Le Plateau-Mont-Royal
Encyclopedia
Le Plateau-Mont-Royal (The Plateau) is a borough
Montreal borough
The city of Montreal is divided into 19 boroughs , each with a mayor and council.- Powers :The borough council is responsible for:*Fire prevention*Removal of household waste and residual materials*Funding of community...

 (arrondissement
Arrondissement
Arrondissement is any of various administrative divisions of France, certain other Francophone countries, and the Netherlands.-France:The 101 French departments are divided into 342 arrondissements, which may be translated into English as districts. The capital of an arrondissement is called a...

) of the city of Montreal
Montreal
Montreal is a city in Canada. It is the largest city in the province of Quebec, the second-largest city in Canada and the seventh largest in North America...

, Quebec
Quebec
Quebec or is a province in east-central Canada. It is the only Canadian province with a predominantly French-speaking population and the only one whose sole official language is French at the provincial level....

, Canada
Canada
Canada is a North American country consisting of ten provinces and three territories. Located in the northern part of the continent, it extends from the Atlantic Ocean in the east to the Pacific Ocean in the west, and northward into the Arctic Ocean...

.

The Plateau-Mont-Royal takes its name from its location on relatively flat terrain north of Sherbrooke Street
Sherbrooke Street
Sherbrooke Street is a major east-west artery and at in length, is the second longest street on the Island of Montreal. The street begins in the town of Montreal West and ends on the extreme tip of the island in Pointe-aux-Trembles, intersecting Gouin Boulevard and joining up with Notre-Dame...

 and downtown, and east of Mont-Royal. The borough is bordered to the north and north-east by the Canadian Pacific Railway
Canadian Pacific Railway
The Canadian Pacific Railway , formerly also known as CP Rail between 1968 and 1996, is a historic Canadian Class I railway founded in 1881 and now operated by Canadian Pacific Railway Limited, which began operations as legal owner in a corporate restructuring in 2001...

 tracks; to the west by Hutchison (north of Mount Royal Avenue
Mount Royal Avenue
Mount Royal Avenue is a street in Montreal. The main part of the street transects the borough of Le Plateau-Mont-Royal, from Park Avenue at the foot of Mount Royal, for which the road is named, to rue Frontenac. Another section in Rosemont–La Petite-Patrie runs from rue Molson to Pie-IX Boulevard...

), Park Avenue (between Mount Royal and Pine Avenue
Pine Avenue
Pine Avenue is an east-west street located in Montreal, Quebec, Canada. This street serves as the dividing line between the downtown Ville-Marie borough and borough of Le Plateau-Mont-Royal....

) and University Street
University Street
University Street is a major north-south street located in downtown Montreal, Quebec, Canada. It links Pine Avenue in the north and Notre-Dame Street in the south....

 (south of Pine Avenue); and to the south by Sherbrooke Street. It is one of the most densely populated neighbourhoods in Canada, with 101,054 people living in an 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 proper, 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
McGill Ghetto
The McGill Ghetto is a neighbourhood in Montreal, Quebec, Canada, named after McGill University, situated directly to the east of the university campus. The Ghetto is located in the Plateau-Mont-Royal borough of Montreal...

 (bounded by University, Sherbrooke, Saint-Laurent and Pine). Both neighbourhoods are generally considered distinct from the Plateau.

History

The Plateau was formerly a working-class neighbourhood, with the Eastern part being largely Québécois
French-speaking Quebecer
French-speaking Quebecers are francophone residents of the Canadian province of Quebec....

, and the Western part largely Jewish. The neighbourhood was the childhood home of Quebec writers Michel Tremblay
Michel Tremblay
Michel Tremblay, CQ is a Canadian novelist and playwright.Tremblay grew up in the Plateau Mont-Royal, a French-speaking neighbourhood of Montreal, at the time of his birth a neighbourhood with a working-class character and joual dialect, something that would heavily influence his work...

 and Mordecai Richler
Mordecai Richler
Mordecai Richler, CC was a Canadian Jewish author, screenwriter and essayist. A leading critic called him "the great shining star of his Canadian literary generation" and a pivotal figure in the country's history. His best known works are The Apprenticeship of Duddy Kravitz, Barney's Version,...

 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
Laissez-faire
In economics, laissez-faire describes an environment in which transactions between private parties are free from state intervention, including restrictive regulations, taxes, tariffs and enforced monopolies....

 attitude.
It's the location of some famous attractions on Saint Laurent Boulevard, including Schwartz's
Schwartz's
Schwartz's, also known as the Montreal Hebrew Delicatessen is a delicatessen established in 1928 by Reuben Schwartz, a Jewish immigrant from Romania. It is a landmark at 3895 Saint-Laurent Boulevard and the most famous Montreal-style smoked meat restaurant. Schwartz's often has a line extending...

 Deli (famous for its Montreal smoked meat
Montreal-style smoked meat
Montreal-style smoked meat, Montreal smoked meat or simply smoked meat in Montreal , is a type of kosher-style deli meat product made by salting and curing beef brisket with spices...

), and a weekend street fair during the summer that sees extremely crowded streets. In 1997, Utne Reader
Utne Reader
Utne Reader is an American bimonthly magazine. The magazine collects and reprints articles on politics, culture, and the environment from generally alternative media sources, including journals, newsletters, weeklies, zines, music and DVDs...

rated it one of the 15 "hippest
Hip (slang)
Hip is a slang term meaning fashionably current and in the know. Hip is the opposite of square or prude.Hip, like cool, does not refer to one specific quality. What is considered hip is continuously changing. The term hip is said to have originated in African American Vernacular English in the...

" neighbourhoods in North America.

In the 1980s, the area's bohemian aura and proximity to McGill University
McGill University
Mohammed Fathy is a public research university located in Montreal, Quebec, Canada. The university bears the name of James McGill, a prominent Montreal merchant from Glasgow, Scotland, whose bequest formed the beginning of the university...

 attracted gentrification
Gentrification
Gentrification and urban gentrification refer to the changes that result when wealthier people acquire or rent property in low income and working class communities. Urban gentrification is associated with movement. Consequent to gentrification, the average income increases and average family size...

. 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
Shoppers Drug Mart
Shoppers Drug Mart Corporation is Canada's largest pharmacy chain with more than 1,241 stores operating under the names Shoppers Drug Mart in nine provinces and two territories and Pharmaprix in Quebec as well as in Hawkesbury, Ontario....

. 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

The borough is located northeast of downtown, and was part of the City of Montreal prior to the 2002 municipal mergers
Montreal Merger
As with other large cities like New York City and Toronto, the legal geographic boundaries of Montreal have been reorganized to incorporate adjacent communities which are integral to its social and economic life.-Merger and demerger:...

.

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
Rosemont–La Petite-Patrie
Rosemont–La Petite-Patrie is a borough in the city of Montreal, Quebec, Canada. It is located in the centre-east of the city.-Geography:...

. 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.

Borough council

As of the November 1, 2009 Montreal municipal election
Montreal municipal election, 2009
The city of Montreal, Quebec, held a municipal election at the same time as numerous other municipalities in Quebec, on November 1, 2009. Voters elected the Mayor of Montreal, Montreal City Council, and the mayors and councils of each of the city's boroughs....

, the current borough council consists of the following councillors:
District Position Name   Party
Borough mayor
City councillor
Montreal City Council
The Montreal City Council is the governing body of Montreal, Quebec. The head of the city government in Montreal is the mayor, who is first among equals in the City Council. The mayor is Gérald Tremblay, who is a member of the Union des citoyens et des citoyennes de l'Île de Montréal...

Luc Ferrandez
Luc Ferrandez
Luc Ferrandez is a city councillor from Montreal, Quebec, Canada. Since 2009, he has served as the mayor of the borough of Le Plateau-Mont-Royal...

  Projet Montréal
Projet Montréal
Projet Montréal is a municipal political party in Montreal, Quebec, Canada.-Origins:Projet Montréal is possibly the first party since the Montreal Citizens' Movement that was not specifically established to promote a mayoral candidacy. It was created by environmental activists in May...

DeLorimier City councillor Josée Duplessis   Projet Montréal
Projet Montréal
Projet Montréal is a municipal political party in Montreal, Quebec, Canada.-Origins:Projet Montréal is possibly the first party since the Montreal Citizens' Movement that was not specifically established to promote a mayoral candidacy. It was created by environmental activists in May...

Borough councillor Carl Boileau   Projet Montréal
Projet Montréal
Projet Montréal is a municipal political party in Montreal, Quebec, Canada.-Origins:Projet Montréal is possibly the first party since the Montreal Citizens' Movement that was not specifically established to promote a mayoral candidacy. It was created by environmental activists in May...

Jeanne-Mance City councillor Richard Bergeron
Richard Bergeron
Richard Bergeron is a Canadian politician from Montreal and a previous Mayoral candidate. Bergeron is the leader of Projet Montréal, a municipal political party. He was its mayoralty candidate during the 2009 Montreal municipal election...

  Projet Montréal
Projet Montréal
Projet Montréal is a municipal political party in Montreal, Quebec, Canada.-Origins:Projet Montréal is possibly the first party since the Montreal Citizens' Movement that was not specifically established to promote a mayoral candidacy. It was created by environmental activists in May...

Borough councillor Piper Huggins   Projet Montréal
Projet Montréal
Projet Montréal is a municipal political party in Montreal, Quebec, Canada.-Origins:Projet Montréal is possibly the first party since the Montreal Citizens' Movement that was not specifically established to promote a mayoral candidacy. It was created by environmental activists in May...

Mile-End City councillor Alex Norris   Projet Montréal
Projet Montréal
Projet Montréal is a municipal political party in Montreal, Quebec, Canada.-Origins:Projet Montréal is possibly the first party since the Montreal Citizens' Movement that was not specifically established to promote a mayoral candidacy. It was created by environmental activists in May...

Borough councillor Richard Ryan   Projet Montréal
Projet Montréal
Projet Montréal is a municipal political party in Montreal, Quebec, Canada.-Origins:Projet Montréal is possibly the first party since the Montreal Citizens' Movement that was not specifically established to promote a mayoral candidacy. It was created by environmental activists in May...


Federal and provincial

The borough is divided among the following federal ridings:
  • Outremont
    Outremont (electoral district)
    Outremont is a federal electoral district in Quebec, Canada, that has been represented in the Canadian House of Commons from 1935 to 1949, and since 1968...

  • Westmount—Ville-Marie
    Westmount—Ville-Marie
    Westmount—Ville-Marie is a federal electoral district in Quebec, Canada, that has been represented in the Canadian House of Commons since 1997. Its population in 2001 was 97,226.-Geography:...

  • Laurier—Sainte-Marie
    Laurier—Sainte-Marie
    Laurier—Sainte-Marie is a federal electoral district in Downtown Montreal, Quebec, Canada, that has been represented in the Canadian House of Commons since 1988...

     (the bulk of the borough is in this riding)


It is divided among the following provincial electoral districts:
  • Outremont
  • Mercier
  • Hochelaga-Maisonneuve (a small southeastern corner)
  • Sainte-Marie—Saint-Jacques
  • Westmount—Saint-Louis

Features

Overlooked by the eastern face of Mount Royal
Mount Royal
Mount Royal is a mountain in the city of Montreal, immediately west of downtown Montreal, Quebec, Canada, the city to which it gave its name.The mountain is part of the Monteregian Hills situated between the Laurentians and the Appalachians...

, the borough is served by part of the orange line
Line 2 Orange (Montreal Metro)
The Orange line is the longest, most congested, and first-planned of the four lines of the Montreal Metro, in Montreal, Canada. It formed part of the initial network, and was extended between 1980 and 1986...

 of the Montreal metro
Montreal Metro
The Montreal Metro is a rubber-tired metro system, and the main form of public transportation underground in the city of Montreal, Quebec, Canada....

, including Sherbrooke
Sherbrooke (Montreal Metro)
Sherbrooke is a station on the Orange Line of the Montreal Metro rapid transit system, operated by the Société de transport de Montréal . It is located in The Plateau neighbourhood of the borough of Le Plateau-Mont-Royal in Montreal, Quebec, Canada...

, Mont-Royal
Mont-Royal (Montreal Metro)
Mont-Royal is a station on the Orange Line of the Montreal Metro rapid transit system, operated by the Société de transport de Montréal . It is located in The Plateau neighbourhood of the borough of Le Plateau-Mont-Royal in Montreal, Quebec, Canada...

, and Laurier
Laurier (Montreal Metro)
Laurier is a station on the Orange Line of the Montreal Metro rapid transit system, operated by the Société de transport de Montréal . It is located in the Mile End neighbourhood of the borough of Le Plateau-Mont-Royal in Montreal, Quebec, Canada...

 stations.

Important features of the borough include the Hôtel-Dieu de Montréal
Hôtel-Dieu de Montréal
The Hôtel-Dieu de Montréal is the oldest hospital in Montreal, Quebec. Since 1996 it has been one of the three hospitals making up the Centre hospitalier de l'Université de Montréal ....

, Lafontaine Park
Parc Lafontaine
Parc La Fontaine is a 36-hectare urban park located in Montreal's Plateau Mont-Royal district. Named in honour of Louis-Hippolyte Lafontaine, features include two linked ponds with a fountain and waterfalls; the Théâtre de Verdure open-air venue; the Calixa-Lavallée cultural centre, a monument to...

, and Jeanne Mance Park.

The borough is largely composed of the well-known Plateau neighbourhood, famous for its bohemian reputation and characteristic architecture. The neighbourhoods of Mile End
Mile End (Montreal)
Mile End is a neighbourhood and municipal electoral district in the city of Montreal, Quebec, Canada.Mile End is part of the Plateau-Mont-Royal borough in terms of Montreal's municipal politics...

, Côte Saint-Louis, and Milton-Parc (including the McGill Ghetto
McGill Ghetto
The McGill Ghetto is a neighbourhood in Montreal, Quebec, Canada, named after McGill University, situated directly to the east of the university campus. The Ghetto is located in the Plateau-Mont-Royal borough of Montreal...

) are also located in the borough.

See also

  • Boroughs of Montreal
  • Districts of Montreal
    Districts of Montreal
    This is the list of the neighbourhoods in the city of Montreal. They are sorted by the borough they are located in.-Ahuntsic-Cartierville:* Ahuntsic* Nouveau-Bordeaux* Cartierville* Île de la Visitation* Sault-au-Récollet-Anjou:...

  • Municipal reorganization in Quebec
    Municipal reorganization in Quebec
    The most recent episode of municipal reorganization in Quebec, Canada, was undertaken in 2002 by the Parti Québécois Government of Quebec, headed by Premier Lucien Bouchard and his successor Bernard Landry....

  • The Plateau

External links

The source of this article is wikipedia, the free encyclopedia.  The text of this article is licensed under the GFDL.
 
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