Ayer's Cliff is a village on Lake Massawippi

Lake Massawippi

Lake Massawippi is a freshwater lake in Memphrémagog Regional County Municipality in the Eastern Townships region of Quebec, Canada. The Tomifobia River is the source of the lake at its southern tip, near the village of Ayer's Cliff, Quebec. In early records, the lake was also called "Lake Tomifobi"...

, near the mouth of the Tomifobia River

Tomifobia River

The Tomifobia River is a flowing body of fresh water in the Eastern Townships region of Quebec. The river forms a part of an international border between Canada and the United States near the village of Beebe Plain, Vermont.-Course:...

, part of the Memphrémagog Regional County Municipality

Memphrémagog Regional County Municipality, Quebec

Memphrémagog is a Quebec Regional County Municipality in Canada.-History:After the signing of the Treaty of Paris on September 3, 1783, the American Revolutionary War ended with the establishment of the state of Vermont. The border of Upper Canada was then defined at approximately 45 degrees north...

 in the Eastern Townships

Eastern Townships

The Eastern Townships is a tourist region and a former administrative region in south-eastern Quebec, lying between the former seigneuries south of the Saint Lawrence River and the United States border. Its northern boundary roughly followed Logan's Line, the geologic boundary between the flat,...

 region of Quebec

Quebec

Quebec or is a province in east-central Canada. It is the only Canadian province with a predominantly French-speaking population and the only one whose sole official language is French at the provincial level....

 located just north of the Vermont

Vermont

Vermont is a state in the New England region of the northeastern United States of America. The state ranks 43rd in land area, , and 45th in total area. Its population according to the 2010 census, 630,337, is the second smallest in the country, larger only than Wyoming. It is the only New England...

/Canada

Canada

Canada is a North American country consisting of ten provinces and three territories. Located in the northern part of the continent, it extends from the Atlantic Ocean in the east to the Pacific Ocean in the west, and northward into the Arctic Ocean...

 border.

Formed in 1909, the municipality of Ayer's Cliff still maintains its Anglo-Saxon

English people

The English are a nation and ethnic group native to England, who speak English. The English identity is of early mediaeval origin, when they were known in Old English as the Anglecynn. England is now a country of the United Kingdom, and the majority of English people in England are British Citizens...

 lustre from the late 18th century. Originally, John Langmaid of New Hampshire

New Hampshire

New Hampshire is a state in the New England region of the northeastern United States of America. The state was named after the southern English county of Hampshire. It is bordered by Massachusetts to the south, Vermont to the west, Maine and the Atlantic Ocean to the east, and the Canadian...

 acquired and settled the territory which he baptized under his own name as Langmaid's Flat. He ran a small hotel, welcoming visitors visiting from the United States

United States

The United States of America is a federal constitutional republic comprising fifty states and a federal district...

.

In 1799, a man named Thomas Ayer bought property to lay a rail line

Rail transport

Rail transport is a means of conveyance of passengers and goods by way of wheeled vehicles running on rail tracks. In contrast to road transport, where vehicles merely run on a prepared surface, rail vehicles are also directionally guided by the tracks they run on...

. When this was accomplished, the town took on the name Ayer's Flat. But this term – suggesting a swampy lowland – didn't bode well for the area's investment potential. And so, in 1904, "Cliff" became the town's suffix.

In the early 1910s and 1920s a number of wealthy Americans built summer estates in Ayer's Cliff. These included the railroad mogul Charles Keller Beekman, Chicago attorney David Leavitt Hough, Charles W. Parker, and George Fuller Parker, a close friend of President Grover Cleveland.

In the 1930s, the well-known American

United States

The United States of America is a federal constitutional republic comprising fifty states and a federal district...

 multi-millionaire sportsman Foxhall P. Keene

Foxhall P. Keene

Foxhall Parker Keene was an American thoroughbred race horse owner and breeder, a World and Olympic Gold Medallist in polo. He was rated the best all-around polo player in the United States for eight consecutive years, a golfer who competed in the U.S...

 maintained a seasonal residence at Ayer's Cliff, where he died in 1941. The American writer Upton Sinclair also spent time in Ayer's Cliff in the 1930s.

Today Ayer's Cliff and the surrounding region is home to a combination of seasonal and year-round residents. The village is the site of world-renowned luxury resort, the Ripplecove Inn, featured on CTV Travel's

CTV Travel

Travel + Escape is a Canadian English language Category A specialty channel owned by Glassbox Television. The channel is devoted to travel and adventure programming.-History:...

 Most Romantic Hideaways.

The annual Ayer's Cliff Fair

Ayer's Cliff Fair

Ayer's Cliff Fair is the common name for the Annual Exhibition of the .The first meeting of the Stanstead County Agricultural Society took place in 1845 and its main purpose was for farmers in the region to get together and exchange ideas on farming. Residents of this county would enter their farm...

has been a popular gathering place for Eastern Townshippers since 1845. It is a multi-day event that includes animal shows, rides, attractions and entertainment for all.

Language

Home language (2006)

Language	Population	Pct (%)
English only	610	58.37%
French only	410	39.23%
Both English and French	25	2.39%