Ormstown, Quebec

Ormstown
Municipality
Location within Le Haut-Saint-Laurent RCM. Location within Le Haut-Saint-Laurent RCM.
Ormstown Location in southern Quebec.
Coordinates:
Country	Canada
Province	Quebec
Region	Montérégie
RCM	Le Haut-Saint-Laurent
Constituted	January 26, 2000
Government
• Mayor	Chrystian Soucy
• Federal riding	Salaberry—Suroît
• Prov. riding	Huntingdon
Area
• Total	144.50 km2 (55.79 sq mi)
• Land	142.19 km2 (54.90 sq mi)
Population (2011)
• Total	3,595
• Density	25.3/km2 (66/sq mi)
• Pop 2006-2011	1.5%
• Dwellings	1,516
Time zone	EST (UTC−5)
• Summer (DST)	EDT (UTC−4)
Postal code(s)	J0S 1K0
Area code(s)	450 and 579
Highways	Route 138 Route 201
Website	www.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 Canada 2011 Census was 3,595 of which Francophones comprise about 65%.

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.

Ormstown will be the host of the 34th Quebec 4-H Rally, happening the first weekend of July. 4-H members from across the province will visit the area with their projects that consist of cattle, horses, handicrafts, public speaking and more.

History

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 town merged with the surrounding parish of St-Malachie d'Ormstown to form the Municipality of Ormstown.

Geography

Communities

The following locations reside within the municipality's boundaries:

• Tatehurst () – a hamlet located in the northern portion along Route 201.

Lakes & Rivers

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

• Étang Greig () – a pond in the eastern portion.
• Rivière aux Outardes (Mouth ) – feeds into Rivière Chateauguay.
• Rivière aux Outardes Est (Mouth ) – feeds into Rivière aux Outardes.
• Rivière Chateauguay – flows west to east through the municipality.

Demographics

Population

Historical Census Data - Ormstown, Quebec
Year Pop. ±% 1991 1,577 —     1996 1,604 +1.7%	Year Pop. ±% ADJ 3,700 +130.7% 2001 3,647 −1.4%	Year Pop. ±% 2006 3,651 +0.1% 2011 3,595 −1.5%
(+) Amalgamated with Saint-Malachie-d'Ormstown in 2000.

Language

Canada Census Mother Tongue - Ormstown, Quebec
Census		Total		French				English				French & English				Other
Year		Responses		Count	Trend	Pop %		Count	Trend	Pop %		Count	Trend	Pop %		Count	Trend	Pop %
2011		3,495		2,160	2.7%	61.80%		1,205	0.0%	34.48%		65	30.0%	1.86%		65	18.2%	1.86%
2006		3,530		2,220	1.1%	62.89%		1,205	3.0%	34.13%		50	0.0%	1.42%		55	21.4%	1.56%
2001		3,535		2,245	152.2%	63.51%		1,170	103.5%	33.10%		50	66.7%	1.41%		70	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%

Arts and culture

Ormstown Fair

One of the town's main attractions is 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 fairgoers. 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.

Attractions

Allan's Corners

Located near Ormstown, in the hamlet of Allan's Corners, is the site of the Battle of the Chateauguay, where on October 26, 1813 Canadian and Native forces fought and repelled an invading American force that was planning to attack Montreal during the War of 1812. The site is a National Historic Site of Canada, and there is a Parks Canada museum near the site of the battle.

Government

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.

Infrastructure

Transportation

The CIT du Haut-Saint-Laurent provides commuter and local bus services.

See also

• List of municipalities in Quebec
• Vladimir Katriuk

External links

• Battle of the Châteauguay National Historic Site of Canada
• Ormstown Fair