Montreal
Montreal (CA: /ˌmʌntriˈɔːl/ ⓘ MUN-tree-AWL; French: Montréal [mɔ̃ʁeal] ⓘ) is the second most populous city in Canada, the tenth most populous city in North America, and the most populous city in the province of Quebec. Founded in 1642 as Ville-Marie, or "City of Mary",[15] it is named after Mount Royal,[16] the triple-peaked hill around which the early city of Ville-Marie was built.[17] The city is centred on the Island of Montreal, which obtained its name from the same origin as the city,[18][19] and a few much smaller peripheral islands, the largest of which is Île Bizard. The city is 196 km (122 mi) east of the national capital, Ottawa, and 258 km (160 mi) southwest of the provincial capital, Quebec City.
"Montrealer" redirects here. For other uses, see Montreal (disambiguation) and Montrealer (disambiguation).
Montreal
Montréal (French)
Canada
Quebec
May 17, 1642
1832
January 1, 2002
- Ahuntsic-Cartierville
- Anjou
- Côte-des-Neiges–Notre-Dame-de-Grâce
- L'Île-Bizard–Sainte-Geneviève
- LaSalle
- Lachine
- Le Plateau-Mont-Royal
- Le Sud-Ouest
- Mercier–Hochelaga-Maisonneuve
- Montréal-Nord
- Outremont
- Pierrefonds-Roxboro
- Rivière-des-Prairies–Pointe-aux-Trembles
- Rosemont–La Petite-Patrie
- Saint-Laurent
- Saint-Léonard
- Verdun
- Ville-Marie
- Villeray–Saint-Michel–Parc-Extension
431.50 km2 (166.60 sq mi)
365.13 km2 (140.98 sq mi)
1,293.99 km2 (499.61 sq mi)
4,604.26 km2 (1,777.71 sq mi)
233 m (764 ft)
6 m (20 ft)
1,762,949 (2nd)
4,828.3/km2 (12,505/sq mi)
4,291,732 (2nd)
919/km2 (2,380/sq mi)
Montrealer
Montréalais(e)[12]
UTC−04:00 (EDT)
- H1A, H1C-H3N, H3S-H3W, H4A-H4T, H4Z-H5B, H8R-H8Z, H9C-H9E, H9H, H9K
514 and 438 and 263
C$221.9 billion (2018)[13]
C$48,289 (2022)[14]
As of 2021, the city has a population of 1,762,949,[20] and a metropolitan population of 4,291,732,[21] making it the second-largest city, and second-largest metropolitan area in Canada. French is the city's official language.[22][23] In 2021, 85.7% of the population of the city of Montreal considered themselves fluent in French while 90.2% could speak it in the metropolitan area.[24][25] Montreal is one of the most bilingual cities in Quebec and Canada, with 58.5% of the population able to speak both English and French.[26]
Historically the commercial capital of Canada, Montreal was surpassed in population and economic strength by Toronto in the 1970s.[27] Montreal remains an important centre of art, culture, literature, film and television, music, commerce, aerospace, transport, finance, pharmaceuticals, technology, design, education, tourism, food, fashion, video game development, and world affairs. Montreal is the location of the headquarters of the International Civil Aviation Organization, and was named a UNESCO City of Design in 2006.[28][29] In 2017, Montreal was ranked the 12th-most liveable city in the world by the Economist Intelligence Unit in its annual Global Liveability Ranking,[30] although it slipped to rank 40 in the 2021 index, primarily due to stress on the healthcare system from the COVID-19 pandemic.[31] It is regularly ranked as a top ten city in the world to be a university student in the QS World University Rankings.[32]
Montreal has hosted multiple international conferences and events, including the 1967 International and Universal Exposition and the 1976 Summer Olympics.[33][34] It is the only Canadian city to have held the Summer Olympics. In 2018, Montreal was ranked as a global city.[35] The city hosts the Canadian Grand Prix of Formula One;[36] the Montreal International Jazz Festival,[37] the largest jazz festival in the world;[38] the Just for Laughs festival, the largest comedy festival in the world;[39] and Les Francos de Montréal, the largest French-language music festival in the world.[40] In sports, it is home to the Montreal Canadiens of the National Hockey League, who have won the Stanley Cup 24 times, more than any other team.
Crime[edit]
Since 1975, when Montreal's homicide rate peaked at around 10.3 per 100,000 people with a total of 112 murders, the overall crime rate in Montreal has declined, with a few notable exceptions, reaching a minimum in 2016 with 23 murders.[211][212] Sex crimes have increased 14.5 per cent between 2015 and 2016 and fraud cases have increased by 13 per cent over the same period.[212] The major criminal organizations active in Montreal are the Rizzuto crime family, Hells Angels and West End Gang. However, in the 2020s, the city has seen an increase in overall crime, with a notable increase in homicides. 25 homicides were reported in 2020 which matched the number reported in 2019. The next year saw a 48% increase in murders with a total of 37 in 2021, giving the city a homicide rate of around 2.1 per 100,000 people. The Montreal Police Annual Report for 2021 showed that there were 144 shootings across the city, or an average of one shooting every 2.5 days. In comparison, there were 71 shootings recorded the year before.[213] 2022 saw another 10.8% increase in homicides, with a total of 41 being reported (giving a slightly higher homicide rate of 2.3 per 100,000 people), the highest number since 2007, when there were 42.[214]