Montreal

Montreal is a culturally vibrant and historically rich city in the Canadian province of Quebec and a world-renowned center of education and research. With its ethnically and linguistically mixed society, it maintains the traditions that compose its complex and often controversial identity. Marrying European and North American styles, the city defines the cosmopolitan spirit of both Quebec and Canada.

Landscape

Montreal, located in southwest Quebec, is the province's largest city and one of the largest in Canada. Situated on the Island of Montreal, where the Ottawa and Saint Lawrence Rivers meet, the city proper occupies 68 square miles (176 square kilometers).

Originally covering only one-third of the Island of Montreal, the metropolitan area spread across the entire island during the twentieth century. It now covers 514 square miles (1,331 square kilometers) and includes cities such as Laval and Longueuil and many islands, Île des Soeurs, Île Bizard, and Île Notre-Dame among them.

Montreal is set 1,000 miles (1,609 kilometers) inland from the Atlantic Ocean on a waterway that communicates with the Great Lakes. It has developed into one of the world's largest inland ports as a result of its location.

Mount Royal, which gives the city its name, rises about 764 feet (233 meters) above Montreal. It is composed of volcanic rock and covered by forest, creating a refuge of green within the surrounding urban environment.

Montreal is subject to climatic extremes and the weather is often variable. In winter, it receives extensive snowfall, while the temperature at its January low is an average 14.5 degrees Fahrenheit (−9.7 degrees Celsius); however, the wind chill factor drives the temperature substantially lower. Rain falls regularly throughout the year, and summers tend to be humid and wet. Summer is also the sunniest season, with an average temperature of 70 degrees Fahrenheit (21 degrees Celsius).

Regardless of these extremes, plants and wildlife flourish in the region. One of the most common trees is the sugar maple, from which maple syrup is produced.

People

Montreal is the second-most populous city in Canada, following Toronto, and the second largest francophone city in the world, following Paris. As of 2016, the greater metropolitan area was home to 4,098,927 people, according to Statistics Canada, while the city proper reported a population of 1,704,694. Immigration is a major source of population growth for Montreal.

The two groups with the longest history in the area, excepting the Indigenous population, are the French and the English. As of the 2016 census, people speaking French as their first language made up just over 65 percent of the population in the city of Montreal, whereas anglophones made up just under 24 percent. Both groups are encouraged to learn the other's language, leading to a high incidence of bilingualism. French, however, has been the city's official language since the 1970s.

The statistics regarding religion are similar. Of Montreal's 1.06 million self-identified Christians in the 2011 National Household Survey, 79 percent were Roman Catholic, 6 percent were Orthodox, and the remainder were Protestant. Fully 9 percent were Muslim, and 4 percent Jewish. Those identifying as having no religious affiliation constituted 18 percent.

The division between anglophones and francophones carries over into radio and television programming, public school and university systems, newspapers, and neighborhoods. In the past, anglophones had more economic advantages, in part because English was the language of business. The Official Languages Act of 1974 changed this trend to some degree. In 1977 the Charte de la langue française (Charter of the French Language; also known as Bill 101) made French the language of the government, legislation, courts, business, and education. Bill 101 was subsequently challenged and some of its provisions, particularly those mandating French as the language of legislation and the courts, were overturned or reformed. In 2021 provincial government proposed further reforms of Bill 101 as well as an amendment to the Canadian Constitution that would institute French as the province's only official language.

Since World War II, other ethnic communities have been established in Montreal; these include Italian, Jewish, Greek, and Asian communities. Immigrants from other countries, particularly former French colonies, also settled in Montreal beginning in the 1960s. Relatively liberal immigration laws have guaranteed a diverse population. In 2013, the provincial government announced plans to restrict the flow of immigrants to about 50,000 per year, a level typically exceeded; most new immigrants to Quebec have settled in Montreal. In 2021, the provincial government set its immigration admissions target to between 44,500 and 47,500 immigrants. The target included an additional 7,000 admissions because the province admitted only 30,500 out of a planned maximum of 44,500 immigrants in 2020, due to travel restrictions and federal office closures during the coronavirus pandemic.

This diversity is shown in the culinary fare, with many restaurants serving ethnic cuisine. One of the more popular and distinctive dishes in Montreal and the province is poutine, fried potatoes covered with cheese curds and brown gravy. Also well known are the cheeses made according to traditional French methods. Le migneron and le chevre noire, made from goat's milk, and oka, are particularly esteemed.

There are several long-standing traditions celebrated in Montreal and throughout Quebec. St. Jean-Baptiste Day, falling on June 24, harks back to the celebrations held by early French settlers to recognize the summer solstice and the birth of the saint. Each year, July 1 marks Canada's anniversary. It is celebrated in Montreal with an extensive parade in the downtown area and fireworks over the old port.

Economy

Like other Canadian cities, the origins of Montreal's economy lie in the fur trade. The city developed as a center for processing furs, but today, Montreal has a broad manufacturing industry. Most of Montreal's workforce is employed in health care and social services, retail sales, professional services, manufacturing, or education.

Its position on the Saint Lawrence Seaway is another important source of Montreal's revenue. The Montreal Port is one of the busiest in Canada and leads in imports of grain, petroleum, and consumer goods. The harbor, stretching 12 miles (19.3 kilometers) along the northern river bank, is well equipped to handle the 2,000-plus ships and roughly 28 million metric tons of cargo that it reports require its services each year. Moreover, through a series of locks and channels, Montreal has access to the industrial hubs of the Great Lakes, which it has linked to Atlantic shipping routes since 1959.

As the eastern terminus of the Canadian Pacific Railway, Montreal is also an important center for railroad connections. It offers services to Vancouver, the Maritime Provinces, and major cities in the northeastern United States. Both the Canadian Pacific Railway and the Canadian National Railway have long maintained their headquarters in Montreal.

Montreal is at the heart of a vast transportation network for other vehicles as well. The Trans-Canada Highway, linking the western and eastern coasts, passes through the city. It also has two international airports, one for passenger traffic and the other for cargo. These are, respectively, the Montréal–Pierre Elliot Trudeau International Airport and the Montréal–Mirabel International Airport.

The city is also well served by public transportation, including extensive bus, rail, and subway lines. The metro, opened in 1966 for the World's Fair the following year, is an efficiently designed system, with trains running on rubber wheels. The stations are elaborately decorated in modern styles.

With such history and culture to recommend it, Montreal remains a major tourist destination. After hosting the 1967 Expo and the 1976 Summer Olympics, it became the focus of international attention. The city attracts millions of visitors annually.

Since the 1980s, Toronto has made economic progress over Montreal. This is partly due to the change in the business climate brought about by French becoming Montreal's official language. Many English-speaking people have left for Ontario and other western provinces, while many anglophone businesses have faced difficulties in conducting their affairs in French.

Landmarks

Montreal's rank as one of the world's preeminent cities is evident in both its preservation of historic buildings and in its modern developments.

The old quarter is a small district along the waterfront that still bears much of its eighteenth-century character. Today, it has a bohemian atmosphere, its narrow streets and cafes attracting droves of visitors. Here are also located the Jacques Cartier public market place, opened in 1803, and the Place d'armes, where the Basilica Notre Dame stands. Executed in a Gothic revival style and one of the largest churches in Canada, the interior is adorned with intricate wooden carvings and can hold five thousand people.

Churches, art galleries, museums, and shops nestle alongside skyscrapers in the city's downtown. The significant museums include the Museum of Fine Art, the Museum of Contemporary Art, and the McCord Museum of Canadian History. Beneath the downtown is Montreal's underground city, a huge indoor space that is home to hundreds of entertainment venues, shops, eateries, and offices. Connected to Montreal's extensive transportation facilities, it allows people to escape the harsh winter weather.

Rising above the downtown is Mount Royal, which affords excellent views of the city center and the river. Its namesake park attracts sport and culture enthusiasts with its opportunities for skiing, carriage rides, and outdoor performances. Montreal's two most prestigious universities are located on the side of Mount Royal. McGill University has produced two Canadian prime ministers and six Nobel laureates, and the University of Montreal is the second largest research institution in the country.

Montreal built several significant structures in connection with the 1967 World's Fair and the 1976 Summer Olympics. The exhibit Man and His World, which originated with the '67 Expo, remains a permanent feature of the city, as does the geodesic dome that was contributed by the United States. A seventy-thousand-seat stadium was constructed for the Olympics, along with other sporting facilities.

History

The pre-history of the Montreal area stretches back over eight thousand years before the arrival of the first Europeans, to its habitation by the Iroquois. In 1535, the explorer Jacques Cartier reached the area, but it was not until fifty French colonists, headed by Paul de Chomedey, sieur de Maisonneuve, founded the Ville-Marie in 1642 that a permanent European settlement was established on the island.

The village grew with the fur trade and became the point of departure for those who came to explore the interior of the territory. The settlers struggled against nature and indigenous peoples, however. A flood devastated the settlement during the first winter, and the animosity between the Iroquois and the settlers led to periodic warfare lasting until a 1701 peace treaty.

The next struggle occurred between the French settlers and British forces, which took the settlement in 1760 and ceded it to Britain along with the other French Canadian territories. American troops briefly occupied the town in 1775 and attempted to rally the population against the British; but by the following year, the town was in British hands once again and the English-speaking population burgeoned. Nonetheless, the town remained predominantly francophone until 1832, when Montreal was given its first city charter and British influence grew.

By the middle of the following century, Montreal had lost control of the fur trade to the Hudson's Bay Company, but it had become Canada's most important center for manufacturing and railway transportation. The population boomed once again, bringing about two significant demographic changes: the French became the majority again, mostly through annexation, and the city became more cosmopolitan with the arrival of various immigrant groups.

Montreal continued to prosper until the 1930s, when it was hit by the worldwide Great Depression. The economy faltered and immigration dropped off. It took War World II to reverse the decline.

In the 1950s and 1960s, Montreal lost much of its economic strength to Toronto, Ontario, which received significant investments from the United States and took many of Montreal's manufacturing jobs.

Montreal's ambitious plan for urban renewal began in 1960s, in preparation for the World's Fair. New bridges, public buildings, and the metro were all added to the landscape, and the harbor was modernized and enlarged. Such successful developments buoyed Montreal's reputation as a capital of culture and wealth. The Summer Olympics in 1976 only increased its prestige.

French-speakers began improving their lot during this same period through the so-called Quiet Revolution. Previously at a disadvantage in comparison to the English-speaking population, they gained more political and economic clout and continue to staunchly defend their rights and traditions.

Nonetheless, the mixed character of Montreal has made it less supportive of Quebec's proposed secession from Canada than the province as a whole, where it has been a controversial issue since the late 1960s. Referendums on sovereignty to bring about Quebec's secession were held in 1980 and 1995; both failed to gain a majority.

After a difficult decade that saw Montreal restructuring its industrial sector, it emerged at the beginning of the new century with renewed economic strength. Its industrial and financial services sectors performed well in the early 2000s but suffered during the global recession of 2008–9. The city gradually recovered. In spring 2020 the novel coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) pandemic hurt the city's economy, though the city's investment and promotional agency, Montréal International, reported in September 2020 that out of twenty cities in North America, Montreal's economy had weathered the first six months of the pandemic better than eighteen other cities in the study.

Trivia

• Montreal stands on the site of an Indigenous village called Hochelaga, which had a population of about 1,000 before European settlers arrived.
• Montreal is home to Canada's first and largest private financial institution, the Bank of Montreal, founded in 1817.
• Many famous people have graduated from McGill University, including actor William Shatner and singer-songwriter Leonard Cohen.
• The University of Montreal is, after the Sorbonne, the second largest university in the world offering French-language instruction.

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