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Montreal is the oldest major city in Canada, having been founded in 1642 by Paul de Chomedey. Montreal is located on the Ile de Montreal where the St. Lawrence and Ottawa rivers meet. Due to its setting on these rivers, Montreal has long been an important port and center for trade and manufacturing. With a predominantly French-speaking population, Montreal is a cosmopolitan city known for its art and culture. This city has an unmistakable European flavour. Population Over 3.4 million people reside in the metropolitan area of Montreal, and approximately 1.2 million in the city itself. Since the end of World War II, well in excess of 650 000 immigrants from over 80 countries have moved to Quebec, particularly to the city of Montreal. It is characterized by large communities of Greeks, Italians, Jews, Arabs, Haitians and people from various Francophone countries. Montreal is truly a multicultural city in a bilingual setting. In the city, 65 percent of the population claim to be Francophone, and the remainder either Anglophone or others.
Climate Montreal has four definite seasons with cold, snowy winters and hot, sunny summers. Autumn in Montreal is exceptionally beautiful, with the maple leaves and other deciduous trees changing colour to paint the city vibrant shades of red, orange, yellow, brown and green.
Weather in Montreal: Please click here Business and Economy Highly industrialized and quite diversified, Quebec's economy is strong and full of promise. The province has abundant natural resources and energy, along with well-developed agriculture, manufacturing and service sectors. Quebec's dynamic business sector has seized on the economic potential of the province and produces a wide variety of top quality products for export, such as air traffic control equipment, software, subway trains, helicopters, compact discs, air purifiers and toys. Montreal played an important role in the economic development of the country because of its inland port and trading posts. Today, Montreal is Canada's leading container port. As the province's commercial capital, Montreal has developed competitive industries in space and aeronautics, pharmaceuticals, telecommunications, energy and transportation. Educational Institutions Due to its history, Quebec's public education system has been divided into English Protestant schools and French Catholic schools. The school system has evolved to accommodate the diversity of the province, making the religious classes optional. The Quebec government discourages enrollment in English schools in order to preserve French as the dominant language. It should be noted that the Quebec government forces children of permanent residents to enroll in French public schools, unless they choose to enroll in private English schools; however, once they become Canadian citizens, they are allowed to attend English public schools. After primary and secondary school, the Quebecois go through CEGEP for two to three years to complete a diploma, or move on to university. Montreal is home to Canada's oldest university: McGill. This university continues to rank among the top Canadian universities. Other post-secondary institutions in Montreal include Concordia University, L'Universite de Montreal, L'Universite de Quebec a Montreal, L'ecole Polytechnique, L'ecole des Hautes-Etudes, and L'ecole de Technologie-Superieures.
Income & Cost of Living In 1998, the average household (family) income in Montreal was C$46,174. Whereas the average selling price for a single family dwelling in Montreal is approximately C $118,240.
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