Richmond, Quebec

Richmond
City

Richmond from far

Location within Le Val-Saint-François RCM.
Richmond

Location in southern Quebec.

Coordinates: 45°40′N 72°09′W / 45.667°N 72.150°W / 45.667; -72.150Coordinates: 45°40′N 72°09′W / 45.667°N 72.150°W / 45.667; -72.150[1]
Country  Canada
Province  Quebec
Region Estrie
RCM Le Val-Saint-François
Constituted December 29, 1999
Government[2]
  Mayor Marc-André Martel
  Federal riding Richmond—Arthabaska
  Prov. riding Richmond
Area[2][3]
  Total 6.90 km2 (2.66 sq mi)
  Land 7.12 km2 (2.75 sq mi)
  There is an apparent contradiction between two authoritative sources
Population (2011)[3]
  Total 3,275
  Density 460.2/km2 (1,192/sq mi)
  Pop 2006-2011 Decrease 1.8%
  Dwellings 1,616
Time zone EST (UTC−5)
  Summer (DST) EDT (UTC−4)
Postal code(s) J0B 2H0
Area code(s) 819
Highways Route 116
Route 143
Route 243
Website www.ville.richmond.qc.ca

Richmond, population 3,275 (2011), is a town nestled amidst rolling farmlands on the Saint-François River between Sherbrooke and Drummondville, in the heart of Estrie in Quebec, Canada.

History

The Mackenzie Bridge linking Richmond and Melbourne.

Originally settled by colonists from New England, Montreal and the Richelieu River valley circa 1798, Richmond is considered to be one of the oldest settlements in the former region of the Eastern Townships.

Richmond grew in importance during the 1800s when it became a key railway junction. The St. Lawrence and Atlantic Railroad opened between Montreal and Portland, Maine, on April 4, 1853 and was purchased four months later and absorbed into the Grand Trunk Railway (GTR)'s system. Two years later, the GTR opened a line from the mainline in Richmond northeast to Lévis to connect Montreal with Quebec City. The line was eventually extended further east to Rivière-du-Loup and a connection with the Intercolonial Railway, which operated trains on the GTR through Richmond to Montreal until 1897.

The town itself was first called Richmond in 1820, when a post office was inaugurated. By the 1860s Richmond was an important centre, with a college, literary institute and a public library.

Richmond's importance has waned since the 1930s, however, as the railways have also come to play a lesser role in the economy. The GTR was absorbed into the Canadian National Railways (CNR) and the line to Levis was abandoned in favour of more direct lines from Montreal to Quebec City. In 1989, CNR sold the entire railway line from Montreal to Portland, via Richmond, to a short line operator.

Richmond today

Richmond as it exists today was created on December 29, 1999 following the merger of the "old" town of Richmond on the right bank of the Saint-François and the village of Melbourne, located on the other side.

Origin of the name Richmond

The name Richmond is in memory of Charles Lennox, 4th Duke of Richmond and Lennox (17641819), Governor General of Upper Canada from 1818 to 1819.

Origin of the name Melbourne

The origin of the name Melbourne is uncertain, but the village is believed to have been named for Melbourne, Derbyshire or Melbourne, Hampshire.

Climate

Richmond has a humid continental climate[4] typical of southern Quebec. Precipitation is high year-round, resulting in warm and rainy summers as well as cold and snowy winters. There is a significant temperature difference between seasons as typical of the North American interior, with 25.8 °C (78.4 °F) as July high and −4.9 °C (23.2 °F) as the high for January.[5]

Climate data for Richmond
Month Jan Feb Mar Apr May Jun Jul Aug Sep Oct Nov Dec Year
Record high °C (°F) 17.0
(62.6)
17.5
(63.5)
25.0
(77)
30.6
(87.1)
32.2
(90)
35.0
(95)
37.2
(99)
36.1
(97)
33.9
(93)
29.4
(84.9)
23.9
(75)
18.9
(66)
37.2
(99)
Average high °C (°F) −4.9
(23.2)
−2.7
(27.1)
2.9
(37.2)
11.4
(52.5)
18.6
(65.5)
23.2
(73.8)
25.8
(78.4)
24.4
(75.9)
19.4
(66.9)
12.6
(54.7)
5.3
(41.5)
−1.7
(28.9)
11.2
(52.2)
Daily mean °C (°F) −10.3
(13.5)
−8.7
(16.3)
−2.8
(27)
5.7
(42.3)
12.2
(54)
16.9
(62.4)
19.7
(67.5)
18.4
(65.1)
13.6
(56.5)
7.4
(45.3)
1.3
(34.3)
−6.4
(20.5)
5.6
(42.1)
Average low °C (°F) −15.8
(3.6)
−14.6
(5.7)
−8.5
(16.7)
0.0
(32)
5.7
(42.3)
10.6
(51.1)
13.5
(56.3)
12.4
(54.3)
7.8
(46)
2.2
(36)
−2.8
(27)
−11.0
(12.2)
−0.1
(31.8)
Record low °C (°F) −44.4
(−47.9)
−43.9
(−47)
−40.0
(−40)
−20.6
(−5.1)
−6.7
(19.9)
−3.9
(25)
0.6
(33.1)
−1.1
(30)
−8.9
(16)
−11.1
(12)
−26.7
(−16.1)
−44.4
(−47.9)
−44.4
(−47.9)
Average precipitation mm (inches) 60.8
(2.394)
54.4
(2.142)
62.2
(2.449)
74.6
(2.937)
93.2
(3.669)
96.8
(3.811)
107.4
(4.228)
120.7
(4.752)
84.2
(3.315)
86.2
(3.394)
80.6
(3.173)
71.5
(2.815)
992.6
(39.079)
Average snowfall cm (inches) 45
(17.7)
39.5
(15.55)
29.7
(11.69)
10
(3.9)
0
(0)
0
(0)
0
(0)
0
(0)
0
(0)
1.1
(0.43)
15.5
(6.1)
43.1
(16.97)
184
(72.4)
Source: [6]

Demographics

Population

Historical Census Data - Richmond, Quebec[7]
YearPop.±%
1991 3,123    
1996 3,053−2.2%
YearPop.±%
1999A 3,584+17.4%
2001 3,424−4.5%
YearPop.±%
2006 3,336−2.6%
2011 3,275−1.8%
(A) adjusted figure due to amalgamation of the village of Melbourne and the town of Richmond on December 29, 1999.

Language

Mother tongue (2011)[3]

Language Population Pct (%)
French only 2,370 73.7%
English only 745 23.2%
English and French 60 1.7%
Non-official languages 35 1.1%
English and non-official language 5 0.2%

Notable residents

Particularities

See also

References



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