Melbourne, Quebec
Township municipality in Quebec, Canada
From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
Melbourne is a township municipality located in Le Val-Saint-François Regional County Municipality in the Estrie region of Quebec, Canada.
Melbourne | |
|---|---|
Town hall | |
 Location within Le Val-Saint-François RCM | |
  Melbourne Location in southern Quebec | |
| Coordinates: 45.58°N 72.17°W[1] | |
| Country |  Canada |
| Province |  Quebec |
| Region | Estrie |
| RCM | Le Val-Saint-François |
| Constituted | July 1, 1855 |
| Government | |
| • Mayor | Douglas Morrison |
| • Federal riding | Richmond—Arthabaska |
| • Prov. riding | Richmond |
| Area | |
• Total | 173.70 km2 (67.07 sq mi) |
| • Land | 173.93 km2 (67.15 sq mi) |
| There is an apparent contradiction between two authoritative sources | |
| Population (2021)[3] | |
• Total | 1,096 |
| • Density | 6.3/km2 (16/sq mi) |
| • Pop 2016-2021 |  3.1% |
| • Dwellings | 494 |
| Time zone | UTC−5 (EST) |
| • Summer (DST) | UTC−4 (EDT) |
| Postal code(s) | |
| Area code | 819 |
Highways  A-55 |  R-116  R-243 |
| Website | www |
The name Melbourne comes from the name of an English town in Derbyshire and Hampshire.
History
The village was founded by Irish immigrants from New England after the famine in Ireland. These settlers, who arrived around 1860, decided to try their luck here, because these lands were still available, accessible, open and cultivable. The municipality was officially created in 1855 but has since lost parts of its territory. First in 1860 when the village section of Melbourne (now merged with Richmond) became its own entity. In 1889, New Rockland separated (it has since been merged with Kingsbury). In 1896, Kingsbury separated also. Finally, in 1920, Brompton Gore (now part of Racine) separated.
Demographics
| Year | Pop. | ±% |
|---|---|---|
| 1861 | 1,621 | — |
| 1871 | 2,290 | +41.3% |
| 1881 | 2,396 | +4.6% |
| 1891 | 2,017 | −15.8% |
| 1901 | 1,626 | −19.4% |
| 1911 | 1,597 | −1.8% |
| 1921 | 1,784 | +11.7% |
| 1931 | 1,189 | −33.4% |
| 1941 | 1,105 | −7.1% |
| 1951 | 1,107 | +0.2% |
| 1956 | 1,124 | +1.5% |
| 1961 | 1,114 | −0.9% |
| 1966 | 1,080 | −3.1% |
| 1971 | 1,089 | +0.8% |
| 1976 | 993 | −8.8% |
| 1981 | 1,054 | +6.1% |
| 1986 | 947 | −10.2% |
| 1991 | 1,055 | +11.4% |
| 1996 | 977 | −7.4% |
| 2001 | 951 | −2.7% |
| 2006 | 1,095 | +15.1% |
| 2011 | 1,004 | −8.3% |
| 2016 | 1,063 | +5.9% |
| 2021 | 1,096 | +3.1% |
In the 2021 Census of Population conducted by Statistics Canada, Melbourne had a population of 1,096 living in 439 of its 494 total private dwellings, a change of 3.1% from its 2016 population of 1,063. With a land area of 173.93 km2 (67.15 sq mi), it had a population density of 6.3/km2 (16.3/sq mi) in 2021.[5]
Mother tongue (2021)[3]
| Language | Population | Pct (%) |
|---|---|---|
| French only | 765 | 69.9% |
| English only | 285 | 26.0% |
| English and French | 25 | 2.3% |
| Non-official languages | 25 | 2.3% |
| English and non-official language | 5 | 0.5% |
Notable people
- Marie-Claire Blais (1939 – 2021) writer and novelist
- F. S. Coburn (1871 – 1960) illustrator and photographer
- William Hoste Webb (1820 – 1890) lawyer and political figure
