Huntingdon, Quebec
Huntingdon, Quebec
| Huntingdon, Quebec | |
|---|---|
| — Ville — | |
| Ville de Huntingdon | |
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| Coordinates (23, rue King ): 45°05′16″N 74°10′28″W / 45.08778°N 74.17444°W | |
| Country |  Canada |
| Province |  Quebec |
| Region | Montérégie (16) |
| RCM | Haut-Saint-Laurent |
| Established | October 09, 1848 |
| Incorporated | March 17, 1921 |
| Electoral Districts Federal |
Beauharnois—Salaberry |
| Provincial | Huntingdon |
| Government | |
| - Mayor | Stéphane Gendron |
| - Federal MP(s) | Anne Minh-Thu Quach (NDP) |
| - Quebec MNA(s) | Stéphane Billette (PLQ) |
| Area | |
| - Land | 2.60 km2 (1 sq mi) |
| Population (2006) | |
| - Total | 2,587 |
| - Density | 994.0/km2 (2,574.4/sq mi) |
| - Change (2001-06) |  3.0% |
| - Dwellings | 1,162 |
| Time zone | EST (UTC-5) |
| - Summer (DST) | EDT (UTC-4) |
| Postal Code(s) | J0S |
| Area code(s) | 450 |
| Access Routes |  Route 138 Route 202 |
| Website | www.villehuntingdon.com |
Huntingdon is a small town in Huntingdon County in the Haut-Saint-Laurent Regional County Municipality and the Montérégie region of the province of Quebec, Canada. The population as of the Canada 2006 Census was 2,587. The town is located 75 kilometers (46 miles) southwest of Montréal, and only a few miles from the border with New York State.
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History
The town was first settled by British soldiers after the War of 1812 and the fertile land in the area led to a successful farming economy. Once the fear of attack from the Americans was gone, in the 1820s businessmen established lumber and grist mills on the banks of the Chateauguay River.
During the first few decades of the 20th century, when transport from major urban centers to the outlying rural areas became economically feasible, the textile industry began expanding at a rapid rate in various towns throughout the province of Quebec. By the 1930s, Huntingdon was home to a small but thriving textile industry. After World War II, entrepreneurs François Cleyn and Alec Tinker acquired the textile businesses in Huntingdon and built their company, Cleyn & Tinker Limited, into one of the most successful woolen mills in all of Canada. In Huntingdon, the business expanded to five interconnected operations around the town and the decades of the 1950s through to the early part of the 1970s saw the town prosper and the company acquire subsidiaries in Sherbrooke, Quebec and in Castlecomer, Kilkenny, Ireland.
Recent history
Huntingdon was also home to Huntingdon Mills (Canada) Ltd., another textile business and a significant employer in the town. In December 2004, the company filed for bankruptcy protection and announced they would have to close putting more than 215 employees out of work. Cleyn & Tinker too announced it would be closing its operations in the town in April 2005. Shortly after the announcement, some of the company's assets and supply contracts were acquired by the Greensboro, North Carolina based International Textile Group Inc. who have a partnership with China Ting Group, a textile manufacturer based in Hong Kong. On January 28, 2005, Mayor Stéphane Gendron announced that the town was purchasing the five textile plants that were closing with the expectation that they could be sold to new businesses.
In recent years, the small town had to deal with a substantial increase in teen vandalism. In August 2004 a controversial municipal bylaw went into effect that placed a 10:30 p.m. to 6:00 a.m. curfew on unsupervised children aged 15 and under. The controversial bylaw held parents responsible for their children's activities through fines if a child was caught in violation of the curfew. After parents filed a legal action to have the bylaw overturned, the Council suspended application of the bylaw.
Government
Mayor
In August 2006, Mayor Stéphane Gendron (as of 2004), who was also a television (TQS) and radio host (CHMP-FM), drew public attention with controversial remarks about the 2006 Israel-Lebanon conflict by claiming that, "Israelis are the Nazis of modern times". He refused to retract this comment.
Demographics
Population
Population trend
| Census | Population | Change (%) |
|---|---|---|
| 2006 | 2,587 | 3.0% |
| 2001 | 2,666 | 2.9% |
| 1996 | 2,746 | 4.0% |
| 1991 | 2,859 | N/A |
Language
Mother tongue language (2006)
| Language | Population | Pct (%) | |||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| French only | 1,415 | 56.04% | |||
| English only | 965 | - | Both English and French | 75 | 2.97% |
| Other languages | 75 | 2.97% |
Media
The town has a bilingual (English & French) weekly newspaper, The Gleaner/La Source.
Sport
Huntingdon is the midway point of the Boston–Montreal–Boston cycling event.
See also
- List of municipalities in Quebec
- CIT du Haut-Saint-Laurent provides commuter and local bus services.
- Huntingdon (disambiguation)
- Electoral district
- ^ a b Ministère des Affaires Municipales et Régions: Huntingdon
- ^ Parliament of Canada Federal Riding History: BEAUHARNOIS--SALABERRY (Quebec)
- ^ Chief Electoral Officer of Québec - 40th General Election Results: HUNTINGDON
- ^ a b c 2006 Statistics Canada Community Profile: Huntingdon, Quebec
- ^ Official Transport Quebec Road Map
- ^ cjnews.com (English) / cyberpresse.ca (French)
- ^ Statistics Canada: 1996, 2001, 2006 census
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Coordinates: 45°05′N 74°10′W / 45.083°N 74.167°W