Windsor, Quebec
History
Apart from the Abenaki Indian camps in this area in the 1600s, Windsor was unpopulated until the early 19th century, when Governor General Prescott granted a tract of land to Joseph Brown to thank him for his service to the Crown. In 1876, when French-Canadian colonist Michel Cloutier acquired land, a rift grew between Francophones and Anglophones, with one side locating in the Township municipality and the other in the village of Windsor Mills. Windsor Mills was elevated to town status in 1899, and took its current name in 1914. The name originates from the village of Berkshire, where Windsor Castle, built ca. 1344 at the request of King Edward III, is located. While most of Windsor's economy is built on the pulp and paper industry and textile manufacturing, there are also some worthy attractions. This includes the Poudrière de Windsor, which manufactured black explosive powder in Canada around 1864.
During World War II the Royal Canadian Air Force built and operated No. 4 Elementary Flying Training School as part of the British Commonwealth Air Training Plan near Windsor. The school opened on 34 June 1940 and closed on 25 August 1944. The airfield was located southwest of the town near 45°31′00″N 072°02′12″W / 45.51667°N 72.03667°W. A film, "Knights with Wings", about flight training in the BCATP, was filmed at the flying school at Windsor Mills. "An RCAF Pilot's Story 1939-1945: the Memoirs of Ernest E. Allen", recounts some of his experiences learning to fly at Windsor Mills in 1940-41.
On December 29, 1999, the village municipality of Saint-Grégoire-de-Greenlay was merged into the town of Windsor.
Demographics
| Year | Pop. | ±% |
|---|---|---|
| 1986 | 5,475 | — |
| 1991 | 5,426 | −0.9% |
| 1996 | 5,515 | +1.6% |
| 2001 | 5,321 | −3.5% |
| 2006 | 5,239 | −1.5% |
| 2011 | 5,330 | +1.7% |
| 2016 | 5,419 | +1.7% |
| Population amounts prior to 1999 are total of Windsor V and Saint-Grégoire-de-Greenlay VL. 2011 population count based on 2016 correction amendment. Source: Statistics Canada | ||
In the 2021 Census of Population conducted by Statistics Canada, Windsor had a population of 5,294 living in 2,362 of its 2,446 total private dwellings, a change of -2.3% from its 2016 population of 5,419. With a land area of 14.53 km (5.61 sq mi), it had a population density of 364.3/km (943.7/sq mi) in 2021.
Mother tongue (2011)
| Language | Population | Pct (%) |
|---|---|---|
| French only | 5,120 | 96.1% |
| English only | 165 | 3.1% |
| English and French | 35 | 0.7% |
| Non-official languages | 10 | 0.2% |
See also
References
- ^ "Banque de noms de lieux du Québec: Reference number 67322". toponymie.gouv.qc.ca (in French). Commission de toponymie du Québec.
- ^ "Répertoire des municipalités: Geographic code 42088". www.mamh.gouv.qc.ca (in French). Ministère des Affaires municipales et de l'Habitation.
- ^ "Windsor, Quebec (Code 2442088) Census Profile". 2016 census. Government of Canada - Statistics Canada.
- ^ Hatch, F. J. (1983). The Aerodrome of Democracy: Canada and the British Commonwealth Air Training Plan, 1939-1945 (PDF). Ottawa: Directorate of History, Department of National Defence. p. 206. ISBN 0-660-11443-7.
- ^ Air Navigation Edition Ottawa-Montreal (Map) (September 1942 ed.). Cartography by Hydrographic and Map Service. Canada Department of Mines and Resources, Surveys and Engineering Branch.
- ^ see "Knights with Wings," YouTube https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=nqoVnJPBJak; see also Eastern Townships Archives Portal, "Item P001 - Knights with Wings, R.C.A.F. flight school, Windsor Mills, Quebec", Eastern Townships Resource Centre. https://www.townshipsarchives.ca/knights-with-wings-r-c-f-flight-school-windsor-mills-quebec
- ^ "Archived copy". Archived from the original on 2018-06-24. Retrieved 2019-09-13.
{{cite web}}: CS1 maint: archived copy as title (link) - ^ 1996, 2001, 2006, 2011 census
- ^ "Population and dwelling counts: Canada, provinces and territories, and census subdivisions (municipalities), Quebec". Statistics Canada. February 9, 2022. Retrieved August 29, 2022.
- ^ "Windsor, Quebec (Code 2442088) Census Profile". 2011 census. Government of Canada - Statistics Canada.
External links
Media related to Windsor, Quebec at Wikimedia Commons
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