Sunday, April 25, 2010

Laurier Park in Mile End Plateau Montreal

                   Le Plateau-Mont-Royal

Le Plateau-Mont-Royal
—  Borough of Montreal  —
Mount Royal seen from Duluth Street in the Plateau.
Le Plateau Mont-Royal's location in Montreal
Coordinates: 45°31′18″N 73°34′32″W / 45.52167°N 73.57556°W / 45.52167; -73.57556
Country  Canada
Province  Quebec
City Montreal
Region Montréal
Merge into
Montreal
January 1, 2002
Electoral Districts
Federal

Laurier—Sainte-Marie
Outremont
Westmount—Ville-Marie
Provincial Mercier
Outremont
Sainte-Marie—Saint-Jacques
Hochelaga-Maisonneuve
Westmount—Saint-Louis
Government [1][2][3]
 - Type Borough
 - Mayor Luc Ferrandez
 - Federal MP(s) Gilles Duceppe (BQ)
Thomas Mulcair (NDP)
Marc Garneau (LIB)
 - Quebec MNA(s) Amir Khadir (QS)
Raymond Bachand (PLQ)
Martin Lemay (PQ)
Carole Poirier (PQ)
Jacques Chagnon (PLQ)
Area [4]
 - Land 8.1 km2 (3.1 sq mi)
Population (Est.)
 - Total 101,054
 Density 12,475.8/km2 (32,312.2/sq mi)
Time zone Eastern (EST) (UTC−5)
 - Summer (DST) EDT (UTC−4)
Area code(s) Area code 514/438
Access Routes[5] Route 335
Website www.ville.montreal.qc.ca/plateau

Le Plateau-Mont-Royal (English: The Plateau) is a borough (arrondissement) of the city of Montreal, Quebec, Canada.

The Plateau-Mont-Royal takes its name from its location on relatively flat terrain north of Sherbrooke Street and downtown, and east of Mont-Royal. The borough is bordered to the north and north-east by the Canadian Pacific railroad tracks; to the west by Park Avenue and the intersection of Pine Avenue and University Street; and to the south by Sherbrooke Street. It is one of the most densely populated neighbourhoods in Canada, with 101,054 people living in a 8.1 square kilometre area.

There is a difference between the borough, Plateau-Mont-Royal -- a political division of the City of Montreal -- and the neighbourhood referred to as "the Plateau". The borough includes not only the Plateau, but also the neighbourhoods of Mile End (bounded by Avenue du Mont-Royal to the south and the Avenue Henri-Julien to the east) and the McGill Ghetto (bounded by University, Sherbrooke, Saint-Laurent and Pine). Both neighbourhoods are generally considered distinct from the Plateau.

Contents

 History

Typical residential street in the Plateau.

The Plateau was formerly a working-class neighbourhood, with the Eastern part being largely French-Canadian, and the Western part largely Jewish. The neighbourhood was the childhood home of Quebec writers Michel Tremblay and Mordecai Richler and both have set many stories in the Plateau of the 1950s and 60s.

The Plateau is characterized by brightly-coloured houses, cafés, book shops, and a laissez-faire attitude. It's the location of some famous attractions on Saint Lawrence Boulevard, including Schwartz's Deli (famous for its Montreal smoked meat), and a weekend street fair during the summer that sees extremely crowded streets. In 1997, Utne Reader rated it one of the 15 "hippest" neighbourhoods in North America.

In the 1980s, the area's bohemian aura and proximity to McGill University attracted gentrification. As rents increased, many of its traditional residents and businesses were dispersed to other parts of the city. For example, a historic local grocer, Warshaw, has recently been replaced by a Pharmaprix. The neighbourhood continues to gentrify, and it is now home to many upscale restaurants and nightclubs, and any number of trendy clothing stores have their place along this strip of St-Laurent and St-Denis.

Geography

Victorian homes on Saint Louis Square.

The borough is located northeast of downtown, and was part of the City of Montreal prior to the 2002 municipal mergers.

It is bordered to the south by Ville-Marie, to the west by Outremont, and to the north and east by Rosemont–La Petite-Patrie. Clockwise from the south, it is bounded by Sherbrooke St., University St., Pine Ave. (av. des Pins), Park Ave. (Avenue du Parc), the southward projection of Hutchison St., Hutchison St., Mount Royal Ave (av. Mont-Royal), and the CP railroad tracks.

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