My Montreal: All of the Rest & Other Quebec Curios

View of Montreal on a clear day. Note the Olympic Stadium to the right. Photo credit: Antoine Mghayar/Wikimedia Commons. View of Montreal on a clear day. Note the Olympic Stadium to the right. Photo credit: Antoine Mghayar/Wikimedia Commons.

As a wrap up for the My Montreal series, it would be interesting to have a brief aperçu as to the other boroughs and municipalities on and immediately around the island. At the beginning of the series, out of the thirty-four different areas considered on or around Montreal Island, half of that, that is, seventeen, were chosen by lining them up alphabetically and then seeding a random number generator to choose seventeen to write about. These were the ones that unfortunately weren’t chosen, but are still worth a look. All statistics are based on the latest census from 2011.

Baie-d’Urfé (pop approx. 3850): 74% bilingual, 24% unilingually English. A true “West Island” area, the municipality of Baie-d’Urfé was originally merged with Beaconsfield to become Beaconsfield—Baie-d’Urfé. Named after the first pastor of the area. Neighbours include Beaconsfield to the east and Kirkland to the northeast. Federal electoral riding: Lac-Saint-Louis; provincial electoral riding: Jacques-Cartier

Côte-des-Neiges–Notre-Dame-de-Grâce (pop approx. 165 000): The most populated borough, it has a 60% bilingual rate, 24% unilingually English, 13% unilingually French. Half of the population are immigrants, with many immigrants coming from the Philippines, China, and Morocco. Places of interest include the Université de Montréal, Concordia’s Loyola Campus, and St. Joseph’s Oratory. Neighbours include Outremont to the north, Hampstead to the southwest, and TMR to the west. Federal electoral ridings: Mount Royal, Notre-Dame-de-Grâce—Lachine, Outremont, and Westmount—Ville-Marie; provincial electoral ridings: D’Arcy-McGee, Mont-Royal, Notre-Dame-de-Grâce, and Outremont

Côte Saint-Luc (pop approx. 32 300): Originally part of the Côte-Saint-Luc–Hampstead–Montreal West borough, it voted to demerge and become an independent municipality. 63% bilingual, 28% unilingually English, 7% unilingually French. Half of the population are immigrants, with the whole immigrant tending to hail from Morocco, Russia, and Romania. New immigrants of the city are now coming from Moldova, Israel, and the Philippines. Neighbours include Lachine to the south and Montreal-Ouest to the southeast. Federal electoral riding: Mount Royal; provincial electoral riding: D’Arcy-McGee

Dollard-Des Ormeaux (pop approx. 49 600): Originally part of the Dollard-Des Ormeaux—Roxboro borough, it voted to become an independent municipality. This West Island borough has a 67% bilingualism rate, while 26% are unilingually English and 5% unilingually French. Almost 40% of its population are immigrants, with the total immigrant population coming from India, Egypt, and the Philippines. Named after a colonist, Adam Dollard des Ormeaux. Neighbours include Pointe-Claire to the south and Dorval to the southeast. Federal electoral riding: Pierrefonds—Dollard; provincial electoral riding: Robert-Baldwin

Kirkland (pop approx. 21 250): 78% bilingual, 18% unilingually English, 3% unilingually French. Merged as part of the agglomeration of Montreal, demerged in 2004. A fourth of its population are immigrants, with immigrants coming from Italy, Egypt, India, and China. Named after a Quebec politician Charles-Aimé Kirkland. Neighbours include Pointe-Claire to the east and Beaconsfield to the south. Federal electoral riding: Lac-Saint-Louis; provincial electoral riding: Nelligan

L’Île-Dorval (pop. less than 10): An independent municipality, it counts less than 10 people as permanent residences. Its solitary neighbour is Dorval to the north. Seasonal ferry service to carry most residences to the Island for Winter. Federal electoral riding: Notre-Dame-de-Grâce—Lachine; provincial electoral riding: Marquette

Montréal-Nord (pop. approx. 84 000): This Montreal borough is somewhat unique in that 54% of its population is unilingually English, while 40% is bilingual and 3% unilingually English. Almost 40% of its population is an immigrant, with most immigrants coming from Haiti, Italy, Morocco, and Algeria. Neighbours include Ahunstic-Cartierville to the west. Federal electoral ridings: Bourassa and Honoré-Mercier; provincial electoral ridings: Bourassa-Sauvé and Crémazie

Outremont (pop. approx. 24 000): A Montreal borough since the mergers, 70% of the population are bilingual, 15% are unilingually French, 12% are unilingually English. About a quarter of its population are immigrants, with people tending to come from France, the United States, and Lebanon. Neighbours include Côte-des-Neiges—Notre-Dame-de-Grâce to the west and TMR to to the northwest. Federal and provincial electoral ridings are both named Outremont.

Pierrefonds-Roxboro (pop. approx. 68 400): This Montreal borough has a 66% bilingualism rate, with 20% being unilingually English and 12% unilingually French. Just less than 40% of the population is an immigrant, with the immigrant population tending to come from the Philippines, Egypt, India, and Haiti. Neighbours include Saint-Laurent to the east. Federal electoral district: Lac-Saint-Louis; provincial electoral district split between Nelligan and Robert-Baldwin

Le Plateau-Mont-Royal (pop. approx. 100 000): 68% bilingual, 21% unilingually French, 10% unilingually English. One quarter of this borough is composed of immigrants, with immigrants hailing from France, Portugal, the United States, and China. Places of interest include the various locations along the Main and McGill University. Neighbours include Outremont to the west. Federal electoral districts: Laurier—Sainte-Marie, Outremont, and Westmount—Ville-Marie; provincial electoral districts: Hochelaga-Maisonneuve, Mercier, Outremont, Sainte-Marie–Saint-Jacques, and Westmount–Saint-Louis

Rivière-des-Prairies–Pointe-aux-Trembles (pop. approx. 106 000): 49% bilingual, 47% unilingually French, 2% unilingually English. Located in the extreme east on the Island of Montreal, ne quarter of this borough is composed of immigrants that tend to come from Italy, Haiti, and Algeria. It has a large African-American visible minority. This borough forms the extent of the East End of Montreal. Neighbours include Anjou and Montréal-Est to the west and Terrebonne off-island. Federal electoral districts: Honoré-Mercier and La Pointe-de-l’Île; provincial electoral districts: LaFontaine and Pointe-aux-Trembles

Rosemont–La Petite-Patrie (pop. approx. 134 000): 57% bilingual, 40% unilingually French, 2% unilingually English. A little more than a fifth of its population are composed of immigrants; the immigrant population tends to come from places such as France, Algeria, and Haiti. Places of interest around the area include Little Italy, a district housing Canada’s second largest Italian population, as well as Jean Talon Market. Federal electoral districts: Hochelaga, Outremont, and Rosemont—La Petite-Patrie; provincial electoral districts: Gouin, Hochelaga-Maisonneuve, and Rosemont

Sainte-Anne-de-Bellevue (pop. approx. 5070): 76% bilingual, 16% unilingually English, 7% unilingually French. Located on the extreme west of the Island of Montreal, less than one fifth of its residents are immigrants. Immigrants that live in this independent municipality tend to come from the United Kingdom, China, India, and the United States. Places of interest include John Abbott College, an English language CEGEP, the Sainte Anne de Bellevue boardwalk, and the Ecomuseum zoo. Federal electoral district: Lac-Saint-Louis; provincial electoral district: Jacques-Cartier

Saint-Léonard (pop. approx. 76 000): 51% bilingual, 39% unilingually French, 5% unilingually English. Almost half of the people living in this borough are immigrants, with almost a third moving to this location before 1971. Almost a third of immigrants living here come from Italy, although there is a large population of people from Algeria as well. This district was important in the language law debates as it sparked a violent conflict that stemmed from the restriction of Saint-Léonard’s children from going to bilingual schools in favour of unilingual French schools. The response of the government (led by Jean-Jacques Bertrand of Union Nationale) was Bill 63, the precursor to Bill 22 and Bill 101. Neighbours include Mercier–Hochelaga-Maisonneuve to the southeast and Anjou to the east. Federal electoral district: Saint-Léonard—Saint-Michel; provincial electoral district: Jeanne-Mance–Viger

Senneville (pop. approx. 920): 79% bilingual, 16% unilingually English, 4% unilingually French. This independent municipality demerged in 2002 from Pierrefonds-Senneville. In terms of population, it is classified as a village. A bit over a fifth of its residents have recent immigrant roots, with over half of the population coming here before 1971. Most of its immigrant residents come from countries such as the United Kingdom, Germnay, and the United States. Neighbours include Sainte-Anne-de-Bellevue to the south and Pierrefonds-Roxboro to the east. Federal electoral district: Lac-Saint-Louis; provincial electoral district: Jacques-Cartier

Verdun (pop. approx. 66 000): 63% bilingual, 24% unilingually French, 11% unilingually English. This borough is linked with the off-island Île-des-Soeurs. Approximately a fifth of its residents have recent ties to immigration, with immigrants coming from China, France, and Algeria. It has many visible minorities including Asian and Latino-Americans. Neighbours include Le Sud-Ouest to the west and LaSalle to the southwest. Federal electoral district: Jeanne-Le Ber; provincial electoral district: Verdun

Villeray–Saint-Michel–Parc-Extension (pop. approx. 142 000): 47% bilingual, 37% unilingually French, 10% unilingually English. Half of this district has recent ties to immigration, coming from places such as Haiti, Algeria, and Greece. Neighbours include TMR (in which there is an infamous fence between Parc Extension and TMR’s boundaries) to the south and Ahuntsic-Cartierville to the west.