Cowansville is a town of over 12,000 people (2011) in the Eastern Townships of Quebec, on Lac Davignon.

Place Nelsonville

Understand

Cowansville' economy is based on the industrial sector, in particular textiles. There is also a hospital, Brome-Missisquoi-Perkins, a municipal court, a federal penitentiary, and a Nature Centre close to Davignon Lake.

Cowansville's commercial activity has blossomed mainly because of its proximity to a major freeway, Autoroute 10, and the Eastern Townships ski resort region.

History

Jacob Ruiter was the first person to settle on the current site of Cowansville. In 1800 he built a flour mill, and then a saw mill. In 1805, Ruiter named the small town Nelsonville, in honour of British admiral, Lord Horatio Nelson, who was killed in the naval Battle of Trafalgar.

Peter Cowan, a merchant from Montreal, settled in the area in 1836 and become postmaster in 1841. In order to avoid the mail being sent inadvertently to another city named Nelsonville, close to Hamilton in Upper Canada, he decided to change its name.

During the 1870s, the construction of the South Eastern Railway linking Montreal to Cowansville and the opening of the first bank, the Eastern Townships Bank, contributed to the expansion of the small city, which allowed many businesses settle in the area.

Get in

From Montreal: take Autoroute 10.

Cowansville is 20 km (12 mi) north of the U.S. border.

• LimoCar. Two buses a week from Montreal, transfer in Ange-Gardien (1 hr 40 min, $23-26). (updated Jan 2018)

Get around

• Taxi Cowansville +1 450-263-2222
• Taxi AB +1 450-263-2020

See

• Bruck Museum (Musee Bruck), 225 Main Street, ☏ +1 450-263-6101, museebruck@ville.cowansville.qc.ca. June: Sa Su 10:00-16:00; Jul Aug: daily 10:00-17:00; Sep to mid-Oct The F 12:00-16:00, Sa Su 10:00-16:00; mid-Oct to May: Th-Sa 12:00-16:00. Historical photographs of Cowansville, sculptures and paintings. (updated Dec 2018)

Do

• Play golf at its golf club.
• La Route des Vins (The Wine Route). 22 vineyards, 4 breathtaking road trips, 4 cycling routes for all levels, 21 restaurants. (updated Jan 2018)
• Nature Center, 225 Chemin de la Plage. Swimming, paddle boating, paddle boarding, canoeing, kayaking, water park, nature trail, outdoor gym with many different machines, a playground for the kids, bocceball. Washrooms and a small cafe for snacks. (updated Dec 2018)
• Bromont Ski Area, 150 Rue Champlain, Bromont (13 km from Cowansville). A year-round recreational area with skiing, evening skiing, water park, mountain biking and multiuse trails. It has the largest lit skiable area in North America, with 450 acres of skiable terrain, 142 trails, including 32 glades and 102 lit trails, spread over 7 hillslides. 9 chairlifts and more than 1275 snow guns, so conditions are guaranteed. In the summer, its waterpark offers 25 aquatic and other attractions, including a heated wave pool measuring almost 24,000 ft² (2,200 m²), rafting rivers, kilometres of water slides, and mountain alpine luges. From May to October, it offers the largest mountain biking area in Eastern Canada, with 24 downhill runs for all levels. The mountain also offers close to 40 km of multiuse trails for hiking, trail running, enduro or cross-country. (updated Dec 2018)

Buy

There are shops along rue Principale east of rue Albert.

Eat

• L'Archipel, 406 Principale, ☏ +1 450-815-0581. Tu Su 09:00-15:00, W-Sa 09:00-21:00. A healthy menu for the body and mind, using local and organic foods as often as possible. It offers a vegetarian and vegan menu with gluten-free options, as well as a rotating menu. (updated Dec 2018)
• Restaurant il Castello, 512 Rue Principale, ☏ +1 450-263-8772. Tu-F 11:30-14:00, Tu-Sa 17:00-21:00. Italian restaurant. Seats 75 inside, 44 on the terrace. (updated Dec 2018)
• Rendez Vous Cafe, 140 Rue Principal, ☏ +1 450-955-3373. Sa Su 10:00 - 22:00, M-F 08:30 - 22:00. Asian meals, Italian means coffee, beer. (updated Dec 2018)

Drink

• Vignoble la Grenouille, 434 Plouffe Road, ☏ +1 450-578-6562. By appointment. Wine tastings, pick your own table grapes in season. (updated Dec 2018)
• Pub Principal, 126 rue principale. Tu W 11:00 - 22:00, Th 11:00 - 23:45, F Sa 11:00 - 03:00. (updated Dec 2018)

Sleep

• Auberge des Carrefours, 111 Boulevard Jean-Jacques-Bertrand, ☏ +1 450 263-7331, toll-free: +1-866-500-4938. Basic rooms with free WiFi, relaxed dining & function rooms for 350 people. Free breakfast. From $80. (updated Jan 2018)
• Manoir Sweetsburg-Auberge Victorienne, 795 Rue Principale, ☏ +1 450 266-5414. Victorian Inn. From $120. (updated Jan 2018)