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Montreal

2007 Schools Wikipedia Selection. Related subjects: North American Geography

   City of Montreal, Québec, Canada (Ville de Montréal, Québec, Canada)

Official flag of City of Montreal, Québec, Canada
                       Flag

                                                  Coat of arms of City of Montreal, Québec, Canada
                                Coat of arms

   Motto: Concordia Salus
   City of Montreal and enclave municipalities
   Coordinates: 45°30′N 73°40′W
   Country Canada
   Province Quebec
   Founded 1642
   Established 1832
   City Mayor Gérald Tremblay
   Area
    - City 366.02** km²  (141.3  sq mi)
    - Metro 4,047 km² (1,563 sq mi)
   Population
    - City (2001) 1,583,590**
    - Density 4,326.5/km² (11,205.6/sq mi)
    - Urban 3,015,665
    - Metro 3,635,700
     Metro population est. 2005
   Time zone Eastern (EST) ( UTC-5)
    - Summer ( DST) EDT ( UTC-4)
   Postal code span H
   Area code(s) 514/438/ 450
   **Area and city population figures reflect the new 2006 demerged city
   territory
   Website: Ville de Montréal

   Montreal, or Montréal in French, ( pronounced /ˌmʌntɹiˈɑːl/ in Canadian
   English, /mɔ̃ʀeal/ in International French, and /mɒ̃ɾeal/ in some
   varieties of Quebec French) is the second largest city in Canada and
   the largest city in the province of Quebec. It is the largest French
   speaking city in the Western Hemisphere, and is the French language hub
   outside of France. At the 2001 Canadian Census, 1,588,590 people lived
   on the current territory of the city of Montreal proper (new 2006
   demerged territory/the island of Montreal is about 1,900,000). The
   population of the Montreal Census Metropolitan Area (also known as
   Greater Montreal Area) is estimated at 3,720,000 in 2006. Montreal is
   ranked as the 15th-largest metropolitan area in Northern America and
   77th in the world. In 2006, both Traveler's Digest and AskMen.com
   ranked Montreal as the number one city in the world to live in for its
   culture, architecture, history and ambience.

History

French rule

   Huron, Algonquin, and Iroquois have inhabited the Montreal area for
   some eight thousand years. The first European to reach the area was the
   French Jacques Cartier, when he entered the village of Hochelaga on the
   Island of Montreal on October 2, 1535.

   Seventy years later, Samuel de Champlain arrived on the island but the
   village of Hochelaga no longer existed. In 1611 he established La Place
   Royale, a fur trading post on the Island of Montreal, but the local
   Iroquois successfully defended their land. The first permanent European
   settlement on the Island of Montreal was created in 1639 by a French
   tax collector named Jérôme Le Royer. Missionaries Paul Chomedey de
   Maisonneuve, Jeanne Mance and a few French colonists founded the Ville
   Marie Roman Catholic mission on May 17, 1642.

   Ville Marie became a centre for the fur trade and a base for further
   exploration into New France. The Iroquois continued their attacks on
   the settlement until a peace treaty (the Great Peace, see French and
   Iroquois Wars and ) was signed in 1701. After the Great Peace, the
   French had in fact eliminated the last Amerindian threat to their
   settlements. Montreal and the seigneuries nearby (Terrebonne,
   Lachenaie, Boucherville, Lachine, Longueuil, ...) could then start
   developing without the fear of Iroquois raids.

   However, war was soon to resume, this time with a formidable new enemy,
   namely the British. Ville-Marie remained French until 1760, when Pierre
   François de Rigaud, Marquis de Vaudreuil-Cavagnal surrendered it to the
   British army under Jeffrey Amherst. Fire destroyed one quarter of the
   town on May 18, 1765.

British rule

   The Treaty of Paris in 1763 ended the Seven Years' War and ceded New
   France to the Kingdom of Great Britain. For several months American
   Revolutionists held the city in 1775; they left peacefully. By this
   time, now named Montreal, the city had started to grow from
   English-speaking immigration mostly from the Thirteen colonies. Soon
   after, the golden era of fur trading began in the city with the advent
   of the locally owned North West Company, the main rival to the
   primarily British Hudson's Bay Company.

   Montreal was incorporated as a city in 1832. The city's growth was
   further spurred by the opening of the Lachine Canal, which permitted
   ships to bypass the unnavigable Lachine Rapids south (upstream) of the
   island. Montreal was the capital of the United Province of Canada from
   1844 to 1849, which attracted more English-speakers (now referred to as
   Anglophones) to the city, making the two linguistic groups roughly
   equal in size. The resulting increased English-speaking community built
   one of Canada's first universities, McGill, and the wealthy merchant
   classes began building large mansions at the foot of Mont Royal.

   During British rule Montreal surpassed Quebec City, and became the seat
   of financial and political power for both English and French speaking
   communities of Canada, a position it held for many years.

After Confederation (1867)

   In 1852, Montreal had 58,000 inhabitants; by 1860, it was the largest
   city in British North America and the undisputed economic and cultural
   centre of Canada. With the annexation of neighbouring towns between
   1883 and 1918, Montreal became a mostly Francophone city again.
   The Montreal courthouse in 1880.
   Enlarge
   The Montreal courthouse in 1880.

   After World War I, the Prohibition movement in the United States turned
   Montreal into a haven for Americans looking for alcohol. 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 ignore the federal government's
   registry of all men and women. Ottawa was furious over Houde's
   insubordination and put him in a prison camp until 1944, when the
   government was forced to institute conscription (see Conscription
   Crisis of 1944).

   Hundreds of Catholic churches were built as the population grew. This
   fact explains a few of Montreal's former nicknames: "the city of
   Saints" and "La ville aux cent clochers" (the city of a hundred
   belltowers).

Post-war

   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 metro system and an underground city,
   the expansion of Montreal's harbour, and the opening of the Saint
   Lawrence Seaway. New buildings were built on top of old ones in this
   time period, including Montreal's two tallest skyscrapers up to then:
   the 43-storey Place Ville-Marie and the 47-storey Tour de la Bourse.
   Two new museums were also built, and finally in 1966, the metro opened,
   along with several new expressways.

   The city's international status was cemented by Expo '67 and the Summer
   Olympics in 1976.

   In the mid-1970s, following the October Crisis and also due to economic
   and political shifts after the election of the sovereigntist Parti
   Québécois, Montreal's linguistic and ethnic composition underwent a
   period of transition greater than the norm for urban centres, as many
   (mostly Anglophone) Montrealers migrated to other provinces. 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 use of French for public signage
   and business communication.

   Throughout the recessions of the 1980s and well into the 1990s,
   Montreal experienced a relatively slow rate of job growth compared to
   other major Canadian cities. By the mid 90s, though, Montreal's economy
   stabilized, and new companies and institutions have risen to fill the
   usual business and financial niches. As the city celebrated its 350th
   anniversary in 1992, the construction of two new skyscrapers: 1000 de
   La Gauchetière and 1250 René-Lévesque was begun. Montreal's favourable
   economic conditions allowed further improvements in infrastructure,
   with the expansion of the metro system, construction of new skyscrapers
   and the development of a ring road around the island.

   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 to be unpopular, and several former municipalities totalling 13%
   of the population of the Island of Montreal voted to leave the newly
   unified city in separate referendums which took place on 20 June 2004.
   The demerger took place on 1 January 2006, leaving 16 municipalities on
   the Island of Montreal, including Montreal.

Geography

Overview

   Montreal is located in the southwest of the province of Quebec,
   approximately 270 kilometres (168  miles) southwest of Quebec City, the
   provincial capital, and 190 kilometres (118 mi) east of Ottawa, the
   federal capital. It also lies 539 kilometres (335 mi) northeast of
   Toronto,and 610 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
   St. 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.

Climate

   Winter in Montreal sometimes brings large amounts of snow.
   Enlarge
   Winter in Montreal sometimes brings large amounts of snow.
   McTavish Street on a foggy day
   Enlarge
   McTavish Street on a foggy day

   Montreal lies at the confluence of several climatic regions and thus
   the climate in Montreal varies greatly.

   Precipitation is abundant with an average snowfall of 2.14 metres (84
   in) per year in the winter. It snows on average more in Montreal, than
   Moscow, Russia. Regular rainfall throughout the year averages 897
   millimetres (35.3 in). Each year the city government spends more than
   C$50 million on snow removal. 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). 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 a daily average temperature of 20.9 °C (69.6 °F) — averaging a
   daily high of 26.3 °C (79.3 °F). 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. Moderate to high humidity
   is common in the summer. 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.
   Weather averages for Montreal, Quebec
   Month Jan Feb Mar Apr May Jun Jul Aug Sep Oct Nov Dec Year
   Avg high °F 21 24 35 51 65 73 79 76 66 54 41 27 51
   Avg low °F 7 10 21 35 47 56 61 59 50 39 29 13 36
   Avg high °C -6 -4 1 10 18 22 26 24 18 12 5 -2 10
   Avg low °C -13 -12 -6 1 8 13 16 15 10 3 -1 -10 2
   Precipitation (in) 2.8 2.6 2.8 2.9 2.7 3.3 3.4 3.6 3.3 3.0 3.5 3.4 37.3
   Precipitation (cm) 7 6 7 7 6 8 8 9 8 7 8 8 94
   Source: Weatherbase Nov 2006

Botanics

   Despite its widely varying 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.

Demographics

   Ethnic origin Population Percent
   Canadian      1,885,085  55.76%
   French        900,485    26.63%
   Italian       224,460    6.63%
   Irish         161,235    4.76%
   English       134,115    3.96%
   Scottish      94,705     2.80%
   Jewish        80,390     2.37%
   Haitian       69,945     2.06%
   Greek         55,865     1.65%
   German        53,850     1.59%

Origins

   According to Statcan, in 2001, the city of Montreal had 1,583,590
   inhabitants. However, 3,635,700 live in the metropolitan area as of
   2005 up from 3,426,350. 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 perent of the population are member of a visible minority
   (non-white) group. Blacks contribute to the largest minority group,
   numbering some 140,000 (4.12% of Montreal inhabitants), which is the
   second largest community of Blacks in Canada, after Toronto. Other
   groups, such as Arabs (now estimated at 100,000 people), Latin
   American, South Asian, and Chinese are also large in number. (Chart on
   ethnicity on the left includes multiple responses

Religions

   The city of Montreal is overwhelmingly Roman Catholic, which is unusual
   for many North American cities of its size. However, this is merely due
   to the fact that many people associate with Catholicism as part of
   their cultural heritage; in reality, church attendance is the lowest in
   Canada. Montreal society is one of the most secular in North America.
   Some 84.56 percent of the total population is Christian, largely Roman
   Catholic (74.51%), which is largely due to French, Italian and Irish
   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 90,000 . In some neighbourhoods of Montreal such as Cote
   St. Luc, Hampstead, and Dollard des Ormeaux, Jewish people consitute
   the majority , or a substantial part of the population. Other religions
   such as Buddhism, and Hinduism are present, but much smaller.

Languages

   The predominant language in Montreal is French, although other langages
   are spoken by some residents. In 2001, 67.29% spoke French as a first
   language, followed by English speakers numbering 12.07%. The remaining
   percentage (20.64%) is made up mostly of other Indo-European languages
   such as Italian speakers (100,000), Portuguese, Greek, German, Spanish,
   Polish, Russian, Romanian, and Hindi. Other languages include Arabic,
   Armenian, and Chinese (note that many of these speakers speak French as
   a second language). On the island of Montreal itself, these numbers
   change and Francophones constitute only 53% of the population, with the
   balance of 18% Anglophones and 29% Allophones. A remarkable and unique
   feature of Montreal throughout Canada, as noticed by Statistics Canada,
   is the working knowledge of both French and English by a majority of
   its residents. Also, more immigrants speak French than ever, a trend
   that started after the introduction of the French language legislation
   during the 1970s.

Administration

   The Metropolitan Community of Montreal
   Enlarge
   The Metropolitan Community of Montreal

   The head of the city government in Montreal is the mayor, who is first
   among equals in the City Council. The current 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 primary decision-making
   authority in the city. It currently 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 the decision-making powers appropriate to it 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 instruments for public
   consultations. 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 current 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, 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.

Culture

Arts

   The cultural heart of classical art and the epicenter of many summer
   festivals, the Place-des-Arts is a complex of different concert and
   theatre halls surrounding a large open-spaced square in downtown. The
   Place-des-Arts harbors the headquarters of Montreal Symphony Orchestra
   (MSO), which perform in its halls regularly. The MSO is one of the top
   performance troops in North America, most remembered for the quality
   performance of the repertoire of Maurice Ravel. Since 2006, the MSO has
   a new conductor, the American Kent Nagano. L'orchestre metropolitain
   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, the most prestigious opera
   company in Montreal, and the city’s chief ballet company Les Grands
   Ballets Canadiens. In contemporary dance, Montreal has been a leading
   turning plate, particularly in 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 during 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 hub for French language television
   productions, radio, theater, film, multimedia and print publishing. It
   is therefore not surprising that the local musical, literature, and
   theater scenes in Montreal are dominated by French-speaking artists.
   The Quartier Latin is a neighbourhood crowded of 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 melts different musical
   styles and traditions, of which Arcade Fire is a good example. 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.

Festivals

   See Festivals and parades in Montreal

   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, humorists, 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.

Night life and restaurants

   Montreal's night life is particularly dynamic. The most active
   neighborhoods then are rue St-Laurent, Downtown ( Crescent Street,
   Sainte-Catherine Street), Quartier Latin ( Saint Denis Street), and
   Plateau Mont-Royal. Restaurants in Montreal are particularly rich of
   the contributions from the different cultural communities that live in
   the city. Jewish culinary contributions extended to two of the
   world-renowned smoked meat sandwiches and Montreal style bagels.

Economy

   Tour de la Bourse
   Enlarge
   Tour de la Bourse

   Montreal is an important centre of commerce, industry, culture,
   finance, and world affairs.

   Montreal industries include telecommunications, pharmaceuticals, high
   technology, finance, textile and clothing manufacturing, higher
   education, electronic goods, software engineering, building and city
   engineering, transportation devices, printed goods, aerospace and
   tobacco.

   Montreal is a major port city along the Seaway, a deep-draft inland
   waterway links it to the industrial centres of the Great Lakes. It is
   still 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, it 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); and the
   International Air Transport Association (IATA); as well as some 60
   other international organizations in various fields.

   Montreal is also a centre of film and television production, primarily
   but not exclusively for French Canadian productions. 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 several distinct film and
   music festivals which contribute significantly to its economy.

Sports

   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.

   Montreal is also the site of two high-profile racing events each year:
   the Canadian Grand Prix, and the Molson Indy Montreal of the Champcars
   Series. Both races take place at the Circuit Gilles Villeneuve on Île
   Notre-Dame. As of 2006, NASCAR is also rumoured to be in talks with
   city officials and the track promoter about a possible racedate, most
   likely for the Busch Series at first and possibly the Nextel Cup down
   the road.

   The Montreal Alouettes of the CFL draw packed crowds at the small but
   picturesque Molson Stadium. Although university football has long been
   popular with Anglo Montrealers, who support the McGill Redmen,
   Concordia Stingers, and Bishop's Gaters, enthusiastic Francophone
   crowds also enjoy the University of Montreal's Carabins "en français".

   The city's current USL First Division soccer team is called the
   Montreal Impact.

   In 2006, Montreal was expected to attract some 16,000 LGBT athletes,
   who will participate in the first-ever GLISA World Outgames. The
   Outgames are being hailed as the largest international event in the
   city of Montreal since the 1976 Olympics.

   The Montreal games of the FIFA U-20 World Cup Canada 2007 will be held
   at the Olympic Stadium. This will be the 16th edition of the soccer
   championship

   Montreal was the home of a major league baseball team, the Montreal
   Expos, named after the 1967 World's Fair, and began playing in Montreal
   in 1969. However, due to lack of support, dismal attendance and other
   financial factors, the team moved to Washington, DC in 2005, where it
   was re-named the Washington Nationals.,

   Montreal has been slated to have a Can-Am League team beginning in
   2008.

Current professional franchises

   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 Complexe sportif Claude-Robillard 1993 2
   Montreal Matrix ABA Basketball Centre Pierre Charbonneau 2005 0
   Montreal Mission NRL Ringette Various 2004 0

Recreational sports

Beaches

   There are five beaches around the island.
     * Cap St. Jacques Nature Park
     * Bois-de-L’Ile Bizard Nature Park
     * Jean Drapeau Park Beach
     * Pointe Calumet Beach Club
     * Oka Beach

   The Quebec Ministry of Environment tests the beaches for pollutants,
   Rated “A” to “D”.

Cycling

   Montreal has an well developed network of bicycle paths.

   Bike rentals are available at the Old Port of Montreal (also
   quadricycles, inline skates, children trailers, and segways).

Transportation

   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.

Public transit

   Montreal's McGill Metro Station.
   Enlarge
   Montreal's McGill Metro Station.

   The city is served by a network of buses and subway and commuter trains
   that extend across and off the island. The current subway and bus
   system is operated by the Société de transport de Montréal, and buses
   off-island are operated by the Société de transport de Laval and the
   Réseau de transport de Longueuil in their respective territories. The
   commuter rail system is managed and operated by the Agence
   métropolitaine de transport, and extends across several municipalities.

   The STM bus network consists of 169 daytime and 20 night-time service
   routes, and provides adapted transport and limited
   wheelchair-accessible buses.
   Metropolitain entrance to Square-Victoria station by Hector Guimard.
   Enlarge
   Metropolitain entrance to Square-Victoria station by Hector Guimard.

   Each station of the Montreal Metro was designed by different architects
   with individual themes and features original artwork, and the trains
   themselves run on rubber tires, making the system quieter than most. It
   has 65 stations spread out along four lines. It was inaugurated in 1966
   and completed in time for Expo 67. The project was initiated by
   Montreal Mayor Jean Drapeau, who also brought the Olympics to Montreal
   in 1976. The metro system has long had a station on the South Shore in
   Longueuil, and is currently being extended into Laval, north of
   Montreal. Three new stations are scheduled to be opened in 2007,
   several months late and several hundred million dollars over budget.

Passenger rail

   Via Rail
   Enlarge
   Via Rail

   VIA Rail, which is headquartered in Montreal, provides several rail
   services to other cities in Canada, particularly to Québec City and
   Toronto with several trains daily.

   Amtrak, the U.S. national passenger rail system also provides service
   to Montreal, operating its Adirondack daily between Montreal and New
   York City.

   Most trains operate out of Gare Centrale.

Airports

   Montreal has two international airports, one for passenger flights
   only, and the other for cargo. Montréal-Pierre Elliott Trudeau
   International Airport (formerly Dorval Airport, the name still used by
   locals) in the City of Dorval serves all commercial passenger traffic
   and is the headquarters for Air Canada and Air Transat. To the north of
   the city is Montréal-Mirabel International Airport in Mirabel, which
   was envisioned as Montreal's primary airport but which now serves only
   cargo flights. In 2005, Montreal-Trudeau was the third busiest airport
   in Canada. It handled 10.9 million passengers and is expected to handle
   11.2 million in 2006. Trudeau airport serves 100+ destinations
   worldwide making it one of the most connected airports in North
   America.

   Montreal-Trudeau is one of the few airports in the world that is
   prepared to handle the new Airbus A380, which is expected to begin
   service in 2007. Montreal is expecting to handle two of Air France's
   A380s and a Air France Boeing 747 every day. The A380 will initially be
   used on North Atlantic route services from Paris to Montreal.

Roads

   Ville-Marie Highway, near Old Montreal
   Enlarge
   Ville-Marie Highway, near Old Montreal

   Like many major cities, Montreal has a problem with vehicular traffic
   congestion, especially from off-island suburbs such as Laval on Île
   Jésus, and Longueuil on the southeastern shore. The width of the Saint
   Lawrence River has made the construction of fixed links to the
   southeastern shore expensive and difficult. Accordingly, there are only
   four road bridges (plus one road tunnel, two railway bridges, and a
   metro line), whereas the far narrower Rivière des Prairies is spanned
   by eight road bridges (six to Laval and two to the north shore).

Limited-access highways (Autoroutes)

   The island of Montreal is a hub for the Québec Autoroute system, and is
   served by Québec Autoroutes A-10 (aka the Bonaventure Expressway on the
   island of Montreal), A-15 (aka the Decarie Expressway south of the A-40
   and the Laurentian Autoroute to the north of it), A-13 (aka Autoroute
   Chomedey), A-20, A-25, A-40 (part of the Trans-Canada Highway system,
   and known as "The Metropolitan" or simply "The Met" in its elevated
   mid-town section), A-520, and A-720 (aka the Ville-Marie Autoroute).
   Many of these Autoroutes are frequently congested at rush hour.
   However, in recent years, the government has acknowledged this problem
   and is working on long-term solutions to alleviate the congestion, such
   as re-routing traffic and expanding lanes. (Osirus Azer, "Montreal's
   Traffic Problems", 2006)

Street grid system

   Since Montreal is on an island, the directions used in the city plan do
   not precisely correspond with compass directions, as they are oriented
   to the geography of the island. North and south are defined on an axis
   roughly perpendicular to the St. Lawrence River and the Rivière des
   Prairies: North is towards the Rivière des Prairies, and south is
   towards the St. Lawrence. East and west directions are defined as
   roughly parallel to the St. Lawrence River (which flows southwest to
   northeast) and the Rivière des Prairies. East is downstream, and west
   is upstream.

   Saint Laurent Boulevard, also known as "The Main," divides Montreal
   into east and west sectors. Streets that cut across Saint Laurent
   Boulevard undergo a name change, in that Est (East) or Ouest (West) are
   appended to their names. Streets that do not cross the Main do not
   generally contain a cardinal direction at the end of their names.
   Address numbering begins in either direction at one (1) at Saint
   Laurent Boulevard, increasing in both directions away from the
   boulevard. On north-south streets, house numbers begin at the Saint
   Lawrence River and the Lachine Canal and increase to the north. Odd
   numbers are on the east or north sides of the street, with even numbers
   on the west or south sides. Numbered streets generally run north and
   south, and the street numbers increase to the east.

Education

   With access to six universities and twelve junior colleges in an 8
   kilometer (5 mi) radius, Montreal has the second highest concentration
   of post-secondary students of all major cities in North America. After
   the demerger, Montreal regains the "concentration" title.

   English-language secondary public schools in the Greater Metropolitan
   Montréal Area are operated by the English Montreal School Board. The
   Lester B. Pearson School Board, Riverside School Board, Sir Wilfred
   Laurier School Board, and the New Frontiers School Board.
   French-language secondary public schools in Montreal are operated by
   the Commission scolaire de Montréal (CSDM).

   The education system in the province of Quebec is slightly different
   from other systems in North America. Between the High School and
   University levels, there is an additional college level called "
   Cégep". It is at the same time a preparatory school (preparing students
   for admission at the University) and a technical school (offering
   courses which lead to technical diplomas and specializations). In
   Montréal, there are Cégeps offering courses in French (17) and in
   English (5). See List of Cégeps.

Francophone universities

     * Université de Montréal
          + École Polytechnique de Montréal
          + HEC Montréal - École des Hautes Études Commerciales de
            Montréal
     * Université du Québec
          + Université du Québec à Montréal (UQÀM)
          + École de technologie supérieure (ETS)
          + École nationale d'administration publique (ENAP)
          + Institut National de la Recherche Scientifique (INRS)
          + Institut de tourisme et d'hôtellerie du Québec (ITHQ)
     * Université de Sherbrooke (Located in Sherbrooke, campus in
       Longueuil)
     * Université Laval (Located in Québec, campus in Longueuil)

   McGill University
   Enlarge
   McGill University

English-language universities

     * McGill University
          + Desautels Faculty of Management
          + Schulich School of Music
     * Concordia University
          + John Molson School of Business (JMSB)

Downtown Montreal

   Panorama of downtown Montreal, night.
   Enlarge

                    Panorama of downtown Montreal, night.

   A view of McGill College Street in December.
   Enlarge
   A view of McGill College Street in December.
   A view of Saint Catherine Street.
   Enlarge
   A view of Saint Catherine Street.

   Downtown Montreal lies at the foot of Mount Royal, which is designated
   as a major urban park, and extends toward the St Lawrence River. The
   Downtown area contains dozens of notable skyscrapers — which, by law,
   cannot be higher than Mount Royal — including the aforementioned 1000
   de La Gauchetière and 1250 René-Lévesque. The Tour de la Bourse (Stock
   Exchange Tower) is also a significant building in Montreal, and is home
   to the Montreal Exchange, that trades in derivatives such as futures
   contracts and options. The Montreal Exchange was the first stock
   exchange in Canada. In 1999 all stock trades were transferred to
   Toronto in exchange for an exclusivity in derivatives trading.

   Place Ville-Marie, an I. M. Pei-designed cruciform office tower built
   in 1962, sits atop an underground shopping mall that forms the nexus of
   Montreal's underground city, one of the world's largest, with indoor
   access to over 1,600 shops, restaurants, offices, businesses, museums
   and universities, as well as metro stations, train stations, bus
   terminals, and tunnels extending all over downtown. The central axis
   for downtown is Saint Catherine Street, Canada's busiest commercial
   avenue. Other major streets include Sherbrooke, Saint-Denis, Peel, de
   la Montagne, de Maisonneuve and Crescent. The Montreal Skyline panorama
   includes two islands, Île Ste. Hélène and Ile Notre-Dame. The Notre
   Dame island hosts the Canadian Grand Prix and Formula One car races, as
   well as the Champ Car tournament. La Ronde is the biggest amusement
   park in Montreal and is located on Île Ste. Hélène. The Montreal
   Fireworks Festival is held there every summer.

   The basic Skyline view may be seen from one of two lookouts on Mount
   Royal. The lookout at the Belevedere takes in downtown, the river, and
   the Montérégien Hills, and on clear days the Adirondack Mountains of
   Upstate New York or the Green Mountains of Vermont are visible. The
   view of eastern lookout on Remembrance Rd. sweeps out toward the
   Olympic Stadium, and beyond. Many tourists visit these lookouts.

   Montreal is known for contrast between old and new architecture. The
   Maison des Coopérants (a 146 m / 479 ft tall building) and 1000 De La
   Gauchetière are located immediately behind the city's Anglican and
   Roman Catholic cathedrals. Much of Old Montreal has been maintained or
   restored to its original state. Old Montreal was a worldwide port, but
   shipping has been moved further east to the Port de Montreal site,
   leaving the Old Port/Vieux-Port as an historical area.

Old Montreal

   Old Montreal
   Enlarge
   Old Montreal

   Just southeast of downtown is Old Montreal (Vieux-Montréal), an
   historic area with such attractions as the Old Port, Place
   Jacques-Cartier, City Hall, the Marché Bonsecours, Place d'Armes,
   Pointe-à-Callière Museum, and the Notre-Dame de Montréal Basilica.
   Architecture and cobbled streets in Old Montreal have been maintained
   or restored to keep the look of the city in its earliest days as a
   settlement, and horse-drawn calèches help maintain that image. Old
   Montreal is accessible from the downtown core via the underground city
   and is served by several STM bus routes and metro stations, ferries to
   the South Shore and a network of bicycle paths.

   Shipping has been moved further east to the Port de Montreal site,
   leaving the riverside area of Old Port/Vieux-Port adjacent to Old
   Montreal as a recreational and historical area now maintained by Parks
   Canada. The most recent trip to the North Pole departed from this port.

Underground City

   Montreal's Underground City (French: La ville souterraine) is the set
   of underground city complexes in and around downtown. It is also known
   as the indoor city (ville intérieure), as not all of it is underground.
   With over 32 kilometres (20 mi) of tunnels spread over an area of
   twelve square kilometres (4.6  sq mi), the 60 residential and
   commercial complexes comprise 3.6 square kilometres (1.4 sq mi) of
   floor space, including 80% of all office space and 35% of all
   commercial space in downtown Montreal. Services include shopping malls,
   hotels, banks, offices, museums, universities, seven metro stations,
   two commuter train stations, a bus terminal and the Bell Centre hockey
   arena. There are more than 120 exterior access points to the
   underground city. Some 500,000 people use the underground city every
   day, especially to escape the traffic and/or Montreal's harsh winter.
   Because of the Underground City, Montreal is often referred to as "Two
   Cities in One."

Neighbouring municipalities

                           North: Laval, Repentigny
               West: Vaudreuil-Dorion, L'Île-Perrot Montreal
           Demerged municipalities East: Longueuil, Saint-Lambert
            South: Kahnawake, Brossard, Ste-Catherine, St-Constant

Sister cities

     * Greece Athens, Greece
     * Israel Beer Sheva, Israel
     * Japan Hiroshima, Japan
     * People's Republic of China Shanghai, China
     * South Korea Daegu, South Korea
     * South Korea Busan, South Korea

     * Germany Hannover, Germany
     * United States Harrisburg, Pennsylvania, United States
     * United States Honolulu, Hawaii, United States
     * United States New York City, New York, United States
     * Netherlands Amsterdam, Netherlands
     * England London, England

     * United States Los Angeles, California, United States
     * France Paris, France
     * France Toulouse, France
     * Russia Volgograd, Russia
     * Armenia Yerevan, Armenia

   Retrieved from " http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Montreal"
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   with only minor checks and changes (see www.wikipedia.org for details
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