Montreal is the largest city in the Canadian province of Quebec and is the second largest city in all of Canada following Toronto. There are over 1,620,000 residents living within Montreal’s city limits with a total of over 3,650,000 residents living in the Montreal metropolitan area. Montreal’s main draw to residents is its city environment. Montreal is considered the 10th cleanest city in the world according to Forbes Magazine and was named the 16th most livable city by London’s Monacle Magazine.
Businesses are also very attracted to Montreal and help contribute towards Montreal’s successes. As the largest inland port in the world, the Port of Montreal handles over 26 million tons of cargo each year. Montreal’s industries mainly consist of aerospace, electronics, pharmaceuticals, printed goods, software engineering, and telecommunications. The video gaming industry is currently booming in Montreal due to Ubisoft coming to Montreal back in 1997. Video game publishers such as Ubisoft, EA, Eidos Interactive, Artificial Mind and Movement, and Strategy First all have offices in Montreal and contribute billions towards Montreal’s GDP which is currently around $120 billion annually.
Over 70% of all people living in Montreal speak French in their homes. Due to the size of the French speaking population, many of Montreal’s attractions are especially welcoming to French speaking visitors. Known as “Canada’s Cultural Capital”, Montreal is home to many of the French language T.V. productions, radio, theater, art, and film productions. Montreal’s cultural center, the Place de Arts, contains many different theaters and concert halls which become the venue for many of the famous music festivals such as the Montreal International Jazz Festival and the Montreal Francofolies which each last between 7-10 days.
Over 14 million visitors come to Montreal each year from the United States, the United Kingdom, France, Germany, Mexico, and Japan. This amount of tourism is great for Montreal and creates over 39,000 jobs within the city. Crescent Street is well-known for their many bars and popular street fairs throughout the summer. Two car races in Montreal, the Formula 1 Canadian Grand Prix and the NASCAR NAPA Auto Parts 200, also draw in thousands of visitors each year to the city. Other popular areas for tourists in Montreal are Saint-Laurent Boulevard and the Plateau Mont-Royal neighborhood. Each of these areas is known for their nightlife and host many different restaurants and nightclubs.
