Hemmingford

Hemmingford is a township and village in Les Jardins-de-Napierville Regional County Municipality in Québec's Western Montérégie region. The municipalities have populations of 2,000 and 830, respectively, in 2021. Its primary attraction is an African safari park zoo near the US border. Known for their apple farms, Hemmingford is home to Petch Apple Orchards, one of the largest in Quebec.

Understand
The village of Hemmingford is surrounded by the Township of Hemmingford. The centre of the village is at the intersection of Route 219 and Route 202.

The township of Hemmingford is located due south of Montreal in the Jardins-de-Napierville in the Montérégie region, in the south-east corner of the former Huntingdon County.

The township's southern border is the Canada–United States border with Clinton County, in New York State.

History
Founded in 1799 by United Empire Loyalists, Hemmingford was colonised by the Irish, English and Scottish, and named for Hemingford village in Huntingdon County, England.

In 1852, the Montreal-New York Railway Company opened a line from Caughnawaga to Hemmingford, a 29-mile route. This line was the second railway to cross the Canada-US border, and contributed effectively to the development of the territory.

Since 2017, thousands of people have fled the United States into Canada across the border at Hemmingford and other places. These people are nationals of third countries who were afraid of being deported by the United States. Once in Canada, these migrants turn themselves in to police and claim refugee status.

Tourist information

 * Destination Hemmingford website

Get in
Les Jardins-de-Napierville is an easy day trip by car from Montréal. Autoroute 15 runs 60 km south from Montréal to Saint-Bernard-de-Lacolle, where it crosses the international border to I-87 in Champlain. I-87 continues south through Plattsburgh and Albany (New York) to New York City.

Hemmingford is west of the freeway; Lacolle is east.

Get around
Take the car. While a few portions of the safari park are pedestrian-friendly, others require an enclosed vehicle as protection against wild animals.

Buy
The town supports many commercial apple growers; cideries and wineries include Du Minot, Domaine du Salamandre, and PomiVerde.