Montreal, Quebec
From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia.
[[image:Montreal-cathedral.jpg|thumb|300px|right|View of downtown Montreal, with the city's tallest building 1000 de la Gauchetiere; Marie-Reine-du-Monde Cathedral; and 1250 Rene-Levesque]]
- For other places named "Montreal", see Montreal (disambiguation)
Montreal is situated in the southwest of the province, approximately 200 km southwest of the provincial capital Quebec City and 150 km east of the national capital Ottawa, at 45°30N, 73°35W, in the Eastern Time Zone (UTC-5).
Montreal sits on the Island of Montreal at the confluence of the Saint Lawrence River and Ottawa River; the island divides the Saint Lawrence between the main channel and Riviere des Prairies. The city also includes a total of 74 nearby islands such as Île des Soeurs, Île-Bizard, Île Sainte-Hélène and Île Notre-Dame. The city occupies an area of 482.84 km2.
3,511,800 people (Montrealers; French, Montréalais) live in the greater Montreal area (Statistics Canada 2001), which includes the cities of Laval and Longueuil among others. The current mayor of Montreal is Gerald Tremblay.
Once the largest city in Canada, Montreal remains a vibrant major centre of commerce, industry, culture, finance, and world affairs. The majority of Montrealers are French speakers. As with all major North American cities, however, a great number of people do not speak the native language of the majority. About 18.4% of the population of the Greater Montreal Area are of allophone mother tongue and 13.8% are native anglophone. On the island of Montreal, the percentage of anglophones rises to 18.8% while that of allophones reaches 27.7%. A majority of allophones speak French or English as a second language. A May 2004 survey noted that 53% of the people in Montreal speak both French and English, while 37% speak only French and 7% speak only English.
While the official language of Montreal is French, services are also commonly offered in English in downtown and tourist areas as well as in areas designated as bilingual boroughs. The city has well-rooted Italian, Jewish, Greek, Arab, Asian, Hispanic, Haitian and Portuguese communities, as well as a sample of numerous other cultures from around the world.
| Table of contents |
|
2 Climate 3 Economy and Transportation 4 Places in Montreal 5 Education 6 Sports 7 See also |
History
Main article: History of Montreal An Iroquois fort, Hochelaga, was already on the island when Jacques Cartier arrived on October 2, 1535. Samuel de Champlain visited again in 1603, but the French did not settle until 1642, when a group of priests, nuns, and colonists under Paul Chomedey de Maisonneuve founded the village of Ville-Marie on May 17 of that year. One of the members of this group of settlers was Jeanne Mance, who, in 1644, founded the Hotel-Dieu, the first hospital in North America.
The village grew and became an important centre of the fur trade. It was the jumping-off point for the French exploration of the interior by such explorers as Jolliet, La Salle, La Verendrye, and Duluth.
The city was fortified in 1725 and remained French until 1760, when Pierre de Cavagnal, Marquis de Vaudreuil surrendered it to the British army under Lord Geoffrey Amherst.
A fire destroyed one quarter of the town on May 18, 1765.
The city remained populated by a majority of Francophones until around the 1830s. From the 1830s, to about 1865, it was inhabited by a majority of Anglophones, most of recent immigration from the British Iles or other parts of British North America.
The city's growth was spurred by the opening of the Lachine Canal, which permitted ships to pass by the unnavigable Lachine Rapids south of the island. Montreal was the capital of the Province of Canada from 1844 to 1849. In 1852, Montreal had 58,000 inhabitants.
From 1861 to the Great Depression of 1930, Montreal went through what some historians call its golden age. What is today Old-Montreal was then the most important economic center of the Dominion of Canada.
The Canadian Pacific Railway made its headquarters here in 1880, and the Canadian National Railway in 1919.
With the annexation of neighbouring towns, Montreal became a mostly Francophone city again by the end of the 19th century. The tradition to alternate between a francophone and an anglophone mayor began and lasted until 1914.
Its international status was cemented by the World's Fair in 1967 (Expo '67)and the summer Olympics in 1976. Montreal now constitutes one of the regions of Quebec.
As of January 1, 2002, the entire island of Montreal, home to 1.8 million people, as well as the several outlying islands that were also part of the Montreal Urban Community, were merged into a new "megacity". Some 27 suburbs as well as the former city were folded into several boroughs, named after their former cities or (in the case of parts of the former Montreal) districts.
Origin of the name
Montreal was named for the island of Montreal, which in turn was named for Mount Royal.
It is not certain how the name changed from Mont Royal to Mont Real. In 1556, Italian geographer G.B. Ramusio translated Mont Royal to Monte Reale in a map. In 1575, François de Belleforest became the first to write Montreal, writing:
- ... au milieu de la compaigne est le village, ou Cite royale iointe a vne montaigne cultivee, laquelle ville les Chrestiens appellerent Montreal..
- "In the middle of the field is the village or royal colony near a cultivated mountain. Christians call this town Montreal."
In the modern Iroquois language, Montreal is called Tiohtia:ke. Other native languages, such as Algonquin, refer to it as Moniang.
Notable Montrealers
- Gilles Archambault, novelist
- Melissa Auf Der Maur, rock musician (Hole, Smashing Pumpkins)
- Leonard Cohen, poet
- Ernest Cormier, engineer and architect
- Fifi D'Orsay, actress
- Mylene Farmer, singer
- Marc Gagnon, Olympic Gold Metal speed skater
- Huntley Gordon, actor
- Prudence Heward, Beaver Hall Group artist
- Florence La Badie, actress
- Mario Lemieux, ice hockey player
- Émile Nelligan, poet
- Oscar Peterson, jazz pianist
- Maurice Richard, ice hockey player
- Lili St. Cyr, strip-tease artist
- Mordecai Richler, writer
- Romeo Sabourin, SOE agent, WW II hero executed by the Nazis
- Douglas Shearer, Oscar winning motion picture sound engineer
- Norma Shearer, Academy Award winning actress
- William Shatner, actor
- Michel Tremblay, novelist, playwright
- Pierre Trudeau, former prime minister of Canada
- Rufus Wainwright, singer/songwriter
Climate
Thanks to competing climactic influences, Montreal's climate is extremely variable (both by season and from day to day) and is considered by its citizens a part of the character of the city.
Precipitation is common throughout the year, with extensive snowfall in the winter (usually about two metres per year) and regular rainfall throughout the year. Frequent thundershowers make summer the wettest season statistically, but it is also the sunniest.
Significant temperature fluctuations are common, especially during winter and the transition before and after. Maximum temperatures in winter are usually below 0° C, with minimum temperatures usually around -15° C, but falling as low as -30° C. In addition, the windchill can often make it feel even colder. In summer, the daily high averages around 25° C, but occasional heat waves can raise it as high as 35° C. Moderate to high humidity is common in the summer, making it feel even hotter. In spring and fall, temperatures and precipitation amounts are generally more moderate, although some snow in spring and fall is normal. Similarly, early heat waves as well as "Indian summer" are a regular feature of the climate.
Despite its challenging climate, the Montreal region supports a diverse array of plants and wildlife. The maple is one of the most common trees, and the sugar maple in particular is an enduring symbol of Montreal and Quebec, thanks to the production of maple syrup.
Economy and Transportation
Montreal is a major port city, being at the mouth of the Saint Lawrence Seaway which links it to the industrial centres of the Great Lakes. As one of the most important ports in Canada, it is a transshipment point for grain, sugar, petroleum products, machinery, and consumer goods. For this reason, it is part of the railway backbone of Canada and has always been an extremely important rail city.
The city has two international airports. The primary airport is Montreal-Pierre Elliott Trudeau International Airport (formerly Montreal-Dorval) in the Dorval-L'Île-Dorval borough, which serves all commercial passenger traffic. Further from the city is Montreal-Mirabel International Airport in Mirabel, which was envisioned as Montreal's primary airport but which now serves only cargo flights.
The Montreal Metro is a metro system, inaugurated in 1966 in time for the Expo 67 World's Fair held in the city the following year. See List of Montreal metro stations. Montreal is also served by a commuter rail system, which is managed and operated by the Agence metropolitaine de transport.
An important problem for Montreal is traffic, especially from off-island suburbs such as Laval on Île Jesus, and especially Longueuil on the south shore. The width of the Saint Lawrence River has made the construction of fixed links to the south shore expensive and difficult. Accordingly there are only four road bridges (plus one road tunnel, two railway bridges, and a metro line), whereas the Riviere des Prairies is spanned by eight road bridges (six to Laval and two to the north shore). See List of Montreal bridges.
Montreal industries include pharmaceuticals, high technology, textile and clothing manufacturing, electronic goods, transportation devices, printed goods, fabric, and tobacco.
Places in Montreal
The city's downtown area sits at the foot of Mount Royal, the origin of its name, whose forested top is a major urban greenspace. Southeast of downtown is Old Montreal, a historic centre with such attractions as the Old Port, Place Jacques-Cartier, City Hall, Place d'Armes, and Notre Dame Basilica.
Skyline of downtown Montreal, seen across the Saint Lawrence from Île Sainte-Hélène
| McGill College Ave. in downtown Montreal |
Montreal is a major centre of Quebecois and Canadian culture. It boasts a Museum of Fine Arts, a Museum of Contemporary Art, and a variety of historical, crafts, and specialized museums such as the Redpath Museum of Natural History and the Canadian Centre for Architecture. The Place des Arts cultural complex houses the Museum of Contemporary Art and several theatres, and is the seat of the Montreal Opera and usual residence of the Montreal Symphony Orchestra (which is scheduled to receive a new concert hall adjacent to Place des Arts). The east-end Olympic complex includes a modern ecology museum, an insectarium, and the Jardin Botanique de Montreal, one of the largest botanical gardens in the world (second only to Kew Gardens in England).
Nicknamed 'the city of saints,' Montreal is renowned for its wealth of beautiful churches. Mark Twain once remarked, "This is the first time I was ever in a city where you couldn't throw a brick without breaking a church window." The city contains four Roman Catholic basilicas: Marie-Reine-du-Monde Cathedral, Notre-Dame Basilica, St. Patrick's Basilica, and St. Joseph's Oratory. This last is the largest church in Canada, with the largest dome of its kind in the world after that of Saint Peter's Basilica in Rome. Other well-known churches include pilgrimage church of Notre-Dame-du-Bon-Secours (called the Sailors' Church), and the Anglican Christ Church Cathedral, which was completely excavated and "suspended" in mid-air during the construction of part of the Underground City. All of the above are major tourist destinations, particularly Notre-Dame and the Oratory.
Other notable buildings include the Biosphere (a geodesic dome) and Habitat '67, both legacies of Expo.
Montreal is the headquarters of the International Civil Aviation Organization, a United Nations body.
Montreal has a small Chinatown, just south of the city core. It is home to Chinese shops and restaurants, as well as a certain number of Vietnamese establishments.
Visitor's Guide
Montreal is informally known as a party city. This may be due to the number of students and pubs. Any first time visitor who is interested in Montreal nightlife should see two streets: Saint-Laurent and Saint-Catherine.
Saint-Laurent is a long north-south street known as "the Main" and has many diversions such as historical restaurants, pubs, and clubs. The street runs up close against the mountain and passes through the Plateau Mount Royal district (a recently gentrified area) Saint-Catherine is an east-west street that passes straight through the downtown core. There are many boutiques and restaurants, as well as strip clubs (which are legal and regulated in Montreal).
Generally, the Saint-Catherine straight caters to visitors from out of town and as such prices are higher. Saint-Laurent is where the locals go, so is probably a better investment.
Street system
As Montreal is on an island, the directions Montrealers use in navigating the city do not precisely correspond with compass directions, but are oriented to the geography of the island. The convention for the use of compass directions is that the St. Lawrence River flows west to east; in reality, it flows from the southwest toward the northeast.
North and south directions are defined as roughly perpendicular to the St. Lawrence River and the Riviere des Prairies. North is toward the Riviere des Prairies; south is toward the St. Lawrence River. On north–south streets, house numbers begin at one at the St. Lawrence River and increase to the north.
East and west directions are defined as roughly parallel to the St. Lawrence River and the Riviere des Prairies. East is downstream; west is upstream. Saint-Laurent Boulevard divides Montreal into east and west sectors. Streets that lie on both sides of Saint-Laurent Boulevard are divided into two parts, which have "East" or "West" appended to their names. Streets that lie on only one side of Saint-Laurent Boulevard do not generally contain a direction in their names. House numbers begin at one at Saint-Laurent Boulevard. East of it, numbers increase to the east; west of it, numbers increase to the west.
Odd numbers are on the east or north sides of the street; even, west or south. Numbered streets run north and south, and the street numbers increase to the east.
Education
Montreal has one of the highest per-capita populations of post-secondary students of any large city in North America, due to its five urban universities:
- Université de Montréal
- Université du Québec à Montréal (UQAM)
- McGill University
- Concordia University
- Ecole de technologie superieure
Sports
|
Olympic Stadium
|
- Montreal Alouettes, Canadian Football League
- Montreal Canadiens, National Hockey League
- Montreal Expos, Major League Baseball (National League)
- Montreal Impact, A-League Soccer
| North: Laval, Lachenaie, Repentigny | ||||
| West: Vaudreuil-Dorion, Ile-Perrot | Montreal | East: Longueuil | ||
| South: Kahnawake |
See also
| County Regional Municipalities of Quebec | |||
|---|---|---|---|
| Abitibi | Abitibi-Ouest | Acton | Antoine-Labelle | Argenteuil | Arthabaska | Asbestos | Avignon | Beauce-Sartigan | Beauharnois-Salaberry | Becancour | Bellechase | Bonaventure | Brome-Missisquoi | Charlevoix | Charlevoix-Est | Coaticook | D'Autray | Denis-Riverin | Desjardins | Deux-Montagnes | Drummond | Francheville | Gatineau | Joliette | Kamouraska | La Cote-de-Beaupre | La Cote-de-Gaspe | Lac-Saint-Jean-Est | La Haute-Cote-Nord | La Haute-Yamaska | La Jacques-Cartier | Lajemmerais | La Matapedia | L'Amiante | La Mitis | La Nouvelle-Beauce | La Region Serbrookoise | La Riviere-du-Nord | L'Assomption | Laval | La Valee-de-la-Gatineau | La Valee-du-Richelieu | Le Bas-Richelieu | Le Centre-de-la-Mauricie | Le Domaine-du-Roy | Le Fjord-du-Saguenay | Le Granit | Le Haut-Richelieu | Le Haut-Saint-Francois | Le Haut-Saint-Maurice | L’Erable | Les Basques | Les Chutes-de-la-Chaudiere | Les Collines-de-l'Outaouais | Les Etchemins | Les Iles-de-la-Madeleine | Les Jardins-de-Napierville | Les Laurentides | Les Maskoutains | Les Moulins | Les Pays-d'En-Haut | Le Val-Saint-Francois | Levis | L’Ile-d’Orleans | L'Islet | Longueuil | Lotbiniere | Manicouagan | Maria-Chapdelaine | Maskinonge | Matane | Matawinie | Mekinac | Memphremagog | Minganie | Mirabel | Montcalm | Montmagny | Montreal | Nicolet-Yamaska | Nord-du-Quebec | Papineau | Pontiac | Portneuf | Quebec | Rimouski-Neigette | Riviere-du-Loup | Robert-Cliche | Rocher-Perce | Rousillon | Rouville | Rouyn-Noranda | Saguenay | Sept-Rivieres | Temiscamingue | Temiscouata | Therese-de Balinville | Vallee-de-l‘Or | Vaudreuil-Soulanges | |||