Abercorn, Quebec


Abercorn is a small village located within the Brome-Missisquoi Regional County Municipality in the Estrie region of Quebéc, Canada. The population as of the 2021 Canada Census, was 341.
It currently covers a land area of approximately 26.73 km² and Is bordered by Sutton to the north and east, Frelighsburg to the west, and Richford, Vermont to the south.

Toponymy

The place was first known as Sheppard's Mills in honour of Thomas Sheppard, one of the first inhabitants in 1879. However, the origin of the name Abercorn remains uncertain. This name is probably related to the title held by James Hamilton, Duke of Abercorn. This title is itself linked to a Scottish village located east of Edinburgh.

History

Thomas Spencer built the first log cabin near Abercorn in 1792. The village was originally called Sheppard's Mills in honour of Thomas Shepard, a New Hampshire loyalist who built the area's first grain and saw mill. Originally part of Sutton, Abercorn was established as a township in 1929.

Geography

The village is located on the northern edge of the Green Mountains in the Sutton Valley, flanked to the west by the Pinnacle and to the east by the Sutton Mountain range. The Sutton river runs through the valley, as does Route 139 and the Montreal, Maine and Atlantic Railway.
Located about 105 km from Montréal via Autoroute 10 and near the ski hills of Mount Sutton, Bromont, Jay Peak, Vermont, and Mont Owl's Head, Abercorn is a popular day trip and vacation spot for Montrealers.

Demographics

In the 2021 Census of Population conducted by Statistics Canada, Abercorn had a population of residing 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.
Population trend:
CensusPopulationChange
2021341 2.1%
2016334 14.6%
2011391 6.8%
2006366 10.9%
2001330 4.1%
1996344 7.2%
1991320N/A

Mother tongue
LanguagePopulationPct
French20565.08%
English11034.92%