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 2016 Census was 68,601. The mayor of Drummondville is Alexandre Cusson.
Drummondville is the seat of Drummond Regional County Municipality, and of the judicial district of Drummond.

History

Drummondville was founded in June 1815 by Lieutenant-Colonel Frederick Heriot. The purpose of the town was to provide a home for British soldiers in the War of 1812, and to guard the Saint-François River against American attacks. The town was named after Sir Gordon Drummond, the Lieutenant Governor of Upper Canada between 1813 and 1816.
The construction of the Hemmings Falls hydro-electric dam in 1920 brought a new wave of industrial growth to the Drummondville area.
Several outlying municipalities have been amalgamated into Drummondville since the 1950s:
LanguagePopulationPct
French only67,93096%
English only7801.1%
Both English and French2900.4%
Other languages17452.4%

Attractions and culture

Drummondville markets itself as Quebec's Capital of Expression and Traditions, with attractions focusing on culture, both past and present. The main attractions are the Village Québécois d'Antan.
Since 2008 Drummondville hosts Festival de la Poutine, towards the end of August; during three days people are invited to attend concerts there, and to savour several kinds of poutine, a Canadian dish of provincial origin.
From 1982 to 2017, Drummondville was home to the Mondial des Cultures, one of the largest folk dance festivals in the world.

Sports

Drummondville is home to the Quebec Major Junior Hockey League 's Drummondville Voltigeurs, founded in 1982. The team plays its home games at Centre Marcel Dionne. Drummondville also has another arena, Olympia Yvan-Cournoyer.
Drummondville and Victoriaville co-hosted the 2013 World U-17 Hockey Challenge.
Prior to the Voltigeurs, Drummondville was home to the Drummondville Rangers of the QMJHL from 1969 to 1974.
Drummondville also was host to several baseball teams in the Quebec Provincial League in the 1940s and 1950s. The Drummondville Tigers in 1940, the Drummondville Cubs from 1948-1952, the Drummondville Royals in 1953 and the Drummondville A's in 1954.
The Autodrome Drummond, holds various automotive races throughout the summer season.
La Courvalloise is used for tubing, skiing and snowboarding.

Economy

Drummondville is home to the Promenades Drummondville regional shopping mall which has 109 stores.
MicroBird by Girardin, has its headquarters in Drummondville.

Transportation

;Highways
Drummondville is served by Autoroutes 20 and 55.
;Local transit
Intra-city transit has been assured since 1987 by the Drummondville Transit, which currently operates city bus services on six routes headquartered at the main bus terminal at Des Forges and Lindsay Streets. Service runs at half-hour intervals Monday to Saturday and hourly on Sundays
;Intercity buses
Intercity highway coach service is provided by Orléans Express and Groupe La Québécoise. Major destinations include the nearby cities of Montreal, Quebec City, Sherbrooke, Trois-Rivières, Victoriaville, Saint-Hyacinthe, and Thetford Mines.
;Intercity rail
Passenger train service towards Montreal and Quebec City is provided by Via Rail. Drummondville is part of the high-traffic Quebec City–Windsor Corridor, and trains run at a rate of about five per day in either direction from the Drummondville railway station.
;Air
General aviation services are available at the Drummondville Airport and the Drummondville Water Aerodrome.

Education

Drummondville is home to the Cégep de Drummondville, a public French-language CEGEP.

Notable people