Sherbrooke, Quebec
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Sherbrooke (2001 population 75,916, post-merger population 141,200) is a city in south-eastern Quebec, Canada. It is the only major city in the Eastern Townships. Although originally settled in the early 19th century by anglophones, it is today a primarily francophone city.
Located at the confluence of the Saint-François River and Magog River, the city is in the centre of an important agricultural region with many dairy farms. There is also some industry in the region. An important business is the manufacture of hockey sticks: more hockey sticks are made in Sherbrooke than anywhere else in the world.
The area of Sherbrooke was first settled in 1793 by American Loyalists, including Gilbert Hyatt, a farmer from Schenectady, New York, who built a flour mill in 1802. In 1818 the village of "Hyatt's Mills" received its current name, being named after Governor General Lord Sherbrooke at the time of his retirement and return to England.
The city grew considerably on January 1, 2002, by the mergers of the cities of Sherbrooke, Ascot, Bromptonville, Deauville, Fleurimont, Lennoxville, Rock Forest, and Saint-Élie-d'Orford.
The merged city is composed of six boroughs:
- Brompton (formerly Bromptonville)
- Fleurimont (formerly East of Sherbrooke and Fleurimont)
- Lennoxville (formerly Lennoxville)
- Mont-Bellevue (formerly West of Sherbrooke and Ascot)
- Rock-Forest-Saint-Élie-Deauville (formerly Rock Forest, Saint-Élie and Deauville)
- Jacques-Cartier (formerly North of Sherbrooke)
The city is the site of the Université de Sherbrooke and Bishop's University.
Daily newspapers are La Tribune and The Record.
Demographics
(Old city of Sherbrooke)
Racial make-up
- White: 96.4%
- All others: 3.6%
Religious make-up
- Roman Catholic: 87.1%
- Protestant: 2.8%
- Muslim: 1.1%
- Non religious: 7.3%
Famous natives or residents
- Jean Charest, federal cabinet minister, Deputy Prime Minister and Progressive Conservative Party leader; Quebec Liberal Party leader and Premier of Quebec
- Northrop Frye, literary critic
- Garou, singer
- Yousuf Karsh, photographer
Joseph-Armand Bombardier hailed from the Sherbrooke area. John Bassett and Conrad Black started their careers as media barons as owner and co-owner, respectively, of the Sherbrooke Record.