Photo: busand2003 · CC BY 3.0An older town: 45% of Melbourne’s homes predate 1961
Melbourne has 2.6 times what the typical town has (18%). 14 places on the heritage registers lie within 25 km of Melbourne, the nearest Centre d'interprétation de l'ardoise, 2 km away. For the highest designations, the closest town is Richmond, 2.7 km off. The earliest of 3 people born in Melbourne before 1914 is Melbourne McTaggart Tait.
The old face of Melbourne
The past in one picture: one old photograph of the town. Open it full screen with a tap.
1910Public domain or CC0, made before 1950, from Wikimedia Commons; old views of places can be drawings, prints or maps of their time. Each credit opens the image’s page.
The places within 25 km of Melbourne lean to the years before Confederation
Places as far as 25 km from Melbourne, not in it, dated by the first construction year on their records.
Dated places within 25 km: 13. Before Confederation: 5. Église anglicane Saint-Paul, in Saint-Félix-de-Kingsey, is the oldest (1840).
Within 25 km of Melbourne, 3 top designations
They are spread over 7 towns, including Valcourt, Richmond and Danville. Count to 25 km and there are 14. Closest of all is Centre d'interprétation de l'ardoise, in Richmond, 2 km off.
The 12 nearest, within 25 km
| Centre d'interprétation de l'ardoiseMunicipal citation (Québec) · 1889 · 2 km away, in Richmond |
| Bureau d'enregistrement de RichmondClassified heritage building (Québec) · 1859–1860 · 2.1 km away, in Richmond |
| Canadian National Railway Station, Richmond, QuebecHeritage Railway Station · 1912–1913 · 2.8 km away, in Richmond |
| Moulin à laine d'UlvertonClassified heritage building (Québec) · 1849 · 10 km away, in L'Avenir |
| Moulin DenisonClassified heritage building (Québec) · 1850–1855 · 13 km away, in Danville |
| Église Saint-James de Durham-SudMunicipal citation (Québec) · 1897 · 14 km away, in Durham-Sud |
| Site du patrimoine de La PoudrièreCited heritage site (Québec) · 15 km away, in Windsor |
| Église anglicane Saint-PaulMunicipal citation (Québec) · 1840–1843 · 18 km away, in Saint-Félix-de-Kingsey |
| Église All Saints de Davidson HillMunicipal citation (Québec) · 1863 · 18 km away, in Durham-Sud |
| Maison HoustonMunicipal citation (Québec) · 1885 · 20 km away, in Danville |
| Maison Joseph-Armand-BombardierMunicipal citation (Québec) · 1915 · 20 km away, in Valcourt |
| Église Saint-Joseph-d'ElyMunicipal citation (Québec) · 1869 · 20 km away, in Valcourt |
Only 2.4% of Melbourne’s homes were built from 2016 to 2021 (4.1% is typical)
More than half of Melbourne’s housing predates 1981. Homes built from 1981 to 2000 make up just 14% of Melbourne’s, against 23% in the typical town. Building from 1961 to 1980 gave Melbourne 27% of its homes, near the usual 27%.
2021 Census, private dwellings by period of construction (Statistics Canada); the typical town is the middle Canadian town of 2,500 or more.
3 Melbourne births on record from before 1914
The longest life here was Frederick Simpson Coburn’s, 89 years, ending in 1960. Melbourne McTaggart Tait comes first, born in 1842. 4 Wikipedias cover Henry Aylmer, the most of anyone here. At the other end is Frederick Simpson Coburn, from 1871.
Everyone born in Melbourne → Born before 1914 (the page’s periods: Confederation to the First World War). Birthplaces from Wikidata, each checked against the person’s Wikipedia article.
Melbourne and its neighbours
| Town | People | Places | Highest | Oldest |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Melbourne | 1,128 | 0 | 0 | — |
| Richmond | 3,419 | 3 | 1 | 1859 |
| Cleveland | 1,624 | 0 | 0 | — |
| Durham-Sud | 1,041 | 1 | 0 | 1897 |
| Windsor | 5,368 | 1 | 0 | — |
| Saint-François-Xavier-de-Brompton | 2,650 | 0 | 0 | — |
| Saint-Félix-de-Kingsey | 1,550 | 1 | 0 | 1840 |
Melbourne in brief
Melbourne has 45% of its homes from before 1961, against 18% in the typical town. Its history in lives: Henry Aylmer (1843), Melbourne McTaggart Tait (1842) and Frederick Simpson Coburn (1871).
What this data can and can’t tell you
- Protection. In Québec, a classement or a municipal citation under the Loi sur le patrimoine culturel protects the building in law; a federal designation recognises significance and binds only federal owners.
- People and events. National historic persons carry no place in the open file. They appear on a town’s page when born there (same name, same birth and death years) or when a historic place inside it carries their name and its record names them with their dates; national historic events don’t appear.
- The federal register. The federal list is complete and open: Parks Canada’s directory for the designations, the Canadian Register of Historic Places for what each one is and why it matters.
- Québec’s register. Québec’s Répertoire du patrimoine culturel records the province’s classements and declarations and every municipal citation, each with a description and a point.
- The grade. There is no history grade: the page sets out the record and compares it with other towns.
- The tiers. Tiers follow the designation: national recognition and classement first, other federal designations next, provincial and local listings last.
Questions about Melbourne’s history
How many historic places does Melbourne have on the registers?
The registers have nothing inside Melbourne; Centre d'interprétation de l'ardoise, in Richmond, is 2 km away.
When did Melbourne become a municipality?
Wikidata dates the municipality of Melbourne to July 1, 1855. That can be its founding, its incorporation or a later merger.
How old are the homes in Melbourne?
45% predate 1961, where the typical town has 18%.
Contains information licensed under the Open Government Licence – Canada (Parks Canada).
Sources: Parks Canada, Directory of Federal Heritage Designations · Canadian Register of Historic Places (federal extract) · Wikidata (CC0) for map points, other names and articles · Statistics Canada, 2021 Census (homes by period of construction). Under the Statistics Canada Open Licence.
Adapted from Statistics Canada (Census of Population 2021, population estimates 2025, 2021 census boundaries) under the Statistics Canada Open Licence; this does not constitute an endorsement by Statistics Canada. Neighbourhood names in some cities © OpenStreetMap contributors (ODbL).