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Stanstead, QC

Stanstead
Town
View of Stanstead from across the Canada–United States border
View of Stanstead from across the Canada–United States border
Nickname(s): Granite Capital of Canada
Motto: Three Villages, One Border — Trois Villages, Une Frontière
Location within Memphrémagog RCM
Location within Memphrémagog RCM
Stanstead is located in Quebec
Stanstead
Stanstead
Location in Quebec
Coordinates: 45°01′N 72°06′W / 45.017°N 72.100°W / 45.017; -72.100Coordinates: 45°01′N 72°06′W / 45.017°N 72.100°W / 45.017; -72.100
Country  Canada
Province  Quebec
Region Estrie
RCM Memphrémagog
Settled 1789–1796
Constituted February 15, 1995
Government
 • Mayor Philippe Dutil
 • Federal riding Compton—Stanstead
 • Prov. riding Orford
Area
 • Total 22.30 km2 (8.61 sq mi)
 • Land 22.72 km2 (8.77 sq mi)
Population (2011)
 • Total 2,857
 • Density 125.8/km2 (326/sq mi)
 • Pop 2006–2011 Decrease 3.4%
 • Dwellings 1,361
Time zone EST (UTC−5)
 • Summer (DST) EDT (UTC−4)
Postal code(s) J0B 3E0, 3E1, 3E2, 3E4, 3E5
Area code(s) 819
Highways
A-55

Route 143
Route 247
Website www.stanstead.ca

Stanstead is a town in the Memphrémagog Regional County Municipality in the Estrie region of Quebec, located on the Canada–United States border across from Derby Line, Vermont.

The Town of Stanstead was created in 1995 by the merger of the former towns of Stanstead Plain, Rock Island and Beebe (formerly Beebe Plain). It is not to be confused with the township of Stanstead, which is nearby although not directly adjacent (the municipality of Ogden lies in between). Not only is Stanstead home to the Haskell Free Library and Opera House — the only heritage building deliberately constructed straddling the border between both countries — it also features Canusa Street, one of a number of streets in the world where the country border corresponds to the middle line marker, effectively making across the street neighbors residents of two different countries.

Prior to merging, the towns of Stanstead, Rock Island and Beebe were known collectively as "Trois villages", or "Three villages".

In 1940, traffic on Quebec Route 143—the area's main route at the time—was halted due to snowfall from March 22 to April 3. Dufferin Heights was most affected. As volunteers attempted to clear the road with shovels, the snow banks became so high that steps needed to be carved into them. Trains were similarly affected, although able to dig out more quickly.

Stanstead Plain was founded in 1796 by Johnson Taplin, who came from New England in search of good farming land.

The Mansur (red brick) one-room school was built in 1819. Today part of Stanstead College, it is the oldest one-room school remaining in Quebec.

The town grew in the 19th century, due to the influx of United Empire Loyalists and the development of the granite industry. In 1855, the village was incorporated by the Quebec legislature. The town was the main centre of commerce of the region through the late 18th century, though eventually losing pre-eminence to Sherbrooke. Stanstead was also at one time the seat of the former Stanstead County.


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