Brome Lake, officially known as Ville de Lac-Brome, is a charming town nestled in southern Quebec, Canada. With a population of 5,609 as per the Canada 2011 Census, this town is a popular tourist destination, especially in the village of Knowlton. Visitors flock to Brome Lake for its winter skiing, summer lake activities, and the stunning autumn leaf color.
The village of Brome Lake was founded in 1802 by United Empire Loyalists from the New England states and New York. Initially known as Coldbrook, owing to the stream that runs through the village center, it became the county seat of Brome County, Quebec, in 1855. In 1971, seven villages on Brome Lake, namely Bondville, East Hill, Foster, Fulford, Knowlton, Iron Hill, and West Brome, amalgamated to form the current town. Today, Brome Lake is part of the Brome-Missisquoi Regional County Municipality in the Estrie administrative region.
Brome Lake is underlain by Cambrian age metamorphic rock, primarily schist and phyllite. The area's geography is marked by Quaternary glaciation, which left deposits of stony loam till, outwash sands, and gravels. The most common soils are brown podzolic and podzol, with gleysols and peats found in poorly drained areas. The Blandford series, a well-drained loam developed under deciduous forest, is the area's most significant soil. This forest was exploited by settlers for wood, potash, and maple sugar. Cleared areas proved productive for crops and pasture. Today, much of the former farmland has reverted to forest, providing a supply of hardwood lumber.
According to the 2021 Census of Population conducted by Statistics Canada, Brome Lake had a population of 5,923 living in 2,828 of its 3,683 total private dwellings. This represents a 7.8% increase from its 2016 population of 5,495. With a land area of 206.9 km2 (79.9 sq mi), Brome Lake had a population density of 28.6/km2 (74.1/sq mi) in 2021.
Brome Lake, particularly the village of Knowlton, has been a chosen location for several film shoots. In 1968, Paramount Studios selected Knowlton to film the children's movie "My Side of the Mountain," an adaptation of a book by Jean Craighead George. Many scenes from the village were used, as well as a man-made pond at the corner of Chemin Paramount and Chemin Paige near Mount Glen. In 1975, Knowlton served as one of the filming sites for the Jodie Foster suspense film "The Little Girl Who Lives Down the Lane."
