Portal:Montreal

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Montreal is the second-largest urban centre in Canada, and the economic capital of Quebec. Its population consists mainly of French- and English-speaking communities, plus many allophones, who speak neither official language. Francophones form a majority overall, but many areas of the city are mainly English, and in others, neither is the main language.

The city served as the economic capital and largest city of Canada for hundreds of years, until being overtaken by Toronto in the later half of the 20th century, after a long period of decline. Many attribute this decline to the imposition of the Charter of the French Language and the rise of Quebec Nationalism, however this is a simplification and over-statement of the facts. While this did contribute to a shift of fortunes from Quebec to Ontario, it was only one part of a larger picture. Montreal is still the economic engine of the province, and an integral part of the Quebec-Windsor Corridor, the most densely populated and economically viable area of the country.

At the same time, Montreal has become Canada's premier centre of culture, notably Quebecois culture (both French and English), giving birth to such notable or simply interesting figures as Mordecai Richler, Fifi D'Orsay, Leonard Cohen, The Great Antonio, Pierre Elliot Trudeau, Corey Hart, Jacques Parizeau, and many other influential people of our time.

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The Plateau or Plateau Mont-Royal is a part of the city of Montreal, just north of downtown and east of Mount Royal. Part of the borough of Le Plateau-Mont-Royal, the Plateau is the most densely populated neighbourhood in Canada, with nearly 100,000 people living in a 7.75 square kilometre area.

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. The combination of different immigrant societies--notably many Portuguese and Spanish-speakers--adds to the feeling of tolerance and creates a unique atmosphere.

The neighbourhood is in the midst of gentrification. A historic local grocer, Warshaw, has recently been replaced by a Pharmaprix, and any number of trendy clothing stores have their place along this strip of St-Laurent.

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Montreal view from the Old Port

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Did you know

... that the first European to reach the area was Jacques Cartier, on October 2, 1535?

... that 1000 de la Gauchetière is Montreal's tallest skyscraper, simply named for its address at 1000, La Gauchetiere Street?

... that the headquarters of the Canadian Space Agency are located in Longueuil, southeast of Montreal?

...that Montréal-Pierre Elliott Trudeau International Airport is the busiest airport in the province of Quebec and the third busiest airport in Canada by passenger traffic, serving 10,335,768 million passengers in 2004?

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