Ville-Marie (Montreal)

Ville-Marie is the name of a borough (arrondissement) in the city of Montreal, Quebec.

Location

The borough comprises all of downtown Montreal, the Centre-Sud area, Île Sainte-Hélène, and Île Notre-Dame. It is bounded by the boroughs of Westmount (along av. Atwater) to the west, Le Sud-Ouest (along the Autoroute Ville-Marie rue Guy, rue Notre-Dame, and the Autoroute Bonaventure) to the southwest, Mercier--Hochelaga-Maisonneuve (along the CN rail lines) to the east, Plateau Mont-Royal (along rue Sherbrooke, rue University, rue des Pins, and av. du Parc) to the northeast, and Outremont and Côte-des-Neiges--Notre-Dame-de-Grâce (along the border of the Parc Mont-Royal) to the north. It is bounded on the south by the Saint Lawrence River.

Neighbourhoods

Districts and neighbourhoods in Ville-Marie include:

• Vieux-Montréal
• the Quartier Latin
• the Village gai
• Sainte-Marie
• the Golden Square Mile
• the Quartier international de Montréal
• the McGill and Concordia "ghettos"

Features

Many of Montreal's most famous attractions lie in Ville-Marie. Naturally, most of its office towers are in Ville-Marie, 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.

Three of Montreal's four universities — McGill, Concordia, and UQAM — are located in Ville-Marie, as are three of its four basilicas — Marie-Reine-du-Monde Cathedral, Notre-Dame de Montréal Basilica, and St. Patrick's Basilica. The Grande Bibliothèque du Québec is a recent addition, and the CHUM mega-hospital is planned for the borough.

Major parks and recreation areas include the Parc du Mont-Royal, Parc Jean-Drapeau (the site of Expo 67), Dorchester Square and Place du Canada, and the Vieux-Port.

Transportation

Montreal's interurban rail and bus terminals are in Ville-Marie, as are its two commuter rail terminuses. It is served by the Orange Line and Green Line of the metro; Berri-UQAM, the central station and also the terminus of the Yellow Line, is located in Ville-Marie.

Two autoroutes serve the area: Autoroute Bonaventure and the partly underground Autoroute Ville-Marie. Two bridges — the Victoria Bridge and Jacques-Cartier Bridge — provide access to the South Shore, while the Pont de la Concorde provides access to the islands.

Name

The borough is named after the French colony that would later become Montreal; the colony (now Vieux-Montréal) was located within the modern borough.