Granby, a town in southwestern Quebec, is located east of Montreal and is the seat of La Haute-Yamaska Regional County Municipality. With a population of 69,025 as of the 2021 Canada Census, it is the second most populated city in Estrie after Sherbrooke. The town is named after John Manners, Marquess of Granby, and is renowned for the Granby Zoo and its landmark fountain of Lac Boivin.
The territory of Granby was initially composed of natural prairies and forests, inhabited sporadically by nomadic First Nations. In 1792, Loyalists were granted permission to colonize the Eastern Townships. The Township of Granby was conceded to Colonel Henry Caldwell and his 97 associates on January 29, 1803. The first inhabitant, John Horner, settled on the site of the current town in 1813 and built a sawmill near the Yamaska River. Granby became an incorporated municipality in 1816 and a town in 1971.
Granby is a flat region located approximately halfway between Montreal and Sherbrooke along Autoroute 10. Historically a land covered by forests and prairies, it has transformed into an urbanized core surrounded by fields and suburban neighborhoods. The North Yamaska river crosses lake Boivin, which took shape after the construction of a series of dams and later changed into a large swamp praised for its biodiversity.
Granby boasts numerous parks and fountains, including the Daniel-Johnson, Victoria, Terry Fox, Miner, Pelletier, and Kennedy parks. Lake Boivin, Daniel-Johnson park, and the Centre d'interprétation de la nature du lac Boivin (nature interpretation centre of lake Boivin) are popular spots for nature lovers. Yamaska National Park is a vast protected humid zone around the Choinière reservoir, serving as an important bird sanctuary. Park Victoria, the oldest urban garden in town, and Park Miner, the second oldest park, are also notable green spaces in Granby.
Granby experiences a humid continental climate with significant variations of temperature across four distinct seasons. Summers are warm but short, and winters are very cold. Transitional seasons have significant variations of temperature between adjacent months. Precipitation is quite high, resulting in rainy summers and snowy winters.
As per the 2021 Census of Population conducted by Statistics Canada, Granby had a population of 69,025 living in 31,850 of its 32,766 total private dwellings. The majority of the population were white/European, with French being the most common mother tongue. The largest non-Christian religion was Islam.
Granby is a regional centre for industries and commercial zone, but is also a tourist town, due to the presence of the Granby Zoo, founded by Mayor Horace Boivin. It hosts a Fête des Mascottes ("Mascot Festival") each year in July. Granby is also home to the Galeries de Granby regional shopping mall which has 106 stores. The Autodrome Granby, one of Canada's largest dirt oval racing tracks, hosts professional racing teams every Friday night from May to September.
The public transit department of the town is Transport urbain Granby. Until 1956, it was the eastern terminus of the Montreal and Southern Counties Railway's Montreal-Granby Line.
Granby has several twinned cities, fostering cultural exchange and mutual understanding.
