This town, with a population of 13,000 is located at the foot of Mont Saint Hillaire. The community was first settled as part of the seignury of Rouville granted to Baptiste Hestel in 1694, and remained in family hands until 1844, which it was sold to Major Thomas Edmondon Campbell, secretary to the British Governor who ran an experimental farm that operated until 1942. The town has evolved with two centres, one along the Richelieu River, near the parish church, and the other to the southeast of the mountain, with a warmer micro-climate suitable for fruit farming.