Sherbrooke, Quebec
Benchmark housing price: $392,000
Population: 172,950
Surrounded by the quaint villages of Quebec’s Eastern Townships, this picturesque spot at the confluence of the Magog and Saint-François rivers gives New England a run for its money. There are 110 kilometres of bike paths snaking around the waterways, two public beaches and the 200-hectare Parc du Mont Bellevue, a pristine nature reserve with its own mountain.
Sherbrooke is a Goldilocks pick for buyers seeking a city with a small-town vibe. The median price for a single-family home is $392,000, or just over half the national figure. In neighbourhoods like Jacques-Cartier, these properties often come equipped with finished basements, verdant backyards and occasionally an inground swimming pool. The area is popular with families looking for historic homes, sprawling parks and views of the Lac des Nations.
While some properties in the area typically sell in the market of $600,000 to S1,000,000, there are plenty of single-family homes to be snatched up in the Vieux-Nord section, close to the Magog River, where price tags sit between $250,000 and $450,000. Those looking to trade a bit of space for walkability and access to nightlife and cafés should scout Sherbrooke’s downtown, where multiplexes reign supreme and three-to-four-unit buildings sell in the $400,000s.
Speaking of downtown: to spur densification, the city is rolling out a revitalization plan that includes more bike lanes and building on top of existing parking lots, with the goal of fighting sprawl and keeping development away from green spaces. There is also a slew of new developments, most notably the mixed-use Espace Centro project, which officially launched last June with office buildings hosting tenants like Ubisoft and local coffee roasters Faro, alongside 64 apartments.
The city has solid manufacturing roots, but it’s also betting on innovation: it’s emerging as a Canadian capital of quantum sciences. Here you’ll find DistriQ, an accelerator and quantum innovation zone that includes the Institut Quantique research centre at the Université de Sherbrooke. The National Research Council of Canada predicts that, by 2040, quantic science will create 220,000 jobs and generate $142.4 billion. Sherbrooke is in prime position to be in that driver’s seat.
Recently Listed
717 Rue de la Victoire
Price tag: $465,000
The place: A three-bedroom, two-bathroom house in the Rock Forest neighbourhood with a large workshop in the finished basement
175 Rue Darche
Price tag: $325,000
The place: A two-bedroom, two-bathroom semi-detached house with an open-concept layout and large back deck
