Whether you choose it as your home for your studies, your career or your family, Montreal will surely please you. Friendly, safe, multicultural and dynamic, it is the only French-speaking metropolis in North America and has many assets that will continue to surprise you.
Living the ‘Canadian Dream’
Montreal is a cosmopolitan city that brilliantly combines a European ‘joie de vivre’ and a North American lifestyle. It has a population of 3.9 million and is enriched every year by the large miscegenation of its 120 cultures. Moreover, the city offers excellent employment opportunities and a strong and diversified economy, particularly in the fields of communication, finance, video games, film and special effects. Additionally, it is very easy to get around without a car thanks to its famous subway system, the bus network and Bixi bike service.
A city of a thousand faces
One of Montreal’s greatest strengths is the diversity of its neighborhoods: the atmosphere, lifestyle, architecture and even the language differ from one area to another. Separated from north to south by the Saint-Laurent Boulevard – also called Main Street – the city has 19 boroughs, each with a personality of its own.
If the neighborhoods of the Plateau-Mont-Royal, downtown and Old Port were once the most sought for their quality of life, it is a thing of the past; many former industrial areas such as Saint-Henri and Hochelaga-Maisonneuve, are developing at great speed and attracting many young families and students looking for a less expensive place to settle. Outremont and its magnificent houses, Mile End and its famous bagels, Rosemont and its family-oriented lifestyle, Côte-des-Neiges and its cultural diversity, the Plateau and its legendary neighborhood life… with so much variety, it is impossible not to find the perfect nest.
Beyond its boroughs, some streets have become legends in the metropolitan area such as Saint-Denis and its shops, Saint-Laurent and its nightlife or even the shopping mecca that is Sainte-Catherine.
The city is also an incredible hub abounding with cultural events and activities: festivals have become over time real traditions, such as the Jazz Festival, Osheaga, Igloofest, Just for Laughs Festival, Francofolies and Piknik Electronique, among others.
A student city
The city has no fewer than four universities, numerous colleges and vocational schools. McGill, UQAM, University of Montreal, HEC and Concordia University: Montreal is recognized as one of the most challenging and stimulating cultural cities in the world and attracts thousands of students from all over the globe. Better yet, tuition fees and property prices are lower than in any other province in the country.
A green city
Although Montreal is very urban, outdoor lovers will not be disappointed with its parks totaling 2 000 hectares and more than 650 km of bicycle paths. On the menu: urban beaches, kayaking, canoeing, hiking, fishing and cycling. Its proximity to the Saint-Lawrence River and its legendary Mount Royal never cease to charm nature lovers who can also have access to numerous parks in the same city, including La Fontaine, Jarry and Laurier Park.
