Granby () is a town in the southwestern 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, ...

east 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 ...

. According to the latest statistics from 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 ...

, Granby has a population of 69,025. It is the administrative center of La Haute-Yamaska Regional County Municipality and is the second most populous city in the Eastern Townships after

Sherbrooke Sherbrooke ( , ) is a city in southern Quebec, Canada. It is at the confluence of the Saint-François River, Saint-François and Magog River, Magog rivers in the heart of the Estrie administrative region. Sherbrooke is also the name of a territ ...

. The town's name is derived from

John Manners, Marquess of Granby Lieutenant-general (United Kingdom), Lieutenant-General John Manners, Marquess of Granby (2 January 1721 – 18 October 1770) was a British Army officer and politician. The eldest son of John Manners, 3rd Duke of Rutland, as he did not outlive ...

. One of the town's main attractions is the Granby Zoo, and its well-known Lac Boivin

fountain A fountain, from the Latin "fons" ( genitive "fontis"), meaning source or spring, is a decorative reservoir used for discharging water. It is also a structure that jets water into the air for a decorative or dramatic effect. Fountains were o ...

, also a notable landmark of the area. The mayor, Julie Bourdon, was elected on November 7, 2021, being the first female mayor of Granby.

History

Granby’s terrain, frequently characterized as a natural

prairie Prairies are ecosystems considered part of the temperate grasslands, savannas, and shrublands biome by ecologists, based on similar temperate climates, moderate rainfall, and a composition of grasses, herbs, and shrubs, rather than trees, as the ...

, historically dotted with natural

meadows A meadow ( ) is an open habitat or field, vegetated by grasses, herbs, and other non-woody plants. Trees or shrubs may sparsely populate meadows, as long as they maintain an open character. Meadows can occur naturally under favourable condition ...

and a rich tapestry of

forests A forest is an ecosystem characterized by a dense community of trees. Hundreds of definitions of forest are used throughout the world, incorporating factors such as tree density, tree height, land use, legal standing, and ecological functio ...

, was home to a variety of trees such as ash,

fir Firs are evergreen coniferous trees belonging to the genus ''Abies'' () in the family Pinaceae. There are approximately 48–65 extant species, found on mountains throughout much of North and Central America, Eurasia, and North Africa. The genu ...

, maple, hemlock, and birch. Not far from these woods, a small swamp could be found, nestled a short distance uphill. Over time, this land was traversed by

Indigenous peoples There is no generally accepted definition of Indigenous peoples, although in the 21st century the focus has been on self-identification, cultural difference from other groups in a state, a special relationship with their traditional territ ...

, whose presence was intertwined with the area’s

nomadic Nomads are communities without fixed habitation who regularly move to and from areas. Such groups include hunter-gatherers, pastoral nomads (owning livestock), tinkers and trader nomads. In the twentieth century, the population of nomadic pa ...

history. In 1792, the Eastern Townships were officially opened for colonization by Loyalists. Subsequently, on January 29, 1803, Colonel Henry Caldwell and his 97 associates were granted the Township of Granby by the

Executive Council of Quebec The Executive Council of Quebec (, ) is the cabinet of the Government of Quebec. It comprises ministers of the provincial Crown, who are selected by the premier of Quebec and appointed by the lieutenant governor. Composition Typically mad ...

. The township’s first settler, John Horner, arrived in 1813 and established a sawmill adjacent to the

Yamaska River The Yamaska River (, ) is a Drainage basin, river in southern Quebec, Canada. Sourcing water within the Eastern Townships, it ends its journey in Lake Saint Pierre, Lake Saint-Pierre where it is a tributary to the Saint Lawrence River; altoget ...

. By 1825, Horner, in partnership with Richard Frost, expanded his enterprise to include a general store. That same year, Frost was responsible for drafting the township’s official plans.Mario Gendron, Johanne Rochon et Richard Racine, Granby : Patrimoine et histoire, Société d'histoire de la Haute-Yamaska, 2009, 154 p. () Granby received official incorporation as a

municipality A municipality is usually a single administrative division having municipal corporation, corporate status and powers of self-government or jurisdiction as granted by national and regional laws to which it is subordinate. The term ''municipality' ...

in the year of 1816, marking its status as a town in 1971. Field areas have been exploited for agricultural use and the North

Yamaska river The Yamaska River (, ) is a Drainage basin, river in southern Quebec, Canada. Sourcing water within the Eastern Townships, it ends its journey in Lake Saint Pierre, Lake Saint-Pierre where it is a tributary to the Saint Lawrence River; altoget ...

'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.

Geography

Granby is a flat region located approximately halfway between

and

along Autoroute 10; historically a land covered by forests and prairies, it has transformed into an urbanized core surrounded by

fields Fields may refer to: Music *Fields (band), an indie rock band formed in 2006 * Fields (progressive rock band), a progressive rock band formed in 1971 * ''Fields'' (album), an LP by Swedish-based indie rock band Junip (2010) * "Fields", a song by ...

and

suburb A suburb (more broadly suburban area) is an area within a metropolitan area. They are oftentimes where most of a metropolitan areas jobs are located with some being predominantly residential. They can either be denser or less densely populated ...

an neighborhoods. The North Yamaska river, which crosses lake Boivin (this lake took shape after the construction of a series of

dam A dam is a barrier that stops or restricts the flow of surface water or underground streams. Reservoirs created by dams not only suppress floods but also provide water for activities such as irrigation, human consumption, industrial use, aqua ...

s and later changed into a large swamp praised for its

biodiversity Biodiversity is the variability of life, life on Earth. It can be measured on various levels. There is for example genetic variability, species diversity, ecosystem diversity and Phylogenetics, phylogenetic diversity. Diversity is not distribut ...

. It connects to nearby villages by a network of

road A road is a thoroughfare used primarily for movement of traffic. Roads differ from streets, whose primary use is local access. They also differ from stroads, which combine the features of streets and roads. Most modern roads are paved. Th ...

s and has two access points from the highway at exit 68 (through

Saint-Alphonse-de-Granby Saint-Alphonse-de-Granby is a municipality in the Provinces and territories of Canada, Canadian province of Quebec, located within La Haute-Yamaska Regional County Municipality. The population as of the 2011 Canadian Census was 3,125. Before Octo ...

) and 74 (via Bromont).

Parks and green spaces

Granby has many parks and fountains, including the Daniel-Johnson, Victoria, Terry Fox, Miner, Pelletier, and Kennedy parks. * Lake Boivin, Daniel-Johnson park, and the ''Centre d'interprétation de la nature du lac Boivin'' (nature interpretation centre of lake Boivin), take shape in the 1980s, landscaped with paths all around for bikers and

pedestrian A pedestrian is a person traveling on foot, by wheelchair or with other mobility aids. Streets and roads often have a designated footpath for pedestrian traffic, called the '' sidewalk'' in North American English, the ''pavement'' in British En ...

s, they become a haven for all lovers of

nature Nature is an inherent character or constitution, particularly of the Ecosphere (planetary), ecosphere or the universe as a whole. In this general sense nature refers to the Scientific law, laws, elements and phenomenon, phenomena of the physic ...

for they harbour many lifeforms. Touching the heart of the town, lake Boivin has park Daniel-Johnson on its northern shores, from which citizens and tourists practice recreational sports such as navigation and cycling, the park also hosts events for Saint-Jean-Baptiste and

Earth day Earth Day is an annual event on April 22 to demonstrate support for environmental protection. First held on April 22, 1970, it now includes a wide range of events coordinated globally through earthday.org (formerly Earth Day Network) includin ...

; as well as a self-proclaimed ''fête de la rivière'' (river festival) to honour and clean the North Yamaska River; characteristic

hill A hill is a landform that extends above the surrounding terrain. It often has a distinct summit, and is usually applied to peaks which are above elevation compared to the relative landmass, though not as prominent as Mountain, mountains. Hills ...

s on the park's premises are very popular for

picnic A picnic is a meal taken outdoors (Al fresco dining, ''al fresco'') as part of an excursion, especially in scenic surroundings, such as a park, lakeside, or other place affording an interesting view, or else in conjunction with a public event su ...

king during the summer and sleighing in the winter. The ''Centre d'interprétation de la nature du lac Boivin'' is a

non-profit A nonprofit organization (NPO), also known as a nonbusiness entity, nonprofit institution, not-for-profit organization, or simply a nonprofit, is a non-governmental (private) legal entity organized and operated for a collective, public, or so ...

devoted to conservation of the territory,

habitat In ecology, habitat refers to the array of resources, biotic factors that are present in an area, such as to support the survival and reproduction of a particular species. A species' habitat can be seen as the physical manifestation of its ...

fauna Fauna (: faunae or faunas) is all of the animal life present in a particular region or time. The corresponding terms for plants and fungi are ''flora'' and '' funga'', respectively. Flora, fauna, funga and other forms of life are collectively ...

and

flora Flora (: floras or florae) is all the plant life present in a particular region or time, generally the naturally occurring (indigenous (ecology), indigenous) native plant, native plants. The corresponding term for animals is ''fauna'', and for f ...

of lake Boivin. * Yamaska National Park is a vast protected humid zone around the Choinière reservoir with forest,

beach A beach is a landform alongside a body of water which consists of loose particles. The particles composing a beach are typically made from Rock (geology), rock, such as sand, gravel, shingle beach, shingle, pebbles, etc., or biological s ...

walking Walking (also known as ambulation) is one of the main gaits of terrestrial locomotion among legged animals. Walking is typically slower than running and other gaits. Walking is defined as an " inverted pendulum" gait in which the body vaults o ...

and biking paths, as well as navigable waters (only light non-motorized vehicles are permitted); it is an important bird sanctuary. * Park Victoria is the oldest urban garden in town. Purchased in 1889, and park landscaped in 1900, its name honours

Queen Victoria Victoria (Alexandrina Victoria; 24 May 1819 – 22 January 1901) was Queen of the United Kingdom of Great Britain and Ireland from 20 June 1837 until Death and state funeral of Queen Victoria, her death in January 1901. Her reign of 63 year ...

(1876-1901). There are

war memorial A war memorial is a building, monument, statue, or other edifice to celebrate a war or victory, or (predominating in modern times) to commemorate those who died or were injured in a war. Symbolism Historical usage It has ...

s to Latimer (1901), for the

soldier A soldier is a person who is a member of an army. A soldier can be a Conscription, conscripted or volunteer Enlisted rank, enlisted person, a non-commissioned officer, a warrant officer, or an Officer (armed forces), officer. Etymology The wo ...

s killed in the

Second Boer War The Second Boer War (, , 11 October 189931 May 1902), also known as the Boer War, Transvaal War, Anglo–Boer War, or South African War, was a conflict fought between the British Empire and the two Boer republics (the South African Republic and ...

s, and the monument to the Braves, both accompanied by canons. Selbach fountain, inaugurated in 1982, rises on the corner of Dufferin street and Mountain boulevard. Two

pond A pond is a small, still, land-based body of water formed by pooling inside a depression (geology), depression, either naturally or artificiality, artificially. A pond is smaller than a lake and there are no official criteria distinguishing ...

s connected by a small stream, large rock outcrops and a hilly terrain are its main geographical characteristics; its northeastern tip is fragmented by Lorne street; at its southernmost limits, the park touches Parkview Elementary School, an English

school A school is the educational institution (and, in the case of in-person learning, the Educational architecture, building) designed to provide learning environments for the teaching of students, usually under the direction of teachers. Most co ...

. In the warm months, free

concert A concert, often known informally as a gig or show, is a live performance of music in front of an audience. The performance may be carried by a single musician, in which case it is sometimes called a recital, or by a musical ensemble such as an ...

s are sometimes played in a

gazebo A gazebo is a pavilion structure, sometimes octagonal or Gun turret, turret-shaped, often built in a park, garden, or spacious public area. Some are used on occasions as bandstands. In British English, the word is also used for a tent-like can ...

. * Park Miner is the second oldest park in Granby; it was given to the town by mayor Stephen Henderson Campbell Miner in 1910; today, it lies downtown and houses Piscine Miner (Miner pool), the municipal indoor public pool. A monument to the founders of Saint-Jean-Baptiste society was erected in 1934. The first community public

art gallery An art gallery is a room or a building in which visual art is displayed. In Western cultures from the mid-15th century, a gallery was any long, narrow covered passage along a wall, first used in the sense of a place for art in the 1590s. The long ...

in the region is installed by ''Atelier 19'' to celebrate its ten years. During the

summer Summer or summertime is the hottest and brightest of the four temperate seasons, occurring after spring and before autumn. At or centred on the summer solstice, daylight hours are the longest and darkness hours are the shortest, with day ...

, the park has tents installed to house different public activities such as

dance Dance is an The arts, art form, consisting of sequences of body movements with aesthetic and often Symbol, symbolic value, either improvised or purposefully selected. Dance can be categorized and described by its choreography, by its repertoir ...

and

music Music is the arrangement of sound to create some combination of Musical form, form, harmony, melody, rhythm, or otherwise Musical expression, expressive content. Music is generally agreed to be a cultural universal that is present in all hum ...

. File:Granby-Totems Parc D-Johnson.jpg, Daniel-Johnson park File:Granby-Boivin-LV.jpg, Lake Boivin File:Monument à Latimer, Granby 2012 - Avec canons.JPG, Monument to Latimer at park Victoria File:Fontaine Wallace - Ville de Granby 2012 Nord.JPG, Wallace fountain at Isabelle park.

Climate

Granby has a

humid continental climate A humid continental climate is a climatic region defined by Russo-German climatologist Wladimir Köppen in 1900, typified by four distinct seasons and large seasonal temperature differences, with warm to hot (and often humid) summers, and cold ...

( Dfb). 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.

Demographics

In the 2021 Census of Population conducted by

Statistics Canada Statistics Canada (StatCan; ), formed in 1971, is the agency of the Government of Canada commissioned with producing statistics to help better understand Canada, its population, resources, economy, society, and culture. It is headquartered in ...

, Granby had a population of living in of its total private dwellings, a change of from its 2016 population of . With a land area of , it had a population density of in 2021. In 2021, 92.5% of the population were white/European, 5.5% were visible minorities and 2.0% were Indigenous. The largest visible minority groups were

Black Black is a color that results from the absence or complete absorption of visible light. It is an achromatic color, without chroma, like white and grey. It is often used symbolically or figuratively to represent darkness.Eva Heller, ''P ...

(1.8%),

Latin American Latin Americans (; ) are the citizenship, citizens of Latin American countries (or people with cultural, ancestral or national origins in Latin America). Latin American countries and their Latin American diaspora, diasporas are Metroethnicity, ...

(1.6%),

Arab Arabs (, , ; , , ) are an ethnic group mainly inhabiting the Arab world in West Asia and North Africa. A significant Arab diaspora is present in various parts of the world. Arabs have been in the Fertile Crescent for thousands of years ...

(0.8%), and

West Asian West Asia (also called Western Asia or Southwest Asia) is the westernmost region of Asia. As defined by most academics, UN bodies and other institutions, the subregion consists of Anatolia, the Arabian Peninsula, Iran, Mesopotamia, the Armenian ...

(0.5%). 91.8% of residents spoke French as a mother tongue. Other common first languages were English (2.1%), Spanish (1.6%),

Arabic Arabic (, , or , ) is a Central Semitic languages, Central Semitic language of the Afroasiatic languages, Afroasiatic language family spoken primarily in the Arab world. The International Organization for Standardization (ISO) assigns lang ...

(0.6%), and

Persian language Persian ( ), also known by its endonym and exonym, endonym Farsi (, Fārsī ), is a Western Iranian languages, Western Iranian language belonging to the Iranian languages, Iranian branch of the Indo-Iranian languages, Indo-Iranian subdivision ...

s (0.4%). 1.0% of residents listed both French and English as their mother tongues, while 0.4% listed both French and a non-official language. 69.0% of residents were

Christian A Christian () is a person who follows or adheres to Christianity, a Monotheism, monotheistic Abrahamic religion based on the life and teachings of Jesus in Christianity, Jesus Christ. Christians form the largest religious community in the wo ...

, down from 87.2% in 2011. 61.6% were

Catholic The Catholic Church (), also known as the Roman Catholic Church, is the List of Christian denominations by number of members, largest Christian church, with 1.27 to 1.41 billion baptized Catholics Catholic Church by country, worldwid ...

, 4.3% were Christian n.o.s., and 1.4% were

Protestant Protestantism is a branch of Christianity that emphasizes Justification (theology), justification of sinners Sola fide, through faith alone, the teaching that Salvation in Christianity, salvation comes by unmerited Grace in Christianity, divin ...

. Other Christian denominations and Christian-related traditions accounted for 1.6% of the population. Non-religious and secular people were 28.9% of the population, up from 11.3% in 2011. 2.1% of residents followed other religions, up from 1.5% in 2011. The largest non-Christian religion was

Islam Islam is an Abrahamic religions, Abrahamic monotheistic religion based on the Quran, and the teachings of Muhammad. Adherents of Islam are called Muslims, who are estimated to number Islam by country, 2 billion worldwide and are the world ...

(1.7%).

Economy

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.

Attractions

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 Luc or LUC may refer to: Places * Luc, Hautes-Pyrénées, France, a commune * Luc, Lozère, France, a commune * Le Luc, France, a commune * Luč, Baranja, Croatia, a settlement People and fictional characters * L.U.C., stage name of Łukasz R ...

, 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 A shopping mall (or simply mall) is a large indoor shopping center, usually Anchor tenant, anchored by department stores. The term ''mall'' originally meant pedestrian zone, a pedestrian promenade with shops along it, but in the late 1960s, i ...

which has 106 stores. 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 The ATP Challenger Tour (known until the end of 2008 as the ATP Challenger Series) is a series of international men's professional tennis tournaments. It was founded in 1976 as a replacement for the ILTF Satellite Circuit (founded in 1971) as ...

, which takes place at the Club de Tennis des Loisirs de Granby. The

Granby Inouk Les Inouk de Granby are a Canadians, Canadian Junior ice hockey, Junior ice hockey team from Granby, Quebec, Granby, Quebec, Canada. They are a part of the Quebec Junior Hockey League. History The Frontaliers were Quebec champions in 1998 and 200 ...

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 The Memorial Cup () is the national championship of the Canadian Hockey League (CHL), a consortium of three Junior ice hockey, major junior ice hockey leagues operating in Canada and parts of the United States. It is a four-team round-robin tou ...

in 1996. In 1997, the franchise relocated to

Sydney, Nova Scotia Sydney is a former city and urban community on the east coast of Cape Breton Island in Nova Scotia, Canada within the Cape Breton Regional Municipality. Sydney was founded in 1785 by the British, was incorporated as a city in 1904, and dissolv ...

and became the Cape Breton Screaming Eagles. Both teams played at Léonard Grondin Arena.

Transport

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 The Montreal and Southern Counties Railway Company (often abbreviated M&SCRC or M&SC) was an electric interurban streetcar line that served communities between Montreal and Granby, Quebec, Granby from 1909 until 1956. A second branch served the ...

's Montreal-Granby Line.

Sister cities

Granby's twinned are: *

Ancona Ancona (, also ; ) is a city and a seaport in the Marche region of central Italy, with a population of around 101,997 . Ancona is the capital of the province of Ancona, homonymous province and of the region. The city is located northeast of Ro ...

, Italy * Bokito, Cameroon *

Coventry Coventry ( or rarely ) is a City status in the United Kingdom, cathedral city and metropolitan borough in the West Midlands (county), West Midlands county, in England, on the River Sherbourne. Coventry had been a large settlement for centurie ...

, England * Hammam-Lif, Tunisia * Joal-Fadiouth, Senegal *

Marrakech Marrakesh or Marrakech (; , ) is the fourth-largest city in Morocco. It is one of the four imperial cities of Morocco and is the capital of the Marrakesh–Safi Regions of Morocco, region. The city lies west of the foothills of the Atlas Mounta ...

, Morocco * Rayne, United States *

Windsor, Ontario Windsor ( ) is a city in southwestern Ontario, Canada. It is situated on the south bank of the Detroit River directly across from the U.S city of Detroit, Detroit, Michigan. Geographically located within but administratively independent of Esse ...

Notable people

* Benoit Coulombe, scientist and researcher. * Palmer Cox, writer and illustrator of a popular series of children's books about supernatural creatures known as the Brownies, based on Scottish folklore. * Pierre-Luc Dusseault, the youngest Member of Parliament in Canadian history; * Rosie Valland, pop singer-songwriter. * Kim Thúy, writer and novelist (Vietnamese-born, childhood in Granby)

Notes

References

External links

Town of Granby website

{{Authority control Incorporated places in La Haute-Yamaska Regional County Municipality Cities and towns in Quebec