The construction of the Hemmings Falls hydro-electric dam in 1920 brought a new wave of industrial growth to the Drummondville area.
Several outlying municipalities have been amalgamated into Drummondville since the 1950s:
1955: Saint-Joseph de Grantham, Saint-Jean-Baptiste
In the 2021 Census of Population conducted by Statistics Canada, Drummondville had a population of 79,258 living in 36,727 of its 37,931 total private dwellings, a change of 5.1% from its 2016 population of 75,423. With a land area of 247.11 km2 (95.41 sq mi), it had a population density of 320.7/km2 (830.7/sq mi) in 2021.[9]
In 2021,[10] Drummondville was 92.7% White/European, 5.6% visible minorities and 1.7% Indigenous. The largest visible minority groups were Black (2.1%), Latin American (1.5%) and Arab (1.3%).
French was the mother tongue of 93.8% of the population. The next most common first languages were Spanish (1.4%), English (1.1%), and Arabic (0.9%). 0.7% of residents listed both French and English as mother tongues, while 0.4% listed both French and a non-official language.
71.9% of residents were Christian in 2021, down from 90.8% in 2011.[11] 64.4% were Catholic, 5.6% were Christian n.o.s, 0.8% were Protestant, and 1.0% belonged to other Christian denominations or Christian-related traditions. 26.0% of the population was non-religious or secular, up from 8.4% in 2011. Other religions and spiritual traditions accounted for 2.0% of the population, up from 0.8% in 2011. The largest non-Christian religion was Islam (1.7%).
Historical population
Year
Pop.
±%
1881
900
—
1891
1,955
+117.2%
1901
1,450
−25.8%
1911
1,725
+19.0%
1921
2,852
+65.3%
1931
6,809
+138.7%
1941
10,555
+55.0%
1951
14,341
+35.9%
1961
27,909
+94.6%
1971
31,813
+14.0%
1981
26,975
−15.2%
1991
35,462
+31.5%
1996
44,882
+26.6%
2001
46,599
+3.8%
2006
67,392
+44.6%
2011
71,852
+6.6%
2016
75,423
+5.0%
2021
79,258
+5.1%
*Note that historical populations are affected by amalgamations in 1936, 1938, 1955, 1966, 1982, 1993 and 2004.
Drummondville markets itself as Quebec's Capital of Expression and Traditions, with attractions focusing on culture, both past and present. The main attractions are the Village Québécois d'Antan.
Since 2008 Drummondville has hosted Festival de la Poutine, towards the end of August; during three days people are invited to attend concerts there, and to savour several kinds of poutine, a Canadian dish of provincial origin.[12]
From 1982 to 2017, Drummondville was home to the Mondial des Cultures, one of the largest folk dance festivals in the world.
Founded in 2017, Drummondville has also a huge amusement fun park named Laser Force which offers laser tag, indoor mini golf, arcades, virtual reality, indoor climbing and arcades. This 18000 square feet facility is located inside Swift Galey. [13]
Prior to the Voltigeurs, Drummondville was home to the Drummondville Rangers of the QMJHL from 1969 to 1974.
Drummondville also was host to several baseball teams in the Quebec Provincial League in the 1940s and 1950s. The Drummondville Tigers in 1940, the Drummondville Cubs from 1948-1952, the Drummondville Royals in 1953, and the Drummondville A's in 1954.
The Autodrome Drummond holds various automotive races throughout the summer season.
La Courvalloise is used for tubing, skiing, and snowboarding.
Economy
Drummondville is home to the Promenades Drummondville regional shopping mall which has 109 stores.[15]
Intra-city transit has been operated since 1987 by Drummondville Transit, which currently operates city bus services on six routes headquartered at the main bus terminal at Des Forges and Lindsay Streets. Service runs at half-hour intervals Monday to Saturday and hourly on Sundays.[17]
Passenger train service towards Montreal and Quebec City is provided by Via Rail. Drummondville is part of the high-traffic Quebec City–Windsor Corridor, and trains run at a rate of about five per day in either direction from the Drummondville railway station.
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