Sherbrooke ( , ) is a city in southern

Quebec Quebec is Canada's List of Canadian provinces and territories by area, largest province by area. Located in Central Canada, the province shares borders with the provinces of Ontario to the west, Newfoundland and Labrador to the northeast, ...

Canada Canada is a country in North America. Its Provinces and territories of Canada, ten provinces and three territories extend from the Atlantic Ocean to the Pacific Ocean and northward into the Arctic Ocean, making it the world's List of coun ...

. It is at the confluence of the Saint-François and Magog rivers in the heart of the

Estrie Estrie () is an List of Quebec regions, administrative region of Quebec that comprises the Eastern Townships. ''Estrie'', a French neologism, was coined as a derivative of ''est'', "east". Originally settled by anglophones, today it is about 90 pe ...

administrative region. Sherbrooke is also the name of a

territory equivalent to a regional county municipality An equivalent territory (, ), formally known as territory equivalent to a regional county municipality (), is a territorial unit used by Statistics Canada and the Institut de la statistique du Québec. Quebec is divided into 87 regional county m ...

(TE) and

census division Census divisions, in Canada and the United States, are areas delineated for the purposes of statistical analysis and presentation; they have no government in and of themselves. The census divisions of Canada are second-level census geographic uni ...

(CD) of

, coextensive with the city of Sherbrooke. With 172,950 residents at the

Canada 2021 Census The 2021 Canadian census was a detailed enumeration of the Canada, Canadian population with a reference date of May 11, 2021. It follows the 2016 Canadian census, which recorded a population of 35,151,728. The overall response rate was 98%, whic ...

, it is the sixth largest city in the province and the 30th largest in Canada. The Sherbrooke

Census Metropolitan Area The census geographic units of Canada are the census subdivisions defined and used by Canada's federal government statistics bureau Statistics Canada to conduct the country's quinquennial census. These areas exist solely for the purposes of stat ...

had 227,398 inhabitants, making it the fourth largest metropolitan area in Quebec and 19th in Canada. Sherbrooke is the primary economic, political, cultural, and institutional centre of Estrie, and was given its nickname as the ''Queen of the

Eastern Townships The Eastern Townships (, ) is a historical administrative region in southeastern Quebec, Canada. It lies between the Great Lakes–St. Lawrence Lowlands, St. Lawrence Lowlands and the American border, and extends from Granby, Quebec, Granby in ...

'' at the beginning of the 20th century. There are eight institutions educating 40,000 students and employing 11,000 people, 3,700 of whom are professors, teachers and researchers. The direct economic effect of these institutions exceeds one billion dollars. The proportion of university students is 10.32 students per 100 inhabitants, giving Sherbrooke the largest concentration of students in Quebec. Sherbrooke rose as a manufacturing centre in the 1800s, and today the

service sector The tertiary sector of the economy, generally known as the service sector, is the third of the three economic sectors in the three-sector model (also known as the economic cycle). The others are the primary sector (raw materials) and the ...

is prominent. The Sherbrooke region is surrounded by mountains, rivers, and lakes. There are several ski hills nearby and various tourist attractions in regional flavour. Mont-Bellevue Park, a large park in the city, is used for downhill skiing. The city was named in 1818 for John Coape Sherbrooke, a former

Governor General of Canada The governor general of Canada () is the federal representative of the . The monarch of Canada is also sovereign and head of state of 14 other Commonwealth realms and resides in the United Kingdom. The monarch, on the Advice (constitutional la ...

History

First Nations First nations are indigenous settlers or bands. First Nations, first nations, or first peoples may also refer to: Indigenous groups *List of Indigenous peoples *First Nations in Canada, Indigenous peoples of Canada who are neither Inuit nor Mé ...

settled the region between 8,000 and 3,000 years ago.Kesteman, Jean-Pierre, ''Histoire de Sherbrooke Take I: l'âge de l'eau à l'ère of vapeur (1802-1866)'', ed. GGC, 2000, p.14 353. The

Abenaki The Abenaki ( Abenaki: ''Wαpánahki'') are Indigenous people of the Northeastern Woodlands of Canada and the United States. They are an Algonquian-speaking people and part of the Wabanaki Confederacy. The Eastern Abenaki language was pred ...

called it / ('the large forks'), or (where one smokes). Sherbrooke en 1928

The first non-native settler was the farmer Jean-Baptiste Nolain, in 1779. The area was first surveyed in 1792. Americans from Vermont built mills in the area in 1802. Gilbert Hyatt led a group of

loyalists Loyalism, in the United Kingdom, its overseas territories and its former colonies, refers to the allegiance to the British crown or the United Kingdom. In North America, the most common usage of the term refers to loyalty to the British Cr ...

, who settled around 1803. He dammed the

Magog River The Magog River, or Sekosonotek in Abenaki, is a river that drains Lake Memphremagog. It is a small river running through the territories of the cities of Magog, Quebec, Magog and Sherbrooke, in the administrative region of Estrie, in Quebec, in C ...

and a

gristmill A gristmill (also: grist mill, corn mill, flour mill, feed mill or feedmill) grinds cereal grain into flour and Wheat middlings, middlings. The term can refer to either the grinding mechanism or the building that holds it. Grist is grain that h ...

and a

sawmill A sawmill (saw mill, saw-mill) or lumber mill is a facility where logging, logs are cut into lumber. Modern sawmills use a motorized saw to cut logs lengthwise to make long pieces, and crosswise to length depending on standard or custom sizes ...

were soon built nearby. The settlement was then known as Hyatt's Mills. The first immigrants from England arrived in 1815. The British American Land Company was formed in 1832 to acquire and develop almost of

Crown land Crown land, also known as royal domain, is a territorial area belonging to the monarch, who personifies the Crown. It is the equivalent of an entailed estate and passes with the monarchy, being inseparable from it. Today, in Commonwealth realm ...

and other lands in the area. It prioritized speculation over immigration. In 1852 a railway linked

Montreal Montreal is the List of towns in Quebec, largest city in the Provinces and territories of Canada, province of Quebec, the List of the largest municipalities in Canada by population, second-largest in Canada, and the List of North American cit ...

and

Portland, Maine Portland is the List of municipalities in Maine, most populous city in the U.S. state of Maine and the county seat, seat of Cumberland County, Maine, Cumberland County. Portland's population was 68,408 at the 2020 census. The Portland metropolit ...

via Sherbrooke. By the 1890s, there were rail connections to

Boston Boston is the capital and most populous city in the Commonwealth (U.S. state), Commonwealth of Massachusetts in the United States. The city serves as the cultural and Financial centre, financial center of New England, a region of the Northeas ...

, Halifax, and

New York City New York, often called New York City (NYC), is the most populous city in the United States, located at the southern tip of New York State on one of the world's largest natural harbors. The city comprises five boroughs, each coextensive w ...

Immigration from the rest of Quebec began in 1850, and by 1871 francophones were in the majority. By the turn of the 20th century, Sherbrooke was a thriving industrial city, with manufacturing benefiting from locally-produced

hydroelectricity Hydroelectricity, or hydroelectric power, is Electricity generation, electricity generated from hydropower (water power). Hydropower supplies 15% of the world's electricity, almost 4,210 TWh in 2023, which is more than all other Renewable energ ...

. From the 1950s, some the steel and textile industries declined, giving way to government services and education. As part of the

2000–2006 municipal reorganization in Quebec The 2000–2006 municipal reorganization in Quebec resulted in large-scale amalgamation of smaller municipality (Quebec), municipalities in Quebec into larger cities. It was undertaken by one administration, but was modified and partially undone ...

, the city grew considerably on 1 January 2002, when it absorbed Ascot, Bromptonville, Deauville, Fleurimont, Lennoxville, Rock Forest, and Saint-Élie-d'Orford. Part of Stoke was also annexed to the newly expanded Sherbrooke. In 2012, a local biochemical factory suffered an explosion, which killed 2, and injured 19, some severely. A large toxic cloud enveloped part of the city, raising health concerns.

Geography

Located at the confluence of the Saint-François (St. Francis) and Magog rivers in the heart of the

and the administrative region. Sherbrooke is also the name of a

(TE) and

(CD) of

, coextensive with the city of Sherbrooke. Its geographical code is 43.

Climate

Sherbrooke has a

humid continental climate A humid continental climate is a climatic region defined by Russo-German climatologist Wladimir Köppen in 1900, typified by four distinct seasons and large seasonal temperature differences, with warm to hot (and often humid) summers, and cold ...

(

Köppen Köppen is a German surname. Notable people with the surname include: * Bernd Köppen (1951–2014), German pianist and composer * Carl Köppen (1833-1907), German military advisor in Meiji era Japan * Edlef Köppen (1893–1939), German author ...

''Dfb''), with long, cold, and snowy winters, warm summers, and short but crisp springs and autumns. Highs range from in January to in July. In an average year, there are 34 nights at or colder than , and 6.5 nights at or colder than ; 4.1 days will see highs reaching . Annual snowfall is large, averaging at , sometimes falling in May and October. Precipitation is not sparse any time of the year, but is the greatest in summer and fall and at its least from January to April, totalling annually. The highest temperature ever recorded in Sherbrooke was on 1 & 2 July 1931. The coldest temperature ever recorded was on 15 January 2004.

Neighbourhoods

The city includes several neighbourhoods: *''Le quartier universitaire'' *''Le Vieux-Nord'' *''Collinsville'' *''Secteur Galvin'' *''L'Est'' *''Ascot'' *''Mi-Vallon'' *''du Pin-Solitaire'' *''Le Petit Canada''

Demographics

City of Sherbrooke

In the 2021 Census of Population conducted by

Statistics Canada Statistics Canada (StatCan; ), formed in 1971, is the agency of the Government of Canada commissioned with producing statistics to help better understand Canada, its population, resources, economy, society, and culture. It is headquartered in ...

, Sherbrooke had a population of living in of its total private dwellings, a change of from its 2016 population of . With a land area of , it had a population density of in 2021.

Language

As of 2021, 86.4% of Sherbrooke residents spoke French as a first language, while those whose mother tongue was English accounted for 3.9%. The next most common first languages were

Spanish Spanish might refer to: * Items from or related to Spain: **Spaniards are a nation and ethnic group indigenous to Spain **Spanish language, spoken in Spain and many countries in the Americas **Spanish cuisine **Spanish history **Spanish culture ...

(2%),

Arabic Arabic (, , or , ) is a Central Semitic languages, Central Semitic language of the Afroasiatic languages, Afroasiatic language family spoken primarily in the Arab world. The International Organization for Standardization (ISO) assigns lang ...

(1.3%),

Dari Dari (; endonym: ), Dari Persian (, , or , ), or Eastern Persian is the variety of the Persian language spoken in Afghanistan. Dari is the Afghan government's official term for the Persian language;Lazard, G.Darī – The New Persian ...

(0.7%), Serbian (0.3%), Portuguese (0.2%) and

Mandarin Mandarin or The Mandarin may refer to: Language * Mandarin Chinese, branch of Chinese originally spoken in northern parts of the country ** Standard Chinese or Modern Standard Mandarin, the official language of China ** Taiwanese Mandarin, Stand ...

(0.2%).

Ethnicity

As of 2021, approximately 88.7% of Sherbrooke residents were white, while 9.6% were

visible minorities In Canada, a visible minority () is defined by the Government of Canada as "persons, other than aboriginal peoples, who are non-Caucasian in race or non-white in colour". The term is used primarily as a demographic category by Statistics Canada ...

and 1.7% were Indigenous. The largest visible minority groups in Sherbrooke were black (3.1%), Latin American (2%),

Arab Arabs (, , ; , , ) are an ethnic group mainly inhabiting the Arab world in West Asia and North Africa. A significant Arab diaspora is present in various parts of the world. Arabs have been in the Fertile Crescent for thousands of years ...

(1.7%), and

West Asian West Asia (also called Western Asia or Southwest Asia) is the westernmost region of Asia. As defined by most academics, UN bodies and other institutions, the subregion consists of Anatolia, the Arabian Peninsula, Iran, Mesopotamia, the Armenian ...

(1%).

Sherbrooke CMA

The Census Metropolitan Area (CMA) comprises the cities of Sherbrooke, Magog and Waterville, the municipalities of Ascot Corner, Compton,

Saint-Denis-de-Brompton Saint-Denis-de-Brompton is a municipality in the Canadian province of Quebec, part of the Regional County Municipality of Le Val-Saint-François, within the larger administrative region of Estrie. It is located approximately 145 kilometres east ...

, Stoke and Val-Joli; the township municipalities of Hatley and Orford; and the village municipality of North Hatley. The population in 2021 was 227,398. The median age was 43. Approximately 90.5% of the greater Sherbrooke area residents were white, while 7.7% were visible minorities and 1.8% were Aboriginal. French was

mother tongue A first language (L1), native language, native tongue, or mother tongue is the first language a person has been exposed to from birth or within the critical period. In some countries, the term ''native language'' or ''mother tongue'' refers ...

to 87.3% of residents. The next most common mother tongues were English (4.5%), Spanish (1.6%), Arabic (1.0%) Dari (0.5%), Mandarin (0.2%), Portuguese (0.2%) and Serbian (0.2%). About 55.7% of the population identified as

Catholic The Catholic Church (), also known as the Roman Catholic Church, is the List of Christian denominations by number of members, largest Christian church, with 1.27 to 1.41 billion baptized Catholics Catholic Church by country, worldwid ...

in 2021 while 32.2% said they had no religious affiliation, 2.9% were

Muslim Muslims () are people who adhere to Islam, a Monotheism, monotheistic religion belonging to the Abrahamic religions, Abrahamic tradition. They consider the Quran, the foundational religious text of Islam, to be the verbatim word of the God ...

, 0.5%

Anglican Anglicanism, also known as Episcopalianism in some countries, is a Western Christianity, Western Christian tradition which developed from the practices, liturgy, and identity of the Church of England following the English Reformation, in the ...

, 0.5%

Eastern Orthodox Eastern Orthodoxy, otherwise known as Eastern Orthodox Christianity or Byzantine Christianity, is one of the three main Branches of Christianity, branches of Chalcedonian Christianity, alongside Catholic Church, Catholicism and Protestantism ...

, 0.4%

Jehovah's Witness Jehovah's Witnesses is a Christian denomination that is an outgrowth of the Bible Student movement founded by Charles Taze Russell in the nineteenth century. The denomination is nontrinitarian, millenarian, and restorationist. Russell co- ...

and 0.4%

Baptist Baptists are a Christian denomination, denomination within Protestant Christianity distinguished by baptizing only professing Christian believers (believer's baptism) and doing so by complete Immersion baptism, immersion. Baptist churches ge ...

United Church A united church, also called a uniting church, is a denomination formed from the merger or other form of church union of two or more different Protestantism, Protestant Christian denominations, a number of which come from separate and distinc ...

and

Pentecostals Pentecostalism or classical Pentecostalism is a movement within the broader Evangelical wing of Protestant Christianity that emphasizes direct personal experience of God through baptism with the Holy Spirit. The term ''Pentecostal'' is derived ...

made up 0.3% of the population each while

buddhist Buddhism, also known as Buddhadharma and Dharmavinaya, is an Indian religion and List of philosophies, philosophical tradition based on Pre-sectarian Buddhism, teachings attributed to the Buddha, a wandering teacher who lived in the 6th or ...

made 0.2%.

Economy

Sherbrooke, which is the economic centre of

, is a significant cultural, industrial, and academic hub in the province. The city is directly served by two railways: the St. Lawrence and Atlantic Railroad and the

Canadian Pacific Railway The Canadian Pacific Railway () , also known simply as CPR or Canadian Pacific and formerly as CP Rail (1968–1996), is a Canadian Class I railway incorporated in 1881. The railway is owned by Canadian Pacific Kansas City, Canadian Pacific Ka ...

. Sherbrooke is also served by four highways as well as the regional airport named Sherbrooke Airport but located in the nearby city of Cookshire-Eaton. Sherbrooke Airport no longer offers scheduled passenger services as of March 2010. According to data from the '' Institut de la statistique du Québec'', average personal income

per capita ''Per capita'' is a Latin phrase literally meaning "by heads" or "for each head", and idiomatically used to mean "per person". Social statistics The term is used in a wide variety of social science, social sciences and statistical research conte ...

in the Census Metropolitan Area (CMA) of Sherbrooke amounted to in 2010. Estrie's

GDP Gross domestic product (GDP) is a monetary measure of the total market value of all the final goods and services produced and rendered in a specific time period by a country or countries. GDP is often used to measure the economic performance o ...

for the same year was $. The hockey equipment manufacturer Sherwood was founded in Sherbrooke in 1949. The city is also home to the hockey puck manufacturer Inglasco. ;Largest employers As of 2010, the largest employers in Sherbrooke are

Université de Sherbrooke The Université de Sherbrooke (UdeS; Quebec English, English: ''University of Sherbrooke'') is a French-language Public university, public research university in Sherbrooke, Quebec, Canada, with a second campus in Longueuil, a suburb on the Mont ...

(6,000 employees), Centre hospitalier universitaire de Sherbrooke (5,511), Commission scolaire de la Région-de-Sherbrooke (3,050), Centre de santé et de services sociaux – Institut universitaire de gériatrie de Sherbrooke (2,650), City of Sherbrooke (1,913),

Desjardins Group The Desjardins Group (, ) is a Canadian financial service cooperative and the largest federation of credit unions () in North America. It was founded in 1900 in Lévis, Quebec by Alphonse Desjardins. While its legal headquarters remains in Lé ...

(1,713), Cégep de Sherbrooke (800), Centre Jeunesse de l'Estrie (527), Nordia Inc. (500),

Canada Post Canada Post Corporation (, trading as Canada Post (), is a Canadian Crown corporation that functions as the primary postal operator in Canada. Originally known as Royal Mail Canada (the operating name of the Post Office Department of the Can ...

(497), Kruger Inc. - Publication papers business unit (455),

Bishop's University Bishop's University () is a small English-language Liberal arts college, liberal arts university in Lennoxville, a borough of Sherbrooke, Quebec, Canada. The founder of the institution was the Anglican Diocese of Quebec, Anglican Bishop of Quebec ...

(450) and

McDonald's McDonald's Corporation, doing business as McDonald's, is an American Multinational corporation, multinational fast food chain store, chain. As of 2024, it is the second largest by number of locations in the world, behind only the Chinese ch ...

(400). These include enterprises operating in Sherbrooke only and having 400 or more employees.

Arts and culture

In the summer season, several festivals, concerts, and events are held in the city, such as the '' Fête du Lac des Nations'', ''Sherblues & Folk'', and the '' Festival des traditions du monde''. Come winter, the city hosts the ''Carnaval de Sherbrooke''. The city has British architectural heritage, as seen in the buildings in Vieux-Nord. Sherbrooke has the fourth largest theatre in Quebec, the Maurice O'Bready University Cultural Centre of Sherbrooke (Salle Maurice-O’bready du centre culturel de l’Université de Sherbrooke). Music, theatre, and dance shows are staged there. The Centennial Theatre of

also hosts music and dance concerts from around the world. The Vieux Clocher, owned by the

, has two stages, the primary being used by various music groups and comedians from around the province. The '' Théâtre Granada'', designated as a historical site by the Canadian government, holds music concerts. It has retained its original architecture since its opening. The ''Petit Théâtre de Sherbrooke'', located downtown, presents musicals and plays for children. Since 2007, the ''Centre des arts de la scène Jean-Besré'' (CASJB), built by the city with the support of the Ministry of Culture and Communications, has assisted in the creation and production of material for the region's artistic community. It serves as the location for training theatre, music, and dance professionals. It contains three rehearsal studios, a production room, a decoration workshop, and a costume workshop, as well as administrative offices for each of its resident companies.

Auditoriums

*Salle Maurice-O'Bready * Granada Theatre *Centennial Theatre *Vieux Clocher *Le Petit Théâtre de Sherbrooke *Théâtre Léonard Saint-Laurent *Salle Alfred-Des Rochers

Libraries

* La bibliothèque municipale Éva-Senécal, the main city library (opened 22 December 1990), is named for Éva Senécal (1905-1988), poet, novelist and journalist. *La bibliothèque du secteur de Rock Forest *La bibliothèque du secteur de Saint-Élie *La bibliothèque Gisèle-Bergeron *La bibliothèque de Lennoxville, at the intersection of rue Queen and rue College, near Bishop's University, offers a book lending service in French and English.

Attractions

Museums and visitors' centres

* Sherbrooke Nature and Science Museum *Centre d'interprétation de l'histoire de Sherbrooke * Sherbrooke Museum of Fine Arts *Centre culturel et du patrimoine Uplands *Art gallery at the Centre Culturel of Sherbrooke University *Centre d'art actuel Sporobole *Prison Winter

Parks

* Johnville Bog & Forest Park *''Forêt jardinée de l'aéroport de Sherbrooke'' Sherbrooke has parks and greenspaces that encompass a variety of recreational activities. In total, there are 108 in the municipality. Parks Jacques-Cartier, Mont Bellevue, Bois Beckett, Lucien-Blanchard, Central, Quintal, Victoria, and Marais Réal-D.-Carbonneau are among the most popular destinations. * Jacques-Cartier Park Parc Jacques-Cartier

:Situated along lac des Nations, this park is about away from the downtown area and is connected to the lac des Nations promenade. It contains several sports facilities including soccer fields and tennis courts. Several festivals are held here including the Fête du Lac des Nations, the Carnaval de Sherbooke, the festivities for the

Fête Nationale The fête nationale (English: '' National Day'' or ''National Celebration'') is a holiday in many places, frequently as a public holiday. It is a French language term for National Holiday, so is used in places that use French. It may refer to: * B ...

and

Canada Day Canada Day, formerly known as Dominion Day, is the national day of Canada. A Public holidays in Canada, federal statutory holiday, it celebrates the anniversary of Canadian Confederation which occurred on July 1, 1867, with the passing of the B ...

. * Mont Bellevue Park Parc du Mont-Bellevue

:This park is the largest in Sherbrooke, with an area of . Situated partially on the campus of the

, it is managed by the city and developed by volunteer organization ''Regroupement du Mont-Bellevue''. Within the park are mounts Bellevue and John-S.-Bourque, the former of which has a small ski station. The park is also used for cross-country skiing, snowshoeing, walking, and tubing in winter; as well as hiking, mountain biking, archery, tennis, and jogging in summer. The park contains a total of of trails and several different types of ecosystems. * Bois Beckett Park :This park was established on an old maple grove that belonged to Major Henry Beckett between 1834 and 1870. The property remained in his family until it was acquired by the city in 1963. In 2000, the ''Ministère de Ressources naturelles et de la Faune'' recognized the property as an

old-growth forest An old-growth forest or primary forest is a forest that has developed over a long period of time without disturbance. Due to this, old-growth forests exhibit unique ecological features. The Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Natio ...

. The oldest tree is said to be 270 years old. The park is maintained, protected and promoted by a volunteer group. Several trails have been built by the city which are open year-round. Within the park, there are several artifacts left behind by Beckett, such as foundations, wells, and farm equipment. * Lucien-Blanchard Park Parc Jacques-C

:Situated west of downtown on the bank of the

, this park is open to several outdoor activities such as swimming and beach volleyball. Bicycles, canoes, kayaks, paddle boats, and dragon boats are available for rent. There is an interpretation centre with an emphasis on the reptiles and amphibians of the region as well as a boutique. * Central Park :At the heart of the

Rock Forest–Saint-Élie–Deauville Rock Forest–Saint-Élie–Deauville () is an ''arrondissement'', or borough, of the city of Sherbrooke, Quebec. The borough comprises the formerly independent cities of Rock Forest, Deauville and Saint-Élie-d'Orford, which were annexed into the ...

borough, this park is equipped for soccer, tennis, baseball, beach volleyball, and has a playground and an outdoor pool. * Quintal Park :Formerly called ''Parc Central de Fleurimont'', this park is situated in the borough of Fleurimont, and mirrors Central Park of Rock Forest-Saint-Élie-Deauville. In early July, the Pif Classic baseball tournament is held in the park, and in August, it hosts the ''Festival des Traditions du Monde''. * Victoria and Sylvie-Daigle Parks :Across Terrill Street from one another, these parks are situated just east of downtown. Inside these parks lie pedestrian trails, Olympic-size soccer fields, a handicap accessible outdoor pool, and a sports complex. This multifunctional facility, called the ''Centre MultiSport Roland-Dussault'', has an artificial turf allowing local teams the opportunity to practise indoor soccer, baseball, football, rugby, and so on. There is a hockey arena. * Marais Réal-D.-Carbonneau :Located near the

Saint-François River The Saint-François River (, ) is a right tributary of the St. Lawrence River in Quebec, Canada. Its source is Lake Saint-François in Chaudière-Appalaches, southeast of Thetford Mines. It flows southwest towards Sherbrooke, where it changes ...

, this marsh was developed by CHARMES, a non-profit management corporation that seeks to promote

ecotourism Ecotourism is a form of nature-oriented tourism intended to contribute to the Ecological conservation, conservation of the natural environment, generally defined as being minimally impactful, and including providing both contributions to conserv ...

in and around Sherbrooke. The park is located on of land and allows visitors access to wooden piers and observation towers, where there are over 50 tree and shrub species and birds.

Sports

Baseball

The Sherbrooke Expos of the Ligue de Baseball Majeur du Québec, an amateur baseball league, play their home games at Amedée Roy Stadium. The city also hosted some games of the 2002 World Junior Baseball Championship, and the 2013 Canada Games. Historically, several professional teams based in Sherbrooke competed in

Minor League Baseball Minor League Baseball (MiLB) is a professional baseball organization below Major League Baseball (MLB), constituted of teams affiliated with MLB clubs. It was founded on September 5, 1901, in response to the growing dominance of the National Le ...

or in

independent baseball league An independent baseball league is a professional baseball league in the United States or Canada that is not overseen by Major League Baseball or its affiliated Minor League Baseball system (historically referred to as organized baseball). Inde ...

Ice hockey

The Sherbrooke Phoenix is a junior hockey team playing in the

Quebec Maritimes Junior Hockey League The Quebec Maritimes Junior Hockey League (QMJHL; , LHJMQ), formerly the Quebec Major Junior Hockey League is one of the three major junior ice hockey leagues that constitute the Canadian Hockey League (CHL). The league includes teams in Quebec ...

. The Sherbrooke Canadiens competed in the

American Hockey League The American Hockey League (AHL) is a professional ice hockey league in North America that serves as the primary developmental league of the National Hockey League (NHL). The league comprises 32 teams, with 26 in the United States and 6 in Cana ...

from 1984 to 1990.

Government

Sherbrooke is the seat of the

judicial district A judicial district or legal district denotes the territorial area for which a legal court (usually a district court) has jurisdiction. By continent Europe Austria In texts concerning Austria Austria, formally the Republic of Aus ...

of Saint-François.

Municipal

Local governance is provided by the

Sherbrooke City Council The Sherbrooke City Council (in French: ''Conseil municipal de Sherbrooke'') is the governing body for the mayor–council government in the city of Sherbrooke, in the Estrie region of Quebec. The council consists of a mayor and 14 councillors. T ...

. The mayor is Évelyne Beaudin. Under the

, Sherbrooke merged with most of the suburban municipalities in the surrounding area: Rock Forest, Saint-Élie-d'Orford, Deauville, Fleurimont, Bromptonville, Ascot, and Lennoxville. This resulted in the creation of six

Boroughs of Sherbrooke The city of Sherbrooke, Quebec is divided into four boroughs (in French, ''arrondissements''), each with a president and council. Powers The borough council is responsible for: *Fire prevention *Removal of household waste and residual material ...

: Brompton, Fleurimont, Lennoxville, Mont-Bellevue,

, and Jacques-Cartier. Each of the boroughs is subdivided into electoral districts, with the number varying based on population. For example, there are only two districts in Brompton, which only has 6,314 inhabitants, whereas Fleurimont (pop. 40,824) has five. Sherbrooke has 21 districts total, for which the average population is 7,200 inhabitants.

Federal and provincial

Sherbrooke is split into the federal electoral districts of

Sherbrooke Sherbrooke ( , ) is a city in southern Quebec, Canada. It is at the confluence of the Saint-François River, Saint-François and Magog River, Magog rivers in the heart of the Estrie administrative region. Sherbrooke is also the name of a territ ...

, represented by Élisabeth Brière of the

Liberal party of Canada The Liberal Party of Canada (LPC; , ) is a federal political party in Canada. The party espouses the principles of liberalism,McCall, Christina; Stephen Clarkson"Liberal Party". ''The Canadian Encyclopedia''. and generally sits at the Centrism, ...

and

Compton—Stanstead Compton—Stanstead is a federal electoral district in Quebec, Canada, that has been represented in the House of Commons of Canada since 1997. It was created in 1996 from Mégantic—Compton—Stanstead and Richmond—Wolfe ridings. Geograp ...

, represented by Marie-Claude Bibeau of the Liberals. Provincially, Sherbrooke is divided into three electoral districts.

is represented by Christine Labrie of the Québec solidaire (QS), Saint-François is represented by Guy Hardy of the PLQ and

Richmond Richmond most often refers to: * Richmond, British Columbia, a city in Canada * Richmond, California, a city in the United States * Richmond, London, a town in the London Borough of Richmond upon Thames, England * Richmond, North Yorkshire, a town ...

is represented by Karine Vallières of the PLQ.

Public safety

In 2007, the

crime rate In ordinary language, a crime is an unlawful act punishable by a state or other authority. The term ''crime'' does not, in modern criminal law, have any simple and universally accepted definition,Farmer, Lindsay: "Crime, definitions of", in Can ...

was 5,491 per 100,000.

Military

Sherbrooke does not host any units from the

Regular Force In the Canadian Armed Forces, a Regular Force unit or person is part of the full-time military, as opposed to being part of the Primary Reserve which has more flexibility. There are many bases and wings across Canada, and factors like trade, caree ...

with the exception of a recruiting centre, but four

Primary Reserve The Primary Reserve of the Canadian Armed Forces () is the first and largest of the four sub-components of the Canadian Armed Forces reserves, followed by the Supplementary Reserve, the Cadet Organizations Administration and Training Service (f ...

units are stationed in the city: *52nd

Field Ambulance A field ambulance (FA) is the name used by the British Army and the armies of other Commonwealth nations to describe a mobile medical unit that treats wounded soldiers very close to the combat zone. In the British military medical system that deve ...

, formerly known as 8th Medical Company. * 714th Communication Squadron * Les Fusiliers de Sherbrooke *The Sherbrooke Hussars, formed from the amalgamation of The Sherbrooke Regiment and the 7th/11th Hussars in 1965. A Canadian military artifact is preserved at the William Street Armoury: the Sherman tank "Bomb". The tank helped liberate Europe fighting with the

Sherbrooke Fusilier Regiment The Sherbrooke Fusilier Regiment was a Second World War Canadian armoured regiment created in 1940 with officers and men from two Militia regiments in Sherbrooke, Quebec. The name is a blend of Les Fusiliers de Sherbrooke, a francophone infant ...

and is the only Canadian tank to have landed on the Normandy beach on

D-Day The Normandy landings were the landing operations and associated airborne operations on 6 June 1944 of the Allied invasion of Normandy in Operation Overlord during the Second World War. Codenamed Operation Neptune and often referred to as ...

; it fought through to

VE Day Victory in Europe Day is the day celebrating the formal acceptance by the Allies of World War II of Germany's unconditional surrender of its armed forces on Tuesday, 8 May 1945; it marked the official surrender of all German military operations ...

without being knocked out.

Infrastructure

Transportation

Transdev Limocar provides bus service to

via Granby and Magog. Formerly, Autobus Jordez linked Sherbrooke to

Drummondville Drummondville () is a city in the Centre-du-Québec region of Quebec, located east of Montreal on the Saint-François River. The population as of the Canada 2021 Census was 79,258. The mayor of Drummondville is Stéphanie Lacoste. Drummondville ...

and

Trois-Rivières Trois-Rivières (, ; ) is a city in the Mauricie administrative region of Quebec, Canada. It is located at the confluence of the Saint-Maurice River, Saint-Maurice and Saint Lawrence River, Saint Lawrence rivers, on the north shore of the Sain ...

, and also to

Victoriaville Victoriaville () is a town in south-central Quebec, Canada, on the Nicolet River. Victoriaville is the seat of Arthabaska Regional County Municipality and a part of the Centre-du-Québec (Bois-Francs) region. It is formed by the 1993 merger of ...

and

Quebec City Quebec City is the capital city of the Provinces and territories of Canada, Canadian province of Quebec. As of July 2021, the city had a population of 549,459, and the Census Metropolitan Area (including surrounding communities) had a populati ...

, but since the company lost their licence to operate heavy vehicles, they have sold their licence to Autobus La Québécoise, who now provide the service. Société de transport de Sherbrooke (STS) provides bus service within the city. It operates 18 bus routes, 10 minibus routes, 7 express routes, 3 taxibus routes, and 3 microbus routes. The city is located at the eastern terminus of A-10, and directly on the Autoroute Trans-Québécoise ( A-55). A-10 provides a direct freeway connection to Montreal and points west, while A-55 connects directly to Trois-Rivières,

Shawinigan Shawinigan (; ) is a city located on the Saint-Maurice River in the Mauricie area in Quebec, Canada. It had a population of 49,620 as of the 2021 Canadian census. Shawinigan is also a territory equivalent to a regional county municipality (TE) ...

, and points north, as well as to

Interstate 91 Interstate 91 (I-91) is an Interstate Highway in the New England region of the United States. It is the primary north–south thoroughfare in the western part of the region. Its southern terminus is in New Haven, Connecticut, at I-95, whi ...

to the south (Vermont). A-410 and A-610 are the southern and northern bypass roads, respectively. The last passenger train for the city was

VIA Rail Via Rail Canada Inc. (), operating as Via Rail or Via (stylized as VIA Rail), is a Canadian Crown corporation that operates intercity passenger rail service in Canada. As of December 2023, Via Rail operates 406 trains per week across eight ...

's Montreal – Saint John, New Brunswick ''

Atlantic The Atlantic Ocean is the second largest of the world's five oceanic divisions, with an area of about . It covers approximately 17% of Earth's surface and about 24% of its water surface area. During the Age of Discovery, it was known for se ...

'', which ended service in 1994. There have been recent proposals to provide rail service from Montreal to Boston with a stop in Sherbrooke. Sherbrooke Airport, in Cookshire-Eaton is just east of the city. There are currently no scheduled flights operating out of the airport.

Public health

The suburban Sherbrooke University Hospital ("CHUS" or "Centre Hospitalier Universitaire de Sherbooke) has over 5,200 employees, including 550 doctors. It includes a clinical research facility, the Étienne-Lebel Research Centre.

Education

Sherbrooke's educational sector is well-developed, both as part of the city's character and as an important domain of employment, employing about 11,000 people in its

colleges A college (Latin: ''collegium'') may be a tertiary education, tertiary educational institution (sometimes awarding academic degree, degrees), part of a collegiate university, an institution offering vocational education, a further educatio ...

and

universities A university () is an educational institution, institution of tertiary education and research which awards academic degrees in several Discipline (academia), academic disciplines. ''University'' is derived from the Latin phrase , which roughly ...

. The city has approximately 40,000 postsecondary students, of which about 17,000 are university students.

Postsecondary

Sherbrooke has five academic institutions that make up the Sherbrooke University Pole, divided between English and French institutions. University students comprise a total of 10.32% of the city's population, the highest concentration in the province. The city is home to one French-language university, the

, which alone has more than 31,000 students annually. The programs are split between 8 different faculties, the largest ones being in

education Education is the transmission of knowledge and skills and the development of character traits. Formal education occurs within a structured institutional framework, such as public schools, following a curriculum. Non-formal education als ...

medicine Medicine is the science and Praxis (process), practice of caring for patients, managing the Medical diagnosis, diagnosis, prognosis, Preventive medicine, prevention, therapy, treatment, Palliative care, palliation of their injury or disease, ...

, and

management Management (or managing) is the administration of organizations, whether businesses, nonprofit organizations, or a Government agency, government bodies through business administration, Nonprofit studies, nonprofit management, or the political s ...

with around 7,900, 5,000 and 4,800 students per year respectively. 3,000 of the university's students are

international students International students or exchange students, also known as foreign students, are students who undertake all or part of their Secondary education, secondary or tertiary education in a country other than their own. In 2022, there were over 6.9 m ...

, coming from around 100 different countries and territories. About half of the foreign students come from

France France, officially the French Republic, is a country located primarily in Western Europe. Overseas France, Its overseas regions and territories include French Guiana in South America, Saint Pierre and Miquelon in the Atlantic Ocean#North Atlan ...

, as they are exempt from additional

tuition fees Tuition payments, usually known as tuition in American English and as tuition fees in English in the Commonwealth of Nations, Commonwealth English, are fees charged by education institutions for instruction or other services. Besides public spen ...

as part of a student mobility agreement between the Québec and French governments. The university is split into three different campuses: the main campus, the Health campus located in upper Fleurimont, and the campus in

Longueuil Longueuil () is a city in the province of Quebec, Canada. It is the seat of the Montérégie, Montérégie administrative region and the central city of the urban agglomeration of Longueuil. It sits on the South Shore (Montreal), south shore o ...

. One of the province's three English-language universities,

, is also located in Sherbrooke, in the borough of Lennoxville. The school brings in around 3,000 students annually, mainly for

undergraduate Undergraduate education is education conducted after secondary education and before postgraduate education, usually in a college or university. It typically includes all postsecondary programs up to the level of a bachelor's degree. For example, ...

programs. It is subdivided into three faculties and schools, the Faculty of Arts and Sciences, the School of Education, and the Williams School of Business. There are three cégeps in Sherbrooke. Two of them are French-language, the Cégep de Sherbrooke and the Séminaire de Sherbrooke, and one is English-language, Champlain College Lennoxville.

Primary and secondary education

The city's

public In public relations and communication science, publics are groups of individual people, and the public (a.k.a. the general public) is the totality of such groupings. This is a different concept to the sociology, sociological concept of the ''Öf ...

primary and secondary schools are run by either the French-language Centre de services scolaire de la Région-de-Sherbrooke or the English-language Eastern Townships School Board. The CSSRS educates around 25,000 students and employs 4,000

teachers A teacher, also called a schoolteacher or formally an educator, is a person who helps students to acquire knowledge, competence, or virtue, via the practice of teaching. ''Informally'' the role of teacher may be taken on by anyone (e.g. w ...

, support staff, and administrative staff. Sherbrooke has a total of six public secondary schools: * Alexander Galt Regional High School * École internationale du Phare * École le Goéland * École secondaire Mitchell-Montcalm * École secondaire de la Montée * École secondaire du Triolet Sherbrooke also has four

private Private or privates may refer to: Music * "In Private", by Dusty Springfield from the 1990 album ''Reputation'' * Private (band), a Denmark-based band * "Private" (Ryōko Hirosue song), from the 1999 album ''Private'', written and also recorded ...

schools that offer secondary education: *

Bishop's College School Bishop's College School or BCS is an English-language non-profit independent school, independent boarding school, boarding College-preparatory school, prep school in Sherbrooke, Quebec, Canada for students in Grades 7 to 12.Thomson, Ashley; L ...

* Le Salésien * Séminaire de Sherbrooke * Collège Mont-Notre-Dame

Media

Notes

References

External links

Sherbrooke website
{{Authority control Cities and towns in Quebec Territories equivalent to a regional county municipality