Cowansville

Cowansville
City
Nesbitt House, Cowansville Nesbitt House, Cowansville
Coat of arms
Motto: Fortitudo et decor
Location within Brome-Missisquoi RCM
Cowansville Location in southern Quebec
Coordinates:
Country	Canada
Province	Quebec
Region	Montérégie
RCM	Brome-Missisquoi
Constituted	January 1, 1876
Government
• Mayor	Arthur Fauteux
• Federal riding	Brome—Missisquoi
• Prov. riding	Brome-Missisquoi
Area
• City	48.70 km2 (18.80 sq mi)
• Land	46.09 km2 (17.80 sq mi)
• Urban	29.42 km2 (11.36 sq mi)
• Metro	46.09 km2 (17.80 sq mi)
Population (2011)
• City	12,489
• Density	271.0/km2 (702/sq mi)
• Urban	11,615
• Urban density	394.8/km2 (1,023/sq mi)
• Metro	12,489
• Metro density	271.0/km2 (702/sq mi)
• Pop 2006-2011	2.5%
• Dwellings	5,789
Time zone	EST (UTC−5)
• Summer (DST)	EDT (UTC−4)
Postal code(s)	J2K 1T4
Area code(s)	450 and 579
Highways	Route 104 Route 139 Route 202 Route 241
Geocode	46080
Website	www.ville.cowansville.qc.ca

Cowansville is a town in south-central Quebec, Canada, located on Lac Davignon 20 kilometres (12 mi) north of the U.S. border. It is the seat of Brome-Missisquoi, a regional county municipality. The population as of the Canada 2011 Census was 12,489.

In recent years, Cowansville has seen its commercial activity blossom mainly due to its proximity to a major freeway, Autoroute 10, and the Eastern Townships ski resort region.

History and name

Water Fountain in downtown Cowansville

Jacob Ruiter was the first person to settle on the current site of Cowansville. In 1800 he built a flour mill, and then a saw mill. In 1805, Ruiter named the small town as Nelsonville, in honour of British admiral, Lord Horatio Nelson, who was killed in the naval Battle of Trafalgar.

The city's current name is due to Peter Cowan, a merchant from Montreal who settled in the area in 1836 and become postmaster in 1841. In order to avoid the mail being sent inadvertently to another city named Nelsonville, close to Hamilton in Upper Canada, he decided to change its name.

During the 1870s, the construction of the South Eastern Railway linking Montreal to Cowansville and the opening of the first bank, the Eastern Townships Bank, contributed to the expansion of the small city, which allows many businesses settle in the area. The municipality detached from the district of Dunham, and incorporated on the January 1, 1876 and officially was named Cowansville. In February of the same year James O'Halloran was acclaimed as Mayor by the town council. Cowansville saw a strong industrial growth during the 20th century, and became a city on June 25, 1931, and has grown since World War II by various annexations, such as Sweetsburg in 1964.

The municipality has a current population of over 12,000. The main economy is based on the industrial sector, in particular textiles. There is also a hospital, Brome-Missisquoi-Perkins, a municipal court, a federal penitentiary, and a Nature Centre close to Davignon Lake.

Cowansville is the seat of the judicial district of Bedford.

Demographics

Population

Historical Census Data - Cowansville, Quebec
Year Pop. ±% 1991 11,986 —     1996 12,051 +0.5%	Year Pop. ±% 2001 12,032 −0.2% 2006 12,182 +1.2%	Year Pop. ±% 2011 12,489 +2.5%

Language

Canada Census Mother Tongue - Cowansville, Quebec
Census		Total		French				English				French & English				Other
Year		Responses		Count	Trend	Pop %		Count	Trend	Pop %		Count	Trend	Pop %		Count	Trend	Pop %
2011		12,135		9,780	2.6%	80.59%		1,970	15.5%	16.23%		195	25.8%	1.61%		190	7.3%	1.56%
2006		11,600		9,535	0.6%	82.20%		1,705	10.7%	14.70%		155	18.4%	1.33%		205	156.2%	1.77%
2001		11,290		9,480	5.9%	83.97%		1,540	17.9%	13.64%		190	19.1%	1.68%		80	44.8%	0.71%
1996		11,205		8,950	n/a	79.88%		1,875	n/a	16.73%		235	n/a	2.10%		145	n/a	1.29%

See also

• List of cities in Quebec

External links

• Ville de Cowansville