Ville-Marie, Montreal
Ville-Marie is the name of a borough (arrondissement) in the centre of the city ofMontreal, Quebec.
Location
The borough comprises all of downtown Montreal, the Centre-Sud area, most of Mount Royal Park, Saint Helen’s Island, and Île Notre-Dame.
It is bordered by the city of Westmount (along Atwater Street) to the west and the boroughs of Le Sud-Ouest (along the Ville-Marie Autoroute, Guy and Notre-Damestreets, and the Bonaventure Autoroute) to the southwest, Mercier–Hochelaga-Maisonneuve (along the CP rail lines) to the east, Le Plateau-Mont-Royal (alongSherbrooke, University streets, and Pine and Park avenues) to the northeast, andOutremont and Côte-des-Neiges—Notre-Dame-de-Grâce (along the border of Mount Royal Park) to the north. It is bounded on the south by the Saint Lawrence River.
It has a population of 78,876 and an area of 14.49 km².
Government
Up to the 2009 municipal election, Ville-Marie’s borough council consisted of a borough mayor, two city councillors, and two borough councillors.
- Borough mayor: Benoit Labonté (Vision Montreal)
- Sainte-Marie—Saint-Jacques: City Councillor: Sammy Forcillo (Union Montreal); Borough Councillor: Pierre Mainville (Projet Montréal)
- Peter-McGill: City Councillor: Catherine Sévigny (Union Montreal); Borough Councillor: Karim Boulos (Independent)
The 2009 election saw the coming into force of Bill 22 (2008), An Act to amend various legislative provisions concerning Montréal. As a result, the borough council now consists of the mayor of Montreal; three elected city councillors representing the districts of Peter-McGill, Sainte-Marie, and Saint-Jacques; and two city councillors representing other districts in Montreal, chosen by the mayor.
Federal and provincial
The borough is divided among the following federal ridings:
- Westmount—Ville-Marie
- Laurier—Sainte-Marie
- Outremont
- Jeanne-Le Ber
It is divided among the following provincial electoral districts:
- Westmount—Saint-Louis
- Sainte-Marie—Saint-Jacques
- Hochelaga-Maisonneuve
- Saint-Henri—Sainte-Anne
- Outremont (three small corners of Mount Royal Park to the borough’s northeast)
Features
Districts
Districts and neighbourhoods in Ville-Marie include:
- Downtown Montreal
- Old Montreal
- the Latin Quarter
- Quartier des Spectacles
- the Gay Village
- the Golden Square Mile
- the International Quarter
- Shaughnessy Village
- Peter-McGill
- Sainte-Marie-Saint-Jacques
- Chinatown
Transportation
Montreal’s interurban rail and bus terminals, and its two commuter rail terminals (Central Station, Lucien-L’Allier and the Downtown Terminus) are in the borough. It is served by the Orange Line and Green Line of the metro; Berri-UQAM (which includes the terminus of the Yellow Line), the Central Bus Station, are also located in Ville-Marie.
Two autoroutes serve the area: Autoroute Bonaventure and the partly underground Autoroute Ville-Marie. Two bridges — the Victoria Bridgeand Jacques-Cartier Bridge — provide access to the South Shore, while the Pont de la Concorde provides access to Saint Helen’s Islandand Notre Dame Island (Parc Jean-Drapeau). The Jacques-Cartier Bridge also provides access to Saint Helen’s Island and Notre Dame Island.
Attractions
Many of Montreal’s most famous attractions are situated in Ville-Marie. Most of its office towers, including 1000 de La Gauchetière, 1250 René-Lévesque, the Tour de la Bourse, Place Ville-Marie, the Sun Life Building, the Maison Radio-Canada, and many others are located here.
Three of Montreal’s four universities — McGill, Concordia, and UQAM — are located in Ville-Marie, as are three of its four basilicas — Mary, Queen of the World Cathedral, Notre-Dame Basilica, and St. Patrick’s Basilica. The Grande Bibliothèque du Québec is a recent addition, and the CHUM megahospital is planned for the borough.
Major parks and recreation areas include Mount Royal and its park, Parc Jean-Drapeau (the site of Expo 67), Dorchester Square and Place du Canada, and the Old Port.
Name
The borough is named after the French settlement that would later become Montreal (now Old Montreal), which was located within the present-day borough. It is a Canadian National Historic Site
Economy
Bombardier Aerospace is headquartered in Ville-Marie.
via: wikipedia
