| Ville de Montréal City of Montreal |
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| Nickname: 5-1-4, MTL, City of Saints | |||
| Motto: Concordia Salus ("well-being through harmony") | |||
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| Coordinates: | |||
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| Country | Canada | ||
| Province | Quebec | ||
| Region | Montréal | ||
| Founded | 1642 | ||
| Established | 1832 | ||
| Government | |||
| - Mayor | Gérald Tremblay | ||
| Area [1][2][3] | |||
| - City | 365.13 km² (140.98 sq mi) | ||
| - Urban | 1,677 km² (647 sq mi) | ||
| - Metro | 4,259 km² (1,644 sq mi) | ||
| Population (2006)[1][2][3] | |||
| - City | 1,620,693 (Ranked 2nd) | ||
| - Density | 4,439/km² (11,496/sq mi) | ||
| - Urban | 3,316,615 | ||
| - Metro | 3,635,571 | ||
| - Demonym | Montrealer (English), Montréalais / Montréalaise (French) | ||
| Time zone | Eastern (EST) (UTC-5) | ||
| - Summer (DST) | EDT (UTC-4) | ||
| Postal code span | H | ||
| Area code(s) | (514) and (438) | ||
| Website: Ville de Montréal | |||
Montreal, or Montréal in French,[4] (pronounced /ˌmɒ̃ɾeˈal/ in Quebec French, pronounced /ˌmʌntriːˈɑːl/ in Canadian English, and /ˌmɔ̃ʀeˈal/ in European French) is the second-largest city in Canada and the largest city in the province of Quebec. Originally called Ville-Marie ('City of Mary'), some historians think the city takes its present name from the Mont Réal (as it was pronounced in Middle French [5], or Mont Royal/Mount Royal in present French), the three-head hill at the heart of the city, whose name was also initially given to the island on which the city stands. Formerly the largest city in Canada, it is now known as the fourth largest French-speaking city in the world.[6] As of the 2006 Canadian Census, 1,620,693 people resided in the city of Montreal proper.[1] The population of the Montreal Census Metropolitan Area (also known as Greater Montreal Area) was 3,635,571 at the same 2006 census. In the census metropolitan area, French is the language most spoken at home by 70.5% of the population (as of 2006 census).[7] In 2007, Montreal was ranked as the 10th cleanest city in the world.[8]
Contents |
History
Archeological evidence suggests that various nomadic native peoples had occupied the island of Montreal for at least 2,000 years before the arrival of Europeans.[9] With the development of the maize horticulture, the St. Lawrence Iroquoians established the village of Hochelaga at the foot of the Mount Royal.[10] The French explorer Jacques Cartier visited Hochelaga on October 2, 1535, claiming the St. Lawrence Valley for France.[11] He estimated the population to be "over a thousand". Seventy years later, French explorer Samuel de Champlain reported that the St. Lawrence Iroquoians and their settlements had disappeared altogether from the St. Lawrence valley, likely due to inter-tribe wars, European diseases, and out-migration.[10] Champlain established in 1611 a fur trading post on the Island of Montreal, on a site initially named La Place Royale, at the confluence of Saint-Pierre river and St-Lawrence river, where present-day Pointe-à-Callière stands.[12].
In 1639, Jérôme Le Royer de La Dauversière obtained the Seigneurial title to the Island of Montreal in the name of the Société de Notre-Dame de Montréal to establish a Roman Catholic mission for evangelizing natives. Ville-Marie, the first permanent French settlement on the Island, was founded in 1642 at Pointe-à-Callière. Paul Chomedey de Maisonneuve would act as governor of the colony, and Jeanne Mance built the Hôtel-Dieu, Montreal's first hospital. By 1651, Ville-Marie had been reduced to less than 50 inhabitants by relentless attacks by Iroquois. Maisonneuve returned to France that year with the intention of recruiting 100 men to bolster the failing colony. He had already decided that should he fail to recruit these settlers, he would abandon Ville-Marie and move everyone back downriver to Quebec City. (Even 10 years after its founding, the people of Quebec City still thought of Montréal as "une folle entreprise" - a crazy undertaking.)[13] These recruits arrived on 16th November 1653 and essentially guaranteed the evolution of Ville Marie and of all New France.[13] Marguerite Bourgeoys would found the Congrégation de Notre-Dame, Montreal's first school, in 1653. In 1663, the Sulpician seminary became the new Seigneur of the island. Complementing its missionary origins, Ville-Marie became a centre for the fur trade and a base for further French exploration in North America. The bloody French and Iroquois Wars would threaten the survival of Ville-Marie until a peace treaty (see the Great Peace of Montreal[14]) was signed at Montreal in 1701. With the Great Peace, Montreal and the surrounding seigneuries nearby (Terrebonne, Lachenaie, Boucherville, Lachine, Longueuil, ...) could develop without the fear of Iroquois raids.[15] Ville-Marie remained a French colony until 1760, when Pierre François de Rigaud, Marquis de Vaudreuil-Cavagnal surrendered it to the British army under Jeffrey Amherst during the French and Indian War. The Treaty of Paris in 1763 ended the Seven Years' War and ceded eastern New France to the Kingdom of Great Britain. American Revolutionists under General Richard Montgomery briefly captured the city during the 1775 invasion of Canada.[16]
Montreal was incorporated as a city in 1832. The opening of the Lachine Canal permitted ships to bypass the unnavigable Lachine Rapids, while the construction of the Victoria Bridge established Montreal as a major railway hub. These linked the established Port of Montréal with continental markets and spawned rapid industrialization during the mid 1800s. The economic boom attracted French Canadian labourers from the surrounding countryside to factories in satellite cities such as Saint-Henri and Maisonneuve. Irish immigrants settled in tough working class neighbourhoods such as Point Saint Charles and Griffintown, making English and French linguistic groups roughly equal in size. By 1852, Montreal had 60,000 inhabitants; by 1860, it was the largest city in British North America and the undisputed economic and cultural centre of Canada. Montreal was the capital of the Province of Canada from 1844 to 1849, but lost its status when a Tory mob burnt down the Parliament building to protest passage of the Rebellion Losses Bill.
After World War I, the Prohibition movement in the United States turned Montreal into a haven for Americans looking for alcohol. Montreal became known as Sin City, due to the abundance of alcohol and burlesque shows, unrivaled in North America at this time.[17] Unemployment remained high in the city, and was exacerbated by the Stock Market Crash of 1929 and the Great Depression. Canada began to recover from the Great Depression in the mid-1930s, when skyscrapers such as the Sun Life Building began to appear. During World War II, Mayor Camillien Houde protested against conscription and urged Montrealers to disobey the federal government's registry of all men and women. Ottawa was furious over Houde's insubordination and held him in a prison camp until 1944, when the government was forced to institute conscription (see Conscription Crisis of 1944). After Montreal's population surpassed one million in the early 1950s, Mayor Jean Drapeau laid down plans for the future development of the city. These plans included a new public-transit system and an underground city, the expansion of Montreal's harbour, and the opening of the Saint Lawrence Seaway. Tall, new buildings replaced old ones in this time period, including Montreal's two tallest skyscrapers up to then: the 43-storey Place Ville-Marie and the 47-story Tour de la Bourse. Two new museums were also built, and in 1966, the Montreal Metro system opened, along with several new expressways.
The city's international status was cemented by Expo 67 and the 1976 Summer Olympics. The mid-1970s ushered in a period of wide-ranging social and political changes, stemming in large part from the concerns of the French-Canadian majority about the conservation of their culture and language, given the traditional predominance of the English-Canadian minority in the business arena. The October Crisis and the election of the separatist political party, the Parti Québécois, resulted in major political, ethnic and linguistic shifts. The extent of the transition was greater than the norm for major urban centres, with social and economic impacts, as a significant number of (mostly anglophone) Montrealers, as well as businesses, migrated to other provinces, away from an uncertain political climate. Bill 101 was passed in 1977 and gave primacy to French as Quebec's (and Montreal's) only official language for government, the main language of business and culture, and enforced the exclusive use of French for public signage and business communication. During the 1980s and early 1990s, Montreal experienced a slower rate of economic growth than many other major Canadian cities. By the late 1990s, however, Montreal's economic climate had improved, as new firms and institutions began to fill the traditional business and financial niches. As the city celebrated its 350th anniversary in 1992, construction began on two new skyscrapers : 1000 de La Gauchetière and 1250 René-Lévesque. Montreal's improving economic conditions allowed further enhancements of the city infrastructure, with the expansion of the metro system, construction of new skyscrapers and the development of new highways including the start of a ring road around the island. The city also attracted several international organisations to move their secretariats into Montreal's Quartier International: International Air Transport Association (IATA), International Council of Societies of Industrial Design (Icsid), International Council of Graphic Design Associations (Icograda), International Bureau for Children's Rights (IBCR), International Centre for the Prevention of Crime (ICPC) and the UNESCO Institute for Statistics (UIS). With developments such as Centre de Commerce Mondial (World Trade Centre), Quartier International, Square Cartier, and proposed revitalization of the harborfront, the city is regaining its international position as a world class city. Montreal was merged with the 27 surrounding municipalities on the Island of Montreal on 1 January 2002. The merger created a unified city of Montreal which covered the entire island of Montreal. This move proved unpopular, and several former municipalities, totalling 13% of the population of the island, voted to leave the newly unified city in separate referendums in June 2004. The demerger took place on 1 January 2006, leaving 15 municipalities on the island, including Montreal. In 2006, the city was recognized by the international design community as a UNESCO City of Design, one of the three world design capitals.[18]
Geography
Montreal is located in the southwest of the province of Quebec, approximately 275 kilometres (168 miles) southwest of Quebec City, the provincial capital, and 190 kilometres (118 mi) east of Ottawa, the federal capital. It also lies 550 kilometres (335 mi) northeast of Toronto, and 625 kilometres (380 mi) north of New York City. The city rests on the Island of Montreal at the confluence of the Saint Lawrence and Ottawa Rivers. The port of Montreal lies at one end of the Saint Lawrence Seaway, which is the river gateway that stretches from the Great Lakes into the Atlantic Ocean. Montreal is bordered by the St. Lawrence river on its south side, and by the Rivière des Prairies on the north. The city is named after the most prominent geographical feature on the island, a three-head hill called Mount Royal.
Montreal lies at the confluence of several climatic regions. Usually, the climate is classified as humid continental [19] or hemiboreal (Köppen climate classification Dfb). Precipitation is abundant with an average snowfall of 2.25 metres (84 in) per year in the winter. Regular rainfall throughout the year averages 900 mm (35.3 in). Summer is the wettest season statistically, but it is also the sunniest. The coldest month of the year is January which has a daily average temperature of −10.4 °C (13 °F) — averaging a daily low of −14.9 °C (5.2 °F), colder than either Moscow (-10 °C) or Saint Petersburg (-6 °C). Due to wind chill, the perceived temperature can be much lower than the actual temperature and wind chill factor is often included in Montreal weather forecasts. The warmest month is July which has an average daily high of 26.3 °C (79.3 °F); lower nighttime temperatures make an average of 20.9 °C (69.6 °F) thus air exchangers often achieve the same result as air conditioners. The lowest temperature ever recorded was −37.8 °C (−36.0 °F) on 15 January 1957 and the highest temperature ever was 37.6 °C (99.7 °F) on 1 August 1975.[20] High humidity is common in the summer which makes the perceived temperature higher than the actual temperature. In spring and autumn, rainfall averages between 55 and 94 millimetres (2.2 and 3.7 in) a month. Some snow in spring and autumn is normal. Similarly, late heat waves as well as "Indian summers" are a regular feature of the climate.[21] 2006 was noted as the only year in the history of Montreal where there was more rain than there was snow. There were 122.3 cm (48.1 in) of snow, and there were 1,225.0 mm (48.2 in) of rain. That year, Montreal received more rain than Vancouver, British Columbia.[22][23]
| Weather averages for Montreal, Quebec | |||||||||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Month | Jan | Feb | Mar | Apr | May | Jun | Jul | Aug | Sep | Oct | Nov | Dec | Year |
| Average high °C | -5.7 | -3.9 | 2.2 | 10.7 | 19.0 | 23.6 | 26.2 | 24.8 | 19.7 | 12.7 | 5.3 | -2.2 | 11.1 |
| Average low °C | -14.7 | -12.9 | -6.7 | 0.6 | 7.7 | 12.7 | 15.6 | 14.3 | 9.4 | 3.4 | -2.1 | -10.4 | 1.4 |
| Precipitation mm | 78.3 | 61.5 | 73.6 | 78.0 | 76.3 | 83.1 | 91.3 | 92.7 | 92.6 | 77.8 | 92.6 | 81.3 | 978.9 |
| Average high °F | 21.7 | 25.0 | 36.0 | 51.3 | 66.2 | 74.5 | 79.2 | 76.6 | 67.5 | 54.9 | 41.5 | 28.0 | 52.0 |
| Average low °F | 5.5 | 8.8 | 19.9 | 33.1 | 45.9 | 54.9 | 60.1 | 57.7 | 48.9 | 38.1 | 28.2 | 13.3 | 34.5 |
| Precipitation inch | 3.1 | 2.4 | 2.9 | 3.1 | 3.0 | 3.3 | 3.6 | 3.6 | 3.6 | 3.1 | 3.6 | 3.2 | 38.5 |
| Source: Environment Canada[20] 18 Dec 2006 | |||||||||||||
Demographics
| 1931 | 1,003,868 |
|---|---|
| 1941 | 1,116,800 |
| 1951 | 1,329,232 |
| 1961 | 1,747,696 |
| 1971 | 1,959,140 |
| 1976 | 1,869,585 |
| 1981 | 1,760,122 |
| 1986 | 1,819,670 |
| 1991 | 1,815,202 |
| 1996 | 1,775,846[24] |
| 2001 | 1,812,723[25] |
| 2006 | 1,854,442[25] |
According to Statistics Canada, at the 2006 Canadian census the city of Montreal proper had 1,620,693 inhabitants.[1] However, 3,635,571 lived in the Montreal Census Metropolitan Area (CMA) at the same 2006 census, up from 3,451,027 at the 2001 census (within 2006 CMA boundaries), which means a population growth of +1.05% per year between 2001 and 2006.[3] In the 2001 census, children under 14 years of age (618,855) constituted 18.06 percent, while inhabitants over 65 years of age (442,720) numbered 12.92 percent of the total population. Some 13.55 percent of the population are member of a visible minority (non-white) group. People of African descent contribute to the largest visible minority group in greater Montreal, numbering some 160,000 (4.5% of Montreal inhabitants), which is the second-largest community of African-origin people in Canada, after Toronto. Other groups, such as Arabs, Latin American, South Asian, and Chinese are also large in number. (Chart on ethnicity on the left includes multiple responses.[26])
| 1996[27] | 2001[28] | 2006[7] | |
|---|---|---|---|
| French | 71.2% | 72.1% | 70.5% |
| English | 19.4% | 18.5% | 18.5% |
| Other language | 13.4% | 13.1% | 14.6% |
| Note that percentages add up to more than 100% because some people speak two or more languages at home. | |||
In terms of first language learned (in infancy), the 2001 census reported that on the island of Montreal itself, 53% spoke French as a first language, followed by English at 18%. The remaining 29% percentage is made up of many languages including Italian (3.6%), Arabic (2.1%), Spanish (1.9%), Chinese (1.24%), Greek (1.21%), Creole (predominantly of Haitian origin) (1.02%), Portuguese (0.86%), Romanian (0.70%), Vietnamese (0.60%), and Polish (0.40%). In terms of additional languages spoken, a unique feature of Montreal throughout Canada, noted by Statistics Canada, is the working knowledge of both French and English by most of its residents. For this reason, it is often considered a bilingual city rather than a French speaking city.[29]
| Ethnic origin | Population |
|---|---|
| Canadian | 1,885,085 |
| French | 900,485 |
| Italian | 224,460 |
| Irish | 161,235 |
| English | 134,115 |
| Arab | 125,000[30] |
| Scottish | 94,705 |
| Jewish | 80,390 |
| Haitian | 69,945 |
| Greek | 55,865 |
| German | 53,850 |
| Portuguese | 41,050 |
| Romanian | 32,540 |
| Vietnamese | 26,105 |
| Armenian | 25,439 |
| Polish | 23,890 |
The city of Montreal is overwhelmingly Roman Catholic, however, church attendance in Quebec is among the lowest in Canada.[31]. Historically Montreal has been a centre of Catholicism in North America with its numerous seminaries and churches, including the Notre-Dame Basilica, the Cathédrale Marie-Reine-du-Monde, and Saint Joseph's Oratory. Some 84.56 percent of the total population is Christian,[32] largely Roman Catholic (74.51%), which is largely due to French, Irish, and Italian origins. Protestants which include Anglican, United Church, Lutheran and other number 7.02%, while the remaining 3.03% consists mostly of Orthodox Christians, fuelled by a large Greek population. Due to the large number of non-European cultures, there is a diversity of non-Christian religions. Islam is the largest non-Christian group, with some 100,000 members, the second-largest concentration of Muslims in Canada, constituting 2.96%. The Jewish community in Montreal has a population of 93,000.[32] In cities such as Cote St. Luc and Hampstead, Jewish people constitute the majority,[33] or a substantial part of the population. As recently as the 1960s the Jewish community was as high as 130,000. Political and economic uncertainties led many to leave Montreal and the province of Quebec.
Administration
The head of the city government in Montreal is the mayor, who is first among equals in the City Council. The mayor is Gérald Tremblay, who is a member of the Union des citoyens et des citoyennes de l'Île de Montréal (English: Montreal Island Citizens Union). The city council is a democratically elected institution and is the final decision-making authority in the city, although much power is centralized in the executive committee. It consists of 73 members from all boroughs of the city. The Council has jurisdiction over many matters, including public security, agreements with other governments, subsidy programs, the environment, urban planning, and a three-year capital expenditure program. The City Council is also required to supervise, standardize or approve certain decisions made by the borough councils. Reporting directly to the City Council, the executive committee exercises decision-making powers similar to that of cabinet in a parliamentary system and is responsible for preparing various documents including budgets and by-laws, submitted by the City Council for approval. The decision-making powers of the executive committee cover, in particular, the awarding of contracts or grants, the management of human and financial resources, supplies and buildings. It may also be assigned further powers by the City Council. Standing committees are the council's prime instruments for public consultation. They are responsible for the public study of pending matters and for making the appropriate recommendations to the council and its five constituent parts. They also review the annual budget forecasts for departments under their jurisdiction. A public notice of meeting is published in both French and English daily newspapers at least seven days before each meeting. All meetings include a public question period. The standing committees, of which there are seven, have terms lasting two years. In addition, the City Council may decide to create special committees at any time. Each standing committee is made up of seven to nine members, including a chairman and a vice-chairman. The members are all elected municipal officers, with the exception of a representative of the government of Quebec on the public security committee. The city of Montreal is only one component of the larger Communauté Métropolitaine de Montréal (English: Montreal Metropolitan Community or MMC), which is in charge of planning, coordinating, and financing economic development, public transportation, garbage collection and waste management, etc., across the metropolitan area of Montreal. The president of the CMM is the mayor of Montreal. The CMM covers 3,839 square kilometres (1,482 sq mi), with 3,635,700 inhabitants in 2005. Montreal now constitutes its own region of Quebec.
- See also: Districts of Montreal and Montreal borough
Culture
- See also: Festivals and parades in Montreal
A cultural heart of classical art and the venue for many summer festivals, the Place des Arts is a complex of different concert and theatre halls surrounding a large open-spaced square in the downtown. The Place des Arts harbours the headquarters of the Montreal Symphony Orchestra (OSM: Orchestre Symphonique de Montréal), which performs in its halls regularly. The OSM is one of the world's foremost orchestras, most remembered for the quality of its performance of the repertoire of Maurice Ravel under conductor Charles Dutoit. Since 2006, the OSM has a new conductor, the American Kent Nagano. L'orchestre métropolitain and the chamber orchestra I Musici de Montréal are two other well-regarded Montreal orchestras. Also performing home at Place des Arts is the Opéra de Montréal and the city’s chief ballet company Les Grands Ballets Canadiens. In contemporary dance, Montreal has been active, particularly since the 80s. Internationally recognized avant-garde dance troupes such as La La La Human Steps, O Vertigo, and the Fondation Jean-Pierre Perreault have toured the world and worked with international popular artists on videos and concerts. The intelligent integration of multi-discipline arts in choreography of these troops has paved the way to the success of the Montreal-based Cirque du Soleil. Montreal is the cultural centre of Quebec, and of French-speaking North America as a whole. The city is Canada's centre for French language television productions, radio, theatre, film, multimedia and print publishing. The Quartier Latin is a neighbourhood crowded with cafés animated by this literary and musical activity. The local English-speaking artistic community nevertheless contributes dynamically to the culture of Montreal, and intense collaborations exist between all Montreal communities. The result is a dynamic musical scene, ignited by the presence of numerous musical festivals, that melds different musical styles and traditions. English theatre struggled but survived with the Centaur Theatre. Ethnic theatre, by the 70s, began to be a force with the Black Theatre Workshop, the Yiddish Theatre established at the Saidye Bronfman Centre and the Teesri Duniya Theatre. In the late 90s, Montreal started becoming a veritable hotspot for low-budget independent English theatre with companies such as Optative Theatrical Laboratories, MainLine Theatre, Gravy Bath Theatre, Sa Booge, Persephone, Pumpkin Productions, and Tableau D'Hôte Theatre warming up the once lackluster scene.
Festivals
The plaza on Place des Arts is the home of the most important events during several musical festivals, including the Montreal International Jazz Festival and Montreal Francofolies, a festival of French-speaking song artists. During the seven-to-ten days that last each of the two festivals, shows are held in a wide variety of venues, from relatively small clubs to the large halls of Place des Arts. Some of the outdoor shows are held on cordoned-off streets while others are on terraced parks. The most popular festival, in terms of attendance, is the Just For Laughs Festival. A comedy festival held in both languages, it features comedians, humourists, and stand-ups from all over the world. The Montreal Fireworks Festival also attracts a lot of attention. On the evenings of competition, tens of thousands of people watch the fireworks for free on their roofs or from locations nearby the competition. Other festivals in Montreal include Pop Montreal, The Fringe festival and Nujaz. Annual family-oriented events promoting health and cycling are also organized in the streets of Montreal. Parades are also popular in downtown Montreal. The city is increasingly becoming known for its mainstream party festivals such as the Black and Blue Festival, the worlds largest gay-benefit dance festival, attracting thousands of tourists to the city every Canadian Thanksgiving weekend, which raises hundreds of thousands for HIV/AIDS and the gay community, as well as the Bal en Blanc held every Easter Sunday, also attracting thousands every year. Montreal is also the birthplace of the international infringement festival, itself an activist and anti-corporate reaction to the Montreal Fringe Festival, which now operates in many North American and European cities.
Night life
During the period of Prohibition in the United States, Montreal became well-known as one of North America's "sin cities" with unparalleled nightlife, a reputation it still holds today. In part, its bustling nightlife is attributed to its relatively late "last call" (3 a.m.), and its many restaurants and after hours clubs that stay open well on into the morning. The large university population (195,000 students), the drinking age of 18, and the excellent public transportation system (a network of night buses, some with service every 15 minutes, replaces the metro between 1:00 and 5:00 a.m.) combine with other aspects of the Montreal culture to make the city's night life unique.
Crescent
Crescent Street is "party central" for Montreal's tourist population, lying at the edge of the Concordia University campus. Throughout the summer, it features street fairs and festivals. The Formula 1 Canadian Grand Prix unofficially starts off Montreal's non-stop festival season in the summer. Crescent Street also features many clubs and bars. The clientele of Crescent nightclubs and bars are mostly students, tourists and in general a younger crowd looking for exhilaration and excitement. Most venues will play Top 40 music. The nearest subway stops are Peel, Lucien-Lallier and Guy-Concordia.
"The Main"
Boulevard Saint-Laurent (Saint Laurent Boulevard, known locally as "The Main" or "Saint Lawrence Boulevard") is one of the best places to find nightlife, with many bars and nightclubs and a wide range of restaurants. Saint-Laurent street night spots are often less mainstream than those on Crescent street, with a great variety: from Top 40 and urban music to electronica and techno, from underground and alternative rock to live bands. South of Prince Arthur Street, toward Sherbrooke Street, one is likely to encounter a "posher" clientele. From Prince Arthur Street north (to Avenue Mont-Royal and beyond), one should expect to rub shoulders with an "edgier" crowd. The nearest subway stops are Saint-Laurent and Sherbrooke.
Sainte-Catherine Street West
Another highly notable nightlife area is Sainte-Catherine Street West between Mackay St. and Peel St. where many nightclubs, bars, restaurants, movie theatres, shopping, and strip clubs are located.
The Village
Montreal is also one of the biggest gay destinations in North America with a flourishing gay village, and with one of the largest of its kind on the North American continent , which houses three of the city's most popular clubs, Unity, Parking and Sky, along with dozens of restaurants and shops.
Shopping
Saint Catherine Street and the downtown area once boasted Montreal's four prominent department stores: Eaton's, Morgan's, Ogilvy's, and Simpson's. Today, only Ogilvy's remains. However, the area remains a shopping destination, with many major retailers having large stores along the streets of downtown, including Holt Renfrew, Hudson's Bay Company, Les Ailes de la Mode, Levi's, Benetton, Zara, Crabtree & Evelyn, Chapters, Gap, American Eagle Outfitters, Banana Republic, Old Navy, Louis Vuitton, Tommy Hilfiger, Max Azria, Club Monaco, La Maison Simons, Hugo Boss, Archambault, Burberry, fcuk, Harry Rosen Inc., La Senza, Future Shop, HMV, lululemon athletica, Parasuco and Roots. H&M is still trying to find a proper location for it flagship store downtown. Additionally, many of Montreal's most prominent shopping complexes, including the Faubourg Sainte-Catherine, the Centre Eaton, les Cours Mont-Royal (a high fashion shopping mall), the Complexe Desjardins, the Complexe Les Ailes, Place Dupuis, Place Alexis-Nihon, Westmount Square, and Place Montreal Trust all make their home along this street. There are many other areas in the city for shopping.
- See also: List of malls in Montreal
Montreal cuisine
Perhaps no single contribution from the allophone communities is more perceived than in Montreal's culinary fabric. Italian, Greek, Portuguese and Jewish communities have contributed to the making up of Montreal's delicatessens and other restaurants. Jewish culinary contributions extended to two of the world-renowned smoked meat sandwiches and Montreal style bagels. Lebanese falafels and Japanese sushi have become appreciated cuisines. This wide variety of cuisines certainly participates to the fact that Montreal is one of the cities with the most restaurants in the world. Due to all of the above, Montreal and its culinary landscape was the focus of Gourmet magazine's March 2006 issue. Since its existence, the magazine has focused its attention on one city in an issue only five other times. Those issues focused on Paris, Rome, San Francisco, New York and London.
Architecture
For over a century and a half, Montreal was the industrial and financial centre of Canada. The variety of buildings included factories, elevators, warehouses, mills, and refineries which today provide a legacy of historic and architectural interest, especially in the downtown area and the Old Port area. As viewed from this riverside venue the striking buildings of Habitat 67 which was by architect Moshe Safdie, as he based his master's thesis from McGill University's on this monument in time and was built as part of Expo 67 exposition for technology in the future. Today there are also many historical buildings in Old Montreal still in their original form: Notre-Dame de Montréal Basilica, Montreal City Hall, Bonsecours Market, Saint Jacques Street with 19th century impressive headquarters of all major Canadian banks are some of the architectural landmarks of old Montreal. Saint Joseph's Oratory, completed in 1934, Ernest Cormier's Art Deco Université de Montréal main building, the Montreal Biosphère geodesic dome, the landmark Place Ville Marie office tower, the controversial Olympic Stadium and surrounding structures, are but a few notable examples of 20th century architecture. The Montreal Metro is filled with a profusion of public artwork by some of the biggest names in Quebec culture. The design and ornamentation of each metro station in Montreal is unique. Montreal has recently been listed as a UN sanctioned 'world capital of design'. The city is an absolute visual marvel, with the downtown divided into component pieces, each with a specific theme, style (or juxtaposition of styles) overall colour and material schemes etc.
Crime
The crime rate in Montreal has always been relatively low for a city its size, but there has always been above average robbery and drug-related offenses. Montreal's usual murder rate falls between 40-50 per year with the city mostly having problems with gangs. Montreal's most powerful criminal organization is, arguably, the Mafia. Active in Montreal since the early 1900s, the group has been able to develop a nearly impregnable hierarchy and establish international drug networks. The Mafia, along with the predominantly Irish West End Gang and the Hells Angels, make up Montreal's "Consortium". The group determines the price of drugs, the amounts that are imported, and who it is sold to. Vito Rizzuto is reputedly in control and leads an extremely powerful, secretive, and disciplined group. As a whole the metropolitan area is relatively safe, however, like every major city in North America there are some areas that should be avoided in Montreal in terms of crime rate and frequency. Saint-Michel, Montréal-Nord, Little Burgundy, Uptown , Park-Extension, Hochelaga-Maisonneuve, and parts of Notre-Dame-de-Grâce. Montreal has also been the scene of several school shootings including the Dawson College shooting, the École Polytechnique massacre and the Concordia University massacre.
Economy
Montreal is an important centre of commerce, industry, culture, finance, and world affairs.
Montreal industries include aerospace, electronic goods, pharmaceuticals, printed goods, software engineering, telecommunications, textile and apparel manufacturing, tobacco and transportation. The service sector is also strong and includes civil, mechanical and process engineering, finance, higher education, and research and development. In 2002, Montreal ranked as 4th largest centre in North America in terms of aerospace jobs.[34] The Port of Montreal is the largest inland port in the world. As one of the most important ports in Canada, it remains a trans-shipment point for grain, sugar, petroleum products, machinery, and consumer goods. For this reason, Montreal is the railway hub of Canada and has always been an extremely important rail city; it is the eastern terminus of the Canadian Pacific Railway and home to the headquarters of the Canadian National Railway. The headquarters of the Canadian Space Agency are located in Longueuil, southeast of Montreal. Montreal also hosts the headquarters of the International Civil Aviation Organization (ICAO, a United Nations body); the World Anti-Doping Agency (an Olympic body); the International Air Transport Association (IATA); the International Council of Graphic Design Associations (Icograda); the International Design Alliance (IDA); Gay and Lesbian International Chamber of Commerce, as well as some 60 other international organizations in various fields. It is also the leading Canadian city for its research output, fuelled in part by Montreal's four universities and numerous scientific research centres.
Montreal is also a centre of film and television production. The headquarters and five studios of the Academy Award-winning documentary producer National Film Board of Canada can be found here, as well as the head offices of Telefilm Canada, the national feature-length film and television funding agency. Given its eclectic architecture and broad availability of film services and crew members, Montreal is a popular filming location for feature-length films, and sometimes stands in for European locations. The city is also home to many recognized cultural, film and music festivals (Just For Laughs, Montreal Jazz Festival, e.g), which contribute significantly to its economy. It is also home to one of the world's largest cultural enterprises, the Cirque du Soleil. The video game industry is also booming in Montreal since 1997, coinciding with the opening of Ubisoft's studio in the area. As of today (2007), the city has attracted world leading game developers and publishers studios such as Ubisoft, EA, Eidos Interactive, Artificial Mind and Movement, Strategy First and many more, mainly because video games jobs have been heavily subsidized by the provincial government. Every year, this industry is generating billions of dollars and thousands of jobs in the Montreal area. Alcan, Bombardier, CN, CGI Group, Air Canada, CAE, Saputo, Cirque du Soleil, Quebecor, Power Corporation, Bell Canada, SNC-Lavalin, Hydro-Quebec, Abitibi-Consolidated, National Bank of Canada and many other corporations are headquartered in the Greater Montreal Area. In 2006 Montreal was named a UNESCO City of Design, only one of three design capitals of the world (with the others being Berlin and Buenos Aires). This distinguished title recognizes Montreal's design community. Since 2005 the city is also a home for the International Design Alliance and the International Council of Graphic Design Associations (Icograda).[35]
Sports in Montreal
- See also: List of Montreal parks
| Club | League | Sport | Venue | Established | Championships |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Montreal Canadiens | NHL | Hockey | Bell Centre | 1909 | 24 |
| Montreal Alouettes | CFL | Football | Percival Molson Memorial Stadium Olympic Stadium | 1946–87 1996–today | 7 |
| Montreal Impact | USL | Soccer | Stade Saputo | 1993 | 2 |
| Montreal Expos | MLB | Baseball | Olympic Stadium | 1969–2005 (Now Washington Nationals) | 0 |
| Montreal Royal | ABA | Basketball | Centre Pierre Charbonneau | 2005 | 0 |
| Quebec Cariboo | RCSL | Rugby | Dollard-des-Ormeaux | 1998 | 0 |
| Montreal Mission | NRL | Ringette | Various | 2004 | 0 |
Hockey
The biggest sport following in Montreal clearly belongs to hockey – and the city is famous for its hockey-hungry fans. The Montreal Canadiens are one of the Original Six NHL teams, and boast the greatest number of Stanley Cup championships at 24 (11 more than second place Toronto). The only other team in the four major North American sports leagues to have this many titles are baseball's New York Yankees, and their 26 titles.
Baseball
Montreal has a storied baseball history. The city was the home of the Montreal Royals before Major League Baseball came to town in the form of the Montreal Expos in 1969. They played their games at Jarry Park until moving into Olympic Stadium in 1977. After 37 years in Montreal, the team relocated to Washington, DC in 2005 and re-branded themselves as the Washington Nationals.[36] Montreal has also been slated to have a Can-Am League team beginning in 2008 to fill the void created by the departure of the Expos.
Football
The Montreal Alouettes of the CFL draw packed crowds at the small but picturesque Molson Stadium for their regular season games. Late season and playoff games are played at the much larger, enclosed Olympic Stadium, which will also play host to the 2008 Grey Cup. University football receives increasing support, with the McGill Redmen, Concordia Stingers, and Université de Montréal's Carabins playing in Montreal.
Soccer
The city's USL First Division soccer team is called the Montreal Impact. They will open their brand new soccer-specific stadium in 2008 when they move to Saputo Stadium. There has been talk of the team moving to Major League Soccer in time for the 2010 season.
Auto Racing
Montreal is the site of two high-profile racing events each year: the Canadian Grand Prix, and the Champcars Series. NASCAR also made its debut on August 4, 2007 with a stop in the Busch Series. The Formula 1 and NASCAR races take place on the famous Circuit Gilles Villeneuve on Île Notre-Dame, where the Champcar series also raced from 2002 until 2006. Starting in 2007, the Grand Prix of Mont-Tremblant took place at nearby Circuit Mont-Tremblant.
Tennis
Stade Uniprix (Uniprix Stadium) was built in 1993 and is used for the annual Rogers Cup Tennis Masters tournament. The ATP men's tennis tour and the Sony Ericsson WTA women's tennis tour switch between Montreal and Toronto every year. (In 2007, the women's was played in Toronto, and the men's was played in Montreal)
Montreal Olympic Games
Montreal was the host of the 1976 Summer Olympics. The Montreal Games were the most expensive in Olympic history, costing over $5 billion (equivalent to $20 billion in 2006); bad planning led to the Games' cost far exceeding the budget, and the city just finished paying the debt off in December 2006. However, the games were still considered an immense success in the eyes of the IOC, and it furthered Montreal's reputation on the world stage. For a time, it seemed that the Olympic Games might no longer be a viable financial proposition. There was also a boycott by African nations to protest against a recent tour of apartheid-run South Africa by a New Zealand rugby side. The Romanian gymnast Nadia Comaneci won the women's individual all around gold medal with two of four possible perfect scores, thus giving birth to a gymnastics dynasty in Romania. Another female gymnast to earn the perfect score and three gold medals there was Nellie Kim of the USSR. Montreal hosted the first ever World Outgames in the summer of 2006, attracting over 16,000 participants engaged in 35 sporting activities. They were the biggest sporting event in the city since the Summer Olympics of 1976. The Montreal games of the FIFA 2007 FIFA U-20 World Cup were held at Olympic Stadium.[37] Five beaches around the island, in addition to a network of parks that include one on the Mont Royal, offer a set of recreational activities enjoyed by the local population.
Transportation
- See also: Montreal roads
Montreal is a transportation hub for eastern Canada, with well-developed air, road, rail, and maritime links to the rest of Canada, as well as the United States and Europe.
Air
Montreal has two international airports, one for passenger flight