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Sutton, Quebec

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Sutton
Town
Main Street (Quebec Route 139)
Location within Brome-Missisquoi RCM.
Sutton Location in southern Quebec.
Coordinates: 45°06′N 72°37′W / 45.100°N 72.617°W / 45.100; -72.617[1]
Country	Canada
Province	Quebec
Region	Estrie
RCM	Brome-Missisquoi
Settled	1802
Constituted	July 4, 2002
Government [2][3]
• Mayor	Robert Benoît
• Federal riding	Brome—Missisquoi
• Prov. riding	Brome-Missisquoi
Area [2]
• Total	248.50 km2 (95.95 sq mi)
• Land	245.69 km2 (94.86 sq mi)
Population  (2021)[4]
• Total	4,548
• Density	18.5/km2 (48/sq mi)
• Pop 2016-2021	13.4%
• Dwellings	3,767
Time zone	UTC−5 (EST)
• Summer (DST)	UTC−4 (EDT)
Postal code(s)	J0E 2K0
Area code(s)	450 and 579
Highways	R-139 R-215
Website	www.sutton.ca

Sutton is a town in southwestern Quebec. It is part of the Brome-Missisquoi Regional County Municipality in the administrative region of the Estrie. The population as of the Canada 2021 Census was 4,548. Historically, Sutton is considered to be part of the Eastern Townships. Sutton is also known for its scenic landscapes and outdoor recreational activities, making it a popular destination for tourists.

Like many other towns and villages in the Eastern Townships, Sutton became home to many United Empire Loyalists, following the American Revolution. In 1799 the first recorded Loyalists immigrated to the area, among them Richard Shepherd, originally of New Hampshire. During the 19th century, new buildings were erected to serve the town's growing population, among them a school in 1808 (on the road linking the town to nearby Abercorn) as well as the town hall built in 1859. In the decades that followed, Protestant and Roman Catholic churches were built as was a railway station.^[5]

Sutton became a municipality in 1892, and later a town in 1962. In 2002, the township of Sutton merged with the town of Sutton,^[6] roughly doubling the town's population, and vastly expanding the town's area. The economy has moved from one largely based on farming to one that is heavily reliant on tourism due to the opening of Sutton Ski Resort in 1960. Sutton is now a popular year-round destination for road and mountain biking, hiking, visits to vineyards and micro-breweries.

The name “Sutton” originates from the Anglo-Saxon language,^[7] a combination of two words: “sudh” or “suth”, and “tun”. “Sudh” or “suth” translates to “south”, while “tun” signifies a “town” or “settlement”. Thus, Sutton can be interpreted as “the southern town” or “southern settlement”.^[8][9]

Sutton is near the Canada–United States border with Vermont, 110 kilometres (68 mi) southeast of Montreal, 400 kilometres (250 mi) northwest of Boston, Massachusetts and 90 kilometres (56 mi) west of Sherbrooke.

Mount Sutton, located in Sutton with an altitude of 3,176 feet, is known for its popular ski resort. The resort has 60 ski trails and 9 ski lifts, making it a destination for many skiers across Quebec, as well as from neighboring American states. Sommet Rond (Round top), the mountain where the resort is located, is 960 meters high, but the ski network itself reaches a height of 870 meters.^[10][11]

The municipality is bordered to the west by the Réserve Naturelle Montagnes Vertes which can be accessed by footpath provided by three separate organizations: Les sentiers du Corridor appalachien (Mont Singer to Mansonville), Les sentiers du Parc d'environnement naturel de Sutton (Round Top sector), Les sentiers de l’Estrie (Mont Echo sector or Bolton-Est to Mont Glen and Mont Singer).^[12] All three have an entry fee or membership obligation.

• Robert Benoît (2021-Present)
• Michel Lafrance (2017-2021)
• Louis Dandenault (2013-2017)
• Pierre Pelland (2009-2013)
• Keneth Hill (2005-2009)
• Winston Bresee (2002-2005)
• Keneth Hill (1996-2002)

In the 2021 Census of Population conducted by Statistics Canada, Sutton had a population of 4,548 living in 2,388 of its 3,767 total private dwellings, a change of 13.4% from its 2016 population of 4,012. With a land area of 245.69 km² (94.86 sq mi), it had a population density of 18.5/km² (47.9/sq mi) in 2021.^[14]

According to 2021 Census data, Sutton has one of the highest median ages in Canada, at 60.4 years. A sizable percentage of the town's population is composed of artists, the highest proportion in Canada.^[15]

Canada Census Mother Tongue - Sutton, Quebec[13]
Census		Total		French				English				French & English				Other
Year		Responses		Count	Trend	Pop %		Count	Trend	Pop %		Count	Trend	Pop %		Count	Trend	Pop %
2021		4,485		3,075	22.0%	68.6%		1,060	4.9%	23.6%		130	73.3%	2.9%		200	0.0%	4.5%
2016		3,925		2,520	9.8%	64.2%		1,115	11.2%	28.4%		75	0.0%	1.9%		200	5.3%	5.1%
2011		3,815		2,295	1.9%	60.2%		1,255	8.2%	32.9%		75	7.1%	2.0%		190	15.2%	5.0%
2006		3,735		2,340	205.9%	62.7%		1,160	60.0%	31.1%		70	133.3%	1.9%		165	312.5%	4.4%
2001		1,560		765	4.1%	49.0%		725	6.6%	46.5%		30	60.0%	1.9%		40	20.0%	2.6%
1996		1,540		735	n/a	47.7%		680	n/a	44.2%		75	n/a	4.9%		50	n/a	3.3%

Like many other communities in the southwestern quadrant of the province, Sutton has historically been an anglophone enclave in a predominantly francophone province. Today anglophones make up only 24% of the population, compared to 69% for francophones and 5% for allophones.

Due to a large Swiss population in the town, Sutton has many people who speak German. Every year Swiss National Day is celebrated at Mont Sutton ski resort on the last Saturday in July.

• List of anglophone communities in Quebec
• List of cities in Quebec
• Municipal history of Quebec
• Sutton River, a river of Quebec and Vermont

• Sutton municipality