Montreal was "discovered" by Jacques Cartier in 1535, he was the first european to see the island of Montreal from the top of Mont-Royal, guided there by the native indians that lived in the nearby village of Hochelaga. The Ville-Marie colony, now known as Montreal, was founded officially on the 18th of May 1642 by Jeanne Mance and Paul de Chomedey Sieur de Maisonneuve. The British officially took over in 1763. The Americans occupied Montreal at two occasions: first, for eight months, during the American Revolution; and again, during the war of 1812.
Montreal was the commercial capital of Canada because of it's port, location and historical importance. The economical importance of Montreal started to decline after the great depression and more noticably in the 1960's.
Some more recent and important events are:
Montreal is actually made up of several municipalities, all sharing the island of Montréal, each with their own mayor, city hall, etc.
The municipalities that constitute Montréal are: Montreal-Nord, Westmount, Outremont, Ville Lasalle, Verdun, Ville Mont-Royal, Ville St-Laurent, and the municipality of Montreal. These together form what is called the Montreal Urban Community (MUC) which administers several common services like the police force, the transport commission and several economic and cultural development agencies.
Downtown Montréal's safe and vibrant streets are alive at any time of the day or evening. A walk on the streets of Montréal or a ride in its ultra-clean, ultra-quiet subway--le métro--will tell you that this is a city that welcomes you. Bienvenue!
To get around Montreal, you can use a car (the road signs are adequate, but beware of potholes in the spring), public transportation (either by bus or metro the metro stations are marked by a sign with an arrow pointing downward in a circle; you can get a free map of the bus and metro lines at any metro station ticket booth, more detailed informations can be found at the end of this list), or by bicycle (there are some bicycle paths in and around Montreal) or, of course, by foot.
The public transportation is clean, safe and efficient, it's also easier than trying to find a parking place (it's very difficult to find a cheap parking place in downtown and almost impossible in old Montreal); all the important sites to visit are near a metro station anyway (like the slogan says : "It's smarter to take the bus/metro").
The street that separates east from west is St-Laurent boulevard, also known as the main. The street numbers are all in reference to St-Laurent blvd. So when someone gives you an address on a street that crosses St-Laurent blvd, make sure you know if it east of St-Laurent or west of St-Laurent.
Montréal boasts an impressive array of restaurants offering a virtually endless selection of international cuisine. To dine in Montréal is a pleasure not to be missed. To experience Montréal night life is to stimulate the mind and tickle the senses. The Montréal Symphony Orchestra is world famous. But there is much, much more--a resident opera company, over twenty professional theatre and dance groups and a host of outstanding museums, including the well-known Canadian Centre for Architecture.
For a unique and personal look at Montréal, updated daily, visit MONTREAL, SOLEIL ET PLUIE: Page WWW de Brigitte Gemme.
For the weather in Montréal today, see Prévisions météo.