Embrun is a community of 8,700 people (2011) in Ontario in Canada. Embrun is part of the National Capital Region, but it is usually considered to be part of Eastern Ontario.
It is between the towns of Casselman and Russell, about 30 minutes southeast of Ottawa.
Embrun is a growing town and new businesses and homes are being built. Embrun is one of the fastest-growing towns in Eastern Ontario by doubling its population in 25 years (Embrun had just 3,800 people in 1980).
Embrun is an unincorporated community. Embrun and the village of Russell form the municipality of Russell Township.
Embrun follows the small town stereotype of "everyone knows everyone". Many people know or have acquaintances with most other residents of the town. This is especially true among senior citizens. If you have any questions about how to get somewhere, then many people will be glad to help.
There are several social clubs which are very active in activities in the community such as the "Club Optimiste Club", Knights of Columbus, Octogone club, Carnival committee and Celebrons ensemble committee. These social clubs organize community related activities for children, young adults and seniors during the holiday season, during the "Embrun Carnival" (usually the last week of January each year) and "Celebrons ensemble" (yearly summer celebration of community). Activities are all sponsored by local businesses.
Embrun is mainly francophone. 60% of the town's population speaks French at home. Despite this, however, many signs are bilingual (although bilingual signs are not required in Embrun); in stores, cashiers will often understand English.
Even so, knowledge of a few basic words in French is useful. See the French phrasebook.
There is pretty much only one way to get to Embrun: by car. If you are coming from Ottawa, travel east (in the direction of Montreal) on Highway 417 (Trans-Canada Highway) and get off at Exit 88. The sign for Exit 88 says "Rockdale Road: Vars, Embrun". It takes about 25 minutes to get to Embrun from the Innes-Walkley area, 30 minutes from the St. Laurent area, 35 minutes from Orleans, 35 minutes from Downtown Ottawa, 40 minutes from the West End, and 50 minutes from Kanata.
If you are coming from Montreal, travel west (in the direction of Rigaud and Ottawa-Hull) on Highway 40. Once you hit Ontario, it will become Highway 417. Get off at Exit 79. The sign for Exit 79 says: "Limoges Road: Limoges, Embrun".
It takes about 90 minutes to get to Embrun from the West Island, 100 minutes from the Dorval/Saint-Laurent/Pierrefonds/Cartierville area, 110 minutes from the Mont-Royal/Centre-Ville area of Montreal, 115 minutes from Vieux-Montreal and 120 minutes from the Montréal-Est area.
OC Transpo route 222 has three buses each weekday afternoon from Slater St. in Ottawa ($4, 55 min) to the car pool lot in Vars. From there, it's a 10-minute taxi trip ($23-29) to Embrun.
Getting around Embrun by car is easy. Most of the town's tourist-related buildings and areas are accessible off the main road, called Notre-Dame Street. In addition, there are several parking lots along the road.
While harder, one can get around Embrun on foot. The downtown is fairly walkable, but in the rest of the town as well as the surrounding countryside it is impractical to walk. In the business park area in the western part of the town (near where Exit 88 hooks up with Embrun) there are many stores fairly close together, but the area is not very pedestrian friendly. A walk from one end of the town to the other can take almost an hour.
Travelling around Embrun by bicycle is quite convenient. In the western part of the town, a bike trail links several streets. In the central part of the town, a pedestrian lane on the side of Blais Street hooks up with the bike trail. From there, one can travel on Centenaire Street, a relatively traffic-free road, to get to the eastern part of the town.
Bicycle rentals are available at Vélo Xpress, located at 968 Notre-Dame Street. Vélo Express can be reached at +1 613-443-5500.
A rural area approximately 5 km (3 miles) west of St. Albert or 9 km (6 miles) south of Embrun.
A short drive from Embrun, Russell is a beautiful town with a more rural feel. From Embrun, drive 7 km (4½ miles) west on Notre-Dame Street; it becomes Castor Street and leads into the small town of Russell.
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