Jean-sur-Richelieu, and Brossard. The town is named after John Manners, Marquess of Granby; today it is most famous for the Granby Zoo and its landmark fountain of lake Boivin.

History

The town of Granby seen in 1883.

The territory on which Granby is found was described as natural prairies and forests composed of ash, fir, maple, hemlock and birch, there was also a small swamp a kilometer and half uphill.[7] The area was inhabited sporadically by nomadic First Nations.[8]

In 1792, Loyalists were granted permission to colonize the Eastern Townships. In January 29, 1803, the Executive Council of Quebec conceded the Township of Granby to Colonel Henry Caldwell and his 97 associates.[9] John Horner, the first inhabitant who settled on the site of the current town arrived in 1813. Horner built a sawmill near the Yamaska River. Twelve years later, in 1825, he opened a general store with Richard Frost.[9] Frost traced the official plans later that same year.[10]

Granby became an incorporated municipality in 1816 and a town in 1971.

Field areas have been exploited for agricultural use and the North Yamaska river's flow has been used for its hydraulic energy since the construction of a first dam in 1815 by large industrial companies; the use of dams along the stream has provoked the formation of a large shallow swamp, called Lac Boivin, often cited as one of Granby's landmarks.

In May 2006, the citizens of Granby and Granby Township held a referendum on a possible merger. A majority of citizens of the two municipalities approved the merger, which took effect on January 1, 2007.[11]

Geography

Granby is a flat region located approximately halfway between Montreal and Sherbrooke along Autoroute 10; historically a land covered by forests and prairies, it has transformed into an urbanized core surrounded by fields and suburban neighborhoods. The North Yamaska river, which crosses lake Boivin (this lake took shape after the construction of a series of dams and later changed into a large swamp praised for its biodiversity.[7] It connects to nearby villages by a network of roads and has two access points from the highway at exit 68 (through Saint-Alphonse-de-Granby) and 74 (via Bromont).

Parks and green spaces

A panorama of lake Boivin and its bicycle track.

It is notable that Granby possess many parks and fountains upon its territory, notable ones are parks Daniel-Johnson, Victoria, Terry Fox, Miner, Pelletier, and Kennedy.

Demographics

St. George's Anglican Church.
Église Sainte-Famille.
Population trend:[14]
Census Population Change (%)
2011 63,433 Increase 6.8%
Merger 59,385 (+) Increase 19.8%
2006 47,637 Increase 8.0%
2001 44,121 Increase 1.9%
1996 43,316 Increase 1.2%
1991 42,804 N/A

(+) Amalgamation of the city and the township of Granby into the town of Granby on January 1, 2007.

Mother tongue language (2006)[15]
Language Population Pct (%)
French only 43,550 94.47%
English only 900 1.95%
Both English and French 120 0.26%
Other languages 1,530 3.32%

Economy & Attractions

Granby is a regional centre for industries (textile, lumber, dairy products) and commercial zone, but is also a tourist town, due to the presence of the important Granby Zoo, founded by the Mayor Horace Boivin. It hosts a Fête des Mascottes ("Mascot Festival") each year in July.

Granby is the host of the yearly "Festival de la chanson de Granby" ("Granby Song Festival") in which many well-known artists, such as Jean Leloup and Luc De Larochellière, have first gained public exposure.

The international classic car show takes place at parc Daniel-Johnston, with over 2500 antiques, vintage, hot rods, muscle cars and classic imports cars every summer. Granby's annual classic car show

Granby is also home to the Galeries de Granby regional shopping mall which has 106 stores.[16]

The Autodrome Granby, one of Canada's largest dirt oval racing tracks, hosts professional racing teams every Friday night from May to September. Winner of many prizes Autodrome Granby is known worldwide in the racing community.

Sports

Granby is the location of the annual Challenger Banque Nationale de Granby of the ATP Challenger Tour, which takes place at the Club de Tennis des Loisirs de Granby.

The Granby Inouk of the Quebec Junior AAA Hockey League are based in Granby. The Inouk play their home games at the Leonard Grondin Arena.

Granby is also home to the Ligue de Baseball Senior Élite du Québec's Granby Guerriers. The Guerriers play their home games at Napoléon Fontaine Stadium.

From 1981 to 1997, Granby was home to a QMJHL team, originally called the Granby Bisons but changed to the Granby Prédateurs in 1995. The team won the Memorial Cup in 1996. In 1997, the franchise relocated to Sydney, Nova Scotia and became the Cape Breton Screaming Eagles. Both teams played at Léonard Grondin Arena.

Transportation

The public transit department of the town is Transport urbain Granby. Until 1956, it was the eastern terminus of the Montreal and Southern Counties Railway's Montreal-Granby Line.

Climate

Granby has a humid continental climate.[17] It has significant variations of temperature with four distinct seasons. Summers are warm but short and winters are very cold. Transitional seasons have significant variations of temperature between adjacent months. Precipitation is quite high, resulting in rainy summers and snowy winters.

Climate data for Granby
Month Jan Feb Mar Apr May Jun Jul Aug Sep Oct Nov Dec Year
Record high °C (°F) 17.5
(63.5)
16.5
(61.7)
23.9
(75)
29.0
(84.2)
31.1
(88)
34.4
(93.9)
36.1
(97)
35.6
(96.1)
32.2
(90)
28.9
(84)
23.9
(75)
17.2
(63)
36.1
(97)
Average high °C (°F) −5.5
(22.1)
−4.0
(24.8)
1.9
(35.4)
10.0
(50)
18.1
(64.6)
22.6
(72.7)
25.0
(77)
23.6
(74.5)
18.5
(65.3)
11.8
(53.2)
4.5
(40.1)
−2.2
(28)
10.4
(50.7)
Daily mean °C (°F) −10.0
(14)
−8.5
(16.7)
−2.3
(27.9)
5.4
(41.7)
12.9
(55.2)
17.6
(63.7)
20.1
(68.2)
18.9
(66)
14.0
(57.2)
7.7
(45.9)
1.1
(34)
−6.3
(20.7)
5.9
(42.6)
Average low °C (°F) −14.5
(5.9)
−12.9
(8.8)
−6.6
(20.1)
0.7
(33.3)
7.7
(45.9)
12.6
(54.7)
15.2
(59.4)
14.1
(57.4)
9.4
(48.9)
3.6
(38.5)
−2.4
(27.7)
−10.3
(13.5)
1.4
(34.5)
Record low °C (°F) −37.0
(−34.6)
−35.0
(−31)
−31.1
(−24)
−17.2
(1)
−5.0
(23)
−1.0
(30.2)
1.7
(35.1)
2.0
(35.6)
−3.0
(26.6)
−8.9
(16)
−18.9
(−2)
−33.0
(−27.4)
−37.0
(−34.6)
Average precipitation mm (inches) 103.9
(4.091)
74.5
(2.933)
92.8
(3.654)
88.4
(3.48)
93.2
(3.669)
107.4
(4.228)
128.1
(5.043)
124.9
(4.917)
110.2
(4.339)
99.1
(3.902)
105.8
(4.165)
104.3
(4.106)
1,236.6
(48.685)
Average rainfall mm (inches) 34.1
(1.343)
22.0
(0.866)
43.7
(1.72)
68.7
(2.705)
92.3
(3.634)
107.4
(4.228)
128.1
(5.043)
124.9
(4.917)
110.2
(4.339)
96.1
(3.783)
75.1
(2.957)
38.9
(1.531)
941.5
(37.067)
Average snowfall cm (inches) 69.8
(27.48)
52.5
(20.67)
49.1
(19.33)
19.7
(7.76)
0.9
(0.35)
0
(0)
0
(0)
0
(0)
0
(0)
3.0
(1.18)
30.7
(12.09)
65.4
(25.75)
291.2
(114.65)
Average precipitation days (≥ 0.2 mm) 19 14.8 14.8 13.5 14.2 14.5 14.0 13.6 13.3 13.8 16.9 18.1 180.5
Average rainy days (≥ 0.2 mm) 4.4 3.9 6.9 11.0 14.1 14.5 14.0 13.6 13.3 13.3 11.6 6.0 126.6
Average snowy days (≥ 0.2 cm) 16.6 12.6 10.1 4.2 0.17 0 0 0 0 0.82 7.3 14.1 65.89
Source: Environment Canada [18]

Twin towns

Granby's twin cities are:

Notable people

See also

References

  1. Reference number 26164 of the Commission de toponymie du Québec (in French)
  2. 1 2 Ministère des Affaires municipales, des Régions et de l'Occupation du territoire: Granby
  3. Parliament of Canada Federal Riding History: SHEFFORD (Quebec)
  4. 1 2 2011 Statistics Canada Census Profile: Granby, Quebec
  5. 1 2 "2011 Statistics Canada Census Profile: Granby, Quebec (population centre)". 2012-10-22. Retrieved 3 November 2012.
  6. 1 2 2011 Statistics Canada Census Profile: Granby (Census agglomeration), Quebec. The census agglomeration consists of Granby, Bromont, Saint-Alphonse-de-Granby, Saint-Paul-d'Abbotsford. In the 2006 census, the census agglomeration had not included Saint-Paul-d'Abbotsford.
  7. 1 2 Gendron, Mario (July 14, 2014). "Le lac Boivin, 1815-1980". SOCIÉTÉ D'HISTOIRE DE LA HAUTE-YAMAKS. Société d'histoire de la Haute-Yamaska. Retrieved March 16, 2016.
  8. "Société d'histoire de la Haute-Yamaska". Société d'histoire de la Haute-Yamaska. Retrieved 2016-03-16.
  9. 1 2 Aimé Laurion, Un siècle d’histoire : Les bâtisseurs de Granby 1859-1959, La Voix de l'Est, 1959, 160 p
  10. Mario Gendron, Johanne Rochon et Richard Racine, Granby : Patrimoine et histoire, Société d'histoire de la Haute-Yamaska, 2009, 154 p. (ISBN 978-2-9807338-6-4)
  11. La ville et le canton de Granby fusionnent - LCN - Régional
  12. "Parc Victoria". Commission de toponymie Québec. Commission de toponymie Québec. Retrieved March 17, 2016.
  13. Tassé, Michel (October 6, 2011). "L'Atelier 19 transforme le parc Miner en galerie d'art communautaire publique". LA VOIX DE L'EST. La Voix de l'Est. Retrieved March 17, 2016.
  14. Statistics Canada: 1996, 2001, 2006, 2011 census
  15. 2006 Statistics Canada Community Profile: Granby, Quebec. The 2006 census figures applies to the old pre-merger city (not including the former township).
  16. "Les Galeries de Granby". The Westcliff Group of Companies. 2007. Retrieved 4 December 2012.
  17. "Granby, Quebec Canada Climate Summary". Weatherbase. Retrieved 20 April 2015.
  18. "Canadian Climate Normals 1971-2000 - Canada's National Climate Archive". Environment Canada. Retrieved 2012-07-30.
  19. Griffin, Mary (2011-08-02). "Coventry's twin towns". Coventry Telegraph. Archived from the original on 2013-08-06. Retrieved 2013-08-06.
  20. "Coventry - Twin towns and cities". Coventry City Council. Archived from the original on 2013-04-12. Retrieved 2013-08-06.



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