The Jewel in the Crown

The Island of Montreal gently nestled within the St. Lawrence Seaway in Eastern Canada, with its cosmopolitan culture, superb leisure facilities, safe streets, wonderful restaurants, and year round festivals has got to be the jewel in Canada's crown. Blessed with long hot summers, fresh, colorful Autumns, crisp snow-filled winters and vibrant springs, there can be no better place in North America to enjoy four distinct seasons with warm, colorful people and an enviable standard of living. Once you have moved to Montreal you will want to stay, we certainly did.

I don't speak French

After Paris, Montreal is the second largest French-speaking city in the world, and certainly the largest in North America. 69% of its 3 million people speak French as their mother tongue, 12% speak English and 19% don't speak either. The reality of the situation, however, is that in this tolerant, vibrant, and youthful city most of its inhabitants are functionally bilingual, sometimes trilingual, and so coming here only speaking English is not a problem.

Is Montreal Expensive?

Montreal is an extremely affordable city especially for someone relocating from Western Europe. Free healthcare and schools of a very similar standard to those in Europe together with low cost housing and inexpensive consumer goods means that the cost of living in Montreal is much lower than that of any major European city. Restaurants and recreational activities are always great value.

Nice Weather for the Time of Year?

Yes, it snows here and quite a lot, 80 inches a year on average, and it can be cold, as low as –40ºC. But, as the saying goes, there is no such thing as bad weather just inappropriate clothing. Most winter mornings are blue, fresh and cold; perfect for skiing, walking and skating and enjoying the winter festivals. Wrap up well and enjoy it!

Spring is very short in Montreal only beginning in April and over by the end of May, just long enough to change those winter tires over, store the skis away, shop for summer clothes and grow enough grass to sunbathe on in June.

Summer is wonderful, and lasts from June to early September: 3 glorious months, usually hovering around the mid 70s. It can get very humid but there are plenty of pools to cool off in.

Autumn is beautiful, and often lasts well into November. The colors are magnificent and it's a great time to drive around Quebec to see the changing leaves. And of course, you will see Halloween as you have never seen it before!

Where Am I?

Montreal is in a great location for anyone wishing to travel and see other parts of North America. The city is only one hour by air from Boston and New York and other popular tourist destinations for Montrealers include Florida, Mexico, Cuba, Barbados and the Dominican Republic. There are also a number of drivable destinations in the US and Canada.

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