title: Stoke, Quebec
text: # Stoke, Quebec
  
  Stoke is a municipality in Le Val-Saint-François in the Estrie region of Quebec in Canada.
  
  The Sentiers de l'Estrie hiking trails provide access to Mount Chapman, the highest peak of the Stoke Mountains, and Bald Peak, at an altitude of 650 metres (2,130 ft).
  
  ## History
  
  Stoke was first known in 1792 as Cowan's Clearance in memory of Moses Cowan, who surveyed the land for the British Crown. The Township was abandoned until 1837 due to a lack of interest, and passed into the hands of the British American Land Company. In 1856, thanks to the Stoke Road and the road that would soon lead to Sherbrooke, the territory was opened to settlement.
  
  A testimony to the repeated efforts of its citizens, Stoke boasts the neo-Gothic Saint-Philémon Church (1892).
  
  ## Demographics
  
  ### Population
  
  | Year | Pop. | ±% |
  | - | - | - |
  | 1986 | 2,142 | — |
  | 1991 | 2,287 | +6.8% |
  | 1996 | 2,409 | +5.3% |
  | 2001 | 2,475 | +2.7% |
  | 2001A | 2,606 | +5.3% |
  | Year | Pop. | ±% |
  | 2006 | 2,708 | +3.9% |
  | 2011 | 2,765 | +2.1% |
  | 2016 | 2,955 | +6.9% |
  | 2021 | 3,014 | +2.0% |
  
  (A) adjusted figure due to boundary change. Source: Statistics Canada :
  
  ### Language
  
  Mother tongue (2011)
  
  | Language | Population | Pct (%) |
  | - | - | - |
  | French only | 2,680 | 96.9% |
  | English only | 45 | 1.6% |
  | English and French | 15 | 0.5% |
  | Non-official languages | 25 | 0.9% |
  
  ## Local government
  
  List of former mayors:
  
  * Bertrand Ducharme (2003–2009)
  * Luc Cayer (2009–present)
  