Valcourt (city)
Encyclopedia
Valcourt is a city in Quebec
situated in the MRC of Val-Saint-François in the Eastern Townships
.
The city is accessible via Quebec Route 222
and the Quebec Route 243
.
The origins of Valcourt go back to 1802, the year where the first inhabitants came to establish themselves in the township of Ely, which refers to a city in Great Britain
. The first inhabitants were Loyalist
s, but by 1840 Canadiens began to arrive in the area. The first parish was created in 1856, and a civil entity in 1865 under the name of Township of Ely. The official name of Valcourt was not given until 1965, and took the name of the post office and the railroad station belonging to the Canadian Pacific Railway
.
Many hypotheses exist as to the naming of Valcourt. The first is situated in the fact that a small valley in French would be a val court. The second is the deformation of a certain family name between 1849 and 1850 of Dalcourt. The last hypothesis is the existence of a village in the United States by the name of Valcour, situated just south of the border with Canada and the state of New-York.
The census of 2006 gave the city of Valcourt a population of inhabitants. According to the different census taken in 1991, 1996, 2001 and 2006, we noticed an increase of 7 % of the city's population between 1991 and 1996. However, there has been a slight drop in the population of Valcourt since 1996. In 2006, there was 3.9 % less residents in Valcourt than in 1996.
Mother tongue in 2006
industry and of its inventor, Joseph-Armand Bombardier
. The museum also houses three exhibition halls and a temporary exhibition hall.
Quebec
Quebec or is a province in east-central Canada. It is the only Canadian province with a predominantly French-speaking population and the only one whose sole official language is French at the provincial level....
situated in the MRC of Val-Saint-François in the Eastern Townships
Eastern Townships
The Eastern Townships is a tourist region and a former administrative region in south-eastern Quebec, lying between the former seigneuries south of the Saint Lawrence River and the United States border. Its northern boundary roughly followed Logan's Line, the geologic boundary between the flat,...
.
The city is accessible via Quebec Route 222
Quebec Route 222
Route 222 is a provincial highway located in the Estrie region of Quebec. The 61-kilometer highway runs from the junction of Route 139 in Roxton Falls and ends at the junction of Route 143 in Sherbrooke just east of Autoroute 55...
and the Quebec Route 243
Quebec route 243
Route 243 is a north/south highway on the south shore of the Saint Lawrence River. Its northern terminus is in Saint-Félix-de-Kingsey at the junction of Route 255 and its southern terminus is in the township of Potton where it crosses the border into the American state of Vermont and becomes the...
.
Toponomy
The city of Valcourt is enclaved by Valcourt (township). The name of Valcourt makes reference to the origin of this township.The origins of Valcourt go back to 1802, the year where the first inhabitants came to establish themselves in the township of Ely, which refers to a city in Great Britain
Great Britain
Great Britain or Britain is an island situated to the northwest of Continental Europe. It is the ninth largest island in the world, and the largest European island, as well as the largest of the British Isles...
. The first inhabitants were Loyalist
Loyalist
In general, a loyalist is someone who maintains loyalty to an established government, political party, or sovereign, especially during war or revolutionary change. In modern English usage, the most common application is to loyalty to the British Crown....
s, but by 1840 Canadiens began to arrive in the area. The first parish was created in 1856, and a civil entity in 1865 under the name of Township of Ely. The official name of Valcourt was not given until 1965, and took the name of the post office and the railroad station belonging to the Canadian Pacific Railway
Canadian Pacific Railway
The Canadian Pacific Railway , formerly also known as CP Rail between 1968 and 1996, is a historic Canadian Class I railway founded in 1881 and now operated by Canadian Pacific Railway Limited, which began operations as legal owner in a corporate restructuring in 2001...
.
Many hypotheses exist as to the naming of Valcourt. The first is situated in the fact that a small valley in French would be a val court. The second is the deformation of a certain family name between 1849 and 1850 of Dalcourt. The last hypothesis is the existence of a village in the United States by the name of Valcour, situated just south of the border with Canada and the state of New-York.
Demographics
| Year | Number of inhabitants |
|---|---|
| 1991 | |
| 1996 | |
| 2001 | |
| 2006 |
The census of 2006 gave the city of Valcourt a population of inhabitants. According to the different census taken in 1991, 1996, 2001 and 2006, we noticed an increase of 7 % of the city's population between 1991 and 1996. However, there has been a slight drop in the population of Valcourt since 1996. In 2006, there was 3.9 % less residents in Valcourt than in 1996.
Mother tongue in 2006
- French : 96 %
- English : 3 %
- Other languages : 1 %
Tourist Attractions
The J. Armand Bombardier museum is situated on the territory of the municipality. The main theme of the museum is the interpretation of the history of the snowmobileSnowmobile
A snowmobile, also known in some places as a snowmachine, or sled,is a land vehicle for winter travel on snow. Designed to be operated on snow and ice, they require no road or trail. Design variations enable some machines to operate in deep snow or forests; most are used on open terrain, including...
industry and of its inventor, Joseph-Armand Bombardier
Joseph-Armand Bombardier
Joseph-Armand Bombardier was a Canadian inventor and businessman, and was the founder of Bombardier...
. The museum also houses three exhibition halls and a temporary exhibition hall.