Ormstown
Municipality
Location within Le Haut-Saint-Laurent RCM
Location within Le Haut-Saint-Laurent RCM
Ormstown is located in Southern Quebec
Ormstown
Ormstown
Location in southern Quebec
Coordinates: 45°08′N 74°00′W / 45.13°N 74°W / 45.13; -74[1]
CountryCanada
ProvinceQuebec
RegionMontérégie
RCMLe Haut-Saint-Laurent
ConstitutedJanuary 26, 2000
Government
[2][3]
 • MayorChristine McAleer
 • Federal ridingSalaberry—Suroît
 • Prov. ridingHuntingdon
Area
[2][4]
 • Total143.72 km2 (55.49 sq mi)
 • Land142.24 km2 (54.92 sq mi)
Population
 (2021)[4]
 • Total3,917
 • Density27.5/km2 (71/sq mi)
 • Pop (2016-21)
Increase 9.0%
 • Dwellings
1,788
Time zoneUTC−5 (EST)
 • Summer (DST)UTC−4 (EDT)
Postal code(s)
J0S 1K0
Area code(s)450 and 579
Highways R-138 R-201
Websitewww.ormstown.ca

Ormstown is a municipality in Quebec, Canada, which is situated on the Chateauguay River in the heart of the Chateauguay Valley. It is approximately one hour southwest of Montreal and 20 minutes north of New York State in the United States. The population as of the 2021 Canadian census was 3,917.

Ormstown has two elementary schools, one high school (Chateauguay Valley Regional), and two adult education facilities, several restaurants and churches. Ormstown is also well known for its numerous antique dealers and unique gift shops. There is a park north of the centre of town which is home to Ormstown Beach, an urban legend created and memorialized in the 1970s with "I've been to Ormstown Beach" bumper stickers. It is a popular summer activity to cycle along the Chateauguay River. The town has traces of an old dam, which was once the source of power for the mill. People living outside the town only gained access to electricity following World War II.

History

Settlement of the area began in the early 19th century and by 1820, it was populated by people from Scotland and the north of Ireland. There is uncertainty about the origin of the name Ormstown, possibly a distortion of "Ormiston", a Scottish village. Around 1860 it was also called Durham.[1]

In 1808, a sawmill was built, followed by a Presbyterian church in 1829 and a Anglican church in 1832. In 1836, the Ormstown Post Office opened, and in 1846, the Catholic parish was established under the name Saint-Malachie-d'Ormstown, in honour of Saint Malachy.[1]

In 1845, the Municipality of Ormstown was founded, but dissolved in 1847. In 1855, it was reestablished as the Parish Municipality of Saint-Malachie-d’Ormstown. In 1889, the main town centre split off to form the Village Municipality of Ormstown.[1]

In the 1950s, Ormstown became the site of a significant microwave radio relay station, part of the Trans Canada Telephone System. Initially, the system passed through the major cities of Canada via towers located on top of downtown telephone buildings. Subsequently, concerns were expressed that a disaster affecting any of those city cores, such as a war or uprising, would result in an interruption of the continuity of the transcontinental communications system. The solution was to locate a "bypass" microwave site outside each of those cities with links to the east and west, as well as a short link into the city. The Ormstown facility was the bypass point for Montreal, but had further significance as it also included a link to the AT&T Long Lines TD2 microwave system in the United States.

In 2000, the village municipality merged with the surrounding parish municipality of St-Malachie d'Ormstown to form the Municipality of Ormstown.[1]

Geography

Communities

In addition to the main population centre of Ormstown, the following locations reside within the municipality's boundaries:[1]

Lakes & Rivers

The following waterways pass through or are situated within the municipality's boundaries:[1]

Demographics

Population

Canada census – Ormstown community profile
202120162011
Population3,917 (+9.0% from 2016)3,595 (0.0% from 2011)3,595 (-1.5% from 2006)
Land area142.24 km2 (54.92 sq mi)142.79 km2 (55.13 sq mi)142.19 km2 (54.90 sq mi)
Population density27.5/km2 (71/sq mi)25.2/km2 (65/sq mi)25.3/km2 (66/sq mi)
Median age47.2 (M: 45.2, F: 50.0)49.0 (M: 47.4, F: 50.6)47.0 (M: 45.6, F: 47.7)
Private dwellings1,788 (total)  1,706 (occupied)1,641 (total)  1,542 (occupied)1,516 (total) 
Median household income$65,000$52,736$.N/A
Notes: 2011 income data for this area has been suppressed for data quality or confidentiality reasons.
References: 2021[5] 2016[6] 2011[7] earlier[8][9]
Historical Census Data - Ormstown, Quebec
YearPop.±%
1976 3,676—    
1981 3,775+2.7%
1986 3,661−3.0%
1991 3,678+0.5%
1996 3,700+0.6%
YearPop.±%
2001 3,647−1.4%
2006 3,651+0.1%
2011 3,595−1.5%
2016 3,595+0.0%
2021 3,917+9.0%
Population amounts prior to 2000 are total of Ormstown (Village) and Saint-Malachie-d'Ormstown (Parish).
Source: Statistics Canada[10]

Language

Canada Census Mother Tongue - Ormstown, Quebec[10]
Census Total
French
English
French & English
Other
Year Responses Count Trend Pop % Count Trend Pop % Count Trend Pop % Count Trend Pop %
2016
3,465
 2,145 Decrease 0.7% 61.90% 1,160 Decrease 3.7% 33.48% 75 Increase 15.4% 2.16% 70 Increase 7.7% 2.02%
2011
3,495
 2,160 Decrease 2.7% 61.80% 1,205 Steady 0.0% 34.48% 65 Increase 30.0% 1.86% 65 Increase 18.2% 1.86%
2006
3,530
 2,220 Decrease 1.1% 62.89% 1,205 Increase 3.0% 34.13% 50 Steady 0.0% 1.42% 55 Decrease 21.4% 1.56%
2001
3,535
 2,245 Increase 152.2% 63.51% 1,170 Increase 103.5% 33.10% 50 Increase 66.7% 1.41% 70 Increase 600.0% 1.98%
1996
1,505
 890 n/a 59.14% 575 n/a 38.21% 30 n/a 1.99% 10 n/a 0.66%

Attractions

Expo Ormstown

One of the town's main attractions is the Expo Ormstown—formally known as the Ormstown Fair—which was started in 1910. It is held annually during the second week of June, making it Quebec's earliest spring fair. Several competitions take place at the fair: farm animals, crafts, horticulture and baked goods are evaluated by judges and can be viewed by fair goers. Other competitions include a tractor pull, demolition derby, and equestrian events. Additionally, there are carnival rides, arcades, a petting zoo, and live musical performances. The Ormstown fair attracts people from all surrounding areas.

Government

Ormstown town hall

Jacques Lapierre was elected to fill the post of mayor on November 1, 2009, replacing interim mayor Luc Lavigueur. Lavigueur took over the post after former mayor John McCaig resigned for health reasons.

List of former mayors since formation of current municipality:[11]

  1. Madeleine Himbault Greig (2000–2001)
  2. John McCaig (2001–2008)
  3. Luc Lavigueur (2008–2009)
  4. Jacques Lapierre (2009–2013, 2017–2021)
  5. Jean Côté (2013–2014)
  6. Chrystian Soucy (2014–2017)
  7. Christine McAleer (2021–present)

Infrastructure

Transportation

exo du Haut-Saint-Laurent formerly provided commuter and local bus services, but these have been replaced by services provided by the Haut-Saint-Laurent Regional County Municipality.[12]

See also

References

  1. 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 "Banque de noms de lieux du Québec: Reference number 358447". toponymie.gouv.qc.ca (in French). Commission de toponymie du Québec.
  2. 1 2 "Répertoire des municipalités: Geographic code 69037". www.mamh.gouv.qc.ca (in French). Ministère des Affaires municipales et de l'Habitation.
  3. ↑ Riding history for Beauharnois—Salaberry, Quebec from the Library of Parliament
  4. 1 2 "Ormstown (Code 2469037) Census Profile". 2021 census. Government of Canada - Statistics Canada.
  5. ↑ "2021 Community Profiles". 2021 Canadian Census. Statistics Canada. February 4, 2022. Retrieved 2022-04-27.
  6. ↑ "2016 Community Profiles". 2016 Canadian Census. Statistics Canada. August 12, 2021. Retrieved 2023-10-12.
  7. ↑ "2011 Community Profiles". 2011 Canadian Census. Statistics Canada. March 21, 2019. Retrieved 2014-02-10.
  8. ↑ "2006 Community Profiles". 2006 Canadian Census. Statistics Canada. August 20, 2019.
  9. ↑ "2001 Community Profiles". 2001 Canadian Census. Statistics Canada. July 18, 2021.
  10. 1 2 1996, 2001, 2006, 2011 census
  11. ↑ "Répertoire des entités géopolitiques: Ormstown (municipalité) 26.1.2000 - ..." www.mairesduquebec.com. Institut généalogique Drouin. Retrieved 12 October 2023.
  12. ↑ Haut-Saint-Laurent, MRC du (2017-03-17). "Transport". MRC du Haut-Saint-Laurent. Retrieved 2022-03-28.
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