Granby, Quebec

Granby is a city in southwestern Quebec, located east of Montreal. Granby is the seat of La Haute-Yamaska Regional County Municipality. The city is named after John Manners, Marquess of Granby and is the hometown of "Canadian Jos. St-Onge", a well known prize fighter in the 20's and 30's.

The city was settled at the end of the 18th century by three brothers whose name the city commemorated for a while as Frost Village. It became an incorporated municipality in 1816 and a city in 1971.

Granby is a regional center for industries (textile, lumber, tobacco, dairy products) and commercial zone, but is also a touristic city, due to the presence of the important Granby Zoo, founded by the Mayor Horace Boivin. It is the fourth most populated city in Montérégie after Longueuil, Saint-Jean-sur-Richelieu and Saint-Hyacinthe. It hosts a Fête des Mascottes ("Mascot Festival") each year in July.

Granby is also the host of the yearly "Festival de la chanson de Granby" ("Granby Song Festival") which has, through the years, "discovered" many well-known artists such as Jean Leloup and Luc Delarochelière.

From 1981 to 1997, Granby was home to a QMJHL team, originally called the Granby Bisons but changed to the Granby Prédateurs in 1995. The team won the Memorial Cup in 1996. In 1997, the franchise relocated to Sydney, Nova Scotia and became the Cape Breton Screaming Eagles.

In May 2006, the citizens of Granby and Granby Township held a referendum on a possible merger. A majority of citizens of the two municipalities approved the merger, which took effect on January 1, 2007.

The public transit department of the city is the Granby transport en commun.

Twin towns

• Thun, Switzerland
• Windsor, Ontario
• Coventry, England
• Saint-Étienne, France
• Hammam-Lif, Tunisia
• Joal-Fadiouth, Senegal
• Rayne, Louisiana
• Ancona, Italy
• Bokito, Cameroon
• Marrakech, Morocco

References

External links

• City of Granby website
• vu@granby - seen in granby - Granby Photoblog - More than 320 pictures, 42 contributing photographers