Living in Magog or Orford: How to Choose?

Magog and Orford sit side by side, share the same lake and the same mountain, and yet daily life is not the same in each. One is a real town on the shores of Lake Memphremagog; the other is a wooded township at the foot of Mont Orford and its national park. If you are torn between the two, here is what sets them apart day to day, and what to look at before you buy.

Two neighbours, two rhythms

People often mix them up, but they are two separate municipalities in the Memphrémagog RCM. Both are the same distance from Montréal, a little over 1 h 30 via Highway 10, and about thirty minutes from Sherbrooke. What changes is the everyday setting: the lake and rue Principale in Magog, the forest and the trails in Orford.

	Magog	Orford
Population (2021 census)	28,312 residents	5,007 residents
Signature	Lake Memphremagog and its downtown	Mont Orford and the national park
Hospital with emergency room	In town	In Magog, less than 10 minutes away
High school	École de La Ruche (and Princess Elizabeth, an English elementary school)	In Magog
Everyday life	Shops and services within walking distance	Cherry River area and chemin du Parc; the rest by car
Typical properties	Condos near the bay, neighbourhood homes, waterfront properties, rural land	Resort condos and homes, chalets in the forest, homes on the mountainside

Magog: the lake and town life

Magog is the full-service town of the Eastern Townships. You will find the hospital and the CLSC on rue Saint-Patrice Est, several elementary schools and École de La Ruche high school, grocery stores, restaurants and a lively rue Principale. The lake is part of everyday life: Plage des Cantons, the Pointe Merry promenade, and the cruises that reveal Mont Orford and Mont Owl’s Head. Le Vieux Clocher and the Musée international d’art naïf keep the town lively all year round.

It is the right choice if you want to do almost everything on foot, if you have school-age children, or if you want to live by the water without giving up services.

Orford: the mountain and the national park

Orford means the outdoors at your door. Mont-Orford National Park, run by Sépaq, offers the beaches of Lac Stukely and Lac Fraser, the Sentier des Crêtes, cross-country skiing and mountain biking. The Mont-Orford ski resort sits at the heart of the park, and two golf courses round out the offer. In summer, Orford Musique, founded in 1951, presents its concerts at Salle Gilles-Lefebvre.

The township is more wooded and more spread out: a good share of its properties are second homes, and for the hospital, the high school or a large grocery store, you head down to Magog. It is the right choice if the mountain and the quiet come before walking to the café.

Real estate: what to look at on each side

In Magog, the value of an address depends mostly on the view of the lake or Mont Orford, access to the water and proximity to downtown. In Orford, it depends on the mountain view, proximity to the national park and quick access to Highway 10.

Before you make a promise to purchase, a few checks make all the difference:

Winter access: the slope of the driveway, road maintenance (municipal or private) and the real driving time to services.
Services: municipal water and sewer, or a well and septic system, which are more common in wooded areas.
Short-term rentals: each municipality regulates them in its own way. Check the zoning, the condominium bylaws and the required registration before buying with that plan in mind.
Waterfront: the shoreline buffer strip, lake access rights and the dock.
Condominiums: the declaration of co-ownership, the minutes, the contingency fund and its study.

Who is Magog for? Who is Orford for?

A family with school-age children: Magog, for the schools, the hospital and nearby activities.
An active retired couple: both. Magog for walkable neighbourhood life, Orford for golf, trails and quiet.
A remote worker: both, as long as you check the Internet connection at the address you have in mind, especially in wooded areas.
A weekend chalet: Orford, at the foot of the slopes, or a condo near Magog’s bay.

BEAU’s advice

Visit both on a Tuesday evening in November, not just on a Saturday in July. It is outside the high season that you see the true rhythm of an area: who lives there, what stays open, what winter is like. And talk it over with a broker who knows both sides of the mountain: we will help you find the one that suits you.

Frequently asked questions

Are Orford and Magog the same town?

No. They are two separate, neighbouring municipalities in the Memphrémagog RCM. They do share some events, such as the Magog-Orford wine harvest festival (Fête des vendanges).

Where are the hospital and the high schools?

In Magog. The hospital, which has an emergency room, and the CLSC are at 50 rue Saint-Patrice Est. From most parts of Orford, it is less than 10 minutes away.

Which area should I choose for a chalet?

For skiing and trails, Orford, near the resort and the national park. For the lake and town life, a condo or a house near Magog’s bay.

Still undecided? Discover Magog, discover Orford, set up your real estate alerts or talk to a broker at BEAU The Real Estate Team. Thinking of selling? Request your free home evaluation.

Photo: Mario Hains, CC BY-SA 3.0, via Wikimedia Commons