Ville-Marie () is the name of a

borough A borough is an administrative division in various English language, English-speaking countries. In principle, the term ''borough'' designates a self-governing walled town, although in practice, official use of the term varies widely. History ...

(''

arrondissement An arrondissement (, , ) is any of various administrative divisions of France, Belgium, Haiti, and certain other Francophone countries, as well as the Netherlands. Europe France The 101 French departments are divided into 342 ''arrondissem ...

'') in the centre of

Montreal Montreal is the List of towns in Quebec, largest city in the Provinces and territories of Canada, province of Quebec, the List of the largest municipalities in Canada by population, second-largest in Canada, and the List of North American cit ...

, Quebec. The borough is named after

Fort Ville-Marie Fort Ville-Marie was a French fortress and settlement established in May 1642 by a company of French settlers, led by Paul de Chomedey de Maisonneuve, on the Island of Montreal in the Saint Lawrence River at the confluence of the Ottawa River, ...

, the French settlement that would later become Montreal (now

Old Montreal Old Montreal (, ) is a historic List of neighbourhoods in Montreal, neighbourhood within the List of municipalities in Quebec, municipality of Montreal in the province of Quebec, Canada. Home to the Old Port of Montreal, the neighbourhood is b ...

), which was located within the present-day borough. Old Montreal is a

National Historic Site of Canada National Historic Sites of Canada () are places that have been designated by the federal Minister of the Environment on the advice of the Historic Sites and Monuments Board of Canada (HSMBC), as being of national historic significance. Parks C ...

. The borough comprises all of

downtown Montreal Downtown Montreal (French language, French: ''Centre-Ville de Montréal'') is the central business district of Montreal, Quebec, Canada. The district is situated on the southernmost slope of Mount Royal, and occupies the western portion of the ...

, including the Quartier des spectacles;

and the Old Port; the

Centre-Sud The Centre-Sud () is a List of neighbourhoods in Montreal, neighbourhood located in the easternmost edge of the Ville-Marie, Montreal, Ville-Marie boroughs of Montreal, borough of the city of Montreal. Home to Montreal's Gay Village, Montreal, Ga ...

area; most of

Mount Royal Park Mount Royal (, ) is a mountain in the city of Montreal, immediately west of Downtown Montreal, Quebec, Canada. The city's name is derived from the mountain's name. The mountain is part of the Monteregian Hills situated between the Laurentian ...

as well as

Saint Helen's Island Saint Helen's Island () is an island in the St. Lawrence River, in the territory of the city of Montreal, Quebec, Canada. It forms part of the Hochelaga Archipelago. It is situated immediately offshore from Old Montreal on the southeastern sid ...

and

Île Notre-Dame Notre Dame Island () is an artificial island in the Saint Lawrence River in Montreal, Quebec, Canada. It is immediately to the east of Saint Helen's Island and west of the Saint Lawrence Seaway and the city of Saint-Lambert on the south shore. ...

. In 2016, it had a population of 89,170 and an area of .

Geography

It is bordered by the city of

Westmount Westmount () is a city on the Island of Montreal, in southwestern Quebec, Canada. It is an enclave of the city of Montreal, with a population of 19,658 as of the 2021 Canadian census. Westmount is home to schools, an arena, a pool, a public li ...

(along

Atwater Avenue Atwater Avenue (officially in ) is a major north–south street located in Montreal, Quebec, Canada. It links Doctor Penfield Avenue in the Ville-Marie borough to the north, and Henri Duhamel Street in the Verdun borough to the south. It is na ...

) to the west and the boroughs of

Le Sud-Ouest Le Sud-Ouest (, ) is a Montreal borough, borough (''arrondissement'') of the city of Montreal, Quebec, Canada. Geography Le Sud-Ouest is an amalgam of several neighbourhoods with highly distinct histories and identities, mainly with working-cla ...

(along the

Autoroute Ville-Marie Route 136 (R-136), formerly Autoroute 720, known as the Ville-Marie Expressway (English) or Autoroute Ville-Marie (French) is an Autoroute highway in the Canadian province of Quebec that is a spur route of Autoroute 20 in Montreal. Its western ...

Guy Guy or GUY may refer to: Personal names * Guy (given name) * Guy (surname) * That Guy (...), the New Zealand street performer Leigh Hart Places * Guy, Alberta, a Canadian hamlet * Guy, Arkansas, US, a city * Guy, Indiana, US, an uninc ...

and Notre-Dame streets, and the Bonaventure Autoroute) to the southwest,

Mercier–Hochelaga-Maisonneuve Mercier–Hochelaga-Maisonneuve () is a borough of Montreal, Quebec, Canada located in the southeastern end of the island. History ''See Mercier and Hochelaga-Maisonneuve articles for a more detailed histories of respective areas'' Hochelaga w ...

(along the CP rail lines) to the east,

Le Plateau-Mont-Royal Le Plateau-Mont-Royal () is a borough (''arrondissement'') of the city of Montreal, Quebec, Canada. The borough takes its name from its location on a plateau, on the eastern side of Mount Royal and overlooking downtown Montreal, across its south ...

(along

Sherbrooke Sherbrooke ( , ) is a city in southern Quebec, Canada. It is at the confluence of the Saint-François River, Saint-François and Magog River, Magog rivers in the heart of the Estrie administrative region. Sherbrooke is also the name of a territ ...

University A university () is an educational institution, institution of tertiary education and research which awards academic degrees in several Discipline (academia), academic disciplines. ''University'' is derived from the Latin phrase , which roughly ...

streets, and

Pine A pine is any conifer tree or shrub in the genus ''Pinus'' () of the family Pinaceae. ''Pinus'' is the sole genus in the subfamily Pinoideae. ''World Flora Online'' accepts 134 species-rank taxa (119 species and 15 nothospecies) of pines as cu ...

and

Park A park is an area of natural, semi-natural or planted space set aside for human enjoyment and recreation or for the protection of wildlife or natural habitats. Urban parks are urban green space, green spaces set aside for recreation inside t ...

avenues) to the northeast, and

Outremont Outremont () is an affluent residential borough (''arrondissement'') of the city of Montreal, Quebec, Canada. It consists entirely of the former city on the Island of Montreal in southwestern Quebec. The neighbourhood is inhabited largely by F ...

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 The St. Lawrence River (, ) is a large international river in the middle latitudes of North America connecting the Great Lakes to the North Atlantic Ocean. Its waters flow in a northeasterly direction from Lake Ontario to the Gulf of St. Lawrenc ...

Government

Municipal

As of 2009, the office of borough mayor, rather than being elected by the borough's citizens, is held ''ex officio'' by the

mayor of Montreal The mayor of Montreal is head of the executive branch of the Montreal City Council. The current mayor is Valérie Plante, who was elected into office on November 5, 2017, and sworn in on November 16. The office of the mayor administers all ci ...

. Also, two of the members of the borough council are city councillors from other boroughs, chosen by the mayor. Rather than a dedicated borough hall, the borough's offices and council chambers are located in the Place Dupuis office tower at 800 De Maisonneuve Boulevard East. This governing structure is due to the unique status of Ville-Marie as the centre of Montreal.

Federal and Provincial

The borough is divided among the following federal ridings: *

Ville-Marie—Le Sud-Ouest—Île-des-Sœurs Ville-Marie—Le Sud-Ouest—Île-des-Sœurs is a federal electoral district in Quebec, Canada, that has been represented in the House of Commons of Canada since 2015. It encompasses a portion of Quebec formerly included in the electoral distri ...

Laurier—Sainte-Marie Laurier—Sainte-Marie () is a federal Electoral district (Canada), electoral district in Downtown Montreal, Quebec, Canada, which has been represented in the House of Commons of Canada, House of Commons since the 1988 Canadian federal election ...

It is divided among the following provincial electoral districts: *

Westmount–Saint-Louis Westmount–Saint-Louis is a provincial electoral district in the Montreal region of Quebec, Canada that elects members to the National Assembly of Quebec. It comprises the city of Westmount as well as parts of the Le Plateau-Mont-Royal and Vil ...

Sainte-Marie–Saint-Jacques Sainte-Marie–Saint-Jacques () is a provincial electoral district in the Montreal region of Quebec, Canada that elects members to the National Assembly of Quebec. It comprises part of the borough of Ville-Marie and part of the borough of Le Plat ...

Hochelaga-Maisonneuve Hochelaga-Maisonneuve () is a neighbourhood in Montreal, Canada, situated in the east end of the island, generally to the south of the city's Olympic Stadium and east of downtown. Historically a poor neighbourhood, it has experienced significant ...

(small corner in east) *

Saint-Henri–Sainte-Anne Saint-Henri–Sainte-Anne is a provincial electoral district in the Montreal region of Quebec, Canada that elects members to the National Assembly of Quebec. It comprises all of the Le Sud-Ouest borough of Montreal. It was created for the 1994 ...

(small corner in south-west) *

(three small corners of Mount Royal Park to the borough's north-west)

Demographics

Neighbourhoods

Ville-Marie includes the city's

downtown ''Downtown'' is a term primarily used in American and Canadian English to refer to a city's sometimes commercial, cultural and often the historical, political, and geographic heart. It is often synonymous with its central business district ( ...

, the historical district of

, Le Quartier Chinois, the

Gay Village A gay village, also known as a gayborhood or gaybourhood, is a geographical area with generally recognized boundaries that is inhabited or frequented by many lesbian, gay, bisexuality, bisexual, transgender, and queer (LGBTQ) people. Gay vil ...

, the

Latin Quarter The Latin Quarter of Paris (, ) is an urban university campus in the 5th and the 6th arrondissements of Paris. It is situated on the left bank of the Seine, around the Sorbonne. Known for its student life, lively atmosphere, and bistros, t ...

, the recently gentrified Quartier international and

Cité Multimédia Cité may refer to: Places * Cité (Paris Métro), the metro station on the ''Île de la Cité'' * Cité (Quebec), type of municipality in Quebec * Citadel, the historical centre of an old city, originally fortified * Housing estate, a group of ho ...

as well as the Quartier des Spectacles which is newly developed. Other neighbourhoods of interest in the borough include the affluent

Golden Square Mile The Golden Square Mile (, ), also known as the Square Mile, is the nostalgic name given to an urban neighbourhood developed principally between 1850 and 1930 at the foot of Mount Royal, in the west-central section of downtown Montreal in Quebec, Ca ...

and

Îlot-Trafalgar-Gleneagles The Îlot-Trafalgar-Gleneagles is a historic city block, block in Montreal, Quebec, Canada, located on Côte-des-Neiges Road, on the west slope of Mount Royal. Recognized in 2002 as a historic site by the Quebec government's Répertoire du patrim ...

at the foot of

Mount Royal Mount Royal (, ) is a mountain in the city of Montreal, immediately west of Downtown Montreal, Quebec, Canada. The city's name is derived from the mountain's name. The mountain is part of the Monteregian Hills situated between the Laurentian M ...

and the

Shaughnessy Village Shaughnessy Village (sometimes referred to as the Concordia Ghetto) is a neighbourhood of Montreal, Quebec, Canada, located on the western side of the Ville-Marie borough. It is bounded by Guy Street to the east, Atwater Street to the west, S ...

Quartier Concordia Quartier Concordia is a neighbourhood redevelopment project centred on Concordia University's Sir George Williams campus in downtown Montreal, Quebec, Canada Canada is a country in North America. Its Provinces and territories of Canada, ...

area home to thousands of students at

Concordia University Concordia University () is a Public university, public English-language research university located in Montreal, Quebec, Canada. Founded in 1974 following the merger of Loyola College (Montreal), Loyola College and Sir George Williams Universit ...

. The borough also comprises most of

Cité du Havre Cité du Havre () is a neighbourhood in the borough of Ville-Marie of the city of Montreal, Quebec, Canada. It is located on a narrow man-made peninsula, the Mackay Pier (''Jetée Mackay''), which was largely built to protect the Old Port of Montr ...

, and

Transportation

Montreal's interurban rail and bus terminals, and its two commuter rail terminals (

Central Station Central stations or central railway stations emerged in the second half of the nineteenth century as railway stations that had initially been built on the edge of city centres were enveloped by urban expansion and became an integral part of the ...

, Lucien-L'Allier and the Downtown Terminus) are in the borough. It is served by the

Orange Orange most often refers to: *Orange (fruit), the fruit of the tree species '' Citrus'' × ''sinensis'' ** Orange blossom, its fragrant flower ** Orange juice *Orange (colour), the color of an orange fruit, occurs between red and yellow in the vi ...

Green Green is the color between cyan and yellow on the visible spectrum. It is evoked by light which has a dominant wavelength of roughly 495570 nm. In subtractive color systems, used in painting and color printing, it is created by a com ...

, and Yellow Lines of the

Montreal Metro The Montreal Metro (, ) is a rubber-tired underground rapid transit system serving Greater Montreal, Quebec, Canada. The metro, operated by the Société de transport de Montréal (STM), was inaugurated on October 14, 1966, during the tenure ...

. The Metro's central station, Berri-UQAM (which is a terminus of the Yellow Line), and the Central Bus Station, are also located in Ville-Marie. Two autoroutes serve the area: Autoroute Bonaventure and the partly underground

. Two bridges — the Victoria Bridge and

Jacques-Cartier Bridge The Jacques Cartier Bridge () is a steel truss cantilever bridge crossing the Saint Lawrence River from Montreal Island, Montreal, Quebec, to the south shore at Longueuil, Quebec, Canada. The bridge crosses Saint Helen's Island in the centre of ...

— provide access to the South Shore, while the Pont de la Concorde provides access to

and

Notre Dame Island Notre Dame Island () is an artificial island in the Saint Lawrence River in Montreal, Quebec, Canada. It is immediately to the east of Saint Helen's Island and west of the Saint Lawrence Seaway and the city of Saint-Lambert on the south sh ...

(

Parc Jean-Drapeau Jean Drapeau Park (formerly called ''Parc des Îles'') is the third-largest park in Montreal, Quebec, Canada. It comprises two islands, Saint Helen's Island and the artificial island Notre Dame Island, situated off the shore of Old Montreal in ...

). 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 1000 de la Gauchetière is a skyscraper in Montreal, Quebec, Canada. It is named for its address at 1000 De la Gauchetière Street West in the downtown core. It is Montreal's tallest building as per the height definition of the National Buildi ...

1250 René-Lévesque 1250 René-Lévesque, formerly known as the "IBM-Marathon Tower," is Montreal's second-tallest skyscraper, with a roof height of 199 meters (without its spire), and a total height of 226.5 meters including the spire. The height definition follow ...

, the

Tour de la Bourse The Stock Exchange Tower () is a 48-storey skyscraper in Montreal, Quebec, Canada. It is located at the intersection of Victoria Square and Saint Jacques Street in the International Quarter. It is connected by the underground city to the Squa ...

Place Ville-Marie Place Ville Marie (, abbr. PVM) is a large office and shopping complex skyscraper in Downtown Montreal, Quebec, Canada, comprising four office buildings and an underground shopping plaza. The main building, 1 Place Ville Marie (formerly Royal B ...

, the

Sun Life Building The Sun Life Building is a historic , 24-storey office building at 1155 Metcalfe Street on Dorchester Square in the city's downtown core of Montreal, Quebec, Canada. The building was completed in 1931 after three stages of construction. It was b ...

, the

Maison Radio-Canada Maison de Radio-Canada (; English: ''CBC House''), located in Montreal, Quebec, Canada, is the broadcast headquarters, studios and master control for all French-language radio and television services of the Canadian Broadcasting Corporation (kn ...

, and many others are located here. Three of Montreal's four universities —

McGill McGill is a surname of Scottish and Irish origin, from which the names of many places and organizations are derived. It may refer to: People * McGill (surname) (including a list of individuals with the surname) * McGill family (Monrovia), a promin ...

, Concordia, and UQAM — are located in Ville-Marie, as are three of its four

basilica In Ancient Roman architecture, a basilica (Greek Basiliké) was a large public building with multiple functions that was typically built alongside the town's forum. The basilica was in the Latin West equivalent to a stoa in the Greek Eas ...

s —

Mary, Queen of the World Cathedral Mary, Queen of the World Cathedral or in full Mary, Queen of the World and St. James the Great Cathedral is a minor basilica in Montreal, Quebec, Canada, and the seat of the Roman Catholic Archdiocese of Montreal. It is the third largest church i ...

, Notre-Dame Basilica, and St. Patrick's Basilica. Cultural infrastructure includes

Grande Bibliothèque du Québec The Grande Bibliothèque du Québec (, GBQ) was a public corporation of the province of Quebec, Canada. It came into existence in 1998 and merged with Bibliothèque nationale du Québec in 2002. Its purpose was to plan the creation of the Grand ...

Place des Arts frame, View of the Place des Arts esplanade. The Musée d'art contemporain is on the left; behind it is the Salle Wilfrid-Pelletier, with the Théâtre Maisonneuve on the right. Place des Arts () is a major performing arts centre in Montreal, Q ...

, the

Montreal Museum of Fine Arts The Montreal Museum of Fine Arts (MMFA) is an art museum in Montreal, Quebec, Canada. It is the largest art museum in Canada by gallery space. The museum is located on the historic Golden Square Mile stretch of Sherbrooke Street west. The MMFA ...

, the Quartier des spectacles, the

Montreal Science Centre The Montreal Science Centre () is a science museum in Montreal, Quebec, Canada. It is located on the Quai King-Edward in the Old Port of Montreal. Established in 2000 and originally known as the ''iSci Centre'', the museum changed its name to the ...

Pointe-à-Callière Museum Pointe-à-Callière Museum (, ) is a museum of archaeology and history in Old Montreal, Quebec, Canada. It was founded in 1992 as part of celebrations to mark Montreal's 350th birthday. The museum has collections of artifacts from the First Natio ...

Musée Grévin Montreal The Musée Grévin Montreal was a waxwork museum in Montreal located in Montreal Eaton Centre in Ville-Marie, Montreal, Quebec, Canada. It was open daily; an admission fee was charged. History On April 17, 2013, Musée Grévin's parent compan ...

, and numerous other important venues. Sports complexes include the

Bell Centre Bell Centre (French: ''Centre Bell)'', formerly known as Molson Centre, is a multi-purpose arena located in Montreal, Quebec, Canada. Opened on March 16, 1996, it is the home arena of the Montreal Canadiens of the National Hockey League (NHL), ...

, home of the

Montreal Canadiens The Montreal Canadiens (), officially ' ( Canadian Hockey Club) and colloquially known as the Habs, are a professional ice hockey team based in Montreal. The Canadiens compete in the National Hockey League (NHL) as a member of the Atlantic D ...

; the

Percival Molson Stadium Percival Molson Memorial Stadium (also known in French as ''Stade Percival-Molson''; commonly referred to as Molson Stadium in English or Stade Molson in French) is an outdoor football and multi-purpose stadium in Downtown Montreal, on the slopes ...

, home of the

Montreal Alouettes The Montreal Alouettes (Canadian French, French: ''Les Alouettes de Montréal'') are a professional Canadian football team based in Montreal, Quebec. Founded in 1946, the team has disbanded twice and been re-established thrice. The Alouettes compe ...

; and the

Circuit Gilles Villeneuve The Circuit Gilles Villeneuve, also spelled ''Circuit Gilles-Villeneuve'' (), is a motor racing Race track, circuit on Notre Dame Island in Montreal, Quebec, Canada. It is the venue for the Fédération Internationale de l'Automobile, FIA Form ...

, site of the

Canadian Grand Prix The Canadian Grand Prix () is an annual motor racing event held since 1961. It has been part of the Formula One World Championship since 1967. It was first staged at Mosport Park in Bowmanville, Ontario, as a sports car event, before alterna ...

. Hospitals include the

Centre hospitalier de l'Université de Montréal The (CHUM, , translated as University of Montreal Health Centre) is one of two major healthcare networks in the city of Montreal, Quebec. It is a teaching institution affiliated with the French-language . The CHUM is one of the largest hospital ...

(CHUM) megahospital, opened in 2017, as well as the

Montreal General Hospital The Montreal General Hospital (MGH) () is a hospital in Montreal, Quebec, Canada established in the years 1818–1820. The hospital received its charter in 1823. It is currently part of the McGill University Health Centre (MUHC) and is located ...

and

Hôpital Notre-Dame Hôpital Notre-Dame () is a hospital in Montreal, Quebec, Canada. It is located on Sherbrooke Street East in the borough of Ville-Marie, across from La Fontaine Park. It was established in 1880, and has been at its present site since 1924. Ser ...

. Major parks and recreation areas include

and its park,

(the site of

Expo 67 The 1967 International and Universal Exposition, commonly known as Expo 67, was a general exhibition from April 28 to October 29, 1967. It was a category one world's fair held in Montreal, Quebec, Canada. It is considered to be one of the most s ...

Dorchester Square Dorchester Square, originally Dominion Square, is a large urban square in downtown Montreal. Together with Place du Canada, the area is just over or of manicured and protected urban parkland bordered by René Lévesque Boulevard to the south ...

and

Place du Canada Place du Canada (part of Dominion Square until 1967) is a large urban square in downtown Montreal. Overview At it is slightly larger than the adjacent Dorchester Square, with a more varied topography due to a downward slope towards De la Ga ...

, and the Old Port. The

Montreal Public Libraries Network The Montreal Public Libraries Network ( , previously ''Réseau des bibliothèques publiques de Montréal'') is the public library system on the Island of Montreal in Quebec, Canada. It is the largest French language public library system in North ...

operates the Frontenac and Père-Ambroise libraries in the eastern part of the borough.

Economy

As Ville-Marie contains Montreal's central business district, numerous companies are headquartered or have major regional offices in the borough, including

Bombardier Aerospace Bombardier Aviation, a division of Bombardier Inc., is headquartered in Dorval, Quebec, Canada. The company currently produces the Global and Challenger series of business jets. At its peak, Bombardier operated manufacturing plants in 27 c ...

. The

International Civil Aviation Organization The International Civil Aviation Organization (ICAO ) is a specialized agency of the United Nations that coordinates the principles and techniques of international air navigation, and fosters the planning and development of international sch ...

and the

International Air Transport Association The International Air Transport Association (IATA ) is an airline trade association founded in 1945. IATA has been described as a cartel since, in addition to setting technical standards for airlines, IATA also organized tariff conferences tha ...

are also located in this borough.

Education

The

Commission scolaire de Montréal In-Commission or commissioning may refer to: Business and contracting * Commission (remuneration), a form of payment to an agent for services rendered ** Commission (art), the purchase or the creation of a piece of art most often on behalf of anot ...

(CSDM) operates French-language public schools.

Elementary

* ''École Marguerite-Bourgeoys'' * ''École Garneau'' * ''École Champlain'' * ''École Jean-Baptiste-Meilleur'' * ''École Saint-Anselme''

Specialized

* ''École des métiers de la restauration et du tourisme de Montréal'' * ''École des métiers des Faubourgs-de-Montréal'' * ''École Éducation pour Adultes Centre Lartigue'' * ''École Éducation pour Adultes Centre Gédéon-Ouimet'' The

English Montreal School Board The English Montreal School Board (official name: Commission scolaire English-Montréal English-Montréal School Board; CSEM or EMSB) is one of five public school boards and one of two English-language school boards on the island of Montreal in Q ...

(EMSB) operates English-language schools.

Elementary

* '' F.A.C.E. Elementary School'' (jointly run with the CSDM)

High school

* '' F.A.C.E. High School'' (jointly run with the CSDM)

References

External links

Borough's website
(in French for now) {{Coord, 45.508556, N, 73.562846, W, source:frwiki_region:CA_type:landmark, format=dms, display=title Ville-Marie, Montreal Boroughs of Montreal Academic enclaves

Geography

Government

Municipal

Federal and Provincial

Demographics

Neighbourhoods

Transportation

Attractions

Economy

Education

Elementary

Specialized

Elementary

High school

See also

References

External links