Moving To Montreal - Where Should I Live?
- Last updated on: May 11, 2023
We’ve all wondered what it’s like to move to Montreal. This city, being the second largest in Canada, has about 1,704,694 citizens. Well known for its nightlife and party scenes, Montreal remains an important centre of economic activity. Its major industries include film, gaming, tourism, fashion, and art industries. In fact, Montreal is becoming an international hub for the development of artificial intelligence technologies.
Montreal has a plethora of neighbourhoods, which are known for their individual charms.
Therefore, deciding where to live in this city can be stressful, especially if you are moving from another province. It is best to ask yourself certain questions regarding the area and to explore to make the right decision.
Can you live in Montreal without speaking french?
It is not recommended to live in Montreal without speaking French unless you live in an English-speaking area like The West Island or Westmount. Quebec is a French-speaking province, and not speaking French will make it difficult to find work and socialize.
Neighborhood for Young Professionals and Singles Moving to Montreal
Montreal is known for its amazing restaurants, bars and festivals. As a young adult, the city has everything you can dream of. The vibrant neighborhoods will make it very hard to stay home on a hot summer night! Here are some of the best areas to create your home!
Ville-Marie
Ville-Marie is primarily downtown Montreal which showcases excellent Victorian houses alongside a central business district. This makes it easier for young professionals to establish their businesses or brands on the range of commercial streets that exist in this neighborhood.
This area also contains Mount-Royal Park alongside two islands, namely Saint-Helen’s Island, and Ile-Notre-Dame. It’s ideal for professionals as it is considered to be the hub of corporate headquarters. It is fit for major employment activities so everyone can find a suitable job.
It contains an impression 23 museums and 6 water parks which make it fit for single people to enjoy these facilities whenever. Young professionals can benefit from world-renowned universities such as McGill and Concordia University. Quiet back lanes and tall apartment buildings add to the appeal of this area.
Old Montreal
This place is known to be a crowd pleaser due to its reputation as the European sophistication. It is considered a major tourist attraction due to its buildings that date back to the 17th century. The town’s riverbank has been converted into a port which offers maritime facilities.
Surrounding this, a variety of museums and attractions exist. The city centre is at walking distance, and the orange metro lines make travelling to different places in Montreal much easier.
Due to all its history and exquisite architecture, rent can be rather expensive and only more suited for young professionals rather than families.
Outremont
This neighbourhood is primarily 20% a Jewish community with a population of about 10358 residents.
The place is ideal for singles due to its array of trendy restaurants and shops. Outremont is often followed by the statement, “quality of life.”
High rents due to facilities such as rooftop pools and terraces can only be borne by young professionals and the accessibility to downtown Montreal through the railway system is not preferred by families. Along with this, little to no schools are present here which further deteriorates the interest of families. Real estate prices here are high, but a monthly rental agreement can be reasonable as well. Along with other attractive features, the Mount-Royal Cemetery and the University de Montreal are also included.
Rosemont La Petite-Patrie
This is a borough located in the centre east of the city with a population of 134038 residents. This area includes two different public schools along with three public libraries that are operated by the Montreal Public Library’s Network.
People live here mostly for the outdoor facilities which include 55 parks, 10 community gardens and 11 outdoor skating rinks- making it ideal for singles to enjoy the neighbourhood.
Access to other Montreal neighbourhoods and downtown is provided through the blue and orange transport lines.
Neighbourhood for Families Moving to Montreal
Montreal is known to be one of the best city to raise a family in Canada. Indeed, the provincial program to help families access kindergarten at a reasonable price makes the city attractive to raise young children. The generous number of parks and “ruelles vertes” where kids can play safely is part of all the amazing initiative from the Montreal administration. Here are some of the best neighbourhoods for families.
Griffintown
This area was located in the southwestern downtown of Montreal and consisted of Irish immigrants and their following descendants. The total population of this community was approximately 6446. This area is great for families looking for an urban lifestyle!
The city of Montreal revealed its plans for rejuvenating the Griffintown area into a pleasant and family orientated neighbourhood. The perfect way to this was by establishing parks, playgrounds and bicycle paths for the community’s entertainment.
Followed by this, they also implanted dozens of condos around the vicinity for a lower rent. Condos of lower prices can be found in older buildings, and condos with higher prices are found near the city centre. This project is still occurring today and will be finished by 2025. It seems suitable for families who want a newly built community with freshly made facilities.
In 2013, a housing project was also started in order to provide homes to families, which were closer to downtown and its central elements along with the business district.
Griffintown is also known for its international chefs who provide all sorts of dining experiences. This element attracts those people that are incredibly driven by the food experience of a community.
Villeray
Villeray is a neighborhood which provides a unique and serene environment alongside its large streets and green spaces. In fact, Villeray is home to 155 green spaces which is inclusive of 61 parks and one enormous park. Similar to all other family-friendly neighborhoods in this city, there are 5 indoor pools, 3 libraries and 15 ice skating rinks for those families who want to take a day off and entertain themselves. Moreover, the residential areas consist mainly of complexes but families can find quaint sectors for their homes. In addition to this, the area offers leisure amenities such as sports which family members can take part in. All in all, Villeray is known to be the perfect urban setting for families to reside in.
Notre-Dame-de-Grâce
This is another family-friendly residential neighborhood located towards the western end of the city. There are many prominent boulevards where commercial activity is optimized and possesses traditional Quebecois architectural styles. Due to its large population, there is immense cultural diversity which can act as an attractive feature. This neighborhood has a lot of recreational facilities such as 32 parks, 6 community gardens, 2 indoor pools and 13 community centres. Along with this, there are also 4 libraries and 15 ice skating arenas for those families looking for entertainment. This area is home to a lot of education and health establishments and leisure activities for people of all cultures.
Neighbourhood for Students moving to Montreal
The Greater Montreal is home to 11 universities, which makes it the largest city for students in Canada. International and national students come together to create amazing neighbourhoods for long study, and party nights!
Plateau Mont-Royal
This is a large neighbourhood located towards the north of downtown Montreal with a whopping population of 104,000 people. This area is a family orientated upper-middle-class neighbourhood which is also suitable for students.
Students can find affordable houses or can share accommodation with fellow students for a more comfortable lifestyle. Multiple different boutique shops and bars are littered throughout the streets of the Plateau. Once the lakes freeze over. Skating rinks are established and open to the community.
More leisure activities such as lakeside walks and afternoon picnics are common to this community. Along with this, downtown is easily accessible, so the advantages of that area can also be counted here.
It also features vibrant houses and book shops for the convenience of students alongside two public libraries.
Milton Park
Milton Park is commonly known as the McGill Ghetto. Unlike the use of this popular term, Milton Park is a small establishment east of the McGill University which is filled by students. There is fierce competition in Milton Park for residence as every student tries to rent a place here before universities start in September.
This is an ideal location as 15 minutes away are the options of either a bar, class or up to the mountain. The area has many business establishments for the students such as third-party hangouts, cafes and bookstores.
Finally!
There is no simple answer to the question about where to live. Through the numerous neighbourhoods we have covered, there are much more which indicates that there is something for every individual in this city.
Getting acquainted with the variety of neighbourhoods is the first step to choosing the perfect place for you. The second step is to go out and explore the city and what aspect of it you want to be near. Learn more about the city and the cost of living in Montreal before making the move.
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