Franklin is a Canadian municipality located in the

Montérégie Montérégie () is an administrative region in the southwest part of Quebec. It includes the cities of Boucherville, Brossard, Châteauguay, Longueuil, Saint-Hyacinthe, Saint-Jean-sur-Richelieu, Salaberry-de-Valleyfield and Vaudreuil-Dorion. ...

region of

Quebec Quebec is Canada's List of Canadian provinces and territories by area, largest province by area. Located in Central Canada, the province shares borders with the provinces of Ontario to the west, Newfoundland and Labrador to the northeast, ...

along the Canada–US border. The population as of the

2021 Canadian census The 2021 Canadian census was a detailed enumeration of the Canada, Canadian population with a reference date of May 11, 2021. It follows the 2016 Canadian census, which recorded a population of 35,151,728. The overall response rate was 98%, whic ...

was 1,635.

Geography

The municipality is situated along the border with the

United States The United States of America (USA), also known as the United States (U.S.) or America, is a country primarily located in North America. It is a federal republic of 50 U.S. state, states and a federal capital district, Washington, D.C. The 48 ...

. Geological features include an east-west forested ridge Covey Hill, a foothill to the northern

Adirondack Mountains The Adirondack Mountains ( ) are a massif of mountains in Northeastern New York which form a circular dome approximately wide and covering about . The region contains more than 100 peaks, including Mount Marcy, which is the highest point in Ne ...

New York State New York, also called New York State, is a state in the northeastern United States. Bordered by New England to the east, Canada to the north, and Pennsylvania and New Jersey to the south, its territory extends into both the Atlantic Ocean and ...

, from which the skyscrapers of

Montreal Montreal is the List of towns in Quebec, largest city in the Provinces and territories of Canada, province of Quebec, the List of the largest municipalities in Canada by population, second-largest in Canada, and the List of North American cit ...

are visible to the northeast. Streams run from its northern flank to the Châteauguay Valley where tributaries feed the

Châteauguay River The Châteauguay River (or Chateaugay River in the United States) is a tributary of the South Shore of the St. Lawrence River, flowing in: * Clinton County, New York, Clinton County and Franklin County, New York, Franklin County, in the Adironda ...

that drains into the

St. Lawrence River The St. Lawrence River (, ) is a large international river in the middle latitudes of North America connecting the Great Lakes to the North Atlantic Ocean. Its waters flow in a northeasterly direction from Lake Ontario to the Gulf of St. Lawren ...

Communities

The following locations reside within the municipality's boundaries: *Dorea () – a

hamlet ''The Tragedy of Hamlet, Prince of Denmark'', often shortened to ''Hamlet'' (), is a Shakespearean tragedy, tragedy written by William Shakespeare sometime between 1599 and 1601. It is Shakespeare's longest play. Set in Denmark, the play (the ...

situated in the southern portion. *Franklin Centre () – a

located at the junction of Route 202 and

Route 209 The following highways are numbered 209: Canada * Manitoba Provincial Road 209 * Nova Scotia Route 209 * Prince Edward Island Route 209 * Quebec Route 209 * Saskatchewan Highway 209 China * China National Highway 209 Costa Rica * Natio ...

. Named for Arctic explorer

John Franklin Sir John Franklin (16 April 1786 – 11 June 1847) was a British Royal Navy officer, explorer and colonial administrator. After serving in the Napoleonic Wars and the War of 1812, he led two expeditions into the Northern Canada, Canadia ...

. *Saint-Antoine-Abbé () – a

village A village is a human settlement or community, larger than a hamlet but smaller than a town with a population typically ranging from a few hundred to a few thousand. Although villages are often located in rural areas, the term urban v ...

located along

Quebec Route 209 Route 209 is a provincial highway located in the Montérégie region of Quebec south of Montreal. The route runs from the Canada-United States border in Franklin and ends at the Saint-Constant/Sainte-Catherine limit, south of Montreal at the junct ...

History

The first settler, Asa Smith, came to this area circa 1788. He was followed by American, Irish, and English settlers that arrived in the beginning of the 19th century. In 1857, the Township Municipality of Franklin was founded, named after

. On June 8, 1860, Franklin lost part of its territory when the Parish Municipality of Saint-Antoine-Abbé was formed (which was renamed in March 1969 to Saint-Antoine-Abbé (Partie Nord-Est)). The Franklin post office opened in 1868. In 1973, the current municipality was formed when the Township Municipality of Franklin and the Parish Municipality of Saint-Antoine-Abbé-Partie-Nord-Est were merged.

Demographics

Population

Language

Economy

Apple orchards and maple sugar groves are the principal agriculture near the village of Franklin Centre, Quebec and on the hill while around the village of St. Antoine Abbe in the flat valley there are fertile croplands and dairy farms. Leahy Orchards is a major employer and exporter of

applesauce Apple sauce is a purée (not necessarily served as a true sauce) made of apples. It can be made with peeled or unpeeled apples and can be spiced or sweetened. Apple sauce is inexpensive and is widely consumed in North America and some parts of E ...

and Applesnax label products.

Local government

List of former mayors since formation of current municipality: # Joseph Faille (1973–1974) # Jean Guy Latreille (1974–1981) # Joseph Wilfrid Huet (1981–1982) # Joseph Jean Gilles Wilbrod Bourdeau (1982–1988) # Jean Laplante (1988–1996) # Georges Daigle (1996–1997) # Pierre Barrière (1997–2005) # Suzanne Yelle Blair (2005–2017) # Douglas Brooks (2017–2021) # Yves Métras (2021–present)

Attractions

"Chemin de Covey Hill" (Covey Hill road) is considered to be one of the premier cycling roads in southern Quebec. This is due to the impressive climb between Havelock and Franklin Centre, the breath-taking views of the St. Lawrence and Richelieu river valleys, as well as a surprisingly good quality road surface. This is the first road north of the US-Canada border.

References

External links

Official website
Retrieved 20 April 2020.
Châteauguay Valley Visitors guide to u-pick apples
{{Authority control Municipalities in Quebec Incorporated places in Le Haut-Saint-Laurent Regional County Municipality